Borgogno | Freisa d'Asti | 2005

This is a really nice, young, juicy red wine from northern Italy. It's so fresh you can't help but picture folks picking wild strawberries at a picnic in the countryside, but the decent tannins and duskiness of it force you to take it a little more seriously than you expected at first smell, and keep it from getting boring. Freisa is another of those mysterious indigenous Italian grapes that you don't find anywhere else. It is sometimes made into slightly fizzy, off-dry wines, but this is both still and dry.

NAME: Borgogno
GRAPE: Freisa d'Asti
PLACE: Piedmont, Italy
VINTAGE: 2005
STYLE: pale ruby, light/medium-bodied, dry, fresh, juicy, medium tannins, medium acid
FLAVORS: just-picked red fruits, strawberries, roses, violets, cherries, powder, dusky, a little bitter on the finish
PAIRING: any lighter meat dishes and pastas
PRICE/SOURCE: $12.99 at Astor Wines

Domaine Auther | Pinot Auxerrois | 2003

This is the only pinot auxerrois I've ever seen, let alone tried, although I know there must be more out there. It's similar to pinot blanc, and definitely fits into the Alsace style of dry whites with at least a medium body and no oak. I wished it had a little more intensity on both the nose and palate, but it is a good value at $13.99 and definitely worth trying. It was actually more pronounced a day after opening, and it showed a little bit of age with some nutty flavors that were quite nice.

NAME: Domaine Auther
GRAPE: Pinot Auxerrois
PLACE: Alsace, France
VINTAGE: 2003
STYLE: a beautiful slightly reddish gold color, dry but just barely, medium-full body, medium acid, long warm finish, a little light in flavor but more intense the day after opening
FLAVORS: pear, not-quite-ripe strawberries, honey, a tiny bit of hazelnuts
PAIRING: Asian food, turkey
PRICE/SOURCE: $13.99 at Astor Wines

Montinore Estate | Pinot Noir | 2005

Oregon's Willamette Valley is known for pinot noir, but I must have always been choosing poorly at the store until this one. It's got all those quintessential pinot noir elements: lighter body, good acidity, and the red fruit and earthy, smoky, mushroom-y flavors. It also manages to fall perfectly between the austere and sometimes disappointing Burgundies (in Burgundy, France, the red wines are always made from pinot noir grapes, but are always called after the place, not the grape) in my price range and the sometimes over-the-top ones of the hot California vineyards.

NAME: Montinore Estate
GRAPE: Pinot Noir
PLACE: Willamette Valley, Oregon
VINTAGE: 2005
STYLE: medium ruby in color, medium body, juicy, tasty, fruit forward, long & spicy finish
FLAVORS: red & black cherries, earthy, smoky, mushrooms and a little flowers
PAIRING: wild mushroom sauce on anything, poultry, pork
PRICE/SOURCE: $17.99

Valle dell'Acate | Il Frappato | 2005

This is a very special lighter-bodied red wine, one of my favorite things I've tried this year. It's quite juicy and tasty, with very distinct red berry flavors and then a surprising hit of freshly-ground black pepper on your tongue. Great at any time of year for lighter meals or anything with tomato sauce, or when you really want a red wine even in the middle of summer (in which case you could chill it slightly).

NAME: Valle dell'Acate "Il Frappato"
GRAPE: Frappato (a little-known Sicilian red grape)
PLACE: Sicily, Italy
VINTAGE: 2005
STYLE: fresh, prickles your tongue, juicy, light/med body, little tannin, good acidity
FLAVORS: strawberries, red fruit, black pepper, minerals
PAIRING: Tomato sauce, lighter meat dishes
PRICE/SOURCE: $14.99 at Astor Wines