A reader asks: “I usually drink either pinot grigio or New Zealand sauvignon blanc. With summer on the way, can you recommend some alternative white wines please?”You obviously enjoy light, refreshing, fruity, unoaked dry wines that aren’t too heavy in alcohol. Don’t worry, there are plenty of other options from various parts of the globe. My first suggestion would be an albariño from Rías Baixas in northwest Spain. These typically have succulent pear fruits, plenty of lively citrus and sometimes a saline touch. Just over the border in northern Portugal, albariño is called alvarinho, and the wines are fairly similar. They tend to be a little lighter in alcohol. Alvarinho also usually forms part of the blend that makes vinho verde, an even lighter crisp dry Portuguese white wine.Moving further afield, you could try a riesling or grüner veltliner from Austria. Both of these generally have about 12-13 per cent alcohol and lovely pure fruits. Austrian riesling is dry and lightly textured with orchard fruits. Grüner veltliner is similar in style, often with a touch of ginger spice. Germany also produces very good riesling – both dry and sweet. Look for the word “trocken” on the label, German for dry.From France, there is an array of lighter dry white wines, the two most popular being Muscadet and Picpoul de Pinet. Look out too for chenin blanc from the Loire – and South Africa. As you enjoy sauvignon blanc, don’t forget that there is plenty of this variety grown in France, the Loire Valley in particular. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are the two best (and most expensive) Loire sauvignons, but there are plenty of less inexpensive options, such as Touraine and Vin de Pays. While we are looking at sauvignon, remember that Chile and South Africa also produce good examples of this variety.You may have been put off chardonnay by those huge, oaky, alcoholic wines. Rest assured that nowadays most chardonnay is light, refreshing and unoaked; check the label or ask for guidance when shopping.Italy has a huge range of light, refreshing white wines that deserve to be better known in Ireland. Soave is widely available, but look out for verdicchio, vermentino, grillo, pecorino, falanghina and catarratto. If you do want to experiment, I have two suggestions: when looking at white wines, choose those with 10-13 per cent alcohol, as these are unlikely to be oaked. You could also take yourself to your local wine shop and ask an assistant. I am sure they will be delighted to help.