I like to drink wine. I also like to taste wine. But now that I do both on a regular basis, I can definitely state that they're not the same thing.

Drinking wine is what I do when I'm relaxing with friends and family. I've sampled most of the bottles before, so I don't have to take detailed notes. And of course, there's great food and conversation, and the hours just fly by.

Tasting is a professional exercise where I try to decide whether a wine has sufficient quality for the price tag, and also whether I like it enough to flog it in print. Rarely do I actually swallow any wine while I'm tasting, because I've found that intoxication mixes quite poorly with proper analysis.

Tasting is an unnatural act. But it helps me home in on subtle differences between wines, and if I'm tasting 40 or 100 wines at a sitting, only subtleties exist. With that in mind, here are some wines I've recently tasted that will translate into great drinking pleasure.

Starting as I often do with bubbles, one that has caught my tongue is the delicate, well-balanced La Marca Extra Dry Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene from Oderzo in northeast Italy, showing a good blend of baked apple, sour lemon and grapefruit, with a lightly creamy mineral texture on the palate. This wine has a medium level of fizz, with sufficient body and a pleasant lemon and mineral finish.

Another sparkler that gets my vote is the seriously delicious Schramsberg Brut Rose North Coast Mirabelle. Its delicate pink hue and floral strawberry and spicy yeast aromas are quite focused, and the raspberry, Gala apple, ginger and fig flavors nicely round out the palate.

With so many good white wines to choose from, a bottle really has to stand out for me to know it's a righteous pick. One that does is the crisp, off-dry Folonari Riesling from Pavia, Italy. This wine offers generous flavors of citrus fruit, apples, peaches and tropical fruit but somehow never crosses the line into being overblown. It has good acidity, a welcome touch of minerals to offset the fruitier flavors and a zingy finish, all at a great price.

Another well-priced white is the Trapiche Chardonnay Astica from Cuyo, Argentina. Simple flavors of pear, green apple and lime zest meld into a light, crisp finish with just a small amount of butter at the end. A satisfying quaff, for sure.

Although reds seem to be priced a bit higher, there are terrific values at the lower end of the scale. Try the very solid Paul Jaboulet Aîne Côtes- du-Rhône Parallele 45, a rich blend of fresh plum, violet and grilled herb notes, backed by an iron-tinged finish that holds its own with roasted meats and firm cheeses.

Another good red is the dark, grippy Vina Dona Paula Malbec Lujan de Cuyo. Currants, cocoa powder and Turkish coffee notes are backed by solid tannin on the fleshy finish. A nice hint of grilled sage at the end adds an extra dimension.

I can't stress enough that, in the end, what truly matters is your own taste and palate. What you enjoy is what you should buy and drink. It's really that simple.

And for those occasions when you're stumped by all the choices? Well, that's what I'm here for.

benweinberg@mywinenation.com

Recommended

SPARKLING

* La Marca Extra Dry Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene NV (Oderzo, Italy), $12

* Schramsberg Brut Rose North Coast Mirabelle NV (California), $12

WHITE

* Folonari Riesling 2006 (Pavia, Italy), $10

* Bodegas Trapiche Chardonnay Astica 2007 (Cuyo, Argentina), $9

RED

* Paul Jaboulet Aine Cotes-du-Rhone Parallele 45 2006 (Rhone Valley, France), $12

* Vina Dona Paula Malbec Lujan de Cuyo 2007 (Mendoza, Argentina), $16