We Swirl Girls love to shop for wine. Whether we’re perusing the aisles of a local wine shop, buying online or even bidding at  auction, there’s always a bottle or two in our basket.

But sometimes the best place to pick up a great deal is right in our neighborhood grocery store. It’s quick, convenient, and often has a surprisingly good selection. So for those of you wondering what to buy while on the weekly food trip, here are a few of our  selections:

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The swirling continues with some recent sips from Italy and Spain. Like my previous reviews from France, most of these wines are classically Old World in style with subtle fruit, earthy notes and dry on the palate. Most of these wines were sent to Swirl Girls for review.

2010 Lungarotti Torre di Giano – Torgiano, Umbria, Italy ($16 online)
This is a simple but delicious wine that wins my vote for quality and value. The wine is made from a blend of trebbiano and grechetto grapes, both white varietals grown in Umbria’s Torgiano region. Torgiano was the first winemaking region in Umbria to obtain DOC status in 1968.

This wine has aromas and flavors of fresh apple and citrus with some floral notes. On the palate it’s fresh, light and dry with a nice acidity and a clean finish. We enjoyed this wine with a meal of fresh pasta lightly tossed with a san marzano tomato sauce and finished with a bit of brie, fresh mozzarella and basil. Deliziosa!

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Summer is the season for whites: white sun dresses, white sandals, white linens… and certainly white wines. While you’d probably be hard pressed to find “earthy” white wines, this Earthy has some she’d like to share (with a couple of rosés thrown in for a little color) from the bounty that has been sent to the Swirl Girls for review.

2010 Bodega Tamarí Reserva Torrontés, La Rioja, Argentina ($9.99 at Crown online)

I’m having a love affair with an Argentine that started two years ago and I just can’t quit. With scents of citrus, tangerine and flowers, that make me think of the crisp, early days of spring as they begin to lengthen into summer, is it any wonder I’m addicted to the torrontés grape?
In addition to those aromas, the Bodega Tamarí has a gentle acidity with citrus and apples notes, and more of an off-dry palate than a super-crisp, dry one. Still a dreamy date for a late afternoon spell on the front porch…

2009 Snoqualmie Winemaker’s Select Riesling, Columbia Valley, Wash. ($8 on Snoqualmie web site)

Just like the honey-yellow color in the glass, the ample aromas of this semi-sweet riesling are of honey and peach. The sweet smell of fruit carries over to the palate with more honey and peach. It’s soft and flavorful with a juicy richness, like biting into an overripe peach with juice that drips from your chin. There’s a slight crispness in the mid-palate that helps balance the candied flavor. White zinfandel drinkers: take note and take a step away from the pink! This one will satisfy that sweet tooth, but also introduce you to complexity in wine and winemaking. Read the full story

Last year, the Swirl Girls brought you 20 under $20. This year, we present 15 under $15. We’ve vetted all of these and give them our Swirl Girl stamp of approval, proving there’s always room for wine!

From Libby Volgyes (Sweet)
2010 Mondavi Private Selection Riesling, Monterey County ($9.79 at Total Wine) I like an uncomplicated, easy-going Riesling. And this one definitely fits the bill. It’s composed of 94 percent white Riesling, 5 percent gewürztraminer and 1 percent Muscat canelli, which I haven’t even heard of, and comes from Monterey County. It sees no oak and has an alcohol level of 12 percent. With a fairly pretty nose or apricots, oranges and a touch of oranges, it’s off-dry with a crisp finish. It’s very pleasant and palatable and a nice summer sipper. And for about 10 bucks? Sign me up.

Gazela Vihno Verde, $5.99 at Total Wine
Vihno verde is one of the best, cheapest wines we’ve seen. Light, crisp, clean, it goes down smoothly and pairs perfectly with all sorts of summer foods. Although you needn’t have a meal at all to slurp down this easy-drinker. It’s the quintessential summer sipper and at 6 bucks a bottle, you’ll turn to it time and time again.
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Meet The Chef: Luis Pous of Little Palm Island Resort & Spa >>

There’s something about summertime that makes me think pink. Pink sundresses, pink flowers, pink picnic blankets on a warm, sunny day. Pink-hued skies that bring on a summer night breeze. It’s a bright and happy season, a time to relax, kick off the shoes and just enjoy life. Summer is for casual affairs and simple, refreshing sippers.

I also think pink when it comes to summertime food and wine. A rosy-hued raw tuna served with fresh summer fruit. A crisp, dry rosé is summer in a glass. These are the comfort foods of the season, fresh, simple pleasures that define summer.

