What is more satisfying, when temperatures rise, than sipping a well-chilled white or rose wine?

More affordable in many cases than the best red wines, summer wines are ripe for the buying. There are lots of different grape varieties available (the list below features 16) and many bargains to be had. There are some amazing bottles in the $10to $15 price range. Here are my picks. Use the PAWineTalk.com availability map to track stores with these wines in stock and don't forget, if the wine is not in your local store, ask to have the state transfer it there at no charge.

• Sartori Ferdi 2006, Verona, Italy, PLCB #25398, $15.99.

An unusual wine made from 100 percent gargenega grapes that have been dried on racks to concentrate flavors and then aged on the lees for six months to further intensify the aromas and body. The result is a big mouthful of complex layers of fruit and floral and spice bouquet.

• Mastroberardino Falanghina Sannio 2005, Campania, Italy, PLCB #21828, $11.99.

From one of Italy's oldest (1750) and best wineries, this white is made from the falanghina grape, which has grown in Italy since the days of the Roman Empire. It produces a wine that is flinty, with notes of orange peel and herbs. This wine is seriously outside the chardonnay/sauvignon blanc rut.

• Mastroberardino Fiano de Avellino Ridici 2006, Campania, Italy, PLCB #25353, $14.99

Another prize from Mastroberardino, this white is made from the fiano grape, another variety well known to the early Romans. This wine is big and round, showing notes of apple, hazelnuts and thyme wrapped in honey with a slightly smoky finish. Please add this to your list of unusual grape varieties tasted.

• Sartori Pinot Grigio Veneto, IItaly (no vintage specified), PLCB #06724, $6.49. Pinot grigio is a tough grape to categorize since where it is grown and how it is treated is of ultimate importance to its taste profile. Many examples of the variety are dull and bland but this one is round and medium bodied with a mouthful of citrus, pear and spice to make it memorable. An unbelievable bargain. It will be our house wine for the summer. According to PAWineTalk.com, there are only two stores with this wine in stock so I will have to order a case from Erie and have it transferred to Pittsburgh. It is definitely worth the trouble.

• Rocco delle Macie Vernaccia 2007, Tuscany, Italy, PLCB #25120, $12.99. Italo Zingarelli, the father of Italian spaghetti western films, was the founder of this winery, which is now under the direction of his son, Sergio. Vernaccia is the grape variety grown on the steep hills outside the walls of the hilltop town of San Gimignano in the heart of Tuscany. It is rarely grown outside this small area. The wine is light and dry with aromas of lime zest and melon.

• Simonsig Chenin Blanc 2007, South Africa, PLCB #28551, $11.99. Chenin blanc, the star of the Loire, is a popular grape in South Africa and represents 20 percent of the plantings in the Stellenbosch area. Simonsig's chenin is dry but characteristically fruity, with notable aromas of apricot, tropical fruits and green apples. The lively acidity balances the fruit nicely. Perfect with food or as an aperitif.

• Spiropoulos Mantinia Moschofilero 2007, Peloponessis, Greece, PLCB #27097, $13.99. The grape here is moschofilero, the specialty of the high plateau in the Peloponessis. It produces light, dry and fragrant wines that remind many of the apricot, peach and honeysuckle aromas of viognier.

• Martin Codax Albarino, Rias Baixias, Spain (no vintage specified), PLCB #05170, $13.99. Spain's super-star white grape variety, albarino, produces a lean, lively wine with appealing aromas of lemon zest and peach skins and finishes with a lingering touch of minerals. The perfect thirst quencher, it is also a nice match for shellfish and picnic fare.

• Valdelainos Verdejo 2007, Rueda, Spain, PLCB #26744, $10.99

The verdejo grape is considered to be the aristocrat of Spanish whites. The wine is crisp and light and packed with aromas of summer fruits and grapefruit sprinkled with ground almonds.

• Zolo Torrontes 2008, Mendoza, Argentina, PLCB #28826, $8.99. This white grape was long thought to be the same as one from the Galicia region of Spain but recent DNA tests indicate that Argentine torrontes is a member of the malvasian family of grapes. What is certain is that it has become the signature white from Argentina and produces a light, dry wine with delicate floral and citrus aromas highlighted with lychee nuts.

• Angove's Vineyard Select Riesling 2006, Clare Valley, Australia, PLCB #10522, $10.99.

The Clare Valley is a prime growing area for the riesling grape. Riesling is a favorite summer-time variety producing lively acidity wrapped around citrus, pear and apple fruit and layers of minerals. This wine is totally dry.

This is also the season for rose:

• Montes Cherub Rose 2008, Chile, PLCB #29016, $12.49. Made from syrah grapes, this clean and lean rose can stand up to just about any food other than lamb or game. I took it to a tasting in a Chinese restaurant and it was the first bottle to be emptied. Elegant and dry, there are cherries and strawberries on the nose mixed with white pepper and roses.

• Red Bicyclette Rose 2008, Languedoc, France, PLCB #04742, $8.99. Made from a combination of syrah and grenache grapes, this bone-dry rose has the classic aromas of orange, lime and cherry layered with some floral notes.