Thinking Inside the Box

The Dr. Konstantin Frank Rkatsiteli -- which per your description combines all of my favorite wines (Riesling, Gewuerztraminer, Gruener Veltliner and New Zealand sauvignon blanc) -- really sounds fascinating. Do you have any suggestions as to wine stores in the D.C. area that would stock this wine?

-- Lewis Katz, Baltimore

The 2006 ($20) is carried at Chesapeake Wine in Baltimore (410-522-4556).

You can find it in Virginia at some Wegmans locations (including Fairfax and Sterling) and at Wine Styles in Chantilly and Fairfax. While in Virginia, check out the alluring Gordonsville-made 2006 Horton Vineyards Rkatsiteli ($15). To find it, visit http://www.hvwine.com/find.htm.

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With the recent warm weather, we crave meals that are much lighter. That led us to salads and seafood for dinner, which in turn led us to two white wine picks this week that pair well with either.

Since eating and drinking our way through Quebec City and Montreal on our honeymoon nearly 18 years ago, we've had a particular soft spot for Canadian wines. Canada's cool climate and melding of the best of Old World and New World techniques produce some of the very best Rieslings in North America. One of the most consistently excellent is Cave Spring, and the 2006 Cave Spring Niagara Peninsula Riesling ($14) is no exception. It wins Karen's nod as her pick of the week. Its ripe white-peach and pink-grapefruit flavors end in a mineral finish that lends it to pairing with pork, white fish and shellfish.

If you are a fan of sauvignon blanc, you'll enjoy Andrew's pick this week: the 2005 Hijos de Alberto Gutierrez Cascarela ($12). This light, dry, yet fruity Spanish white is from the Rueda region, famed for its whites, at the southwestern end of Valladolid on the Duero River. It has more lemon and fewer grassy notes than typical sauvignon blancs and is a 50-50 blend of Verdejo and Viura (Rioja's white grape). In recent years you can see some of the region's new-style wines blending Verdejo with actual sauvignon blanc grapes. Pair it with vinaigrette-dressed salads, white fish and shellfish.

Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, award-winning authors of "What to Drink With What You Eat," can be reached through their Web site, http://www.becomingachef.com, or at food@washpost.com. Please include contact information, town of residence, and an indication of whether your name can be published in an upcoming column.