The 2008 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran from, Burgundy, France ($20) has aromas of apple, buttered toast and pear with hints of lemon and lime and go great with latkes. The 2009 Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva from the Casablanca Valley of Chile ($18) goes great with grilled salmon with its strawberry and cherry flavors with a touch of vanilla and cinnamon. The 2005 Ben Hanna Winery Single Humped Merlot from the Judean Hills of Israel has a dusty, earthy nose with hints of cherry and strawberry and notes of blueberry and cinnamon.

The 2007 Mt. Monster Shiraz ($12) is ghoulishly good with a bouquet chocked full of black fruits and a touch of licorice with flavors of dark plum, blackberry jam and mocha. The Big Red Monster ($12) is made from syrah, zinfandel and petite sirah with aromas of plums and cocoa and flavors of dark plum, black cherry and black currant. the 2008 Horton Vineyards "Black Cat" Chardonnay ($15) has flavors of apple, nectarine and guava with a nice touch of vanilla. Another wine to try: the 2008 Aqua Pumpkin Pinot Noir from Kenneth Volk Vineyards in Santa Maria, California ($20).

Some of the best viognier can be found in Virginia. The 2008 Horton Vineyard Viognier from Orange County, Va. is a steal at $15. It has scents of acacia, tropical fruit and white peaches with flavors of peach, pineapple, vanilla and toasty oak. The 2008 Freemark Abbey Viognier from Napa Valley ($25) sports a nose of acacia and nectarines that leads to palate pleasing flavors of creamy peaches and tropical fruits with a touch of wet stone. If you want to experience Viognier in its native form, try the 2007 E. Guigal Condrieu ($53) from the Rhone Valley in France. Another wine to try: Australia's 2008 d'Arenberg "The Last Ditch" Viognier ($25).