We all know about Robert Mondavi, Stag's Leap and Insignia, but have you ever wanted to find out about the small brands causing ripples of excitement in the American market? It was on February 15 that the Wine Business Monthly released its list of the Hottest Small Brands of 2005, but they just got some great press from Paul Gregutt of Seattle Times, renewing worldwide interest in the rankings.

In case you didn't get time to follow the list when it was out, here it is:

1. Parducci Wine Cellars Mendocino Wine Company (Ukiah, California)

2. Solorosa SoloRosa Wines (St. Helena, California)

3. Cheapskate WineSmith (Napa, California)

4. Velvet Red St. James Winery (St. James, Missouri)

5. Incredible Red Peachy Canyon Winery (Paso Robles, California)

6. Hard Core Core Wine Company (Santa Maria, California)

7. Kunde Estate Kunde Estate Winery & Vineyards (Kenwood, California)

8. Hitching Post Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Winery (Buellton, California)

9. Andretti Winery Andretti Wine Group (Napa, California)

10. Esser Vineyards Esser Vineyards (Napa Valley, California)

Explaining how it went about making the selection, the no-nonsene, no-puffs trade journal writes:

In putting together this list of "hot small brands" we did not include brands that we selected in previous years. We avoided larger, more established growth brands, and steered clear of new labels from mega-wineries with the capacity and clout to jam vast quantities of wine into the distribution system upon product launch.

In previous years we defined hot small brands as labels from US wineries making less than 150,000 cases per year that experienced the most volume growth in a single year. In 2005, we've broadened our criteria to include wineries and brands we think are cool. These aren't only brands from small wineries with big sales increases, but wines that people in the trade are excited about from producers that have emerged as leaders of the wine regions they represent. They are also up-and-coming brands from scrappy wineries and existing labels that have experienced renewed momentum.

In an age of marketing-led hype, it's great to know that the small guys have someone thinking about them.

(For more, go to the following links: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2002953281_winecol26.html and http://winebusiness.com/html/MonthlyArticle.cfm?dataId=42347)