This has become my house white since it is so versatile and a crowd pleaser. Easy on the pocketbook, with some complexity: At $11, it’s a tremendous value. The screw cap top is perfect for all the pre-holiday gatherings that I have hosted. Made from 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon and 10% Muscadelle, it’s a lively balanced wine, on that’s been vinified with a distinct character. I met the winemaker a few years back and I can still hear him say that his goal was to reserve as much of the lively nature of the Sauvignon Blanc as possible.

Again, another type of wine good to have on hand is a Pinot Gris from Alsace. My favorite thing in the world to pair with this in the fall is a curried butternut squash soup. From a body standpoint, the pairing is perfect! Domaine Ehrhart is an organic winery.

We all need some Rieslings in our cellars so we’re prepared for any cuisine. Rieslings are great to have around for almost all Asian foods, curries and even light proteins with a cream sauce. This Riesling comes from 35 year old vines and is all organic.

I know Garganega rolls right off the tongue. This widely planted varietal in Italy is paired with Chardonnay so we could enjoy some wild grassy aromatics with the muscle of Chardonnay. After a few sips of this joyous wine Garganega should roll right off your tongue. It’s spicy, citrusy, as well as possess some grounding of minerality. It is a party in the mouth.

Light, bright, crisp & aromatic. The time and attention to detail shows, for this is probably one of the best Verdejos I have had in this price point. Stainless steel fermentation helps in retaining the alluring aromatic nature this varietal offers. It is made sure lie and this gives the roundness on the palate. So, at first you are greeting with firm handshake and then it smiles at you and warms your heart.

The other night, we were dining on take-out sushi and this was the only chilled white we had in the house. I would normally reach for a Riesling or a Pinot Blanc from Alsace to go with sushi but this lovely wine was lovely.

More importantly, this is a serious wine at a great price point. I’m still blown away by the complexity. If you are looking for a Sauvignon Blanc in this price range, this is your best option. With a blend of Semillon, it rivals White Bordeaux. It took talent to make this wine, you can almost sense a soul.

Maturity: now to 2015

With just a kiss of oak and no ML, this Chardonnay shows the brighter side of its kind. We don’t typically ship Chards this time of year but this is not so heavy that it will weigh you down with the upcoming heat.

Maturity: now to 2013

Keeping on the pace for interesting Italian whites, here is a stunner from Fruili. Made from Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco and some Sauvignon Blanc, it will be excellent with appetizers and shellfish. With just a light kiss of oak this is an excellent wine for sipping on a late afternoon or preparing a quick mussels dish. “Yum”, will be the word uttered.

We have one more wine from the amazing Elisabetta to share. We saved a stunner for last. Made from free run juice, fermented in stainless steel and rests on the lees for an extended period. The personality of Vernaccia is there but shows an elegant side. Everything is in just the right proportion so your palate is in overdrive because it just wants more. It makes you beg for each drop of flavor and character, you just want to keep tasting it. It’s springy but not too springy, has body but not overly rich, has acid but just the right amount so it can easily handle some of spring’s produce. A fabulous wine to sip but even better with food. Elisabetta is quite the chef in the kitchen so it only makes sense that her wines go so well with food.

Odisea, a Wine Unleashed favorite small winery, have accomplished the impossible. They blended 4 grapes (40% Verdelho, 25% Roussanne, 20% Marsanne, 15% Viognier) with careful fermentation in a mixture of tank and barrel to produce a fun aromatic wonder. Yes, lots of fruit, mostly pineapple, and on the palate is fresh and zippy, while showing just a kiss of oak. Very well balanced and a real sign that spring is here!

Outstanding quality from a small producer. You can almost taste the pride.If you want to really understand Trebbiano, here is a stunning example of what it should be. Fermented in stainless steel, you would think Trebbiano would turn toward the austere but there is body and some richness on the palate. The mineral rich soil is also reflected in this wine. Lugana is a region in Italy that is in the North near Lombardy.