In the spirit of this happy, pink season, I gathered the Swirl Girls in my home for a backyard picnic and rosé tasting. We invited Luis Pous, executive chef for Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in the Florida Keys, who was passing through the city. Read the full story

The Mumm Napa Brut Rosé sparkling wine was exquisite right out of the bottle.

With its pale salmon color and feisty bubbles, the wine held us spellbound for a few moments as we watched it dance in the champagne flutes. And it was even more special sharing it on a Sunday afternoon with my sister and brother-in-law, who were visiting from out of town, and our mother.

It had a light strawberry aroma with a touch of yeast that kept it from smelling too fruity. The palate held strawberries and cherries, and although it was quite dry it wasn’t overly acidic, making it a lovely brunch accompaniment.

Mom found it “very drinkable, not overwhelming,” while brother-in-law Jeff noticed how it lingered on the back of his palate. And ever the observant one, he also noticed that 10 minutes after we had poured the wine, the effervescence was still lively.

We all agreed this sparkling wine had a softer side than many, yet remained sophisticated. It was Audrey Hepburn… classy and elegant, laced with sassiness.

Still looking for that perfect bottle to share with your sweetie on Valentine’s Day? Look no further.

($22 suggested retail; available for sale price of $16.99 until Feb. 28. on ABC web site.)

While “French” and “value” are not usually considered a perfect pair when it comes to wine, all one has to do is head south past Burgundy and the Rhone to the Mediterranean coast to find wines that still reflect the terroir of the Old World without breaking the bank.

Long-known for bulk production and questionable quality, the wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon have come a long way toward improving their image while keeping their wines affordable.

The world’s largest wine-producing region, it is responsible for an average 423 million gallons of wine each year. That’s been intentionally reduced from 766 million gallons about 30 years ago in an effort to focus on quality rather than quantity. But even now, the region is responsible for almost a third of all the wine produced in France. In other words, there’s still a lot of juice to be swirled.

The Languedoc-Roussillon is known for fruity and slightly rustic red wines made from blends of carignan, cinsault, grenache, mouvedre and syrah.

Here’s a rundown on some of the regions to know and wines to try: Read the full story

It’s been a few months since our last roundup of wines we’ve been sent for review. My work file cabinets were beginning to bulge from all of the bottles stashed inside and it was time to get tasting. As always, we’ve been totally honest about what we thought of the wine. Some of them we loved, a few we didn’t. Most were simple but good options for the everyday glass.

Here’s what we’ve got:

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I love Spanish wine, and I think tapas are one of the best inventions ever. So imagine my delight to hear about the opening of La Bodega Tapas y Tintos in Boca Raton. The small Spanish eatery is something between a retail wine store and a restaurant, with a large inexpensive wines by the glass list and a menu of small hot and cold appetizer-sized delicacies.

Located in Royal Palm Place just south of Mizner Park, La Bodega is a great place to stop in for an after-work drink or to bring a wine-loving date. The bright yellow walls are lined with wooden wine racks and glass-topped barrels serve as tables. There are a few sidewalk tables with large umbrellas for those who want to toast the hot Florida summer with a chilled white wine.

I stopped in last week with a few friends for a Spanish wine tasting event co-hosted by LivingFLA.com. The small shop was practically bursting with the energy of an international crowd of beautiful wine-loving people. The tasting featured eight different Spanish wines for $10 if purchased ahead, or $20 at the door. Read the full story

Growing up in Nebraska, I always considered summer to be the one season of unabashed pleasure and easy living. Winter was brutal, fall was revered but unpredictable, and spring was fleeting. But summer? Summer meant long, lazy evenings spent chasing fireflies; lips stained red from just-picked strawberries that were en route to becoming sticky sweet jam; root beer floats — but only after my mother finished the hot work of mowing the grass. Summer was a stolen season of easy indulgence.

Here, summertime is an intense landscape for serious fun: boating, swimming, rafting, beaching, barbecuing, resting. It’s the time of year to gather up your closest friends, spend a minimal amount of time fussing in the kitchen and head out to the pool.

We did just that on a recent Saturday as the temps climbed steeply into the 90s. In Swirl Girl summer style, we uncorked a few fabulous bottles and whipped up some easy food pairings. We feasted on fruit gazpacho, orzo salad, summer tomatoes, shrimp cocktail and tropical fruit salsa and chips.

Favorite friends, easy food, cool wine — what more could you ask for?

Perhaps a slight breeze … Read the full story