 It's summer.
You’re going to need a case of wine to take to the mountains for that
vacation with friends, and another for the Fourth of July, when they’re
all coming to your place for a barbecue. You'll need a few bottles for
the team after your Saturday-afternoon soccer game, and more to take to
the beach. And what about that date at Tanglewood, or the food truck
convention downtown?
Here's your shopping list, our 59 favorite
value brands from a year of tastings — selected from more than 3,700
wines priced $18 or less. These are names to know for all your summer
events. Each one of the brands on the following pages stands out for its
range of notable wines at prices that beat the competition—the
definition of great value.
All our Value Brands are worth committing
to memory for a year’s worth of good drinking.
We’ve listed the two
highest-scoring values from each brand (you can find a complete list of
recommended wines online at wineandspiritsmagazine.com). And we asked
our editors to share a few specifics on the brands as well as their
favorite ways to enjoy them, with notes from Patrick J. Comiskey, Carson Demmond, Lara Douglass, Joshua Greene, Luke Sykora, Patricio Tapia and Tara Q. Thomas.
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Under the Stars | (outdoor concerts and summer theater
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OUTDOOR CONCERTS
Butter some baguettes and layer them
with salty ham and cornichons; wrap slices of quiche in wax paper, or
just bring a selection of cheese, crackers, olives and apples to snack
on. Summer is the time for outdoor music.
Chateau Ste. Michelle
hosts its own outdoor concert series on a hillside adjacent their
Woodinville, Washington winery—this year including the Beach Boys in
July. Their affordable appellation series wines draw from some of the
state’s top vineyard sites, such as Cold Creek for the refreshing 2010
Riesling.
2010 Columbia Valley Cold Creek Riesling (90 | $15 | 12/11)
2009 Columbia Valley Indian Wells Chardonnay (88 | $18 | 2/12)
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA
Toques et Clochers’
gentle, leesy Crémant is a great way to celebrate a summer evening of
music, as are any of its many chardonnays. All of them come from Les
Vignerons du Sieur d’Arques, a cooperative of 288 winegrowers outside of
Carcassonne —a town that turns into a music hub every summer with the
six-week Festival de Carcassonne.
 2010 Limoux Méditerranéen
(91 | $17 | 6/12)
2005 Limoux Occursus (90 | $17 | 6/12)
V.O.S. Selections, NY
Georges Duboeuf cru
Beaujolais are refreshing reds for the lawn at Tanglewood, your hamper
stocked with fresh raspberries, charcuterie and crisp baguettes. Chill
down the Julienas or Moulin-à-Vent and pour it with Mozart.
 2010 Moulin-à-Vent Domaine des Rosiers (88 | $18 | 4/12)
2010 Julienas La Trin Quée
(87 | $15 | 4/12)
W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Harrison, NY
CHILLIN' ON THE PORCH Outside
of the occasional bottle of bubbles, there’s nothing better than
sitting on the porch as the evening star rises and sipping a cool
mouthwatering white wine, while nibbling on almonds or white cheese.
Bliss.
King Estate is one of
the leaders in Oregon gris—few can deliver on quality for price better.
And King Estate’s chardonnay this year is also showing great promise,
the product of maturing Dijon clones in Oregon.
 2010 Oregon Signature Collection
Chardonnay (90 | $18 | 4/12)
2010 Oregon Signature Collection
Pinot Gris (90 | $17 | 2/12)
King Estate Winery, Eugene, OR
Lake Chalice’s off-dry
pinot gris is a light but lavish way to settle into the evening; move
onto the supple, smoky 2011 Sauvignon Blanc for dinner, especially if
it’s roasted fish. The winery, based in Rapaura, Wairau Valley, draws
fruit from four estate vineyards in Marlborough, along with grapes from
contract growers.
 2011 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
(90 | $17 | 2/12)
2011 Marlborough Eyrie Vineyard
Pinot Gris (86 | $17 | 2/12)
American Wine Distributors,
San Francisco, CA
Famille Grassa makes
the consummate summer sippers from its Atlantic-cooled vineyards in
Gascony. Their Domaine de Pouy is sharp and saline; the Lalande
Chardonnay offers more richness with similar clarity.
