Chardonnay

Chardonnay is absolutely the most enjoyed white wine in the U.S. – in fact, it’s quite commonly the only white wine many wine fans buy. Chardonnay is very often the first white wine a new wine fan will sample, largely because it is so “accessible”. Chardonnay is usually on the dry side, meaning that it’s not very sweet, and it usually has flavors of apples, tropical fruit, vanilla, and butter, and a varying amount of oak, depending on the winery where it was produced. “White Burgundy”, from France, is nearly always all Chardonnay. Many other wine regions across the world produce Chardonnay, among them Chile and Australia. There are many good choices of American Chardonnay available for under $20. Popularand reliable producers include Beaulieu Vineyards, Chateau St. Michelle, and Columbia Crest, among others.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc, also known as Fume Blanc, is another favorite white wine. Sauvignon Blanc is quite often characterized as “freshly mown”, indicating that it reminds the drinker of freshly mown grass. It is a medium-bodied white wine with noticeably fruity aromas like peach, grapefruit, and melon, and is dry and refreshing with medium acidity. Sauvignon Blanc is a wonderful wine for enjoyment in summer, especially good with seafood and it’s a perfect match for light snacks and picnics. Babich (New Zealand) offers a very nice Sauvignon Blanc for under 15 dollars.

Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio, sometimes called Pinot Gris (the actual grape’s name), is Italy’s most popular white wine, and is popular around the world, although the Italian Pinot Grigios are a littlebland. Pinot Grigios are easy to drink, due to their crisp, light taste. Oregon’s Pinot Gris tend to have more character, offering medium body, with more pronounced fruit and more acidity. Better bottles have fruity flavors of pear, apple, honeydew and some spice. A couple of very nice Pinot Gris from Oregon, available for between $12-$18, are King Estate and Chateau St. Michelle, among others.

Riesling

Riesling wines are generally considered the most popular German wine, and they are produced in two vastly different styles – dry and sweet. Rieslings are categorized by the ripeness of the grapes when picked. Kabinett signifiesnormally ripe grapes, and is a light to medium-bodied, mostly dry wine. You’ll oftensee the word “trocken” on a bottle of Riesling, which is German for “dry”. “Spatlese” is made from grapes picked when riper, and results in a bit richer, somewhatsweeter, wine. “Auslese”, which means late harvest, is made from even riper grapes, and is often quitesweet. Rieslings are typically fruity, with apple, peach, and honeysuckle tastes and floral undertones. Rieslings are relatively inexpensive – you can find excellent selections for under $10. One consistently excellentchoice is Strub Niertsteiner Riesling Kabinett, along withChateau Ste. Michelle Riesling.

Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer is another very popularGerman white wine, while also being produced in the U.S., France, New Zealand, and Australia. Gewurztraminer is also madein both dry and sweet styles. Gewurztraminers have a bold, full-bodied taste, much more so than most other white wines. Typical aromas commonly found inGewurztraminer are lychee nuts and rosewater, and its flavors include honeysuckle, apricot, pear, and honey. A nice, inexpensive Gewurztraminer is available fromTrimbach (France, under $15).

A final note

The best way to figure out your own preferencesin white wine is to just pick out a samplingof bottles, and just try them. For each varietal, you’ll want to choose a bottle that’s typical of the style you’re investigating. Websites such as Wine.com can help immenselywith finding solid, yet inexpensive choices. Once you find a varietal and style and producer you find particularly enjoyable, you might want to pick up a case to have on hand for entertaining, or to just enjoy at home. Most white wines won’t improve with aging, so you shouldn’t keep them around for years. However, you dowant to be careful to properly store your wine, so they retainthe wonderful flavors and aromas you appreciate. You might consider investingin an inexpensive wine fridge, to keep all your wines at their best.

White wines are best served chilled, so you might want to refrigerate them beforehand, then take them outabout 15-20 minutes before serving. Better yet, you might want topick up a single bottle electric wine chiller, which will chill (or warm) a single wine bottleto the best temperature automatically – just select the pre-programmedwine varietal, pop in the bottle, and the chiller will automatically cool your wine to the right temperature, and maintain that temperaturethroughout your wine tasting.