This week I picked my wines with my out of town guest.

Lucky for me this guest doubles as a chef when he visits.

My brother in law spoils us by making Shrimp Scampi and when we ask what we can do to help he says – in so many words – I work best solo.

It gets better.

My brother knows plenty about wine so I asked him to help me test my picks to see if he liked them as much as I did.

My trio appears to have passed the test. They are:

Paco Lola, 2009 Rias Baixas Albarino, Spain, 13 percent alcohol, $14. A tasty Albarino with refreshing citrus. Notes of cantaloupe, lemon, lime, mineral and spice.

Starborough, 2009 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, 13 percent, $15. (In honor of Jeremiah) A zesty, grassy sauvignon blanc with bright acidity. Notes of lime, jalapeno and mineral. Spicy finish.

Bella, 2008 Belle Canyon Dry Creek Zinfandel, 14.2 percent, $35. A focused zin with aromas and flavors of black cherry, caramel and spice. Good acidity. Nice length.

Before you rush off to uncork one of these … how was your week? Did you have any chefs arrive on your doorstep? If your week wasn’t quite as lucky as mine, spill. The Net, limitless in scope, is a great place to strike up a conversation.

Say, before I sign off, I leave you with one nugget of information to clue you in on a potential adventure for this weekend:

Surfs up at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville. The pool is supposedly opening this weekend so, weather permitting, check it out. Find out what’s up with Coppola’s family approach to winemaking. Does it really work to make wine tasting a family affair?

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