Recommended Picnic Wines Memorial Day Planner Spend the holiday outside with picnics, barbecues and more

It's not just any wine you take on a picnic. Carrie Brown, owner of the upscale country store Jimtown, in Sonoma's Alexander Valley, has the right idea about what wines to tote in the basket. "Something unpretentious, easily drinkable and light. Something refreshing," says Brown, whose gourmet deli and wine bar supplies many day-trippers to Northern California wine country.

Memorial Day is the coming-out party for the picnic season, and wine lovers will be searching for a good bottle to go with whatever they pack, be it focaccia sandwiches, fried chicken and potato salad or just a baguette and cheese.

As the weather warms, many domestic producers are releasing their latest vintages of light-bodied white wines, including old standards such as Gewürztraminer and Chenin Blanc as well as some relative newcomers like Pinot Gris (also known as Pinot Grigio). France, Germany and Italy may have made these varietals famous, but California produces charming examples as well.

These wines share much in common. They're delicious, delicately flavored and well-suited to a summer day's casual picnic fare.

There's another advantage to picnic wines: You don't need to pay first-growth prices. A good picnic wine can be found for $10 or $20. As Brown, whose recipes are found in "The Jimtown Store Cookbook," says, "It's just lunch. It's casual."