The New World gets all the attention, but the south of France is still a mecca for good wine. And at good prices. Case in point is this newly arrived Viognier. Gorgeous flavours and a novel mix of refreshment and richness. Crowd-pleasing for sure and a great value. A must for summer parties. Viognier is the south of France answer to Chardonnay.

Wine style: Nice ‘n easy white
DOMAINE de VEDILHAN 08 Viognier, VDO d’OC, France 162081 $12.95

anytime sipper
wine style: fresh white
RAPAURA SPRINGS 08 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, N.Z. 142919 $14.95 New Zealand Sauv in a mellow mood. Well, almost. The usual exuberance is tempered with fruitiness and a little richness. Gentle refreshment. An anytime sipper.

yummy white
wine style: nice & easy white
ANAKENA 09 Viognier, Chile 45138 $12.95 Zesty, fruity and pleasant. All in moderation. The nice guy/girl. The perfect party pleaser. Yummy champion for the month.

great value Chard
wine style: rich white
DONA PAULA 08 Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina 93898 $12.95 Rich, exotic flavoured Chard. Manages to feel both citrussy dry and seductively rich – with charm to burn. Go get it.

rich Chardonnay alternative
wine style: rich white
MICHEL GASSIER 08 Viognier ‘Les Piliers’, VDP d’Oc, France 669531 $16.95 A whopper! Super rich white wine in the Chardonnay style. Warming, spicy and quite seductive. White meats or fish with lots of herbs.

seafood partner
wine style: fresh white
DOM de la SEIGNEURIE des TOURNELLES 08 Saumur Blanc, Loire, France 141879 $12.95 Wow! Takes your breath away – seriously tart and dry along with an earthy sense of place. A great example of cool climate wine. Challenging, a bit raunchy and in need of a platter of seafood. Produced from the Chenin Blanc grape.

buy for summer
wine style: fresh white
QUINTA de AZEVEDO 08 Vinho Verde, Portugal 727115 $11.95 White wine doesn’t get more refreshing and exuberant. Low alcohol, lighthearted and dying for seafood on a hot summer evening. Worth the wait.

buy for summer
wine style: fresh white
PACO de TEIXEIRO 08, Minho, Portugal 21469 $12.95 Vinho Verde style – light and tart with the herbaceous flavours of Sauvignon Blanc. Another wine to buy for summer guzzling.

winter warmer
wine style: rich red
TERRA d’ALIGI 06 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ‘Tatone’, Abruzzo, Italy 994616 $15.95 A blockbuster. Deep and hearty with an old world, rustic feeling.

bistro red
wine style: rich red
Ch. de VAUGELAS 07 Corbieres ‘Le Prieuré’, France 154617 $12.95 Lots of warmth and richness, backed up with a rustic tang. Bistro wine. Enjoy with hearty winter foods.

vive la France!
wine style: rich red
CAVE de RASTEAU 08 Rasteau ‘Ortas’, Cotes du Rhône-Villages’, France 998716 $15.00 Plush and lush. Lots of comfort, peppery flavours and a warmhearted feeling. Chateauneuf-style wine at a THIRD of the price. Wonderful stuff. You may never buy another Aussie Shiraz. (**Kato’s favourite pick!)

Niagara’s  Daniel Lenko winery has released a special edition ‘Rainbow’ label of his 07 Unoaked Chardonnay $19.95 (called Chardonngay). A great everyday white that spans the refreshment and easy sipping categories. A dollar from each bottle goes to AIDS research.

The Lenko family were one of the first to plant vinifera grapes in Beamsville so all of their wines are full of character. And premium priced. Old Vines 06 Merlot $29.95 is rustic, earthy and very French Bistro. Two stunning whites are the exotic, powerfully flavoured 07 Gewurztraminer  $29.95, and the rich and charming 07 Viognier $39.95.

The Viognier from Peninsula Ridge and a white from Gascony are must-try charmers for summer drinking. An Aussie and a French dry Rosé completes my  picks. You can never have enough good Rosé on hand!

