A brief chat with the Californian Wine Institute serves to tell me two things. Firstly, they are feeling quite pleased with themselves, having seen imports to the UK of Californian wine increase by 17 per cent in 2005 and secondly, they are still battling with the gap'.

Nearly all of us will have tried the keenly priced wines of Ernest & Julio Gallo, Blossom Hill and such like, while the wine-nerds among us will undoubtedly have read about trophy wines from the Napa Valley such as Screaming Eagle, which retail for in excess of £1,000 a bottle. And that is it in a nutshell what is there in-between? And is it any good?

Not so long ago, I had been to the Oxford Wine Club Pinot Noir tasting where French, New Zealand and American examples of this fickle grape had been compared. In every flight I gave the American wine the lowest score. You certainly wouldn't call them poor, it is just that they weren't that great either and with a price tag in excess of £10 for every bottle I was expecting a bit more bang for my buck.

More recently, I had swirled and spat my way through a dozen of the Wente Family Vineyards wines (available at Stevens Garnier, Oxford). A sadly forgettable experience. The most modestly priced white was a Pinot Grigio 2004 at £6.25. My notes are clear even to the up and coming wine-drinking population "Y? 4 PG go 2 Italy".

On the upside, you can give the Vineyard Selection Zinfandel 2001 a go at £6.95. Zinfandel is California's USP and this example is aged for 18 months in oak and has a distinctively punchy flavour with creamy vanilla and spice.

However, to get a taste of what California really has to offer, you can do no better than visit Vineyard Cellars the UK's leading Californian wine specialist. Based in Hungerford, you do have to keep going down the A34 and a bit beyond the Oxfordshire border. But, what is a mile or ten when you are hunting out a decent bottle?

I made the journey to taste wines from two little-known wineries: Domaine de la Terre Rouge and Fisher Vineyards.

The vineyards of Domaine de la Terre Rouge are planted in California's Sierra Nevada where the vermillion-coloured soils give the estate its name. Winemaker, Bill Easton has planted grape varieties most commonly found in the Rhne Valley for the Terre Rouge range.

Enigma 2004 is a white wine made from 54 per cent marsanne and then an equal split of viognier and rousanne. Its vibrant, light-gold colour made it an eye catching start to proceedings.

It tastes as alive as it looks, with rich peach, tangerine and red apple flavours. There is a healthy serving of oak here too, but don't be put off because it has been deftly handled and the finish remains clean and fresh.

The red is a Mourvdre 2001 and, let us not beat about the bush, I loved this too. It was leathery, spicy, black cherry and chocolate truffle all rolled into one with a long and indulgent finish. So delicious, it was hard not to curse the journey home and the inevitable hunt for the spittoon. Both wines retail at an excellent £15.80 a bottle. I know, it is not cheap, but in Californian terms, I'd almost say they were almost a bit of a steal.

Fisher Vineyards have plantings in both the Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Unlike Terre Rouge they are firmly focused on the classic varieties such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot. What they do have in common with Bill Easton is the drive for quality and this was reflected in the wines.

RCF Merlot 2002 is an absolute blockbuster, with a breathalyser-shocking 15.5 per cent ABV. Typically, I have something of an aversion to wines of very high alcohol as there are very few that can actually carry it off. This is a happy exception, with sufficient fruit and structure to make it feel closer to 13.5 per cent. Classic, ripe cherry fruits and a sprinkling of spice, this wine goes on for ever and ever. At £27.99 this experience comes at a price.

But it is still not the sort of price that you will have to pay to try the Coach Insignia Cabernet Sauvignon (a tad under 15 per cent ABV) from the same estate.

At £41.99 it is not many who will take the plunge to see the bold, opaque colour and taste the plum, blackcurrant, milk chocolate, currant fruits which are neatly integrated with firm tannins. It is very good indeed and there is certainly a lot of wine for your money, but, is it worth it?

Well, it is still less than the price of filling up my tank with diesel and I reckon that if I were to drink a bottle of that once a week, I'd not be able to drive anyway potentially a net saving! However, it would leave me nothing at all in the budget to buy other wines and try new things and that seems to be California's enduring problem.

Beyond the brands it is a struggle to find much that is a truly realistic price for day-to-day drinking. But, if you are feeling flush or want to celebrate do, in the words of the California Wine Institute "enjoy the way we live in the wines we make" do take a trip to Hungerford.

Vineyard Cellars. The Bindery, Wantage Road, Hungerford, Berkshire, RG17 0PL Tel: 01488 681411 Website: www.vineyardcellars.com n Stevens Garnier. 47 West Way, Oxford.

Tel: 01865 263 300 Website: www.stevensgarnier.co.uk