This perennial favorite in a 1L bottle - because you can't get enough of it - is an ode to summer. It is produced by Erich Berger on loess soils in eastern Kremstal. Light, crisp and refreshing with a hint of flowers and stone fruit it is a perfect picnic wine. Pairs well with fish, chicken and pasta salads.

Grape • Gruner Veltliner
Place • Kremstal, Austria
FYI • Sometimes called Gru-Ve (groovy) by industry types.

Considered one of the best value chardonnay based wines in the U.S. Made by Jean-Marc & Eliane Lafage in the south of France it is fermented mainly in stainless steel. This keeps this wine food friendly and one reason restaurants like to pour it by-the-glass. Pairs well with chicken.

Grape • Chardonnay
Place • Roussillon, France
FYI • Most of the wines in this region, 80%, are red.

Navarra is in northern Spain, brushes alongside the French border, and is dotted with remarkable medieval villages. This family run operation took off only about 20 years ago and is now producing this easily approachable wine full of bright red raspberry and strawberry notes. Pairs well with anything chorizo.

Grape • Garnacha
Place • Navarra, Spain
FYI • Pamplona is the capital, famous bulls and running.

South African wines are gaining in popularity all the time. It’s in no small part due to wines like this one from Cederberg. Notes of blackberry, vanilla and spice only scratch the surface. Pairs well with game, aged cheddars and gruyere cheeses as well as with dark chocolate.

Grape • Syrah
Place • Cederberg, South Africa
FYI • Stunning rock formations and cedars abound in this area.

A unique red from a dynamic personality from one of the most beautiful islands in the world. A blend of indigenous varietals along wih Syrah reveal a complex wine full of dark cherry, dried raspberries, and violets. A wine so big it needs a friend: think duck or lamb.

Grape • Callet, Mantonegre-Fogoneu, Syrah
Place • Mallorca, Spain
FYI • Be sure to try Ensaïmada if you visit.

Adi is a South African national treasure. His wine speaks for itself. Despite the very brief maceration period of the syrah, only two hours, this rosé is full of depth. Made from old vines it uniquely displays the minerality in the farm's soil to provide a long finish. Complex red fruit, spice, and rose water. Drink up!

Grape • Cinsault, Syrah
Place • Swartland, South Africa
FYI • Secateurs are pruning shears.

"Made from bespoke grapes and is not a byproduct of red wine production, per se. The essential principle here is that less is truly more. The wine does not overwhelm, it's charms are seductively subtle." - RG Notes of cassis, rose, and strawberry. Pairs great with crab or oysters.

Grape • Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Mourvedre
Place • Santa Cruz, California
FYI • Grapes sourced from different regions in California.

Vines up to 90 years old on sandy soil is part of the magic behind what is essentially a declassified Chateaneuf. This Grenache heavy blend is aromatic an red with notes of black pepper and cassis. It is showing very well now and will pair well with lamb, sausage, and duck.

Grape • Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Syrah
Place • Chateaneuf-du-Pape, France
FYI • Cotes means slope or hills.

Giuseppe Caviola, know as Beppe to friends, owns a 33-acre estate in Langa, the best place to grow Dolcetto. The Barturot was among the first wines he produced and is near and dear to his heart. Old vines produce little fruit but certainly deliver on flavor with ripe berry in abundance this is delicious as is.

Grape • Dolcetto
Place • Piedmont, Italy
FYI • Ca'viola means little violet house.