Pinot Grigio is not my thing. As you may have gathered from most of the wines I review for The Quaffer, I prefer towering reds with beefy flavors like leather, unsweetened chocolate, smoking road tar and bacon fat. So it was a surprise to find that I enjoyed the Lindemans Bin 85 Pinot Grigio 2009 (about $8US, $11 Cdn). This unoaked Australian wine has a very light pale straw color, delicate aromas of citrus and lemongrass and crisp flavors of lime, unripe pear and passionfruit.

Quaffability Rating: 87

From the same easy-drinking style, the Lindemans Bin 95 Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (about $9US, $12 Cdn) is another good work-week workhorse. I used some of this one in a risotto and tasted it as the wine was sizzling away in the pot of carnaroli, butter and onion. (Tasting a wine at the stove is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated wine-drinking experiences – as the flavours of the wine meld into your food and the vapors waft through the air, you inhale the fresh aromas out of your glass and take a swig.) Still fresh and crisp like the Pinot Grigio, the Sauv Blanc has a deeper bouquet of lemon and a touch of honey. Classic grassy and tropical fruit flavors lead to a pucker-free finish. Not bad, not bad at all.

Quaffability Rating: 88