White heat

With the heat wave recently, I asked Daren Cliff, editor of Edible Sacramento magazine (and a very knowledgeable wine guy) to suggest some refreshing wines that are light in weight and price.

“The 2008 Hugues Beaulieu ‘Caves de Pomerols’ (France; $9.99; Nugget Markets) is considered the quintessential oyster wine—a very refreshing, light-bodied white with zippy citrus flavors. Crack a bottle next time you steam some shellfish.

“The 2008 Berger Grüner Veltliner (Austria; $16.99; Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op) has tons of lime flavor with distinct minerality and a trace of white pepper that is so satisfying on a hot day. It’s bottled in liters, making it a great value.

“The 2007 Uvaggio Vermentino (Lodi; $12.99; Corti Brothers) has rich floral and citrus flavors with a slight brininess that makes it refreshing. Of the three, this is the best ‘pool’ wine, but is just as quenching on the dinner table.”