Wine

From: Gran Altura, Valle Calchaqui, Salta, Argentina Price: $15 Serve with: Shellfish, or by itself This fresh, youthful white wine is dry but very fruity for a torrontes, a varietal in which mineral flavors often prevail. Savvy wine drinkers have realized by now that torrontes is a very appealing varietal, and clearly Argentina's best white grape. This version offers intense, electric flavors of lime, grapefruit, orange and tropical fruit — with bracing acidity and a long, clean finish.

From: Rioja, Spain Price: $13 Serve with: Grilled red meat This smooth, young red wine made entirely from tempranillo offers vibrant black cherry and vanilla flavors, a touch of herbs and enough lush fruit to give the impression — but not the reality — of sweetness. Rioja is still a fine source of affordable wines, and importer Kysela Pere & Fils is doing a great job uncovering Spain's hidden gems. — Michael Dresser

From: California Price: $9 Serve with: Hamburgers, pizza, simple stuff This red wine from the budget Rosso & Bianco (red and white) line from the winery founded by director Francis Ford Coppola is simply a good value. Billed as "a wine for everyday life," it lives up to that promise. It's not complex or elegant, but drinking a wine like this every day would not be a bad life to live. It's simple, fruity, medium- to full-bodied and offers winning black cherry and herbal flavors.

From: Alsace, France Price: $24 Serve with: Roast turkey, ham, pork, pate Looking for a robust, dry white wine to serve with the Christmas turkey or New Year's Day pork? Here's a full-bodied, spicy, intense wine from one of Alsace's most reliable large producers. (Hugel wines are in broad distribution.) It offers flavors of mulling spices, lemon, tropical fruit, peach and pear. This wine could come as a jolt to folks who are used to the sweeter style of most American gewurztraminers, but Hugel's is a wine in the classic tradition.

This robust young red wine from Argentina offers excellent quality for the price, and it's produced in quantities that should assure wide distribution. It offers juicy flavors of blackberry and blueberry, and a rounded, smooth texture. It's not enormously complex, but it has a friendly approachability that would make it perfect for an evening barbecue. — Michael Dresser 2009 Alamos Malbec From: Mendoza, Argentina Price: $13 Serve with: Grilled meat, pasta

There's a lot of just-average Italian pinot grigios on the market, including some well-known brands. Only a few stand out, and this is one of them. It's a ripe, full-bodied white wine with intense flavors of nuts, minerals and herbs — including mint and oregano. There's a roundness, length and complexity that takes this wine out of the realm of the ordinary. From: Collio, Italy Price: $16 Serve with: Trout almondine, salads

Tired of the same old familiar varietals like tempranillo and sangiovese? For something truly exotic, expand your horizons to include zweigelt, a red variety from Austria. In previous vintages, I wasn't impressed, but Zantho's 2010 is a winner. It's a light, fruity style of red - kind of like a cross between a pinot noir and a Gamay from Beaujolais. This wine offers vibrant black cherry and wild berry flavors with hints of black pepper and earth. Though the wine isn't weighty, the finish is long.

The proposal to allow direct shipment of wine in Maryland might have to age for another year, after the Senate voted Wednesday to require the state's comptroller to study how 37 other states have implemented similar measures. "I think it will set us on a course for passage next year," said Sen. Jamie Raskin, after offering the study as an amendment to a related wine-sale bill. The study is supposed to push forward the contentious issue of lifting a Maryland ban on shipping wine to residences via the postal service - an increasingly popular method for small vineyards across the country to market and sell their product.