Big House wines wear stripes

They call Georgetta Dane the warden.

She runs winemaking at the Big House -- and that's not a certain football stadium in Ann Arbor but a quirky winery in Monterey County, Calif., located a few miles from a real "big house," the Soledad State Correctional Facility. The lockup inspired Big House's original owner, Randall Grahm, to craft a wine brand around it, especially since the vineyards he used surrounded the facility.

In 2006, Grahm sold Big House to The Wine Group, and Dane got appointed to oversee the slammer -- and expand the brand -- while keeping the prison-stripes theme and everyday prices ($7.99-$14.99).

"My rule is ABC," Dane says in a phone interview. "Anything but Chardonnay, anything but Cabernet Sauvignon."

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Big House wines are dry, crafted blends of as many as two dozen grape varieties -- but not Chard or Cab. The front labels, back labels and Web site at www.bighouse.com are metaphorical, and the wines in the bottle are metaphysical: highly intellectual, unconventional and aimed at Millennials (OK, Gen-Xers, Gen-Yers and Boomers, too) who like anything different and affordable.

But how does one go about blending a wine like Big House Red, with sometimes more than 20 grape varieties? What's the secret?

"The perfume, that's what I follow," Dane says. "A perfume is a blend of essential oils with a base, middle notes and top notes. That's how I blend." For Big House Red, the "base" is Petite Sirah, Syrah or Petit Verdot. Her middle tones are insanely fruity Italian varietals; her top notes are aromatic varieties like Grenache, Tempranillo, Viognier or Malvasia.

Big House overview
The common "criminals" are under-$10 dry blends:

• Big House Red

• Big House White

• Big House Pink

The white-collar inmates are the "Upper Cell Block" wines, all dry and $10-$15.

• The Lineup-GSM, a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre

• The Birdman-Pinot Grigio

• The Slammer-Syrah

• The Prodigal Son-Petite Sirah.

Give 'em a try: Big House Red (slams palate with bold red fruit), Big House Pink (crisp, palate-cleansing; no flaky "pinko"); The Prodigal Son-Petite Sirah (so dark and inky it'll leave tracks on your teeth)