Choose Big, Bold American Reds for the Fourth

Because charcoal grilling imparts such strong smoky flavors to foods, it cries out for a red wine with enough depth and dimension to stand up for itself. This translates into a full-throttle bouquet, lots of ripe fruit and a finishing dollop of vanilla from aging in new oak barrels.

The wine should also be American. Though I'm hardly a chauvinist when it comes to great wine, America n wines are better suited to the barbecue precisely because they epitomize the New World style of winemaking, where bigger and bolder are usually better.

Along with Red Flyer (my Wine of the Week), the following are my picks for a festive Fourth of July.

Liberty School 2004 Syrah "Central Coast" ($15; California; distributed by Winebow): With a perfect name for the Independence Day holiday, the Liberty School syrah delivers plush, stylish syrah fruit reminiscent of a pricey French Hermitage, a favorite wine of Thomas Jefferson while he was U.S. minister to France.

Trentadue 2003 Old Patch Red ($13; California; DOPS): Loaded with savory red fruit flavors, this traditional California field blend of zinfandel (52.5 percent), carignan (14.4 percent), sangiovese (20.3 percent) and petite sirah (12.8 percent) is a knockout.

Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles ($14; California; Constantine): This chewy Rhone-style blend of grenache, counoise, syrah and mourvedre serves up delectable blackberry and cassis fruit accented by flavors of American oak.

Eos 2002 Petite Sirah ($17; California; NDC): This imposing petite sirah from Paso Robles offers a complex bouquet of mocha and vanilla fruit, followed on the palate by fat, juicy flavors of blueberry and cassis, and a finish of round tannins.

Ravenswood 2003 "Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel" ($14; California; NDC): Juicy cherry and plum flavors give this classic interpretation of American zinfandel a soft, lush impression on the palate.

Pedroncelli 2001 Petite Sirah "Dry Creek Valley" ($14; California; DOPS): A full bouquet of violets, black pepper and plum gives way to a bright shot of smoky blackberry and black cherry fruit on the palate, and smooth tannins on the finish.

BEST BUYS UNDER $10

Smoking Loon 2004 Syrah ($10; California; NDC): Excellent concentration for the price range, jammy strawberry fruit is highlighted by oak notes.

Pepperwood Grove 2004 Syrah ($7; California; NDC): Clear, pure fruit, with nice weight on the palate. Serve lightly chilled.