For years, I have emphasized the importance of small-production wines. They are often the most interesting, most distinctive wines available.

This is not to demean larger producers who are conscientious about their work. I have made the case as well for big Champagne houses, Bordeaux producers, Burgundy négociants and others. But generally speaking, mass-produced wines are often another category, tailored to fit a preconceived notion in which flavor, texture and color have been carefully tested for popular appeal.

Some of these wines are like processed foods, laboratory creations in which the product is fabricated with enzymes, yeasts, tannins and other enhancers until the goal is met. Others are produced in simpler ways more recognizable to generations of winemakers. Either way, they have achieved popularity on a mass scale.

Love these wines or hate them, they are worth getting to know. So this month we will taste three American crowd-pleasers, reds from California that are among the most popular wines in the country.