So much to do. So many people to do for. So little time. The great thing about wine-oriented shopping is most of it can be done at the last minute. So for gift-giving or party-giving, think wine.

If you're buying large quantities of wines for very large parties, you're sure to want the old reliables everyone looks for, Chardonnay and Merlot. And do make sure that there is lots and lots of food so the wine does not go directly to your guest's heads.

If bubbles are called for too, the two best bargains I can think of are Domaine St. Michelle for traditional champagne tastes at under $10 most places and Ballatore Spumante, the medal-winningest sparkling wine in America in 1999 for those who like super intense fruit flavors and considerable sweetness. Both are widely available.

But for casual drinking at parties, don't overlook wines that are just plain fun to drink and that really taste good. Wines like Rieslings. The flavors range from appley to light peach and even into apricot. They can come from Austria or Germany, or California, Washington, Oregon or New York and are usually moderately priced. Geyser Peak, Jekel, Fetzer and Covey Run will all be priced under $10.

If you're into the currently faddish flavored wines, make sure you know what you're getting. Most of them have water, sugar and flavor added and are lucky to be 50% wine, which is why they're so cheap. Same thing goes for boxed wines with varietal names and a phrase like "natural flavors" added on the label. A loophole in the law allows them to have water and other stuff added, which once again explains their cheapness both as to quality and price.

Exceptions are the flavored wines made by Sutter Home under the Soleo and Portico brands. While they have natural flavors added, they contain 99 percent real wine and no water and they are really tasty. The Portico line of flavored White Zinfandels like "Peach Mango" and "Kiwi-Strawberry" will be a hit at any party. The Soleo line which includes several flavors like "Orchard Peach" and "Raspberry Harvest" are bargain priced at $3.99 or less.

Traditional White Zinfandels from popular brands like Beringer, Sutter Home and Delicato will also be popular party fair and are all bargain priced.

WHITE MERLOT

Just call me the "Wine Prophet." More than two years ago I predicted you would be seeing White Merlots coming on the market to challenge White Zinfandel. How did I know? Because of the popularity of traditional red Merlot, it was pretty obvious that growers from one end of California to the other were overplanting Merlot grapes. And whenever there's a surplus of a particular grape variety, two things happen: prices fall and vintners start looking for other ways to use the grape.

Making red Merlot grapes into white-style wine was simply the most logical thing to be done, so my prediction was almost a guaranteed winner. The way it works (same for White Zin) is that the juice of red grapes is white. So if the winemaker removes the skins from the juice immediately only a little pink or bronze color is picked up. Then the winemaker use techniques designed to preserve fresh fruity flavors like those found in white wines, and now you have White Merlot.

They're coming in from France and Italy and there are several available from California...and there will be more. So check out this hot new wine before it becomes a fad.

BEST BUY
WINE OF THE WEEK

Hacienda 1998 "California" White Merlot (about $6) A totally delicious, fun, refreshment wine. Super fruity with nuances of fresh strawberry and cherry. Winemaker Ed Moody did a bit of secret blending of a couple of other grapes to heighten the fruit even more. It has considerable sweetness (2 1/2 percent residual sugar) but it is balanced by lively, tangy acidity to make it drink clean and refreshing. Mostly drink it all by itself, but it will be nice fresh fruit, a cold ham luncheon or (trust me) shrimp in red cocktail sauce with horseradish. This one will win medals! Rating: 90/90

NEWSLETTERS

The great things about giving newsletters as gifts is that they just keep coming, reminding the recipient of your thoughtfulness over and over again.

One of the oldest and most successful newsletters around is Connoisseurs' Guide To California Wines, which rates scores of wines in every issue, usually focusing on one or two varieties each time. The latest issue focuses on sparkling wines, new release Chardonnays and Syrahs. CGCW rates wines on an easy to understand one to three star system, with extensive flavor profiles and food recommendations. A one year subscription is $55 for the monthly publication. They will send a free sample. Connoisseurs' Guide, P.O. Box V, Alameda, CA 94501 (510) 865-3150; E-mail: cgcw@aol.com

Another newsletter with a major track record is California Grapevine, which generally covers more wines of more types, but only comes out six times a year. Wines are rated by a panel of experts and scored on a 20-point scale, with a 100-point equivalent score listed and a ranking based on statistical significance. There are also editorials by writer Dan Berger, a book review section and during the competition season Grapevine provides a running report of the top medal winners from the major judgings. Subscriptions are $35; single issue sampler is $6 to: Grapevine, P.O. Box 22152, San Diego, CA 92192 (858) 457-4818.

Finally, there is a newsletter you are reading at this very moment. Full of hot "Best Buy" tips, new release information, how and where to buy hard to find wines and colorful personality profiles along with other valuable wine industry information. Mead On Wine, the newsletter, is available 52 times a year for $65 by mail or fax; $52 by E-mail; $16.95 for a three months trial via any delivery method. Mead On Wine, Box 1598, Carson City, NV 89702 (800) 845-9463; E-mail: winetrader@aol.com

Subscription Information

Wines are scored using a unique 100 point system. First number rates quality; second number rates value.