One of the great varietals in the world is undoubtedly Sauvignon Blanc. With a history dating back centuries, wines made from this very special grape have played major roles in establishing some of the world’s finest wine regions. When fermented dry, Sauvignon makes some of the easiest-to-appreciate, crisp, expressions of green apple, wild grasses, and citrus. Sweet wines made from the grape are typically profound expressions of honey and spice. However, making memorable Sauvignon is not a process lacking in challenges.

As a young girl, I had always dreamed about being a princess inside a castle full of beautiful surroundings and lovely wines. Well, okay….maybe not the wines so much, but you get the point. At Castle Vineyards in Sonoma, California, their small, quaint tasting room gives meaning to the word “royalty”. Why, you ask? It’s simple: The folks at Castle really know what they are making and selling and it shows. From the employees to the tasting room and of course, the wine itself, Castle knows how to make one feel like royalty.

Variety is the spice of life, they say. So to prove “them” correct, my friends and I embarked on a mysterious and giddy wine flight tasting experience at top-rated San Francisco gem, Incanto . Wine flights are a foolproof way to sample many different types of wine, compare, contrast and discover new favorites that you never would have tried on your own. And what better place to sample delectable delights than Incanto,

Living here in Seattle, I admit I’m among the many that are proud of our famous wine regions and wines. Since I love to vacation on the Oregon coast, I find myself in the upper Willamette/Yamhill AVA a couple of times a year. This area is conveniently located along Route 18, the road leading from Portland to the coast, and it’s easy to hop on and off the freeway to visit a variety of wineries.

Spring always poses an interesting problem; how do you make room in a full cellar for new wines? After stocking up on refreshing whites to sip in the backyard, and receiving spring allotments from your favorite wine mailing lists, this presents quite the conundrum. Well, to paraphrase Otter from Animal House “Wine Dinner!” Sharing wine, food and good companionship is one of life’s most basic pleasures, and having all these bottles that need to be drunk to make room in your cellar is the perfect excuse to do it.

Summer is approaching and like many wine buffs, my thoughts turn to refreshing white wines. My wife and I love to drink them on the front porch watching the sun descend after a day of work and continue with them at the dinner table. There is a wide variety of wonderful whites made all over the world. Some of the best values and best white wines in general hail from the northern regions of Italy. Some of the best of the best of those come from the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. Part II: Reds Last month we presented some lessons we learned from tasting whites and roses at the 2007 edition (March 18) of the annual Rhone Rangers tasting at Fort Mason in San Francisco. This month we discuss some lessons we learned from tasting reds.

It’s no secret that South America is a hot wine producing area. It’s hard to beat malbecs from Argentina and cabernet sauvignons from Chile for price to quality ratio. But how many people can point to the country of Uruguay on a map, let alone say they’ve tasted a wine from there?

“This determined red comes forward with aggressive scents of plum, eucalyptus and blackberry. Surging flavors of currants and peaches flood the tongue before surrendering to a rounded finish of tobacco and coffee. Pair with stewed rabbit or wild boar, or anything else savory and Mediterranean.”