 2010 Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne Blanc Domaine de Pouy
(87 | $9 | 6/12)
2010 Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne Lalande Chardonnay
(86 | $16 | 6/12)
Robert Kacher Selections,
Washington, DC
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The Great Outdoors | (camping, hiking, fishing, boating)
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CYCLING THE FINGER LAKES
On a bike, few places on the east coast
offer a more picturesque ride than the Finger Lakes, not least because
at the end of most rides is a winery providing proper refreshment.
Red Newt Cellars rieslings
represent some of the best quality for price of any domestic wine we
taste annually. The thrilling nerve and dramatic flavors of their 2009s
are complex enough for seafood feasts and accessible enough for an
afternoon sip on a bike trip.
 2009 Finger Lakes Circle Label Riesling (93 | $12 | 8/11)
2009 Finger Lakes Semi-Dry Riesling (92 | $14 | 8/11)
Red Newt Cellars, Hector, NY
Heron Hill Winery’s best
rieslings can easily compete with Germany for sheer value. Most of their
grapes come from their Ingle Vineyard on the shore of Canandaigua
Lake.
 2009 New York Semi-Dry Riesling (92 | $14 | 8/11)
2009 New York Dry Riesling (91 | $14 | 8/11)
Heron Hill Vineyards, Hammondsport, NY
Sheldrake Point makes several
nervy rieslings as well as a few reds on its lakeside property in Ovid,
NY. The vines are just a stone’s throw from Cayuga’s shore.
 2009 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling (92 | $15 | 8/11) 2009 Finger Lakes Riesling (92 | $15 | 8/11) Sheldrake Point Vineyard, Ovid, NY
FLY FISHING IN AMERICA
Here’s a tip: Because inexpensive pinot
noirs aren’t the product of extremely low-yielding vineyards and lavish
oak treatment, they can be great matches for fish—particularly
pan-roasted trout out of a mountain creek.
Acrobat, from King
Estate, will arm you for your next fishing expedition. Set a bottle of
their ample pinot gris in the stream to freshen it up. Give the pinot
noir a light chill as well—it’s got true varietal character, a steal for
the price.
2010 Oregon Pinot Gris (89 | $12 | 12/11) 2010 Oregon Pinot Noir (88 | $18 | 4/12) King Estate Winery, Eugene, OR
Castle Rock, a pinot
noir specialist, originally operated as a negociant. Now founder Gregory
Papovitch has moved toward purchasing grape contracts, with 70 percent
of his production in pinot noir. Even so, don’t miss the foresty, black
cherry-scented ’09 Napa Cabernet.
 2009 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet (87 | $18 | 2/12)
2009 Mendocino County Pinot Noir (84 | $10 | 8/11)
Castle Rock Winery, Geyserville, CA
Colomé is the wine for
your annual bro-cation, whether or not fly fishing takes you to
Patagonia. Switch out the old brews for something more vinous in
nature—torrontés for riverside drinking, or a juicy malbec blend—the
2008 Amalaya—when the evening cools off. These wines grow in the Upper
Calchaquí Valley, at some of the highest-altitude vineyards in the
world.
 2011 Torrontés Valle Calchaqui (90 | $15 | 6/12)
2008 Salta Amalaya (88 | $17 | 2/12)
The Hess Collection New World Wines, Napa, CA
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Summer Dining | (garden parties, wedding brunches, pig roasts, asados and food trucks)
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GARDEN PARTY
You're here to admire the flowers
and relax in each other's company, not critique wines. And simplicity
can be delicious. Pour something as fresh and fragrant as the
surroundings.
Cramele Reca’s
impressive values range from the honeydew-juicy and grapefruit-bright
Dreamfish Sauvignon Blanc to the Dreambird Pinot Noir,
thirst-quenchingly light with cherries and spice. Reca, which dates to
1447, is now owned by Englishman Philip Cox. He replanted its 1,730
acres and brought in Australian Hartley Smithers (of Yellowtail fame)
and Nora Iriate of Spain to assist Florin Voloaca in the cellar.
 2010 Viile Timisului Dreamfish Sauvignon Blanc
(88 | $7 | 6/12)
2010 Viile Timisului Dreambird Pinot Noir (87 | $7 | 6/12)
Tri-Vin Imports, Mount Vernon, NY
Skouras’s Moschofilero has
the florals to turn your garden into a peach orchard in full bloom; the
Zoe Rosé—moschofilero with a shot of agiorgitiko, is as bright as a
fuchsia and honeysuckle-fragrant. George Skouras studied in Dijon before
returning home to Greece’s Peloponnese, where he focuses on
agiorgitiko, Nemea’s defining variety, and moschofilero, the grape of
nearby Mantinia.
