(MONEY Magazine) – Finding the right wine to serve with summer foods is a lot trickier than shelling out for just the right Bordeaux to go with a roast veal dinner in winter. First, you probably don't want to spend that much on casual summer meals. Furthermore, what really goes with a hero sandwich on a warm August day, if you don't like beer? Or with a steak coated with your secret, spicy barbecue sauce? Or an outdoor buffet that mixes everything from pickles to curried chicken salad? Unfortunately, too many cost-conscious wine lovers simply throw in the corkscrew and pick up half-gallon screw-top jugs of cheap red, white or pink at the supermarket. Smart wine buyers know, however, that any wine that tastes coarse, cloying or just plain blah is no bargain, no matter how inexpensive. They look for value -- maximum taste for minimum money -- and these days that means surveying the $4-to-$10-a-bottle category. That's a cut above jugs but well below the $15 to $50 price level of big-name labels. So while the weak dollar/franc ratio may have sent the price of your favorite Pouilly-Fuisse well into double digits, there are scores of other wines from a number of wine-producing regions that still offer top value for $10 and less. And summertime is not when you should be drinking great premier crus from Bordeaux ; anyway. They just don't taste as good as they should in the heat of summer. We recently reviewed more than 300 wines in the $10-and-under bracket for MONEY and selected 23 winning wines, the ideal mix for just about every summer event from backyard cookouts to a salmon-and-sorrel-sauce dinner on the terrace. Because sheer drink-me-now appeal was more important than laid-back potential that would require more aging, we ignored snob concerns and investment potential to concentrate on unfussy wines that can be chilled and that marry well with a spectrum of dishes, including rich and spicy foods. Initially we compared wines of similar types and styles (labels and price tags hidden, of course) and later retried the best of each bunch with a variety of foods, narrowing the choices to those that would be most compatible with classic American summer cuisine. Oceans of wine -- more than 90% of the wine sold in this country -- costs less than $10, but you don't always get what you pay for: we found some $6 wines that delivered more flavor than many $9 ones. When the final cut was made, imported wines turned out to make up nine of the 23 selections. We found several fine values from France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Australia. California has so many strong candidates in this price bracket -- notably second-label blends from prestigious wineries -- that it was no surprise that 13 others turned out to be from there. We've matched the recommended wines to likely summer occasions and food pairings -- which isn't to suggest that other combinations won't please the palate as well. The most attractive matches are complementary in flavor (such as rich reds with hearty meat dishes) or provide a pleasing contrast (such as crisp, sharp whites with fish). As much as possible, we sought wines with reasonable national distribution. Prices are approximate and can vary more than 50% from state to state. If you can't find the vintage we recommend, don't hesitate to buy a more recent year. The principal appeal of summer wines is freshness, and what you will gain with a younger wine will almost always compensate for a possible dip in the quality of the vintage.

DRY WHITES Since fish of one type or another and chicken in various guises appear frequently on summer menus, we searched for the right versatile dry white. We found that a crisp, full-bodied California Chardonnay comes as close as any to fitting the bill. Typically it's aged in small oak barrels before bottling, which gives an almost vanilla hint to the aroma and a deeper dimension to its taste -- besides adding to the cost. Top names sell for $20 or more, but we found two first-rate examples at half that price. The fresh, lively character of the 1987 Liberty School Lot 15 Chardonnay (about $7) complements seafood from scallops to salmon; the deeper 1987 Raymond California Selection Chardonnay (about $10) has an oakier bite that can handle the richness of grilled swordfish. Both make fine partners to various chicken dishes. The most famous and classic example of Chardonnay is French white Burgundy. Alas, fewer and fewer of those carry single-digit price tags. The 1987 Le Grand Cheneau Macon-Vire is crisp, clean and stylish (about $6.50). Like the California Chardonnays, its lingering flavors go nicely with lobster and crab. A good Sauvignon Blanc, with its herbaceous aroma and crisply acidic taste, is a useful workhorse white that is at home with smoked trout, shrimp and garlic chicken. Its assertive personality also makes it a nice foil to dishes with mushrooms, green or red peppers and goat cheese. A notable value is 1987 Orlando Jacob's Creek Sauvignon Blanc from Australia's Barossa Valley (about $6), appetizing in scent, tart in flavor. Some wines trade versatility at the table for highly focused flavors that mate perfectly with certain traditional summer foods. The 1987 Marquis de Goulaine Muscadet (about $8) has a pungent, mouth-watering aroma and the characteristic racy tang that accents clams, oysters and shellfish. The pale, aromatic 1987 Corvo, an assertive, earthy Sicilian white (about $9), has a distinctly cutting personality that's just right for oily bluefish and by extension such sharp-flavored fare as antipasto, stuffed grape leaves, olives and tapas.

