DATE: Sunday, June 22, 1997                 TAG: 9706190051

SECTION: FLAVOR                  PAGE: F7   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: WINES & SPIRITS

SOURCE: BY M.F. ONDERDONK, WINES & SPIRITS CRITIC 

                                            LENGTH:   92 lines

ALTERNATIVES FOR THOSE TIRED OF CHARDONNAY

CHARDONNAY and sauvignon blanc might be likened, respectively, to Democrats and Republicans.

In the world of wine, as in the world of politics, the extravagances of one are somehow merging into the austerities of the other, making it hard to tell the players apart.

It's just that wine leaves a much better taste in your mouth.

Not that the blood of the grape, however noble, doesn't get maligned from time to time. Across the country, there has sprung up a grass-roots (or grape-roots?) movement known as ABC - ``Anything But Chardonnay.'' Its members, enophilic thrill seekers, long for tastes beyond the oaken and tropic fruit fragrances of basic char-donnay.

What none of the ABC-isters seem prepared to swallow is that there is a great range of styles under chardonnay, from the lean, austere, immortal white wines of Burgundy to the sweet lushness of Kendall-Jackson. There are all sorts in between, and the most agreeable balance a mineral astringency with full fruit in the mouth and oak on the finish.

Still, variety is the stuff that dreams are made on (to blend a few metaphors) and thus, the ABC movement has championed the rise of sauvignon blanc, a favored son. A good son too.

Sauvignon blanc is less expensive than chardonnay and easier to grow, while affable to a range of styles. Its characteristic grassy, herbal flavors are celebrated by some winemakers and covered up by others. The classic style for sauvignon blanc is in the great white wines of Bordeaux, in which it is often blended with semillon. But now there's a growing, creative California faction who've taken to modulating the flavor of sauvignon blanc with growing techniques and oak aging.

Other rising but still distant white wine stars include viognier, a lush but delicate (and pricey) French varietal that remains in the pet-project class for most winemakers. Similarly rare, the white blends from the Rhone, which include viognier as well as the more obscure grapes marsanne and rousanne.

Then, crossing the Alps, there's riesling, still trying for American success.

This is too bad, because of all the white wines, riesling is perhaps the most companionable. And there are many wine enthusiasts who would argue that German rieslings are the greatest because of their extravagant fruit flavors balanced by lean acidity, food friendliness, good value for the money, ageability (German rieslings can lay down for decades) and low alcohol content. On the other hand, German wine labels are hard to read, and they bear designations that indicate the wine's sweetness - auslese, spatlese, trockenbeerenaulese. You have to read up or talk to a trusted wine merchant.

Gewurztraminer - the ``G-wine'' suffers from some of these same drawbacks, as well as its own unpronounceability. A traditional Alsatian wine known for a distinctive, spicy-sweet taste, gewurztraminer has been taken up of late by U.S. winemakers, whose tastes tend to be sweeter and blander, more in a crowd-pleasing style and accessibly priced.

The latest star of the white wine movement of the summer of '97 is another Alsatian wine - pinot blanc. A cousin of pinot noir, this malleable, luscious grape is also related to the Italian pinot grigio. It makes for a light and refreshing wine and, like sauvignon blanc, takes zestily to oak and goes well with food.

And so here's a mixed bin of ABC wines for summer. All are locally available, and many are under $10.

Raymond 1995 reserve sauvignon blanc. This is one in a whole clique of exciting sauvignon blancs from the best California wineries. It's got the herbal zip one prizes in sauvignon blanc, with a pleasing, buttery finish. Look also for such labels as Waterbrook, Beaulieu, Merryvale and Zabaco in the under $10 range, as well as the slightly more expensive Simi, Chateau St-Jean and Caymus.

Close de la Crele '95 sancerre. This is a lovely illustration of the French approach to sauvignon blanc, with a bright aroma and taste of grapefruit, herbal notes and a clean, mineral finish. Around $15.

Schmitt Sohne Rheinhessen 1994 Bereich Biengen Spatlese. The word ``spatlese'' means the grapes for the wine were harvested late, making the wine sweeter. The rest of the words mean those grapes were harvested in Germany. Sweet and straightforward with well balanced acidity. At around $9 a bottle, an impressive value.

Bonny Doon Pacific Rim American riesling. Has winemaker Randall Grahm gone over the edge with this one? It's got the freshness of riesling, with a buttery finish that suggests it may have seen some oak. Definitely a crowd-pleaser, from the man who eschews chardonnay. Around $10.

Chateau Ste Michelle Johannesburg riesling. Fresh, lively and on the sweet side, this Washington State wine is good with food and a nice value at about $7.

Oasis 1995 gewurztraminer. Light and fresh with straightforward citrus flavor, this is one of the most popular labels for the Hume, Va., winery. About $12.

Ecco Domani pinot grigio. Made in Italy for Gallo, this is a fresh, bright, food-friendly wine. Around $10.

Murphy-Goode barrel-fermented '95 pinot blanc. Clean and fresh, with a definite mineral character and unexpected note of water chestnuts, this Oregon-grown wine has been oaked to a full finish. Around $13.

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