 2010 Peloponnese Roditis-
Moschofilero (87 | $9 | 8/11)
2010 Peloponnese Zoe (87 | $12 | 8/11)
Diamond Importers, Chicago, IL
Beni di Batasiolo makes a
floral, almond-inflected Gavi to pour with your ricotta stuffed squash
blossoms, and Dolcetto d’Alba that’s a casual red for your Festa al
Giardino. The firm may have made its name with ageworthy Barolos, but
these young, fruit-driven wines are exceptional values, as is the 2010
Moscato d’Asti Bosc Dla Rei to end the evening.
 2010 Dolcetto d’Alba (85 | $13 | 12/11)
2010 Moscato d’Asti Bosc Dla Rei
(84 | $15 | 12/11)
Boisset America, San Francisco, CA
AFTER THE FOURTH
If you barbecue a lot through the
summer—twice a week or more—you need a stock of barbecue wines on hand,
from brands that will cover everything from calamari and prawns to major
carnivore nights.
Courtney Benham,
who also owns the Martin Ray label, has the wines. He focused his
eponymous brand around small lots of varieties not available in the
larger Martin Ray portfolio—often just a few tons of things like malbec
or gewürztraminer sourced from Martin Ray’s regular growers. The
varieties, regions and vineyard sources change from year to year, and
most of the wines are produced in case-runs of 1,000 or less.
 NV Napa Valley Lucca Red Wine (87 | $13 | 2/12)
2010 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc (85 | $11 | 2/12)
Martin Ray Winery, Santa Rosa, CA
Louis Bernard,
based in Gigondas, offers value-priced wines for anything you can toss
onto the grill. Check out their bright Côtes du Rhône with chicken; the
darker Côtes du Rhône Villages with a steak, and the brisk white Château
Noël St-Laurent with shrimp on a skewer.
 2009 Côtes du Rhône Blanc Ch. Noël St-Laurent
(88 | $12 | 10/11)
2009 Côtes du Rhône Villages (86 | $13 | 10/11)
Boisset Family Estates, Sausalito, CA
Yalumba’s Y Series includes
three great quaffs for $13 and under, the vibrant 2009 Shiraz-Viognier
ready for a pig roast. Hill Smiths founded Yalumba 1849 and still own
and run it today, their Y Series earning them a consistent spot on our
Value Brands list.
 2009 South Australia The Y Series Shiraz Viognier (89 | $13 | 10/11)
2010 South Australia The Y Series Chardonnay (89 | $12 | 2/12)
Negociants USA, Napa, CA
POST-WEDDING BRUNCH
A Sunday morning in June, your
daughter’s headed off on her honeymoon, and all your friends are still
in town, a little baked after partying late last night. A crisp, light
Vinho Verde, Muscadet or sparkling wine will brighten everyone’s mood.
Quinta da Aveleda’s
fresh and fruity 2010 will brighten freshly shucked oysters or a leek
and potato tart. Aveleda grows all the grapes for that quinta wine in
Penafiel, northeast of Porto, one of the greatest estate-grown values in
the world at $9 a bottle. Buy a case and chill it on ice.
 2010 Vinho Verde Quinta da Aveleda (92 | $9 | 8/11)
2010 Vinho Regional Minho Alvarinho
(90 | $13 | 8/11)
FJN Fine Wines LLC, Cumberland, RI
Domaine de
la Pepière hand
harvests its old-vine 2010 Clos des Briords for your East Coast
oysters; try the supple 2010 Sur Lie for the creamier West Coast
selections.
 2010 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Les Gras
Moutons Sur Lie (91 | $17 | 4/12)
2010 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clos des
Briords Vieilles Vignes (90 | $18 | 4/12)
Louis/Dressner Selections, NY
Törley has specialized
in sparkling wines since 1882 at its base just outside Budapest,
Hungary. Ease into afternoon with the gentle, fruity bubbles of Etyek
Gála Sec, or pour the leesy, dry Hungaria Grande Cuvée Brut with eggs
Benedict.
