Wine: Citizen Smith

THIS weekend marks the 233rd anniversary of the United States declaring independence from Great Britain.

From California to Chicago, a slew of parties, parades, firework displays and concerts will celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence from the British Empire under the control of Prime Minister Lord North, the second Earl of Guildford. At the time, the great US statesman Benjamin Franklin remarked that there was "not only a respect, but an affection for Great Britain, for its laws, its customs and manners... natives of Britain were always treated with a particular regard".

One man who will be toasting the words of Franklin from his vineyard in California is Andy Smith, a young Scotsman who in a few short years has earned himself a considerable regard in winemaking circles across the Atlantic. Such is Smith's meteoric rise that he now counts Robert Parker, the world's most influential wine critic, as a fan.

Smith's journey began in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh, in the Oddbins shop on the south side of the city. It was here, among the many cabernet sauvignons and chardonnays emanating from America, that he developed his love of wine. After Oddbins, Smith, who by then had married his childhood sweetheart (whom he met at the Royal High School) and graduated from Napier University, furthered his career as a wine merchant with Ayrshire wholesaler Alliance Wine. By his own admission, however, Smith was a terrible salesman. Secretly, he harboured an ambition to make wine rather than sell it.

It was while working for Alliance that one of his customers was Zubair Mohammed, proprietor of Raeburn Fine Wines. "I remember he used to come and see me with a long list of wines he wanted me to stock," says Mohammed. "We spent hours talking about wine but we never spoke about business. The wine chats were legendary, though; even then he was getting under the skin of the subject."

A few years into the job Smith decided the time had come to embark on a winemaking career. Having been inspired by the wines of California, he decided it was on its golden slopes that he wanted to be. But first he had to learn the trade.

He moved with his wife to New Zealand and enrolled at Lincoln University to study viticulture and oenology. He learned his craft under some of the most famous names in winemaking – including Neil McCallum at New Zealand's Dry River winery and Paul Hobbs in California – finally ending up at DuMol in California's Russian River Valley, where he still works today.

Here, Smith has created chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah in a distinctly restrained, Old World style. Indeed, these wines have a complexity, length, purity of fruit and minerality that would not look out of place in the varieties' heartlands of Burgundy and the Rhône Valley. "We are not trying to push these wines to the limit," Smith tells me on one of his annual visits back to Edinburgh. "We like the wines to express the character of their vineyards with fruit purity, freshness, persistence, concentration and structure."

And his winemaking has been noticed. Robert Parker, the critic who is so influential that a good review from him can literally double the price of a wine, describes Smith as the "talented Scotsman" and a "superstar". Then, last September, Parker named Smith as "one of the world's most influential wine consultants".

As the Independence Day celebrations draw to a close, Smith can take comfort in the fact that he has been one of Scotland's better exports.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Heitz Cellar, Napa Valley, California, 14.5 per cent, £30

A deep purple colour in the glass, this is a smooth, supremely elegant, voluptuous interpretation of cabernet sauvignon. The nose is all dark cherry and chocolate with a soft, generous finish.

Chardonnay 2005 Clare, Carneros, DuMOL, California, 14.5 per cent, £35

Andy Smith makes classic Californian chardonnay. Lightly oaked, it possesses a clean, mineral, powerful, concentrated character. The palate is marked by its length and delightful flickering acidity.

Cabernet Sauvignon Artemis 2006, Stag's Leap, Napa Valley, California, 13.8 per cent, £40

A wine that really ought to be laid down for another ten years, when it will be showing at its best. Distinctly Napa in character with a nose full of dark cherries and plums. The palate is big with a ripe, dense feel.

Stockists: Raeburn Fine Wines, Edinburgh (0131-343 1159)

Deals of the week

Lindemans Winemakers Release Chardonnay or Shiraz Cabernet, Australia Down from £7.99 to £3.99, plus 5 per cent off on six or more bottles, at Somerfield (www.somerfield.co.uk)

Oyster Bay Chardonnay or Merlot, New Zealand Down from £8.99 to £5.99, at Waitrose (www.waitrose.com)

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Australia Down from £8.99 to £4.99 each when you buy two, at Majestic (www.majestic.co.uk)