Take a new look at the great white wines you're not drinking

What's up with white wine these days? Specifically, why aren't people drinking it?

Certainly, there are plenty of great-value reds out there (see Good Wine Nov. 27, 2007). And with each new medical study suggesting the benefit of red wine consumption (in moderation, please!), red sales surge.

But health and economy aren't issues tipping the polls as far as this pundit is concerned.

"I've just never really gotten into white wine," is what I hear, canvassing wine drinkers.

My response is, "Which white wines are you tasting to not get into?"

You're probably familiar with oak- and-butter "international style" Chardonnay. But have you tasted the new breed of "naked" (un-oaked) Chardonnay, simultaneously creamy rich and refreshing? (Seek out Australia's Trevor Jones "Virgin" Chardonnay or California's nearly no-oak Foxglove, both about $15.)

You may have tasted sugary Germanic styles. But have you tasted estate-grown Mosel with expansive fruit and firm acidity, like a perfectly ripe nectarine? (Look for producers Selbach-Oster, Dr. Loosen, Willi Haag and others, varying in price and sweetness.)

What about Soave's raw almond, stone fruit and mineral complexity, so unlike ubiquitous wine-by-the-glass Pinot Grigio? (Favorites include Gini, Tamellini, Allegrini and Pra, all about $20.)

For me, well-made white wine distinguishes itself with purity of flavor.

The difference between white wine and red begins with the grape. Nearly every grape's pulp is clear, with color residing in the skin. For red wine, red skins are macerated and fermented with juice, endowing the new wine with color and other soluble elements, including the anti-oxidant resveratrol, the astringent tannin, and various organic compounds. All these ingredients give red wine its dense mouthfeel, like hearty stew.

White wine is more like consommé, equally flavorful just not chewy. Produced with little to no skin contact, white wine is unencumbered by the multiple impressions of soluble elements. There is also nowhere to hide faults, so less than perfect wines receive a dose of sugar or a few months in new oak for camouflage. Well-made white wines may have a lacing of sweetness or oak, but only to enhance pure fruit flavors, enriching alcohol and bright acidity.

I'm an acid freak. I love a drop of lemon on Rainbow trout, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar on fresh mozzarella, Granny Smith apple sauce topping grilled pork chops. White wine's acid provides the same flavor pick-me-up as lemon, vinegar and tart fruits. (Try the lemon and herb flavors of Chile's Cono Sur Vision Sauvignon Blanc, about $15, with seafood and salads; an un-oaked Chardonnay with pork.)

One white wine even contributes salt-like tang to food. Sherry, Spain's fortified wine, is primarily a dry, white - despite the success of one sticky-sweet brand.

The lightest style is Manzanilla, grown on Atlantic shores, in dazzling white chalk vineyards washed in sea breeze, producing bone dry flavors with a delicate grip, like saltiness. Manzanilla provides a pure canvas for the flavor-colors of the world-famous tapas created in the Sherry region including stuffed eggs (huevos rellenos), onion tart (tarta de cebolla), or simply, cured olives, cheese and cured ham (aceitunas, Manchego and jamon.)

Emilio Lustau is Sherry's critical favorite, but I prefer the concentration of Hidalgo La Gitana (about $22 per 750 ml) or the softness of Antonio Barbadillo (about $11 per 500 ml.)

When money is no object, seek out white Cote d'Or Burgundy, 100-percent Chardonnay by French law, but as far from the "international style" as you can get.

You may feel you're paying for each adjective -- voluptuous, wild honey, truffles, apples, minerals … all for one wine! -- until a great one comes alive on your palate and remains living in your memory for years to come.

The complexity of these wines demands patience and pristine storage, so invest in a 2005 now and plan dinner for 2010. At $150 per bottle and up, do some homework and rely on your trusted wine merchant to recommend producers including Bouchard, Colin-Deleger, Jadot, LeFlaive and Prieure.

© 2008

Ross' choice

Chiaro

2006

Pipoli

Basilicata, Italy

• Suggested retail and availability: Less than $10 at fine wine and liquor shops

A white wine made from the red Aglianico grape of Italy's south, with skins whisked off juice leaving no color, but round stone fruit flavors accented with delicate minerality and soft finish. A unique alternative to Pinot Grigio and complement to antipasti, lighter pasta, seafood, salads and cheese.