2007 Ameztoi Rubentia Txakolina  $20
Txakolí is from the Basque region of northern Spain, and this wine is so evocative that it takes me traveling to a place I've never even been! Sipping the wine takes me right to a seaside café, where I'm on the sun-splashed deck in the late afternoon, with the salt air and seagulls, and a whole world away from my ordinary life. This light and crisp wine is made with 90% Hondarribi Zuri and 10% Hondarribi Beltza grapes, sustainably farmed. It's bottled with residual carbon dioxide to give it its signature natural spritz. Flavor wise, expect bright briny sea salt combined with limey fruits. The wine is fresh and eminently quaffable - just the thing for a springtime Friday night. Celebrate the end of the week with us. Cheers!

2006 Cancilla Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir  $36
Last summer, our tasting group went on a long weekend and visited wineries high and low, up and down the Willamette valley. We went to some of the big, well-established wineries and tasted big, plush (and expensive) wines, but one of our best, and most exciting visits was at a very tiny winery, Cancilla Cellars. Ken Cancilla grows the grapes on his own property, a rarity in Washington, but not that uncommon in the Willamette Valley. The grapes are dry-farmed, stressing them, and causing the fruit to be smaller and more concentrated than irrigated grapes are. After touring the vineyards, we went back to Ken's house and hung out on his deck, sampling the wines. And oh, my! We found what we were searching for. This is beautiful, clean Pinot Noir, with silky red fruit. Think of raspberry pie, red currant, wild strawberry and milk chocolate. This wine has lively acidity, yet it remains elegant and delightfully earthy. Match this with any light entrée, or it drinks great by itself too. You may also cellar this for up to five years - but I wouldn't be able to!