Here comes a fresh batch for spring: those duelling duos, one wine in each official colour of Canada, from the same house or label. All it took was an easy browse along the shelves—and a couple of trips to a VQA store—to come up with this latest dozen.

Cellier de Marrenon Côtes du Luberon wines arrived in a Chardonnay and a Merlot model, the white from 2005, the red a vintage earlier. Both are priced below the magic 10-spot, barely, at $9.99. The red is the hit; the Chardonnay is fairly short and light, and there are better Chardonnays out there (though not many at this price point). But unscrew the Merlot and stick your nose in: full and fresh and round, surely one of the best of the French newcomers this year. And it's the price that really makes it happen.

Move up a dollar for the Baron Philippe de Rothschild Mapu from Chile, and it's the reverse: the Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc blend ($10.45) is the easy winner here, clean and fresh, with a touch of herbs and flowers for the nose and the palate. This is simple dinner wine—no pretence, no cellaring, no purple prose. Get it and gulp it. Fifty cents more gets you the Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenère mix—prepare for an invasion, you'll be sipping a lot more Carmenère in the months ahead—soft and a little peppery, with hints of mint and sage, all very nice and ready for the roast but not as stellar as the white. Both are from 2005.

There are two new South Africans in town labelled Leopard's Leap Lookout, trivarietal blends, each $11.99. The 2006 white is a mix of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Colombard. It's crisp and citric, emphasizing the Colombard, but I couldn't find much Chenin or Chard; a good one for the middle-of-the-week dinner table. The 2005 red—Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Cinsaut—has more happening: it's mellow and round, very fruity, and a standup wine for things barbecued. While the contents are good, the back-label copy is up there on the list of wine twaddle: “Soulful cool grooves accompany the delicious aromatics…you suddenly feel the need for impromptu intimacy.” Um, you go ahead and get impromptu, I'll wait here…

Good old Gallo maintains a handle on it: two new Turning Leaf varietals deliver the goods, for $11.99 apiece. The 2004 Chardonnay is slightly sweet at the front of the tongue, then presents some peaches and cream and a little buttery softness; it's reliable and serviceable and would welcome a big, steaming bowl of creamy pasta with an Alfredo sauce or even a rich, herby clam sauce. The Cabernet Sauvignon is of the same vintage and comes across as a very light, fruity, almost Beaujolais-style Cabernet, if that isn't too much of an oxymoron. Make your wine-savvy friend close her eyes and she'll tell you it's Pinot Noir, for all the black-cherry fruit. No matter, it's good with Bavarian smokies and bacon-wrapped tenderloin.

I've long enjoyed the Côtes du Ventoux/Côtes du Luberon wines from La Vieille Ferme. The quintessential French bistro in West Vancouver, La Régalade, always carried the threesome, and here they are again, in the 2005 vintage, priced at $13.99 each.

Start with the white, bright and crisp and full of fruit—maybe a touch of pineapple amid the citrus—great with simply grilled halibut with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh herbs and some peppered rhubarb as a side dish. Or oysters any which way. Then taste the rosé, half Grenache and half Cinsaut, just the thing for crepes and quiches and other light or lunch dishes; some spice and a lot of fullness, plus there's a deep fruity intensity here that you won't find in many pink wines under 20 bucks. Could turn your head around to rosés. The red is composed of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsaut—a classic formula from the south of France—and it shows the same freshness all these wines deliver: a little white pepper, some cilantro or similarly fragrant herb, and lots and lots of ripe berries. Consistently, year after year, these wines provide the best range of all-purpose, all-meal flavours at an affordable price. Too bad there isn't a little sweetie in the portfolio, for the pudding.

My appreciation of Lang wines, from Naramata, has been well documented in a clutch of columns over the years, especially the Rieslings and Pinots. Lang Vineyards Farm Reserve Riesling 2005 ($15.90) is a stunning wine, with a flavour profile that's quite unusual among Okanagan Rieslings. Calling for “lime, apple, and melon” aromas, the finish is off-dry, the colour very pale, the aroma subtle. It bursts onto the palate with a surprising flash of green: tart and crisp, not sweet in the slightest or Riesling-oily. Another beautiful food wine, but then, Rieslings are among the best when it comes to pairings: sorrel soups and sweet-and-sour pork with garlic, pasta salads, chicken, not-too-runny Brie. The Maréchal Foch 2005 ($15.90) comes from 40-year-old vines, and if you like this varietal, you'll love Lang's. Very dark and rich and chocolaty, it's sweet at first, then silky and round, delivering on the label promise of dried plums, black cherries, and wild blackberries. Lang is one of the few producers that still make Maréchal Foch (Quails' Gate is another), and I'm glad it's out there. Pork roast stuffed with prunes would be nice with it.

There are a few other duos, edging up into higher price brackets now, and we'll look at those in a few weeks' time.