By G.M. "Pooch" Pucilowski

I recently took a quick look at my cellar and decided I really should taste a few of the white wines I've been "collecting" before winter sets in. Vino Con Brio is a boutique winery in Lockeford, a small town a couple of miles east of Lodi; the name means "wine with passion." Its estate-bottled 2003 Pinot Grigio, Lodi ($16) has a slightly peachy nose, and its acidity balances with the fruit to create a sense of velvetiness.

Bogle Vineyards 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, California ($8) has the great grassy/grapefruit flavors with overtones of lemon/lime that I expect from a Sauvignon Blanc. This is a wine to drink now, not to age in the cellar. Bogle Vineyards 2004 Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg ($7) is a wonderful white wine with just the right amount of sweetness and acidity. It has a light peach/apricot nose and soft flavors.

All the way from Washington state, Hogue Cellars 2004 Gewürztraminer, Columbia Valley ($9) is a good example of what a Gewürz should taste like. It has a golden-yellow color and a fragrant floral aroma. This pleasing white is best when chilled. Hogue Cellars 2004 Late Harvest White Riesling, Columbia Valley ($10) is a crowd-pleaser, with a luscious honey nose caused by Botrytis cinera, also known as noble rot: the legendary parasitic fungus that pierces the grape skin and causes the water in the fruit to evaporate. This concentrates the sugars in the grape, intensifying the flavor. The wine’s sweetness is offset by crisp acidity and low alcohol.

St. Supéry Winery 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, Dollarhide Ranch ($35) screams Sauvignon Blanc, with its grapefruity, grassy aroma with a lemon-drop theme. This is an intense wine that finishes dry and lingers. Catch this if you can!

I end this column with a wine that I finish with on most evenings: Port. Or, to be more specific, Porto, which means wine that was made in Portugal. Smith Woodhouse 1986 Colheita Porto, single-year tawny ($36) has a creamy chocolate texture—if it weren’t already a liquid, you would swear it melts in your mouth. This wine was aged in a cask for 18 years, then bottled.