Kuentz-Bas blends two parts Pinot Blanc to one part Auxerrois in this beguilingly fragrant Alsatian blanc. Full of generous body and flavor, it’s a great candidate to serve at your next backyard barbeque alongside the best brats you can find.

While you may know Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc best through bottlings from the eastern part of the region—where Sancerre lies—you can certainly find outstanding wines made from this grape in other areas of the valley, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to Auvergne. This is a huge swath of France, so, as you might imagine, it provides Sauvignon Blanc with nearly infinite terroir possibilities. This 100% Sauvignon Blanc cuvée comes from Domaine du Salvard, a Cheverny-based property beloved by our clients for decades because of all the flavor and liveliness they pack into bottles that won’t break the bank. Not many of the Loire Valley’s Sauvignon Blancs can match the exuberant, fruit-forward, quaffable charm of Unique, a product of sandy soils, a continental climate with oceanic influences, and a couple of very affable vignerons, Thierry and Emmanuel Delaille. This wine is pleasingly mineral with zesty acidity, and will therefore serve you extremely well à table. Pair it with raw oysters or some nice chèvres to start your night the right way.

In contrast with the Cahors Philippe Bernède produces for Clos La Coutale—four parts Malbec and one part Merlot—this cuvée is made up entirely of Malbec, and it’s all about notes of fresh plums, black currants, and leather. Showing both a lithe and a structured side, and finishing with a well-integrated tannin, it’s a wonderful rouge to serve alongside charcuterie or grilled lamb.

When was the last time you tasted Merlot like this? It’s like plucking freshly harvested blackberries and raspberries from a bowl one after the next, only you add that distinctly Italian bite at the end. Serve cool!

Dolcetto takes on many appearances, but this one is a fresh and delicious tonic that opens with notes of elderberry and zesty citrus before the black tea and gentle tannin take over. Serve it alongside a risotto with meaty mushrooms or a grilled flank steak on a nice night for a dreamy alfresco feast!

If I told you about a crisp white wine for around $20 with notes of lime and stones, made from vines planted in soils of igneous rock—made from magma—you might reasonably guess that I’m talking about the masterful Muscadet of Domaine Brégeon, near France’s western coast. In this case, however, I’m referring to a floral, mouthwatering bianco produced east of Italy’s great lakes, between Verona and Venice, by the rising star Davide Vignato, who is spearheading organic, low-yield farming in the volcanic hills of Gambellara. He fashions his El Gian from the Garganega grape, one of the country’s oldest and most widely enjoyed native varieties, and the star of the Gambellara DOC. This bottling has a little more weight than Brégeon’s classic Muscadet, but perhaps not as much as the Garganegas from its more famous neighbor, Soave. It is perfect if you want to try a new pairing for oysters or other light, fresh seafood.