Wine

This dry white wine displays full flavors and a creamy texture in a way that finds a middle ground between the style of Alsace and Italian wines from the same varietal. It offers generous flavors of pear, apples, honey and Asian spices. It has much of the appeal of a good chardonnay but without the overwhelming influence of oak. It's all about the fruit. Wine Find: 2009 Carmel Road Pinot Gris From: Monterey, Calif. Price: $18 Serve with: Salmon, swordfish

From: Mendoza, Argentina Price: $13 Serve with: Caviar, salmon, hors d'oeuvres For the second straight week, Wine Find shines a spotlight on the amazing wines of Argentina's Santa Julia, one of the best winery's for quality and value this writer has run across. This nonvintage pink sparkling wine made from pinot noir grapes is simply the best brut rose I've ever tasted in its price class. It's crisp, well-rounded, penetrating and crackling with wonderful flavors of strawberry and cherry – along with a hint of anise.

2002 Ca' del Solo Malvasia Bianca, Monterey ($13). One taste of this wondrous, fresh and vibrant white wine from Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards will have you wondering why more California wine producers aren't making malvasia. This slightly off-dry wine is simply bursting with flavors - honey, flowers, melon, orange, cherry, gooseberry, herbs and spices. Get past the sheer charm and fun of it and you'll discover it's a very complex, gripping and artfully crafted wine with a terrific finish.

This wonderfully made red blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and other varieties is immensely appealing in a purely sensual way. It's not a wine for contemplation but sheer enjoyment with its medium-full body and lush fruit. It offers a rich variety of flavors including black cherry, raspberry, herbs and winter mulling spices. It gives the impression of sweetness without actually being sweet — a wonderful characteristic in a wine. From: Columbia Valley, Washington Price: $15 Serve with: Hearty stew, red meat

This is hardly the greatest sparking wine on the market. But there's a good case to be made that this is the best widely distributed, reasonably dry bubbly in this price range. It's not as dry as most brut Champagnes, nor is it as complex, but it's a well-made, toasty, crackling wine that doesn't insult the palate — as cheap sparklers often do. It competes well with many of its counterparts in the neighborhood of $20. You could call it frugality with some class. From: Columbia Valley, Wash.

2000 Rosemount Estate "Hill of Gold" Mudgee Cabernet Sauvignon ($19). This intense, full-bodied cabernet from Australia's renowned Mudgee region more than justifies the investment and rivals California wines in the $30 to $50 range for complexity, balance and aging potential. It offers vibrant flavors of black cherry and herbs and a long, graceful finish. It makes for smooth drinking now, but would benefit from five to 10 years of cellaring. You could serve this with roast poultry, but this is really a wine for the red-meat devotee.

I picked up this dry white wine from the little-known macabeo grape at a local store on the strength of the reputation of its importer, Kysela Pere & Fils. I wasn't disappointed. It's a spectacular value — rich, minerally and gripping. Its complex flavors of pine, lime and tropical fruit go far beyond my expectations in a 10-buck wine. Supplies of the 2009 may be low, but the 2010 is expected soon. I'll be in line for a case of it. --Michael Dresser Wine Find: 2009 Yasa Old Vines Macabeo From: Calatayud, Spain Price: $10 Serve with: Broiled scallops; oysters

From: Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes, France Price: $16 Serve with: Seafood This dry white wine from the south of France has a style all its own. It's an imaginative blend of Muscat of Alexandria and viognier, two very floral and fruity grapes, but the blend is admirably restrained, rather than over the top. There is a hint of a wine that wanted to be sweet, but has been disciplined into dryness. It offers a wonderful palette of pear, peach, apricot, almond and herb flavors.