REDS
rich red
ANDEAN VINEYARDS 07 Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 125963 $15.95
Starts out rich and yummy but there’s a solidness too – even a refreshing bite. The manly Argentina experience, with old-style French manners. Wonderful stuff. And organic too.

rustic red
FONTODI 06 Chianti Classico. Italy 933317 $28.95
Fontodi is one of the few Chianti producers who hasn’t sold out to the current fashion for rich ‘n smooth. The wine is firm and gutsy with wonderful earthy flavours. Expensive but worth every penny if you love Tuscany. Wine for grilled or roasted meats.

lively red
CAVE de la CÔTE 07 MORGES, Côtes Vaudoise, Switzerland 123414 $18.95
A frisky, light, refreshing red produced from Gamay, Pinot and some local oddities. Summer picnic wine – you’ll be the only on who brought Swiss.

rich red
BOEKENHOUTSKLOOF WINERY ‘Porcupine Ridge’ 08 Syrah, South Africa  595280 $15.00
Vibrant, juicy-sweet wine with enormous BBQ appeal. It’s smooth, it’s easy to like and the slight smokiness will cuddle up to food. Terribly easy to guzzle, but watch out for the high alcohol.
WHITES
Nice and easy
PENINSULA RIDGE 07 Viognier, VQA Niagara 662601 $14.95
Viognier is the new hot white – taste and see why. Delicious honeyed-flavours and a nice-guy personality. Somewhere between Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. Yummy for sure. Charred foods are a good contrast with the sweetish style of the wine.

Nice and easy
DOMAINE de PELLEHAUT 08 Blanc, Côtes de Gascogne, France 126136 $14.95
Low-alcohol, light bodied white with an amazing array of smells and flavours – which might have something to do with the half dozen grape varieties used. Crisp and refreshing but also quite pretty. A Sunday brunch showstopper.
ROSÉ
Fresh Rosé
PETER LEHMANN 08 Rosé, Barossa, Australia 34298 $15.95
Fresh, frank, mid-range Rosé. Drier than most out of Australia. And you get to enjoy bright cheerful art on the label. Perfect patio lunch stuff.

Rch Rosé
MAS AMIEL 08 Rosé ‘Le Plaisir’, Côtes du Roussillon, France 117051 $18.95
The rich, south of France style. Very seductive. Bring on the seafood! A bit pricy but the stylish packages softens the blow. And you gotta love a wine called Le Plaisir.

CHATEAU des CHARMES St. Davids Bench 06 Viognier ($26) – stylish, exotic but in a less is more way. The feeling is spring-like and the flavours are delicate and teasing. Quite hard to describe which is part of its appeal

THIRTY BENCH 07 Riesling Small Lot ‘Triangle Vineyard’ 07 ($30) – steely, elegant and superb. Thirty Bench has some of the oldest Riesling vineyards in Niagara.

MALIVOIRE 06 Gamay ($16.80) – couldn’t be livelier or brighter – so much fun to gulp. There’s nothing like it on the planet. A true local.

TAWSE understated 06 Pinot Noir ($32) would not be out of place in a French restaurant. Lean but characterful.

Another nothing like it in the world wines is  SANDSTONE 06 Gamay ($25). Shades of something from the backroads of Italy.

Ann Sperling’s SOUTHBROOK 06 Syrah, Lot 19  ‘Whimsy’ ($28) has deep, peppery flavours and Pinot-style grace and drinkability. I’d put this forward as a role model for Niagara reds.

HILLEBRAND’S Trius Red line has taken a huge leap forward, not only in quality but in local expression. The Trius 05 Cab Franc ($16) has wonderful flavours, vitality and drinkabilty while the 07 Trius Merlot ($16) combines sweet fruit with a tangy, rustic character. Lots of gusto and very local. The 06 Trius Red ($20) offers more complexity but still keeps Niagara’s hallmark – vitality. Hats off to Aussie winemaker Darryl Brooker for raising the quality and crafting truly local wines.

FIELDING 06 Syrah ($27) is another star of this vintage. French-style wine with emphasis on charm.

The LAILEY family were one of the first to plant along the Niagara river and they produce food friendly wines in the mid weight and price range. Such as the characterful 06 Cabernet/Syrah ($25).