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Even quick weekday meals
deserve a glass of wine

It's August -- back to school time. Not a season you'd normally associate with wine, but think of it this way: It's also the beginning of the season where home-cooked meals have to be quick and easy. You have to pick up the kids, fight traffic and finally get home and cook -- unless you're picking up take out.

Don't let any of this stop you from enjoying a glass of wine with every meal. For one thing, the last time I checked, the same store where you'd buy folder paper and other school supplies also has a wine section, or it's right next to a grocery store that does.

Usually I begin by talking about wines. This time I'll start by talking about what you're most likely to fix for dinner, easily and quickly.

One of the easiest meals? Spaghetti, right? Or let's just say pasta. Whatever you put into it, ground beef or soy protein, mushrooms or corn, if it's with tomato sauce (homemade or from a jar), let's go Italian and red.

The 2001 Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico ($17) is a drop-dead gorgeous Italian wine. Pure sangiovese, it just packs in the sour cherry fruit with heady savory and floral notes, lovely and elegant. It's one of the best chiantis I've had recently.

Another wine that has "value" written all over it is the 2002 Banfi Centine ($13). This is a Super Tuscan blend of sangiovese, merlot and cabernet sauvignon without the overpriced ticket. It has a polished and plush fruitiness akin to California wines, with a delicious and soft flavor profile. These wines are great with pizza, too. And you can glug and quaff them long after the kids go to bed.

Steak can be pan-fried with garlic, grilled with garlic salt or you could even buy a plateful of it from a grocery store on your way home. Any which way, it's easy and pretty painless. Throw a tossed salad on the side and you've got a whole meal.

There are plenty of wine choices for this one. The 2003 Wishing Tree Shiraz ($10) is a wonderfully playful and exuberant wine, just brimming with fruity berry and spice. It has plenty of fortitude to stand up to a nice steak.

If the Old World is more your style, try a 2003 Chateau du Trignon Cotes du Rhone ($14). This grenache-based blend sings with pretty notes of cassis, herbs and black olives -- everything Mediterranean. It melds seamlessly with roasted red meat.

And finally, what to pair with the ubiquitous and soulful kids' favorite: tuna casserole? Have a cheerful chardonnay, such as the 2003 Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara Chardonnay ($16). Tried and true, this chardonnay is supremely elegant, with ripe tropical scents of apricots and mango. It's full and rich enough to please the palate, and light and sleek enough that you can have more than one glass.

If you want to try an imported chardonnay, the 2002 Henri Perrusset Macon Farges Vieilles Vignes ($15) is an old-vine treat with a pineappley and floral character. Smooth and refined, this chardonnay will wash down that casserole faster than a 3-year-old can say the ABCs.

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