Fans of The Da Vinci Code will be pleased with this wine. “Il Templare” is named after the Knights Templar who used this area was used as a way station in the Middle Ages. It's been speculated that these brave men could have imbibed a wine very similar to this one, since the grapes grown here now date back to that time. There was an order by one of the leaders of the time that directed his knights to “drink wine according to necessity in order to defeat the cold." Each had the right to determine how much wine to drink each day to counter cold: coldness of body, coldness of heart, coldness of spirit. This wine is a blend of Vernaccia, Trebbiano, Malvasia Bianca, Semillon, Verdicchio, and Grechetto. Basically, a blend from all the white grapes in the old vineyards. It's rich, complex, full of citrus elements with nice acidity and integrated wood; an extremely balanced wine that you can drink alone or pair easily with salads or fish. So try a wine that the Knights Templar may have drank long ago or just try an incredibly balanced, rich wine.

Elisabetta is the master of Vernaccia. She captures the true essence of Vernaccia with long contact with the skins. She puts the wine through malolactic fermentation to give the wine a bit of body and longevity. An early adopter, she's been organic since 1965. She's a woman and winemaker ahead of her time and an incredible ambassador of the land. When tasting this wine, pay attention for the second layer of flavor and nuances.

I would not classify this wine as a cheap wine, but being that it's under $20, it's an incredible value. There's a lot of great winemaking born in the glass and complexity. On the nose, you can sense the denseness and integration. The citrus, mineral notes are hard to distinguish. I would drink this on its own or with shellfish. I would even dare to pair this with asparagus/artichokes. There is enough heft here to take on pork loin with soy/asian flavorings.

A winery that's all about letting the individuality of the wine come out. On their website, they write: “If our 'house wines' are anything short of excellent, then we are simply incompetent. With grape quality our absolute prime focus, we believe we can then use our experience and know-how to pass on savings in the production costs to our consumers. For example, we generally don’t use barrels for these wines, we use less expensive packaging, we release the wines younger and minimise financing costs. And so on. This approach allows us to reduce costs of everything, except for the fruit. We believe therefore that we can offer higher quality, more individual, site-driven wines in a sector increasingly dominated by formulaic industrial winemaking and unexciting, often bland mass-wines.” Well, if that's not the gauntlet being thrown down to mass-produced wines, I don’t know what is.

Backing up that "gauntlet" is a richly textured Chenin with juicy lively fruit. If you don’t feel like an aromatic white, this is the wine for you. Think little sister of Chard.

Location, location, location—Chenin Blanc is the focus here and it loves interesting soils. Large flint stones are featured in this prime location, so the term “flinty taste” is not only a goal but a high compliment as well. Two-thirds of the juice is fermented in tanks, while the other part sees some oak. If you havenʼt experienced a sublime Chenin Blanc, this is a very affordable and elegant option. For food pairings, keep it simple and straightforward to get the real value of Chenin. Sauté some mussels or other shellfish and you will have a home run.

Rare and unusual should be emphasized here. Pecorino is the name of the grape, of which very little is grown. It's trying to make a comeback from the Marche area in Italy, but is still very rare and very unique. This example from Collefrisio show notes of green tea and peaches and is full bodied on the palate. You might think there's oak involved but all fermentation was done in stainless steel tanks. A very interesting and enjoyable discovery. Make yourself a mozzarella and parmesan cheese tomato sandwich and get comfy with this character-filled wine. It's almost like a Chardonnay but without the pretense. It delivers with integrity, instead of buttering you up!

I can’t believe I never put this wine into the club selections. At $12 a bottle, it won’t tax the wine budget. This is a great all-around white—great with food or to drink with your friends. I love this blend with Mexican food, as well as traditional Provence-style food. A very versatile wine.

Kacher writes: "La Hitaire estate was purchased by Yves Grassa over 20 years ago. At this time Yves planted Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon to the existing classic Gascony varietals. Today it is owned and worked by his two sons, Rémy and Armin, who are in their early thirties. The property lies about 10 miles from Domaine de Pouy. The vinification techniques used here were learned at Domaine de Pouy. All the grapes are picked in the early morning and the picking bins are lined with dry ice to keep the fruit cold and protect against oxidation. The fruit is them macerated cold between 6-10 hours to extract flavors from the skins. All of the wines here are made completely in stainless steel tank. These extra details insure the awesome quality that we have all come to expect from the Grassa family. 'Hors Saison' is a blend made from 20+ year old Sauvignon Blanc 85% and Semillon 15% and displays high toned fruit in the nose and mouth with a round mouth-feel and long finish."

