Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio 2009

By Chris and Sherry Hardie

We've never met a Ruffino red wine that we didn't like, so we had high expectations for this white from the Italian producer.

It's the first time Ruffino has reached outside of Tuscany for a commercial wine. The wine is sourced from grapes grown in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of far northeast Italy, an area known for its white wine grapes.

We were not disappointed. Summer is the perfect time for a crisp, refreshing white wine, and this light-golden offering has plenty of citrus, pear and tropical fruit to set your mouth watering.

Sherry: "Lime, pineapple, green apple and lemon with a hint of almond on the finish." 3-1/2 stars

Chris: "Pineapple bouquet with flavors of peach, grapefruit and lemon." 3 stars

Available locally for about $10.

Coming next week: Renwood Old Vine Zinfandel

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Amitage 2008

By Chris and Sherry Hardie

We thoroughly enjoy Washington wines, so we eagerly looked forward to sampling this new red blend.

The name blends "ami" (love) with heritage and is primarily merlot (64 percent) with portions of syrah (19 percent), cabernet franc (7 percent), cabernet sauvignon (5.5 percent) and malbec (4.5 percent).

A wine with this many grapes sometimes results in an indistinguishable pour, but these grapes do indeed show each other some love. The result is a fruit-forward wine that shows lots of berry and red fruits and a hint of smoke from the portion of wine that spends 16 months barrel-aging.

Sherry: "Dark and inky, with raspberry and cherry flavors and a little coconut on the finish." 3-1/2 stars

Chris: "Red licorice nose, blackberry and plum with some cherry on the front of the spicy finish." 3-1/2 stars

Available locally for about $11.

Coming next week: Ruffino Pinot Grigio

Dry Creek Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2009

By Chris and Sherry Hardie

Chenin Blanc was one of the first wines in the 1970s that was marketed in the U.S. by its name rather than under a generic title. It quickly became the best-selling white wine of its era.

Chenin blanc became a victim of its own success, and a shortage of quality grapes gave it a reputation of cheap jug wine. American tastes for white wine steered toward chardonnay.

But some of the world's finest white wines in the Loire Valley in France come from chenin blanc, which is a very versatile grape. Dry Creek in California honors those efforts. It's a nice balance of citrus influences and orchard fruits with a very long, pleasing finish.

Sherry: "Dry and mineral-like with lime and pear flavors and almond on the finish." 3 stars

Chris: "Flavors of apricot, pineapple and grapefruit." 3 stars

Available locally for about $11.

Coming next week: Columbia Crest Amitage

Columbia Winery Merlot 2007

By Chris and Sherry Hardie

Merlot trails only cabernet sauvignon as the most popular red wine in the United States and is the most planted red wine grape in France.

While primarily still used as a blend in France, the grape became part of the Washington wine world in the 1980s and thrives in that state's growing climate.

This offering from Columbia, one of Washington's oldest wineries, displays the soft, approachable attributes that makes merlot popular. It shows plenty of red fruit but has a strong structure and heft from its year spent in oak barrels. It's 85 percent merlot, 9 percent malbec and a small mixture of four other grapes.

Sherry: "Smooth black cherry and raspberry, with licorice on the finish." 3-1/2 stars

Chris: "Raspberry and cherry flavors with clove and raisin." 3-1/2 stars

Available locally for about $10.

Coming next week: Dry Creek Vintage Chenin Blanc

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2009

By Chris and Sherry Hardie

One of the pioneers in the New Zealand wine industry is George Fistonich, who founded the Villa Maria winery in 1961. Today, the winery sources grapes from four regions around New Zealand and makes wine from a dozen different varieties.

This offering of the country's signature white grape from the Marlborough region includes grapes that were harvested at various stages of ripeness over five weeks.

The wine displays the telltale characteristics of sauvignon blanc - tropical fruit and herbal bouquet with lots of zesty citrus flavors. It's a bit less heavy on the grapefruit than other sauvignon blancs we've tried and has a nice balance of acidity and mineral in the finish.

Sherry: "Tart with lime and grapefruit flavors." 3 stars

Chris: "Kiwi notes, with lime, grapefruit and a tart finish." 3-1/2 stars

Available locally for about $14.50.

Coming next week: Columbia Merlot