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I enjoy sitting on my balcony, writing about wine, and how people can enjoy it more. As I sit here, experiencing all the exhilaration summer has to offer, I wonder: what should I serve my friends this weekend? Lighter foods and longer evenings spent with friends call for crisp whites and light-bodied reds. Here’s my thought process on how I decide what to serve.

I should begin with a couple of bottles of dry Riesling, a versatile white wine that is refreshing and compatible with a large number of entrees, such as grilled pork chops and broiled scallops. Because I’m thinking of Rieslings that are on the dryer side, I’m most likely going to be looking for Alsacians. I will also add a couple of crisp Sauvignon Blanc bottles, either white Bordeaux (very dry and minerally), or California versions with good acidity but more fruitiness, and of course bottles from Malborough. Knowing that I like throwing my guests curve balls, and introducing them to new wines, I may add a selection of Pinot Gris from Oregon, Sonoma Valley or northeast France.

Now I’m thinking pink. Rose wines are perfect for summertime entertaining, either as a refreshing aperitif or with lighter dishes such as grilled chicken and salmon. I could do a bottle or two of Pinot Noir rose from California. I could also do a few light reds such as Valpolicella from Italy and a Rhone Valley red from southeastern France. Valpolicella would be great with antipasto and other light Italian foods, including pastas with red or white sauces (I’ll have to check with Laurie about the menu). If we have meatier dishes, I’ll go with a slightly heavier Rhone red, expressing the tart and palate-cleansing flavors of Grenache and Syrah grapes.

Finally, I’ll add sparkling wines from the United States, Spain and possibly Italy. A favorite warm-weather bubbly of mine is Prosecco from Italy with its light touch of sweetness. Now that I’m thinking about it, I might also select a Cava from Spain. A sparkling wine from California or France (no, not a Champagne) will also be good to have. I’ll just have to make sure that if we start with bubbly, we have enough left over for the end of the night as well. I was contemplating throwing in a port or sherry, but that would inevitably lead me to breaking out cigars, and I don’t think I have enough Cohiba’s to go around.

If you crave juicy wines with a hint of chewy depth, Rhone blends should be part of your wine repertoire. Made up primarily of three grapes – Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre – Rhone Valley blends originated France, but have become more popular in New World countries as well.

France’s Rhone Valley is like two different wine zones crammed into one. In the north, the Syrah variety reigns supreme as the only red grape in famous Hermitage and Cote-Rotie wines. But in the hotter south, blends are the name of the game, and a whopping 13 different varietals can be included in some wines! In all southern Rhone blends, including famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Cotes-du-Rhone, the three main varietals are major players. Typically, Grenache takes on a leading role, strongly backed up by Syrah and Mourvedre. Any other varietals making the mix will appear in much smaller amounts.

Winemakers in the Rhone use so many varietals because of the complexity each grape brings to the wine.  The three main varietals provide the backbone. Grenache adds bright, red raspberry flavors, and because it’s naturally lower in tannin than many other reds, easy-going drinkability is always part of the package. Syrah, called Shiraz in Australia and South Africa, adds spiciness and darker, blackberry-type flavors, plus the ability to gracefully age. It can also lend beguiling scents of smoke and leather. Mourvedre is intense and meaty. It adds even more aging ability, plus an inky, dark color.

In the United States, the big-league popularity of Rhone varieties is largely due to the efforts of a group of daring California winemakers known as the Rhone Rangers. With a belief that California’s climate has much in common with the Rhone Valley in France, this posse of winemaking rebels turned their backs on ever-popular staples such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, focusing instead on Rhone mainstays. These days, the Rhone Rangers’ influence extends throughout the entire west coast, including Oregon and Washington. But many of the top wines are found in California’s Central Coast, including areas such as Paso Robles and Santa Barbara.

If you’ve ever gotten even a whiff of Aussie wine, chances are you know all about the down-under success of Shiraz. But Grenache and Mourvedre feel right at home in Oz as well. In addition to wines labeled Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre, keep an eye out for Shiraz-Grenache-Mourvedre and Shiraz-Grenache wines in which Shiraz claims the lion’s share of the blend, rather than Grenache. For fresh, exciting Aussie-Rhone takes, pay particular attention to bottles hailing from Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale.

The ample warmth and sun of South Africa perfectly suits heat-loving Rhone grapes. Although the region is steeped in centuries of tradition dating back to the 1600s, South African winemakers have recently adopted Rhone varieties as their very own. As in other New World areas, you’re likely to see the classic Rhone trinity alongside an infinite number of variations on the theme. Don’t shy away – South African mixes featuring any of the Rhone varieties can be meltingly soft and easy to love.

Unlike the Guide to White Wine Varietals Part 2, the following wines in Part 3 should be much more familiar.  These wines are some the lightest, but contain higher acidity than many other white varietals.

Pinot Blanc – Best known as a varietal from Alsace, Pinot Blanc is also widely grown in Austria, Italy (Pinot Bianco), Germany (Weissburgunder), Eastern Europe, California, and Canada.   Its characteristics vary considerably from country to country, but the wine is generally dry with a good level of alcohol.  Light in color, Pinot Blanc is similar to unoaked Chardonnay, and can be confused for Chardonnay in the glass.

Pinot Gris – Closely related to Pinot Noir, it has a pinkish, light purple skin.  As with Pinot Blanc, it is best known as an Alsatian grape and is classified there as a noble variety.  It is grown in Austria and Germany, where it is known as Rulander and Grauerburgunder, as well as in Italy and the US where it is known as Pinot Grigio.  These wines are normally dry with floral notes, and flavors of white peach and apricot.  Alsatian styles tend to be spicier than their Italian counterparts which can have more of a minerality to them.   US styles tend to be lighter and sweeter.

Rhine Riesling – The classic white grape from Germany, it produces very high quality Rhine and Mosel (German regions) wines, as well as top quality wines in Alsace, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, US, Chile, and South Africa.  Rieslings grown in Germany and Austria usually display more of a mineral quality along with pear, green apple, peach, and honey coupled with good acidity.  New World style Riesling may not be Rhine Riesling, and tend to be less complex.  As Rieslings age, they develop a petrol characteristic.

Roussanne – A light aromatic wine, high in acidity, it is frequently blended with Marsanne for such wines as Hermitage Blanc and Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc – both of which are grown in the Rhone Valley.  Small amounts have been planted in Australia and the US.

Sauvignon Blanc – Although from French origins in the areas of Loire and Bordeaux, this varietal is at its best in New Zealand. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume are two of the best examples from the Loire Valley, and have a light, complex style.  These French wines have a bouquet of elderberry (similar to honeysuckle) with dry grassy flavors coupled with citrus and gooseberry, giving it a tart sweetness.  Blended with Semillon, it produces dry white Graves and very sweet Sauternes and Barsac (a very sweet wine named for the region).  New World Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand has a more defined style, particularly from the Marlborough region.  They often show much more ripe citrus flavors such as grapefruit, along with a subtle asparagus character. Other New World Sauvignon Blanc from Chile and Australia can be more acidic, while California style wines (also called Fume Blanc) lack such intensity.