 Etyek Gála Sec (87 | $13 | 6/12)
Etyek Hungaria Grande Cuvée Brut
(86 | $16 | 6/12)
Blue Danube Wine Co., Los Altos Hills, CA
Jaume Serra’s Brut Nature Cristalino
is as crisp and refreshing as a Granny Smith apple, a Cava from the
mountains of Garraf, 30 miles south of Barcelona. It’s consistently one
of the best buys in sparkling wine.
 2007 Cava Brut Nature Cristalino
(91 | $15 | 8/11)
NV Cava Brut Cristalino (88 | $10 | 8/11)
CIV (USA), Sacramento, CA
WHOLE HOG
Perhaps your cook-out plans are
more ambitious, orchestrating a pig roast or a whole baby lamb on a
spit. We found plenty of reds to bring along.
Charles Smith
Wines are ready when you’re set to spit-roast lamb, particularly his
Boom Boom! Syrah, uncannily complex considering the $15 price tag. Smith
(instantly identifiable thanks to his big hair and heavy metal tee
shirts), also collaborates with Charles Bieler of Three Thieves in their
Charles & Charles wine.
 2010 Washington State Boom Boom! Syrah
(90 | $15 | 2/12)
2010 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah
(87 | $12 | 6/12)
Charles Smith Wines, Walla Walla, WA
Cantine Colosi If
you’ve stuffed your suckling pig with fennel, thyme and rosemary, pull
out Cantine Colosi’s wines from Sicily. The ’09 Nerello Mascalese,
fermented in stainless steel, is floral with its bright and
thirst-quenching acidity; the Rosso is darker and smokier, a wine for
pork ribs.
 2009 Sicilia Nerello Mascalese (90 | $17 | 6/12)
2009 Sicilia Rosso (85 | $13 | 6/12)
Vias Imports, NY
Michel Chapoutier
has run his family’s 208-year-old estate in France’s Rhône Valley since
he was 26, in 1990. His Luberon La Ciboise has the vibrant black cherry
flavor and firm tannins to match the crispy bits of pork snuck while the
carvers aren’t looking.
 2009 Luberon La Ciboise (90 | $17 | 2/12)
2010 Côtes du Rhône Belleruche Blanc (88 | $13 | 2/12)
Terlato Wines Int’l., Lake Bluff, IL
ARGENTINE ASADO
Every Argentine seems to have a
master’s degree in how to grill meat for their famous asados and, of
course, they will always tell you that the best wine to go with that is
malbec. In fact, plenty of Spanish and Italian reds will match it as
well.
Pico Maccario’s Chiaretto,
a rosato of barbera and freisa, is set to chill while you fire up the
grill. When the meats are ready to serve, the lush, peppery fruit of the
Lavignone Barbera d’Asti will match the entire range. Then end on a
sweet note, with the light, airy Dolcevita Moscato d’Asti.
 2010 Barbera d’Asti Lavignone (88 | $17 | 12/11)
2008 Monferrato Rosso Cantamerli
(87 | $17 | 12/11)
Massanois Imports, Washington, DC
McManis produces
malbec at its family vineyard at the confluence of the San Joaquin and
Stanislaus rivers, where they farm 2,600 acres along the edges of
California’s Central Valley. Their 2010 Malbec is fresh and firmly
structured for your own Argentine asado.
 2010 California Malbec (87 | $11 | 4/12)
2010 California Petite Sirah (87 | $11 | 4/12)
McManis Family Winery, Ripon, CA
Virgen del Aguila
is one of the main forces in Cariñena, Spain, their structured Reservas
have plenty of meat on them as well as mature notes that bring a touch
of elegance to any cookout.
 2004 Cariñena Reserva Señorio del Aguila
(91 | $18 | 10/11)
2002 Cariñena Reserva Señorio del Aguila
(89 | $18 | 10/11)
Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA
Zuccardi, located
in Maipú, Mendoza, is a family winery with a wide portfolio of high-end
malbecs, as well as plenty of values to cut the fat of your rib eye,
like the 2010 Serie A Malbec.
 2010 Malbec Mendoza Serie A
(88 | $15 | 10/11)
2010 Malbec Mendoza Reserva Santa Julia
(86 | $12 | 10/11)
Winesellers, Skokie, IL
Marqués de Cáceres,
like most good Rioja, is made to drink with baby lamb chops grilled
over vine cuttings. The Riojanas have spent the better part of two
millennia perfecting a wine to go with those chops. The Fornier family
at Cáceres took a French approach to this challenge, having crossed the
Pyrenees to Bordeaux for a time before returning to settle in Rioja
Alta’s Cenicero, where they produce great values in Rioja from grapes
grown in town.
