Sausal Zinfandel Alexander Valley

Region: Alexander Valley, CA

Varietal: Zinfandel

Cost: $14

A Zin that has heft but won’t clobber your palate with a two by four. Good balance and structure with enough tannin to make your taste buds snap to attention. Notes of chocolate, violets, really ripe brambleberries and saddle leather. If you have not fired up your grill by now, this bottle is a momentous occasion to do so. Black and blue burgers piled high with fixins.

Blanquette de Limoux St Hilaire Brut

Region: Limoux, France

Varietal: Mauzac

Cost: $10

Blanquette is France's oldest sparkling wine. Yes, it's been made longer than Champagne. We loved this last year about the same time, the fact of the matter is, still wonderfully creamy, refreshing and toasty on the finish. Just the thing to take the edge off a hard day and the heat. Who says bubbles need a celebration to be had? They are a celebration! Perfect with steamed shrimp.

Bodegas Agapito Rico El Carche

Region: Murcia, Spain

Varietal: Mourvedre, Merlot, Syrah, Tempranilo and Cabernet

Cost: $10

A wonderfully balanced, slightly smoky red wine. Wild strawberries and some hints of mint. Perfect impromptu dinner wine. Grill some sausages, a little cheese, some olives, good bread and a perfect evening awaits.

Region: Bordeaux, France

Varietal: Sauvignon, Semillon and Muscadelle

Cost: $7

Still refreshing, we loved this wine last year and the new vintage is no exception. Notes of grapefruit, fresh grass and nice acidity. Perfect with lemon potato salad, smoked salmon and really good crackers or bread. Frisky, bright wine.

Penfolds Koonunga Hills Shiraz 2000

Region: Barossa Valley, Southern Australia

Varietal: Shiraz

Cost: about $11

Smooth, peppery and robust. A meal in a glass, this is a great wine for burgers & steak. If the heat is getting to you and you want to make it easy on yourself, remember the crockpot? Throw a 2lb-chuck roast, a bottle of this and a few onions, salt and pepper together & cook and a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. After twelve hours, what do you have? Really tender meat to serve with fresh rolls and traditional picnic fixin's like potato and macaroni salad. Simple, easy, but very satisfying.

Martinsancho Verdejo 2001

Region: Rueda, Spain

Varietal: Verdejo

Cost: $11

There’s something about Spanish whites that’s perfect to cut through this muggy, hot and humid weather. A fresh, grapefruit nose with light floral overtones, this wine is perfect to open the appetite, refresh the body and ease the mind after a hellish week. Good acidity and balance with a strong finish that would pair well with grilled squid marinated in lemon zest and chives.

Les Domaniers de Provence OTT

Region: Provence, France

Varietal: Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah

Cost: about $11

Fresh summers picnic wine. Rose is not about complication it’s about enjoyment. Gem like with crystal clean flavors or white peaches, raspberries and nutmeg. In the morning marinate some chicken in Herbs de Provence, lemon juice and good olive oil. After work, fire up the grill, bbq the chicken add a fresh market vegetable salad, crusty bread eh voila! Dinner is served.

J.J. Hahn Semillon 2000

Region: Barossa, Australia

Varietal: Semillon

Cost: about $14

 This years bottling has slightly more forward fruit, although the acidity and balance is still there, it's definitely fruitier. Not a bad thing. The grapes are handpicked and beautifully "kissed" with oak, making for soft, lush, wines with notes of papaya, kiwi and ripe pineapple. Still wonderful balance to the acidity of the wine that makes it incredibly "Food Friendly". Whether it's with fish tacos with a mango salsa or grilled jumbo shrimp and lime butter, this wine rocks.

Cold Water Creek Cabernet Napa 1998

Region: Napa, CA

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Cost: about $11

Produced from some of the best sites in Napa, this well priced bottling shows what all the fuss is about at a price mere mortals can afford. Multiple aromas come forth, namely brambleberries, cassis and leather and some oak to add depth and richness but not hit you over the head. Fire up the grill, pull out some burgers, steaks add easy deli salad sides and dinner is served.

Chateau Potelle Sauvignon Blanc 1999

Region: Napa, CA

Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc

Cost: about $13

Sauvignon Blanc screams for fresh market vegetable dishes. Notes of lemon, fresh earth and herbs. Great acidity, making it a good match for food. Perfect partnership with a Provencal cobbler made with varieties of summer square, the first tomatoes and herbs. Everything covered with a parmesan/butter biscuit crust. Did I mention this was good?

2000 Heritage Clone Zinfandel Dry Creek Vineyard

Region: Sonoma, CA

Varietal: Zinfandel

Cost: about $15

The rich, but bright fruity overtones of brambleberries, chocolate, mid summer strawberries and a hint of anise. Powerful, delicious wine that does not hit you over the head as many Zin’s might with too much alcohol or oak. Perfect partnership with grilled beef short ribs mopped with a little tomato based BBQ sauce.

Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2001

Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa

Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc

Cost: about $18

Region: New Zealand

Varietal: Cab Franc

Cost: $12

Cab Franc is a varietal most often used in Bordeaux or the Loire in France, a lot of times what you find is uninspiring on it's own, or I'll grant you; overly expensive. But, this bottle is not like that. Fresh young cherries, a hint of leather, spice along with a great mix of acidity and balance make this perfect food wine. Try it with cold steak thinly sliced over mesclun greens with light wine based vinaigrette. Brilliant!

Chateau Cap de Faugeres

Region: Costes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France

Varietal: Primarily Merlot

Cost: about $9