Gehringer Brothers Classic Riesling 2004
VQA Okanagan Valley $12.00 (171488)
Well priced and well made, this is a Riesling in an off-dry style that delivers ripe fruit flavours in the tropical and peach zones, balanced by crisp acidity. It has a clean, fruity, citrus finish and makes a very good companion to sweet, spicy Thai dishes. (RP)



Santa Alicia Carmenère 2003
Maipo Valley $10.15 (414474)
An attractive, quite big-bodied Carmenère at an excellent price. It has concentrated, jammy dark fruit flavours with spicy and mint accents, a tangy texture and good balance. Pair it with well-seasoned red meat dishes. (RP)



Martin Steimer Muscat 2002
AOC Alsace $14.35 (649798)
The LCBO's Alsace section is growing slowly, and it's well worth looking at for quality and value. This Muscat offers quite delicious, pungent fruit-rich bitter orange peel, apricot, peach-with nice tension between slight bitterness and rich fruitiness. Pair this with spicy (as in Thai) chicken or pork dishes. (RP)


Château Bonnet 2004
Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux $12.90 (83709)
A consistently reliable and attractive wine, vintage after vintage, and now it's sealed with a screw cap to maintain the freshness. And that's what this Entre-Deux-Mers is all about: freshness. It delivers lovely fresh white-fleshed fruit and citrus, with a crisp texture and clean citrus finish. It's ideal for simply-prepared seafood with a squeeze of lemon. (RP)


Georges Duboeuf Moulin-à-Vent 2003
AOC Moulin-à-Vent $18.65 (154864)
The very hot 2003 summer boosted the fruit and alcohol in many French wines, and created anxiety about the levels of acidity. In some normally cool regions, the reds have more body and fruit intensity, and so it is in Beaujolais, where many 2003s are less typical. This one, from the best-known name in Beaujolais, delivers quite intense dark fruit flavours and is well balanced. Pair it with a grilled veal chop and garlic mash. (RP)



MezzaCorona Fuedo Arancio Syrah 2002
IGT Sicily, Italy $11.95 (621730)
A lovely aromatic nose of cedar, spice and rich black cherries leads the way to a parade of sweet and juicy flavours including currants, bramble berry and coffee. This has distinctive southern Rhone and rustic characteristics and is offered at a price to quality ratio swung heavily in your favour. Try with pizza and friends. (VH)


Pasqua Sagramoso Ripasso Valpolicella Superiore 2003
DOC Valpolicella Superiore $15.10 (602342)
This is excellent value. It offers great complexity in aromas and flavours-fresh and dried red fruit, with dried meat notes-with a juicy texture. It's dry and fairly tannic, and is balanced toward the acidity that makes it an excellent pairing with osso bucco or rich tomato-based pasta dishes. (RP)



This 100% raspberry, fortified, dessert wine is simply stunning. If they allowed such designations, it would be amongst the Premiers Crus. The lifted nose is a bowl of freshly-picked raspberries while the full-bodied and flavour-packed taste profile is more of the same. It is an amazing accompaniment to rich dark (Belgian) chocolate desserts. (VH)



Nuviana Cabernet Merlot 2003
VdT Valle del Cinco, Spain $8.95 (623181)
Another good value wine for those under-$10 nights. This has quite jammy dark fruit aromas, but the flavours are less intense. They reflect solid, ripe fruit with a little spiciness, and they're accompanied by a dry texture, light tannins, and a warm mouth-feel. This is just the thing for pizza, hamburgers, pasta with meat and tomato sauce, beef stew?. (RP)


Freixenet Carta Nevada Brut
DO Cava, Spain $11.75 (74757)
Versatile and affordable, this is an outstanding selection as an aperitif, a food wine and a special occasion bubbly. A muted nose of toast and citrussy zest leads to a lovely burst of pit fruit flavours (white peach and watermelon) in the mouth. This lighter-styled sparkler has a clean finish that would pair well with seafood or chicken appetizers. Stock up. (VH)