Show your confidence with a cutting-edge selection

Let's say you're being interviewed for a promotion in the export division.You're seated at a hip Asian seafood restaurant with a worldly executive who bicycled through Provence on her recent vacation. She hands the wine list to you and asks you to order "something fun." What do you do?

This is not the time to keep your head down and pick one of the Prestige White Wines. Instead, you go with the situation and order a hip white wine, something crisp and dry but slightly exotic, that will show off both the food and your creativity.

In a sense, choosing something unusual like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or an Oregon Pinot Gris demonstrates that you're even more confident of your wine knowledge than the typical wine boor who brags about his cellar full of red Bordeaux and white Burgundy.

The hip whites listed below are also wines that the sommelier wishes you would order, because he loved them enough to put them on the list instead of 20 more California Chardonnays. You may get some warm affirmation from the staff as well as from your superior.

And, come to think of it, these wines taste even better at home, where you don't have to impress anyone.

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc (SOH-vihn-yon BLAHNK) from anywhere is a good choice as a Chardonnay alternative, and especially with seafood, because it usually has bracing acidity and fresh citrus and herb flavors that taste great with shellfish, grilled and roasted fish, even sushi. The cool ocean breezes in New Zealand help create a unique style of Sauvignon Blanc that is usually even crisper and fresher than the usual Sauvignon from California or France.

Recommended:
Brancott Sauvignon Blanc
Goldwater Dog Point Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc


German Riesling

What could be hip about one of the oldest wine types in the world? Well, what could be hip about those knit men's shirts from the 1950s that you wear a white T-shirt under and don't tuck in? Like them, this fragrant, light, not-always-sweet white wine grown on the slopes of the Mosel and Rhine rivers has been out of style so long that it's in again. It deserves to be, because Riesling (REES-ling) is just plain delicious while being beautifully balanced and vibrant.

Recommended:
Fritz Haag Riesling Estate
Scharzhof QBA Egon Muller Riesling


California Viognier

This is an enticing white wine that originates in the Rhone Valley of France, and which became part of the "Rhone Ranger" revolution in California wines in the 1990s. A good Viognier (VEE-ohn-yay) has the rich body and texture of high-class Chardonnay but with more fragrant, floral aromas. It makes a flavor statement. After fits and starts, California winemakers have found a groove with Viognier, but don't overlook some fine French versions.

Recommended:
Bonterra Organically Grown Viognier
McDowell Viognier
RH Phillips EXP Viognier


Oregon Pinot Gris

Most wine enthusiasts think of Pinot Noir when they think of Oregon wines, but in Portland the wine lists boast a selection of rich but tangy Pinot Gris, too. This white wine is botanically the same grape variety as the ubiquitous Italian Pinot Grigio, but a good Oregon Pinot Gris (PEE-noh GREE) has snap and body where many Italian versions merely have dilution.

Recommended:
Eyrie Pinot Gris
Sokol Blosser Pinot Gris
Van Duzer Pinot Gris