Best pinot grigios and rieslings for summer sipping

Looking for a versatile white wine this summer? Our new Ratings of pinot grigio and riesling offer a host of refreshing, recommended choices--including one available only at Target, of all places, and priced at less than $5 per bottle.

Both pinot grigio and riesling span a range of flavor profiles. That makes the two varietals very versatile, but also somewhat unpredictable from wine to wine, as the comments and scores from our wine experts in the Ratings reflect.

Pinot grigio tends to be dry, light, and tart, although some "new world" examples (often known as under the alternative varietal name of "pinot gris") are fuller bodied and a little sweeter. The same dual identity applies to riesling, which ranges from bottles that are quite dry to those that are moderately sweet--and sweeter than almost any pinot grigio or pinot gris.

The Target choice is Wine Cube pinot grigio, a California boxed wine that costs $18 for a 3-liter bottle, or the equivalent of $4.50 per 750mL bottle. It falls between the sweeter "new world" and drier "old world" styles, and has a more intense and slightly longer finish than most pinot grigios. The Wine Cube also offers ample fruit flavors and a firm acidity--an attribute that helps give a wine fullness in the mouth, or "structure."

Yet the wine (and other Wine Cube entries, including one in our Ratings of red blends) isn't even available at all Target stores. You can, however, find it at some 900-plus Targets in those states that allow alcohol to be sold in supermarkets and other general retailers.

We also recommend more than 10 additional pinot grigios, including four others that cost $10 or less. Our Riesling Ratings include four $10-and-under choices, including the $10 Hogue Late Harvest, from Washington State.

The Hogue was judged to be moderately sweet to sweet by our wine experts, but the Ratings also include two off-dry to dry entries. Both are from Germany--interestingly, since it's a country that's long exported rieslings that are predominantly sweet.

Both these varietals pair with a wide range of foods, from seafoods through fruit salad and finger foods. The Ratings include some specific pairings recommended by our experts.

Our other white-wine Ratings include those for sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. And in those Ratings, as with those for Riesling and pinot grigio, some relatively inexpensive wines scored higher than some that cost around $20 or so--further reinforcing that, when it comes to wine, price and quality are not always reliably connected.

How to keep your white wine cold? We recently tried out the Corkcicle, a reusable, gel-filled stopper that you chill and leave immersed in the wine. It wasn't perfect, but it might be handy for a picnic. The cost is $23.

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