 2007 Rioja Crianza (90 | $15 | 12/11)
2010 Rosé Rioja (GV | $9 | 12/11)
Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL
Ontañon’s
red-fruited 2007 Crianza is your choice if your asado involves grilling a
butterflied leg of lamb, studded with sprigs of fresh rosemary and
slivers of garlic, marinated in olive oil and fired to a crisp char on
the outside. Ontañon farms more than 600 acres of estate vineyards in
Rioja, including some high altitude sites, providing all the fruit for
this juicy Crianza.
 2007 Rioja Crianza (92 | $14 | 12/11)
2008 Viura Rioja Vetiver (87 | $13 | 12/11)
Pinnacle Wine Vault, NY
Zuazo Gaston, based
in Rioja Alavesa, makes a cool, lime-scented Rioja Blanco if you plan
to serve a summery salad of pulpo a la Gallega before you break out the
lamb. The Zuazo family farms 128 acres of vines in Oyon, where they
grow the Vendimia Seleccionada to match the grilled chops.
 2010 Rioja Blanco (92 | $14 | 12/11)
2009 Rioja Vendimia Seleccionada
(88 | $11 | 12/11)
Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, NY
FOOD TRUCK SIGHTING
You’re on the twitter feed for your
favorite food trucks; you keep a set of foldout chairs, napkins and
glasses in the trunk; your corkscrew’s in the glove compartment…
Georg Albrecht Schneider’s Niersteiner Paterberg Kabinett
is hard to beat when it comes to elegance and mineral complexity for
$14; the ’09 Dornfelder is also mouthwatering in its bright fruit. Find
your favorite truck serving lobster rolls and you’ll have all your bases
covered.
 2010 Rheinhessen Niersteiner Paterberg Riesling Kabinett
(90 | $14 | 12/11)
2009 Rheinhessen Dornfelder QbA Trocken (88 | $13 | 12/11)
Winesellers, Niles, IL
Finca El Peral’s
unoaked Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc should be at the ready for shrimp
tacos and guacamole; for barbacoa, uncork the Reserva Red from
70-year-old vineyards growing at 3,609 feet in Tupungato.
 2008 Tupungato Reserva Red (90 | $13 | 6/12)
2011 Chardonnay Tupungato (88 | $13 | 6/12)
Catamarca Imports, Atlanta, GA
Stone Cap grows at
Goose Ridge, a vast estate vineyard near Red Mountain, where the Monson
family farms 1,500 acres planted to ten varieties. You’ll not find a
more affordable estate wine in Washington State. Keep the syrah and
merlot on hand for Korean taco truck sightings; they have the heft for
short rib tacos or a kim-cheesesteak.
 2010 Columbia Valley Syrah
(88 | $8 | 2/12)
2009 Columbia Valley Estate Merlot
(87 | $8 | 12/11)
Goose Ridge Vineyards, Benton City, WA
Pacific Rim’s
riesling is ready for a night by your favorite spicy Thai or pork
dumpling truck. The brand, founded by Randall Grahm, was snapped up by
Banfi Vintners in 2011, now expanding to include a varietally spot-on
and delicious chenin blanc.
 2008 Columbia Valley Chenin
Blanc (90 | $11 | 4/12)
2010 Columbia Valley Sweet
Riesling (90 | $11 | 4/12)
Pacific Rim, Richland, WA
Kourtaki has become one
of Greece’s most popular brands on the strength of its easy-going Vin
de Crete, restrainedly piney Retsina or Kouros, a light red made from
agiorgitiko—a terrific red for souvlaki. Over the years, Kourtaki has
been a consistent member of our Value Brand list.
 Mavrodaphne of Patras
(88 | $14 | 8/11) 2007 Nemea Kouros
(87 | $14 | 8/11) Nestor Imports, NY
Forstreiter is the wine
for fried chicken—for what is fried chicken but the American version of
schnitzel? Try the crisp, herbal 2010 Kremser Kögl or the juicy, spicy
Zvy-gelt, the red sibling of their Grooner. Based in Kremstal,
45-year-old Meinhard Forstreiter is regarded as one of the region’s most
promising winemakers, presiding over 63 sustainably farmed acres.
