It was a fine autumn afternoon, with a dry, hot breeze filling the air, the last lingering kisses of summer. I parked my orange truck and looked into the blue sky at the large concrete-and-glass building. I was going to the top floor of the impressive building, where I would meet my friends and partake in a trade wine tasting.

When I arrived on the 34th floor, I met my salesgirl, Felicity C. Bliss, a statuesque brunette with blue-green eyes and countless freckles, who was wearing a smart navy-blue business suit. She handed me a program and I headed toward the first table. There I saw the broad back of my good friend, the culinary genius Chef Kenny. He poured me a glass of some sort of golden chardonnay and gave me a commanding look that said, “You are going to like this.”

I saw the nodding head of the affable wine distributor Paul, his tired eyes squinting at the bright afternoon sun that surrounded the large windowed dining room. Felicity nudged me to try the wine, which turned out to be magic in the glass; the aromatics were soft and delicate, like scents from a well-cared-for flower bed, and it had a structure on the palate that was full but lacked the fatness commonly associated with Californian chardonnays. I was in love.

Grinning, Chef Kenny said: “This is the Walter Hansel Estate Chardonnay, and I’m sure you’ve guessed that it’s from the Russian River. It has wonderful acidity and fruit – and, for a change, the French oak is understated.”

I nodded my head in agreement. I turned to Felicity and said, “What do think of the wine, Ms. Bliss?”

“It is a good example of what mature-vine chardonnay and heavy vineyard management can do with a wine,” she responded. “The winemaker, Stephen Hansel, has dropped a lot of fruit to control the yields, which shows in the concentration of flavors on the palate and on the oak. As Chef Kenny has said, the oak is very understated.”

Chef Kenny handed me a plate of deli meats and cheeses. The buildings and cars looked like toddlers’ toys as I stared out the window at the city skyline and munched on the appetizers. How high we were!

Just then, Paul handed me another glass of wine. It was red wine of some beauty, light and with that distinct pinot color. Paul became very animated, his arms moving like a windmill, and said in a businesslike fashion: “This is Ancien Carneros Pinot Noir. It has a unique mouth feel full of black cherry and violets. They use the 115 Dijon clone.”

“I thought they used the 114 clone,” Chef Kenny said with a hearty laugh.

Paul took on a serious expression and said, “They also use the Swan clone, and that gives the wine that Russian River feel.”

“Something many wine drinkers just don’t understand is that most wines are blended,” Felicity said. “For example, most Napa Valley cabernets are blended with merlot. With a wine that is always 100 percent of the varietal, like pinot noir, you use different clones to create the complexity needed. Each has a distinct flavor profile, and in that way you create the mouthwatering complexity desired.”

Paul nodded his head like a yo-yo. “The 115 clone provides the floral nose, the violets, spice, the polished fruit and Coca-Cola flavors,” he said. “And the Swan clone gives the dark, juicy fruit, the black cherry, blackberry and dark chocolate.”

Chef Kenny smiled and said: “You learn something new every day. This pinot is really a kick-ass wine.”

“Amen to that,” I declared, and Felicity poured a little more for me. I vacuumed it up.

Paul then poured us a wine that could only be zinfandel. It was from a small production producer, Saxon Brown.

“This wine is very underrated,” Paul said proudly. “You know, trade wine tastings are like dog shows because every dog needs a loving home. This is an excellent wine. It just needs a home like Chez Suave. They make only 168 cases of this wine. It is 100 percent zin from tiny Sonoma ‘Stonewall Block’ vineyard and spends more than a year in French oak.”

Chef Kenny, the owner of Chez Suave, then laughed and said, “Your dog here is of an excellent pedigree and has found a home at Chez Suave. It has a lot of plums, spice and a hint of eucalyptus. It is super!”

He turned to Felicity and said, “Send me five cases of Hansel Chardonnay, two cases of Ancien Pinot Noir and a case of the Saxon Brown zin.”