2008 Corte Gardoni Bianco di Custoza

I once spent New Year’s in a freezing summerhouse near Lake Garda in the Veneto region in northeast Italy, so cold I wore everything in my suitcase to bed. I remember drinking a wonderful white wine called Custoza that day, and I’m happy to report I just found one here. Corte Gardoni Bianco di Custoza blends Garganega, Trebbiano, Trebbianello and other local grapes to make a fresh, light wine. Pale gold in color, it is fresh and dry, with a lovely scent of apples and lime, very similar to a Soave in character.

It’s delicious as an aperitif and also excellent with antipasti such as frittata or tuna with white beans. I like it with pasta e fagioli, spaghetti with clams, and a nice piece of grilled fish.

-- S. Irene Virbila

Region: Veneto, Italy

Price: About $13

Style: Fresh and light

What it goes with: antipasti, seafood pastas, grilled fish

Where to find it: K&L Wine Merchants in Hollywood, (323) 464-9463, www.klwines.com; Silverlake Wine in Los Angeles, (323) 662-9024, www.silverlakewine.com; and the Wine House in West Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731, www.winehouse.com.