 2009 Niederosterreich Zvy-gelt Zweigelt (90 | $12 | 4/12)
2010 Niederosterreich Kremser Kögl Grüner Veltliner
(83 | $15 | 4/12) Monika Caha Selections/Frederick Wildman and Sons, NY
Mancura’s Gran
Reserva 2009, a blend of syrah, cabernet franc and merlot, is one of the
least expensive cool-climate reds you’ll find at such a high level of
quality. It’s made by Morandé, a Casablanca Valley pioneer, and it’s
ready for the porchetta truck—or whatever meaty goodness drives down the
street.
 2009 Casablanca Valley Gran Reserva (91 | $10 | 6/12)
2010 Maipo Valley Guardian Reserva Carmenère
(88 | $11 | 6/12) Morande USA, Atlanta, GA
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Intramural Sports | (pétanque, sailing, wine tasting and beach volleyball)
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PÉTANQUE
What betterway to spend a breezy summer afternoon than a friendly game of lawn bowlingwith a fewof
your closest? The French take their classic jeu provençal with a littlewine on the side, and you're ready to
followsuit.
Paul Mas has a full line of
Languedoc wines that will rise to the
occasion. The 2010 Picpoul de
Pinet is lively and bright with a
button mushroom earthiness
that adds complexity. Or if red
is your color, the 2010 Pays
d'Herault Carignan has fine
tannins and a fresh mineral
tone that make it a perfect
outside sipper.
 2010 Pays d'Oc Lily Pad Noir
Arrogant Frog
(85 | $10 | 6/12)
2010 Coteaux du Languedoc
Picpoul de Pinet
(88 | $13 | 6/12)
Palm Bay Int'l., Boca Raton, FL
Les Deux Rives selected from
the 1,591 grower-members at Val d'Orbieu,
the cooperative in France's
Languedoc, makes a Corbières
Rosé to sip while you play. And for
after the game, a Corbières Rouge
for burgers and hot dogs, even
Chicago-style, "dragged through
the garden" with onions, tomatoes,
peppers and mint.
 2010 Corbières Rouge (87 | $12 | 6/12)
2010 Corbières Rosé (86 | $11 | 8/11)
Pasternak Wine Imports, Harrison, NY
Heron's smooth 2010 Mendocino
County Pinot Noir will wash
down roast chicken sandwiches
after the game. Laely Heron
started her winery in 1994 after
studying enology in Bordeaux.
She later expanded from St.
Chinian to California, gaining
placements on by-theglass
lists throughout San
Francisco.
 2010 Mendocino Pinot Noir
(90 | $16 | 2/12)
2010 California Chardonnay
(82 | $12 | 10/11) Heron Wines, San Francisco, CA
WINE TASTING 101
Organizing a blind tasting game? Here's how to do it on a budget. Find a brand with a
range of clear varietal expressions from California; pair up a chardonnay with a Mâcon,
a pinot with a Bourgogne Rouge, a petite sirah with a Côtes du Rhône...you get the idea. Then lead your friends through a
comparison between the Old World and the New. (In exchange for your expertise, they bring the baguettes and charcuterie.)
Concannon was the firstwinery
to produce a varietally labeled
petite sirah, in 1961. And we
found a range of other varietal
wines from this Livermore Valley
winery that would be perfect
building blocks for an
evening of blind tasting —
from that petite to a cabernet,
pinot and a chardonnay.
 2009 2009 Livermore Vly. Conservancy
Cabernet Sauvignon
(86 | $18 | 4/12)
2010 Central Coast Selected
Vyds. Pinot Noir (86 | $10 | 4/12) Concannon Vineyard, Livermore, CA
Woodbridge Mondavi's easy-to-
find value line, provides a range
of varieties thatwill please a crowd,
all of them for $8 a bottle. Build a
blind tasting for your family reunion
this summer, then pour
the chardonnay and pinot grigio
for a fish fry, bring out the merlot
for grilled burgers, and keep a
few bottles of moscato and riesling
in the fridge for a sweet-tart
afternoon pick-me-up.
 2010 California Chardonnay
(84 | $8 | 12/11)
2010 California Pinot Grigio
(83 | $8 | 12/11) Woodbridge Winery, Woodbridge, CA
Mancura’s Gran
Reserva 2009, a blend of syrah, cabernet franc and merlot, is one of the
least expensive cool-climate reds you’ll find at such a high level of
quality. It’s made by Morandé, a Casablanca Valley pioneer, and it’s
ready for the porchetta truck—or whatever meaty goodness drives down the
street.
