Cheap Wines With an Expensive Taste

June 20, 2008— -- Looking for the perfect wine pairing for your summer get-together?

"GMA Now" asked Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, Washinton Post wine writers and co-authors of "What to Drink With What You Eat," for their favorite bottles under $30 and the best foods to pair with them.

Click on the video to the left of this text to see Page and Dornenburg pair their favorite summer wines and snacks.

Here is a list of their picks, as revealed on "GMA Now":

Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava ($10)

This sparkling wine is made in Spain using the same traditional method used to make French champagne, although it goes by the name cava.

Sparkling wines are so food-friendly that they go with virtually anything other than the heartiest red meat dishes, but pair especially well with fried and/or salty dishes. They're great with seafood, including lobster rolls or sushi.

This is a bargain bubbly that can work with brunch, lunch or dinner.

A rocket scientist acquaintance of ours popped open bottles of this wine to celebrate the Phoenix mars lander's successful landing on the red planet on May 25.

Suggested Food Pairing: Sushi

Solo Rosa Rosé ($15)

"Solo Rosa" means "only pink," and this rosé is from America's first winery to specialize in dry rosé wines.

Solo Rosa rosé is bone dry, with refreshing raspberry flavors.

Rosé wines are a very fashionable category now that Americans have gotten over their fear of being thought to be drinking white zinfandel.

In addition to sparkling wines, rosé wines are the other category of wines that excel in their food-friendliness because they can pinch hit as either white or red wines. Heartier rosés can even stand up to red meat.

Rosé loves food and goes well with seafood, chicken, pork, beef or even vegetarian dishes.

Suggested Food Pairing: Picnic-style sliced meats, cheeses, bread

Tortoise Creek Shiraz ($12)

Tortoise Creek shiraz is wonderfully aromatic with scents of blackberries and spice, and very fruit-forward with the flavor of ripe cherries and blackberries.

Tortoise Creek's winemakers are Mel and Janie Masters, who own a number of restaurants based in Colorado – so they're committed to producing food-friendly wines.

This wine is light and fruity enough to pair with anything you'd throw on the grill, including hot dogs, hamburgers, steak or even lamb, and is perfect with barbecue-sauced chicken, pork or beef.

Suggested Food Pairing: Barbecue of any kind (e.g. chicken or ribs)

Vietti Moscato d'Asti ($15)

Moscato d'Asti is the single most dessert-friendly wine around.

Vietti Moscato d'Asti is the best moscato d'Asti we've ever tasted.

Served chilled, it pairs beautifully with fruit salads or fruit tarts, or you can simply pour it over a glass or bowl of fresh berries to create a unique dessert.

Moscato d'Asti is also great with brunch, and has a soft sweetness that stands up to maple syrup.

Suggested Food Pairing: Berry tart, or a bowl of mixed berries (e.g. strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)

Alcyone Uruguayan Dessert Wine ($29)

Uruguay has long trailed South America's ABC countries (Argentina, Brazil and Chile) in wine production, but is coming on strong, having quadrupled its wine exports between 2005 and 2007.

Uruguayan wines imported to the U.S. are demonstrating a whole new level of quality.

This is one of the most extraordinary wines we've ever tasted, from our favorite Uruguayan winemaker: It has the aroma of hot chocolate with a marshmallow melting on top, with chocolately and ripe black cherry flavors. It's s'mores in a glass — but for adults only!

Suggested Food Pairing: S'mores (i.e. graham crackers, Hershey's chocolate bar, marshmallows)