Equal parts girl next door and Brigitte Bardot, Rachael Taylor, 24 and with hair the color of champagne, is more than just another rising Aussie actress. She grew up on the rugged island province of Tasmania — shunned by mainlanders for being wild and woolly — which gives her a certain swagger. "What I really like about being blonde and in this body is being able to surprise people," Taylor admits. "People think that I'm sweet or easy to maneuver, and I'm none of those things." She seems well adjusted to L.A., where she's lived for two years. In that short time she landed a role as a whiz-kid hacker who outsmarts the Decepticons in Transformers as well as another as a newlywed haunted by her husband's crazed ex in a remake of the Thai psycho-thriller Shutter. This month, Taylor lights up Bottle Shock, based on a true story, in which she plays a bright-eyed viticulture intern at Napa Valley's Chateau Montelena. It's 1976, and the little vineyard that could is about to best France's finest in a blind tasting, sending oenophiles abuzz and earning California wineries the begrudging respect of the world. The charming, though at times syrupy, dramatic comedy — which showed at Sundance — sets Taylor alongside the tenured likes of Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman. Researching her role involved a tough regimen of wine tasting throughout Napa. So, what topped her list? "You know, I'm not just saying this because of the film, but it's the Chateau Montelena," Taylor claims. "That Chardonnay is sublime — if you can ever get your hands on a bottle." The experience taught her a great deal, though she remains a relatively cheap date. "If you put it in front of me, I'll drink it."

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