In “The Tale of the Sewerless Lobster Killer,” I recommend some of the usual suspects for lobster pairings. This Albarino could also work. It has enough body to stand up to the lobster but more importantly, it has a citrus, sea air-laced, floral aroma that will work well with the lobster.

This winery, established in 2000, is in its infancy, but already racking up the points. This particular vintage received 90pt from Parker, as well as 90 pts from the “International Wine Cellar."

WOW! I wish every Sauvignon Blanc tasted like this. It's a party in my mouth with flavors zooming around in my mouth—minerals, wild grassy flavors—yet all still focused and streamlined. It's a well choreographed 4th of July pyrotechnic feat of flavors. No fear, just glory—you are in capable hands because it knows when to dial down the flavor.

Back by popular demand: The new vintage of the Arbe Garbe. I love what I do—finding undiscovered wines that are pure and authentic: apples, minerality and bliss. Think Reese Witherspoon (Stanford grad and all: fun, smart, blond and just cute as a button). As the Italian owners write: “Arbe Garbe (pron. Arbay Garbay), literally ‘bad weeds’ is what we call the cover crops on the Fruilian Colli Orientali.” This wine is a blend of Viognier, Pinot Bianco and Malvasia Bianca. A good food wine, but would also pair with white proteins and fuller sauces.

The perfect transition wine for spring into summer. It also is perfect with Mexican food. It has the body to stand up to the food with the acid to be malleable. The Sauvignon Blanc provides the expressive aromas and that welcoming invitation for most foods. The Semillon gives the body and and more substance. The wine was aged in stainless steel on the lees and then fined and filtered. Couronneau is an organic and certified by Ecocert producer.

2007 Paras Vineyards, Viognier, Mount Veeder,California
This is an interesting wine for a couple of reasons. While it has some traditional characteristics of Viognier there are some that deviate, and this is where it gets interesting. It is aromatic like a Viognier should be, but it has some residual sugar making it off-dry. It is a well-made wine with the acid to balance it out. There is a talented winemaker at work here. Seamless from start to finish. Parker is also a fan of this winery.

Pronounced : oaks sur ra
Here’s the perfect pairing to Chef Jay Murray’s Butternut Squash Soup. It has the acid to cut through the body, yet has the body and minerality to support the crab.

Located in the village of Wettolsheim, this small domaine is owned and run by Philippe and Corinne Ehrhart. In the family since 1725, this 21-hectare vineyard produces certified organic wines, a tradition started by Eugène Ehrhart two generations ago. This commitment to promoting and maintaining a diverse eco-system in the vineyards has been continued by François Ehrhart, and now Philippe. The Pinot-Auxerrois grape is considered the finest clone of Pinot Blanc because it is naturally low yielding and smaller size berries which increase the skin to juice ratio. Their vineyard, located at the mouth of the Valley of St. Gregory, is at the top of the slope and bordered by woods. The cool air descending out of the valley combined with the steep, east-facing exposition provides the perfect growing environment for Auxerrois. Philippe presses the fruit immediately after picking to extract the maximum aromatics and retain the bright fruit qualities. Fermentation is in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. This wine offers up intense scents of apple and peach blossoms, and then in the mouth is round and slightly off-dry, with juicy fresh red apple fruit. Bright and delicious with a long lingering finish, this is a terrific Alsace wine value. —Robert Kacher

Want to offer something different for your Thanksgiving feast? While this wine is perfect with fish and shellfish, it also actually pairs extremely well with turkey. You can impress your friends and family with a varietal they never heard of!

Kacher writes: “Paulo Saturnino Cunha is the owner of the Quinta do Alqueve, a terrific property in the Ribatejo region of Portugal, approximately 40 miles north of Lisbon. He has worked hard to transform his family’s farm of many generations--planting nearly 140 acres of tightly spaced vineyards 20 years ago in the sandy, dry calcaire soil. Paulo decided to use grape varieties that originate from the region of Porto, including Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz, which is better known as Tempranillo in Spain. These wines are made very carefully-- starting in the vineyards. Yields are severely controlled, crop-thinning is done twice each season, and all the fruit is picked by hand and hand-sorted before vinification. Fernão Pires is an ancient Mediterranean grape varietal produced in the Ribatejo. The flavors remind one of the stone fruit of Marsanne. This bottling has 10% barrel fermented Arinto blended in.”