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PICK OF THE WEEK

Mitchell Watervale Riesling 2005 ($23.50). This Australian Riesling is brimming with mouth-watering lime, lemon and apple flavours and a hint of chalky soil.

*****

Wine tourism can take a person to awesome landscapes, places such as Tuscany, Alsace, Mendoza and the Okanagan Valley. Now I can add a few seascapes to my own list - specifically the waters off Puerto Rico, St. Barts and Virgin Gorda.

As I write this, I'm on The Globe and Mail's Caribbean Odyssey, a 10-day cruise featuring the culinary wizardry of Food Network chefs Anna Olson, Lynn Crawford and Anthony Sedlak and Globe food columnist Lucy Waverman.

My role: to make sure the wine is drinkable and that 450 passengers don't go thirsty.

It's tough work, as you might guess, taste-testing bottles of Mouton, Grange and Beaucastel for cork taint and answering keen questions about food and wine pairing while I lounge on the ship's pool deck.

But it hasn't been all fun in the sun. I did lose part of my paycheque in the ship's casino, for example, and I'll probably lose more tomorrow with my bet on the Super Bowl.

Wine-wise, though, I'm happy to report that things have gone swimmingly.

The Lynch-Bages I poured at a tasting event showed beautifully, as did the Jadot Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts and the Sena, a famous $80 red from Chile. I'm looking forward to my "icons" seminar tomorrow, during which I will be pouring Caymus Special Selection and Ornellaia, among other top-drawer reds.

But two of the more exciting surprises have come in the form of much less illustrious wines, Life From Stone Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa's Springfield Estate and Mitchell's Watervale Vineyard Riesling from Australia.

They're both white wines, and maybe the 30-degree temperature has something to do with why they've been showing so nicely. But I think they're great wines, period. If you want a little bit of summer in your winter, you can find a cornucopia of fresh flavours in these lean but full-flavoured wines, both of which are available in Ontario by the 12-bottle case from Lifford Wine Agency in Toronto, 416-440-4101. (Springfield Estate is also distributed in British Columbia, where Life From Stone should be available in a few government stores.) Life from Stone 2007 ($28.95 a bottle) captures some of the best qualities of the lean, Sancerre-style of sauvignon blanc with the fruitier, high-decibel New Zealand style. Big, pure, flavours of gooseberry, pineapple and citrus are set against a finely etched backdrop of minerals, grass, gun smoke and peppery spice.

Australian rieslings, always dry and light-bodied, are underrated in North America, and Mitchell Watervale Riesling 2005 ($23.50) offers disproportionate complexity and finesse for the money. It's brimming with mouth-watering lime, lemon and apple flavours and a hint of chalky soil.

So much for the wines I've brought on board. Let's get to some wines currently on the shelves in Canada. Ontario residents can get in on a top-flight Aussie riesling today from one of the country's best producers. Henschke Julius Riesling 2005 ($36.75, product No. 945055) is being released through Vintages stores along with dozens of other wines. Delicate, with a fresh, floral-citrus aroma, it's bursting with lime, lemon rind, minerals and electric acidity. The equally good 2004 vintage is currently available in New Brunswick ($41.42).

Also released today through Vintages in Ontario is Sassicaia 2004, the famous Tuscan cabernet sauvignon ($168.45, No. 480533). This very good 2004 vintage shows the wine's classic, restrained lines, ripe yet not heavy, with pronounced layers of earth and tobacco. The tannins are nicely integrated and not at all aggressive. Though if you plan to drink it soon, consider decanting.

The 2003 vintage of Sassicaia is available in New Brunswick ($138.29) and there should be some bottles of the 2003 left on British Columbia shelves ($150.64, No. 145383). And Newfoundland and Labrador has a decent supply of the 2002 vintage on hand (for $138.73).

Other wines I would consider overspending on back home if I weren't working so tirelessly on this ship include: Chateau Voisin 2001 from Bordeaux ($31.95, No. 061804), a nicely balanced, earthy Grand Cru red from Saint-Emilion; Clos Henri Pinot Noir 2005 from New Zealand ($37.85, No. 056556), a jammy, red-berry effort with good concentration and balancing acidity; and a gorgeous white from France's Rhone Valley, Chapoutier Chante Alouette Blanc Hermitage 2003 ($74.75, No. 140541), concentrated, nutty, tangy and brimming with honey, bitter herbs and spiced butter.

Less expensive and worth the money is Possums Willunga Shiraz 2006 from Australia ($18.85, No. 017517), a smooth, creamy, full-bodied red with lots of oak influence, showing flavours of chocolate, vanilla and spice.

It's so fruity and fun that I'd almost want to serve it in a coconut shell with a thick straw.