Vivent les vins blancs: French bargains abound

This summer, it seems, I'm becoming my Aunt Linda. Years (OK, decades) ago, she introduced me to a funny-sounding white wine called Pouilly-Fuissé. It took some getting used to for someone who at the time thought chablis only came in a jug, but the effort was resoundingly rewarded.

My ever-beneficent aunt subsequently turned me onto other French white wines (including a similar-sounding, but decidedly different-tasting one called Pouilly-Fumé), all of which cost $8 to $12 at the time.

This wine stuff's pretty good, I thought. But in subsequent years, as prices ballooned and my budget deflated, the inexpensive French whites gave me little pleasure -- and usually the opposite, an annoying headache.

All that has changed, and once again we are awash in splendid French whites in the $15-and-under range. Thanks to a grand awakening -- prompted in part by a glut of mediocre juice (some of which was turned into ethanol), global competition and improved techniques -- vintners from all over France are turning out distinctive, delicious vin blanc.

Like the Wine of the Week (at right), many of these wines are blends. The Le Poule Blanche (mostly chardonnay and sauvignon blanc) from Sacha Lichine, son of the renowned author/vineyard owner Alexis Lichine, offers up a rare combo: lush, fresh tropical and stone fruits and enough acidity to make it food-friendly.

The Chateau l'Ermitage Blanc, a Rhone mixture that's just over half rousanne, is light and lively at the outset but sneaks in some suppleness as it glides across the palate. Chamarré produces a dandy Sauvignon Blanc-Chenin Blanc Selection, perfectly blending the former's citrus with the honeyed aspect the latter often possesses.

But there are also some fabulous varietals. There are few better wine values than the Sauvion Vouvray, which often can be found on sale for under $10; this fabuloso introduction to the chenin blanc grape is crisp but smooth almost to the point of creaminess, and a great match for rustic French or spicy Asian food. Le Craie also makes a simple but tasty vouvray in that price range.

Domaine Labbe Vin de Savoie Abymes is a refreshing burst of zingy, fruit-tart (not Fruit Tart!) flavor, with a touch of sweetness and fizz; made in the Savoy region with a grape called Jacquère, it's almost dangerously quaffable with its 11 percent alcohol.

With the dollar's demise and higher shipping costs, it seems odd that there would be so many bargains from across the pond. And frankly, these prices wouldn't look so swell if so many American wineries hadn't taken advantage of these conditions to jack up their own prices.

So even with those halcyon days of inexpensive Pouilly-whatevers behind us, there's no time like the present for a wide array of yummerific French white-wine options.