2009 Casablanca Valley Gran Reserva (91 | $10 | 6/12)
2010 Maipo Valley Guardian Reserva Carmenère
(88 | $11 | 6/12) Morande USA, Atlanta, GA
NORTHWEST PASSAGE
Headed to a sailing regatta on the
Niagara River or a crew race? Pack a riesling, a chardonnay or a Cava to
celebrate your winning boat.
Waterbrook is a Walla Walla
institution, having put out wines since 1984. The winery offers one of
the state’s best-value dry rieslings (excellent with Vietnamese-style
grilled pork), as well as classic Bordeaux variety reds for steaks and
burgers.
 2010 Columbia Valley Riesling
(88 | $11 | 12/11)
2008 Columbia Valley Merlot (86 | $11 | 10/11)
Waterbrook Winery, Walla Walla, WA
Henry of Pelham
puts out a lemony, mineral-tinged chardonnay and a tangy,
cherry-scented pinot that are as crisp and lively as the breezes off the
water. The Speck family tore out their concord and Niagara grapes in
1984 to plant riesling and chardonnay. They now farm 170 acres of vines
on the eastern end of the Niagara Escarpment, crafting elegant,
refreshing wines.
 2009 Niagara Peninsula Pinot Noir (88 | $17 | 8/11)
2009 Niagara Peninsula Non-oaked Chardonnay
(86 | $14 | 8/11)
Bayfield Importing, Manhasset, NY
Freixenet is the
sparkling wine to have on hand at the finish line of any race. The
Cordon Negro Extra Dry Cava is refreshing, leesy and broad, built to
chill and pop when your favored boat powers through the last 500 yards.
 NV Cava Cordon Negro Extra Dry (87 | $12 | 8/11)
NV Cava Gran Cuvée Brut (84 | $18 | 8/11)
Freixenet USA, Sonoma, CA
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Chill down one of these crisp whites
to quench your thirst after the tournament and toast the other team’s
inability to return your spikes.
Vistamar’s 2011 Sepia
Sauvignon Blanc has the powerful freshness to match ceviche at the
beach. Or bring along some lomo saltado for after the volleyball game
and pour the deliciously herbal and juicy 2010 Sepia Carmenère. Vistamar
is a value-focused brand from Viña Morandé.
 2011 Casablanca Valley Reserva Sepia
Sauvignon Blanc
(91 | $10 | 6/12)
2010 Maipo Valley Reserva Sepia Carmenère
(90 | $10 | 6/12)
Morandé USA, Atlanta, GA
Cono Sur offers some of Chile’s
best sauvignons at any price, including the Visión Loma Roja from
Casablanca’s cold 2011 vintage, full of citrus flavors and essences of
herbs, and the subtler 2011 San Antonio. Both are ideal refreshment at
the beach.
 2011 Casablanca Valley Visión Loma
Roja Sauvignon Blanc
(92 | $15 | 2/12) 2011 San Antonio Valley Sauvignon Blanc
(91 | $13 | 2/12)
Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL
Veramonte’s
2011 La Gloria Sauvignon Blanc
has the coastal warmth of a summer beach day, Casablanca’s marine
influence captured in its citrus aromas and its sparkling acidity. When
it comes to lunch, the 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir is the right weight for
salmon croquettes.
 2011 Casablanca Valley La Gloria
Sauvignon Blanc
(90 | $12 | 2/12) 2010 Casablanca Valley Reserva Pinot Noir
(86 | $14 | 2/12)
Huneeus Vintners, Rutherford, CA
d’Arenberg, in
McLaren Vale, is all about the beach, when it isn’t all about the wine.
And the two come together in Chester Osborn’s vibrant whites like the
Hermit Crab, a floral blend of viognier and marsanne with a bite of
acidity to clean up after a pot of crabs. Osborn tends one of the
largest collections of ancient-vine shiraz and grenache vineyards in
South Australia, his family celebrating their centennial in the wine
business this year.
2010 Riesling McLaren Vale The Dry Dam
(87 | $17 | 10/11) 2010 McLaren Vale The Hermit Crab (85 | $17 | 2/12)
Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA
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