My apologies for passing on the past couple of days...

Obviously a big holiday weekend, and many wines flowed with many dishes being served. Everything from 1983 Chateau Certan...which is drinking right now (and I'm not so sure about how much later, so pop the corks on your '83 Certan's if you got 'em)...to simple New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc...to house Gruner Veltliner.

We missed the rose boat...just the way the weekend went down, but it got me thinking about what I would serve to guests. It's a timeless question that every wine shop owner gets every Summer...."I'm having a party. I'm serving to varied guests of wine knowledge and/or passion, and I have a budget. What should I serve?"

Such a wide open question, so many possibilities, but mid-Saturday I oddly enough found myself at that exact party. And I started thinking and wondering. Here's what I would have advised for you:

Summer Dinner / Luncheon party

Rose (under $15 retail) from Europe. Keep it lean, mean, and offer something different. (ie, Cotes du Rhone Rose, Rose of Nebbiolo from Italy, Rose from Burgundy, etc...)

White...Anjou, Savennieres, or a very good Muscadet. If it's Italian, be very chosey on the crisp and white thing...maybe a very interesting Falanghina?

Fun, cool option: Chilled small production Beaujolais. It's a foodie classic. Chilled. Seriously.

Red: Fitou, Corbieres, or Faugeres...think grilled foods, heat, Summer, sea-based peppery reds, Mediterannean, etc...

These wines (and their prices- even in today's economic climate) have never failed me.