Start by bypassing the various �branded� domestic wines that have dubious and foreign-sounding fantasy names. Chilliwack Chablis, Bamfield Bianco and Domaine De Dawson Creek Blanc may be very tasty concoctions but you don�t have to go looking for them. They�ll find you.
Try finding a bottle of Vina Patagonia�s La Chamiza Torrontes (+619080) $7.17. The Argentinian wine grape Torrontes is the white equivalent of their red Malbec � there isn�t a lot of it available to us from anywhere else. Scents of violets and roses lead into an unusually grape-y set of flavours overlaid with honeyed hints of lime and lemon.
From Spain�s Avellino Vegas comes Casa La Luna Verdejo-Viura (+33787) $9.90. Very few wine lovers know enough about the Verdejo or Viura grapes that go into this unusual and affordable blended white to make a qualified appraisal. And who really cares?
Hardy�s Stamp Series Riesling Traminer (+448548) $9.99 illustrates this very nicely. Too rich and fruity to be �dry�, this blend of Riesling and Gewurztraminer has lots of floral aromas and ripe peach and apple flavours. It is one of those wines that manages to straddle the �sweet/dry� fence and please almost everybody almost all of the time.
Australia may have the upper hand when it comes to rich whites but Portugal excels in the refreshingly light and lean category so dear to low-carb dieters. Gazela Vinho Verde (+141432) $9.99 is a simple regional specialty from Sogrape, the same Portugese wine giants that put Mateus Ros� on our shelves.
Like La Luna, this wine is an excellent test of the true degree of expertise that your wine-loving buddies like to boast about. Blended from particularly Portugese grapes like Alvarinho, Loureiro, Trajadura, Azal and Avesso, it has a spritz of fizzy sweetness to it. Brimming with crisp apple and pear flavours, Gazela is another crowd-pleaser.
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon grapes add a complex of refreshing fruit flavours and weight to this wonderfully tasty white wine. Dramatically different, delightfully delicious � you owe it to yourself to try some Noon Gun soon!
Another unique � and punny - blend from South Africa, Goats Do Roam White (+103607) $14.95 is an undeniably different blend of Crouchen Blanc, Clairette, White Grenache and Muscat Frontignac. Expect the ripe kiwi and gooseberry fruit flavours of a good Sauvignon Blanc in a nicely �dry� lemon-and-herbs style.
