The film "Sideways," nominated for five Oscars this year (it won for best adapted screenplay), is doing for pinot noir what the "60 Minutes" story on the French paradox did for merlot.

"Sideways" is a sometimes funny, often bittersweet buddy/road movie in which the main character, Miles, is infatuated with wine, especially pinot noir.

In an impassioned scene with would-be love interest Maya, he waxes poetic about pinot's need for constant care and attention, its fragile, delicate nature, and its haunting and brilliant flavors. "Just like me!" he seems to be saying.

Movie-goers are responding in droves. Pinot noir sales are exploding. The current issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine reports that sales have jumped 15 percent in recent weeks, after plodding along at a growth rate of 2 percent annually for years. Perhaps your interest has been tweaked by the movie. You'd like to try a bottle or two of pinot but don't know where to begin.

Here's where: California, Oregon and Burgundy. These are the three key pinot-producing places you should experience. Central Coast (California) wine country, just north of Santa Barbara, is where the movie is set, but good pinot is made in select locations scattered all over the state. Then there is Oregon, which once laid claim to being this country's best pinot territory. That title is now up for grabs, but Oregon still knocks out some good ones. And if you really want to know pinot, and fully grasp what obsesses Miles, you've got to taste a good red Burgundy.

Even entry-level pinot noirs are pricey, and the great bottles are among the most expensive red wines made. Affordable pinots with flavors reaching beyond generic are hard to come by but worth scouting for.

From Burgundy :

2002 Véro Pinot Noir ($22) made by Veronique Drouhin for her family's winery, Maison Joseph Drouhin. Véro is Drouhin's nickname, and her namesake wine is classier and more elegant than basic Bourgogne, yet far less expensive than Drouhin's cru (vineyard-designated) Burgundies.

It captures the lighter, prettier side of pinot, with a perfume of raspberries and cherry candy, flavors of rose petals and red fruits, and the barest hint of pepper.

From Oregon:

Abbey Page 2003 Pinot Noir ($15) and Scott Paul 2003 "Cuvée Martha Pirrie" Pinot Noir ($20) are new arrivals in town, brightly showcasing the extra ripeness that Oregon achieved in the hot summer of 2003.

The 2002 Oregon pinots, over-praised by certain wine publications, are in many instances hard, earthy, tannic wines, difficult to appreciate and expensive to boot. The 2003s on the other hand, are coming out with bold, sweet, fruit-driven flavors that require no hand-holding.

Raptor Ridge is a low-profile boutique located 10 miles north of Newberg, Ore., whose stunning 2003 lineup has not yet been discovered by the press. These are limited production, exciting pinots, beautifully hand-crafted and priced well below comparable Oregon offerings.

The Raptor Ridge 2003 "Yamhill County Cuvée" Pinot Noir ($18) is a fruit basket of cherry candy, melon and more; light, forward and flavorful. There is also a luscious 2003 Reserve Pinot Noir ($29) and five different single vineyard bottlings (all $29, all recommended, but the Meredith Mitchell Vineyard is the superstar). Raptor Ridge is not distributed in Washington, but these wines may be ordered direct from the winery (503-887-5595 or via www.raptoridge.com).

From California:

The Carneros region, at the south end of Napa and Sonoma, has been eclipsed in recent years by snootier, softer — let's face it, sexier — pinots from the Santa Lucia Highlands, the Sonoma Coast and the Santa Rita Hills. But don't count Carneros out.

The 2003 Acacia Pinot Noir ($22) is a solid effort, with more muscle and herbal interest than the splashier, softer stuff from elsewhere. It's also cheaper than most, and it has a pleasing coffee-and-cola core that you won't find in Burgundy. The dominant herb here is sage, so try it with game hens and a sage dressing.

Winemaker Erik Olsen, who left Chateau Ste. Michelle to work at Sonoma's Clos du Bois two years ago, has worked wonders with that winery's pinot program. The 2003 Clos du Bois Sonoma Coast Reserve Pinot Noir ($22) is a single vineyard, 100 percent varietal effort that beautifully showcases the region's exceptional fruit. Good texture, density and concentrated flavors mix red fruits, spice and wild herbs (thyme, rosemary), with a finish of fresh earth and pepper. The regular Sonoma county bottling ($16) is simpler, but fresh and well-made.

Also recommended:

Trnchero 2003 "Vista Montone" Pinot Noir ($24).

Argentine wines

Now is a good time to revisit Argentine wines if you have not done so recently. Though reports of dramatic improvements in vineyard practices and winery technology have been circulating for years, the proof, as always, is in the bottle.

New releases coming into this market are better at all price points than the wines made in the '90s. An infusion of capital, creative vision and sheer youth has invigorated Argentina, and the wines are finally living up to the hype.

Ecos 2003 Syrah ($10) and Ecos 2002 Malbec ($10)

This value brand sports a colorful label that shouts "party time!" but the wines are seriously good. Classy winemaking wraps the syrah in a toasty blanket; the malbec builds from a core of blackberry/black cherry into a long, soft finish.

Postales del Fin del Mundo 2003 Cab/Malbec ($10). Patagonia is rapidly becoming the most exciting new vineyard region in Argentina. Vast plantings are going in, and the arid, wind-swept terrain seems capable of delivering intense wines with disarmingly soft tannins. This clean, smooth, lightly chocolatey blend is a great introduction to the style.

Gascón 2004 Viognier ($11). Lush, juicy stone-fruit flavors of peach and apricot are balanced against bone-dry acids. A great cocktail wine.

Bodegas Salentein 2002 Malbec ($16). Dark, smoky and tarry red with well-ripened fruit and some punch in the finish.

Bodegas Caro 2001 ($38). This superpremium cabernet/malbec blend, from Domaine Lafite Argentina, introduces Bordeaux-like structure, Lafite-coopered new French oak barrels and other classic old world winemaking to Argentine grapes. Complex highlights of citrus, cinnamon and smoke illuminate this powerful, fruit-driven blend.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Northwest Wines." His column appears weekly in the Wine section. He can be reached by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.