A toast to the earth -- and girl power

Finding enjoyable wines from the Rhone region has never been a stretch.

Now, praise be, pleasant pours from the region's women winemakers are equally accessible.

Usually, when someone mentions the paucity of women in any particular field I shudder, and proclaim: "Stop! That's SO '80s!!!"

But with winemaking there actually is some merit to the theory, although that's happily changing. Add organic farming techniques to the mix and you have a true find.

That's when you'll open a bottle of Mas de Libian, Bout d'Zan 2005, a whippersnapper of a Grenache blended with a wise old Syrah resulting in a berry-rich blend that's easy on tannins with a nice finish. (Expect to pay about $13 a bottle.) It's made by Helene Thibon, the energetic daughter of a family that began growing grain in 1670.

Thibon has been making wine since 1995, when she convinced her kin to start making their own wine instead of supplementing other vineyards. We're glad she did.