BARBECUES Grilled and barbecued foods are other mainstays of summer cooking. Their highly seasoned, smoky flavors and accompanying spicy sauces call for robust reds with lively flavors that won't disappear when sipped between bites of whatever has been charcoal broiled or barbecued. With lighter grilled foods, such as hamburgers or marinated chicken, try the 1985 Bodegas Montecillo Vina Cumbrero Rioja (about $5), with its cedary aroma and piquant flavor. Just about any meats on a skewer, from shish kebab to lamb brochettes, would be nice with either of two 1985 California Cabernet Sauvignons -- the fruity, somewhat acerbic Chateau Souverain from Sonoma (about $9) or the round, deep- % flavored Innisfree from Napa Valley (about $9.50). The gutsy flavors of these two reds give them a grip on fatty grilled meats such as baby-back ribs. Zinfandel -- red, not white -- is the ideal all-around barbecue wine, with enough fruit and spice of its own to stand up to hot sauce, sausages, even chili dogs. This all-American dry red is a California classic and especially delicious when its flavors are young and lusty. The 1987 Ravenswood Vintners Blend (about $9) is full of vibrant, tart-berry flavors; the 1986 Cuvaison (about $10) is mouth-filling and spicy. For sizzling steak, consider the peppery, dark-cherry flavored '87 Rosemount Shiraz from Australia (about $9).

Too many people put up with soup-warm reds in the summer because they think only barbarians chill red wine. But no red tastes its best served above 70 degreesF. Don't hesitate to put warm bottles in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or until they feel slightly cool to the touch -- around 65 degrees F, or a cool room temperature.

SALAD DAYS A summer buffet with everything from lobster rolls to cold cuts to curried chicken salad looks wonderfully inviting. But that variety makes precise food- and-wine matching impractical. The best bets are relatively simple, fruity but dry wines that won't clash with anything and will suit a welter of tastes. Among reds, overtly fruity ones work best, such as the effusively grapey 1988 Georges Duboeuf Regnie (about $7), a delicious quaffing wine from Beaujolais. Equally attractive but more refined and complex is the 1987 Saintsbury Garnet Pinot Noir from the Carneros district in California, with its smoke-and- cherries scent and silky-textured flavor (about $10). Both are best served cool (but not cold). For whites, try the fragrant, soft, dry Trefethen Eshcol White, a nonvintage blend of Chardonnay and Riesling from the Napa Valley (about $6) or a Gewurztraminer. The classic examples, such as the 1986 Hugel Gewurztraminer (about $10), come from Alsace and feature almost clovelike spiciness in the aroma and the dry, lingering flavor. The 1986 Ernest & Julio Gallo Limited Release Gewurztraminer is softer, lighter and slightly off-dry; it won't impress the snobs, but at $4 it's a terrific bargain and just the thing to pour for a crowd. Of course, salads composed of bitter greens drenched in vinegary dressing will flatten any wine. So try and stick with salads of lightly dressed mild lettuces and wine-enhancing ingredients such as crumbled goat cheese.

PICNIC WINES Picnics and the casual foods that are a part of them call for chillable, full-of-fruit, off-dry wines whose amiable, simple flavors go with everything from hot dogs and nachos to canapes and sushi, uncomplicated wines that can be served, if need be, in plastic cups (a wise idea for poolside). To many, that describes blush wines, those semisweet pale pink bottlings that crowd retail wine shelves. White Zinfandel, the cotton candy of the wine world, owes its popularity to its user-friendly innocuousness, but why pay up to $6 for blandness in a bottle? For $7 you can get more character and equal versatility from a genuine rose like the 1987 Simi Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon from California, whose slightly olivey scent, tartness and off-dry taste make it the perfect wine to pull out of a wicker hamper for a tailgate party or a picnic on the grass. A shade drier but equally appealing is the fruity-pink 1987 Ste. Chapelle Pinot Noir Blanc from Idaho (about $6.50). The salmon-hued 1987 Sterling Cabernet-Blanc from Napa Valley (about $7) is particularly crisp, pairing happily with foods as varied as fried chicken and salade nicoise. You don't have to stay with rose for casual cuisine. Try fresh, light wines such as California Chenin Blancs, whose ripe fruitiness is balanced by bracing acidity. A taste of the 1987 Robert Mondavi Chenin Blanc (about $8.50) is like biting into a ripe green apple; the 1988 Grand Cru Dry Chenin Blanc has an almost melonlike scent and a vibrant flavor (about $7). They're not only delightful with deviled-ham sandwiches and heros, but their lightness makes them refreshing foils to hot, spicy finger foods such as Buffalo chicken wings.

SUMMER SIPPING No list of summer wines would be complete without one that is tailor-made for watching sunsets. Consider a classic German Riesling, such as the flower- fragrant 1986 Kesselstatt Piesporter Goldtropfchen Kabinett (about $8), which manages to combine distinction with delicacy and a pinpoint balance between acidity and fruit. Perfect for a warm summer evening, it doesn't need a food to accompany it -- any luscious landscape will do splendidly.

CHART: NOT AVAILABLE CREDIT: NO CREDIT CAPTION: At a Glance WINES THAT GO WITH SUN AND FUN