Hogue Gewurztraminer 2011

Nancy flatly refused to drink this WA State white, claiming it was sweet. Well, noone ever maintained that a Gewurztraminer was bone dry: ideally, it's a mixture of ripe fruit and highly spicy elements. (Gewurz in German is a spice). Perhaps this particular exemplar emphasizes the former at the expense of the latter quality, but I found the combination of ripe peach with a hint of nuttiness by no means unappealing. And you're certainly not going to find it anywhere else at the ultra low PA price of $6.99. If you like something different once in a while, try this, you might like it.

Perrin Nature 2010

In the Rhone as well '10 was an exceptional growing season, with a wet Spring, a hot Summer, and a prolonged Indian Summer, so that otherwise quite ordinary wines turned into really good ones. This is the case with this organically grown red, a blend of (mostly) Grenache and Syrah. It tastes  of dark berries, with elements of chocolate and licorice. I've not been there, but by all accounts the wine is made by a French version of superannuated hippies.  You can do a lot worse for $8.98.

Val Delosfrailes Rose 2011

Every once in a while (fortunately not too often) I put A. J. Liebling's dictum that no rose aside from a Tavel is worth drinking to the test. I have found almost none to contradict it, including this Cigales from Valldolid in Spain.  It's a bland, fruit forward wine, on the verge of being sweet. Lovers of American Chardonnays might like it, but I can't think of anyone else who would. $5.95.

Reserve des Vignerons Saumur Champigny 2010

This is a red from the Loire. It exhibits blackberry and cherry elements, along with a certain amount of minerality and a lightly spicy finish. 2010 in the Loire was a particularly long growing season, so the grapes imbibed a lot of sun, which manifests itself in the smooth, cheerful quality of this wine. If you're not familiar with the reds of a region known chiefly for its whites, this is an excellent place to start. $10.99, not a bad price at all for this bottle.

Santa Julia Torrontes/Pinot Grigio 2011

Like its red stablemate this Argenine white, a blend of 90% Torrontes and 10% Pinot Grigio. is a relatively simple but eminently drinkable wine, with the melon and peach elements characteristic of a Torrontes, but just enough of the Pinot Grigio acidity and flintiness to make it interesting. Once again, at $6.99 for the liter bottle, a tremendous buy.  I don't quite see how this vineyard manages it, but I certainly wish it all the luck in the world.

Ormarins Picpoul de Pinet 2012

In the pre-philoxera days the Picpoul grape dominated production of whites in the south of France. It's poor resistance to disease caused it to all but die out in the epidemic, and now it is grown almost exclusively in Herault, in Languedoc, particularly in the coastal regions as it thrives in sandy soil. This exemplar is extremely fruit forward, with melon and peach elements, and not very much of the acidity that gave the grape its name (Picpoul in local dialect:sting the lip). Lovers of American Chardonnay should like it quite a lot. $8.99.

La Petite Vigne Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Unlike the '10 which was far too lemony, this Languedoc white has a nice blend of peach and citrus elements and is a pleasant sipping wine, as well as. as we found, good accompaniment to pork chops.$7.99.