Jon Bonné Lifestyle editor • Profile

Now is the time of year when wine habits slip effortlessly into the familiar. It is hot, and easy to find yourself back with the wines you know best — especially wines that are light, crisp and a sign of cooler weather soon to come.

All of which is to say: It’s time more than ever to challenge yourself. Summer’s final days make a great case for new and unusual wines that would feel, at other times of the year, too light, too inconsequential or too frivolous. As you plan for your final round of pre-Labor Day parties and gatherings, with an eye toward the fall, think different.

To which, here are five different directions to go:

1) White Rioja. Could these wines be any more underrated?  They can offer all the complexity of a white Burgundy at a fraction of the price. Yet “Rioja” implies red. The whites are misunderstood and overlooked.

• Muga 2005 blanco Rioja ($12, Tempranillo, Inc.): Largely from the native viura grape, which forms the backbone of most white Rioja. Bright citrus is the base, with dried herbs and a musky, earthy undertone. It has smoothness (from barrel aging on the lees) that will commend it to lovers of a more buttery style, but also the hard edges that sauvignon blanc lovers insist upon. An excellent pathway into Rioja whites.

2) Riesling. Yes, riesling. Have you hugged a riesling today? My friends know I will find any excuse to drink it, in part because it expresses itself with more clarity and more adaptability than any other white grape in the world. The usual counter argument is “Nope, no sweet wine,” but that sells riesling way short. Dry-wine lovers can find bone-dry specimens in a snap. Christoph Tyrell of the Karthauserhof winery in Germany’s Saar told me earlier this summer that he’s on a mission to get Americans to drink dry riesling. He’s definitely on to something.

• Karthauserhof 2003 riesling kabinett Mosel-Saar-Ruwer ($17, Rudi Wiest): Despite Tyrell’s mission, here’s a prime example of what else he can do. It’s rich with nectar and almost dusty slate minerality, with an opulent, almost prosciutto-like fatness that’s typical of the 2003s. Yet the classic German acidity comes rampaging through, with hints of petrol and pear. The lushness is balanced out, and it tapers to a refreshing, compelling finish. Hard to beat at this quality level.
• Treleaven 2005 dry riesling Finger Lakes ($14): A wine with great backbone from New York’s Finger lakes. Fresh lime and guava, bolstered by a tart minerality and a mainline of bright acidity. Gets juicier at the end, and shows its layers — an appealing complexity beyond the hard edges of the dry riesling style, and a far cry from the lush West Coast versions.

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