The Modesto Bee, Calif., Wine Notes Column.

By Tim Moran, The Modesto Bee, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jun. 20--Tired of the cabernet-chardonnay- merlot merry-go-round? Have you wearied of the zinfandels and syrahs and sauvignon blancs, and feel perhaps there are other flavors to explore?

If so, Ron Silva is your man. Silva doesn't make wine on a commercial basis - but he grows many nontraditional grape varieties on his farm in Galt that are made into some interesting wines. Grapes like verdelho, touriga nacional, tempranillo, alvarelhao, tinto cao and tannat. Silva began growing grapes nine years ago on the Galt farm he has owned for nearly 30 years.

The wine grapes were a natural extension of the wheat, alfalfa, …