Petite Sirah is a grape that belies its name--there's absolutely nothing petite about it. The wine is big, bold, robust, deep-colored, and tannic, not some mealy-mouthed little girl who sits pretty and still shops in the kids' section. I won't bore you with the complete history of Petite Sirah, which is long, convoluted, and requires an agricultural degree to get through, but instead will give you the one-sentence recap: The grape was probably originally from the Rhone in France, but is now mostly grown in California. Like Zinfandel, Petite Sirah has its own fan base: P.S. I love you. (Clever, eh?)

If you look in the California wine section, you'll likely find one or two bottles of PS to try. If you've never tried them, you should. It's an interesting grape. Sometimes PS is blended with other wines, like Zinfandel. These two grapes are a perfect pair, IMO, because the jammy Zin is bolstered up by the tannic PS, and together they make a great blend.

I've got one Petite Sirah in my wine rack--a 2004 Close LaChance ($35) that I brought home from a trip to Paso Robles last fall--but haven't had a chance to open it yet. Today, my neighbor came over with a mostly-finished-and-recorked bottle of Crane Lake Petite Sirah. "Try this," he said.

More Petite Sirah - Wine of the Week after the jump.

I did. "Not bad," I told him. It wasn't a $50 blockbuster, but it was a pretty decent wine with a dark, fruity bouquet and a soft finish.

"Guess how much," he said.

We guessed $12, then $10. Nope. $5. And when I looked the wine up online, it turns out Crane Lake is a cousin to Two Buck Chuck, and the real retail price before you slap on our state taxes is closer to $3.

So try it. The Crane Lake is a nice intro to PS, though it's not as tannic and big as a more expensive version. It will turn your teeth purple, though, so keep that whitening toothpaste handy.