Wine

Light eating during warm weather need not mean wineless meals. Soup and salad can be paired nicely with a refreshing wine, especially those having lots of fruit - Chenin Blanc, German Riesling and light table wines. We've paired a chilled cucumber-apple soup and an apple-studded wild-rice salad with several light and fruity wines. This combination is perfect for a simple luncheon, a light supper after an evening of yard work or a pleasant picnic. The soup and salad should be served together.

It was party time again at the state Department of Community Affairs. About 20 top managers and directors of DCA met July 9 and 10 at the Kings Gap conference center, an old mansion on a mountaintop about 25 miles southwest of Harrisburg. According to expense records filed with DCA, the purpose of the conference, called by William C. Bostic, DCA's new deputy secretary for administration, was to discuss "strategic planning. " The expense records signed by Bostic show that the night before the conference began, an "informal introductory session" was held in a parlor at the Penn Harris Inn just outside the capital.

It's sad that some of the biggest food stories happen too slowly to be considered news. When did the family farm disappear? What happened to all the diners? When did most tomatoes turn into objects more suitable for tossing back and forth than for tossing in a salad? Can't you find a good glass of cider anymore? I never saw a headline, but a lot of good food and great food institutions have disappeared quietly. You might not think that this melancholy of mine would apply to wine.

Direct from a 26-part television series of the same name comes The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine (William Morrow, $16.95), written by the show's host, Jeff Smith. Smith's new book is the companion piece to the series and features more than 300 recipes, many of which do not actually use wine. The book is also filled with a number of practical kitchen hints, from how to use wine as a tenderizer to making a roux without butter. Smith offers advice on how to buy wines and how to conduct wine-tastings.

The bugs were buzzing around, the temperature was nearing 90 degrees, the humidity was getting unbearable, and there wasn't any breeze. And that was on a good day, with the sun hidden behind a layer of clouds. But Jim Cross wasn't fazed. Even though his tiller was busted and the weeds were threatening to overtake his four-acre Delaware County vineyard, Cross still was focused on the why of it all. "I like wine," he said, "and it seems more romantic than growing corn or potatoes.

Wine-making is in Louis Caracciolo's blood. His grandfather Emilio came from Naples, Italy, settled in Blue Anchor, and brought with him a knowledge of how to turn grapes into that most Elysian elixir, wine. Emilio recruited his grandson as free labor and "by the time I was 13," Caracciolo says, "I was hooked. " While other kids his age were obsessed with dating, recalls Caracciolo, "all I could think about was the harvest. " Today, down a dirt road in Waterford, Caracciolo's Amalthea Cellars is what became of that youthful passion.

For anyone who dines out a lot, it's likely that a half-dozen memorable dishes are permanently etched in the mind. Often, these stellar foods were found when least expected. One memorable dish for us had an amazing triad of flavors: lobster, fennel and Calvados. The sweet richness of the lobster, the slight licorice flavor of the fennel and the intense apple flavor of the brandy blended to make a combination far better than the individual parts. A beautiful French Meursault further enhanced the meal, and the wine itself gained from the pairing.

At a wine tasting where only the choicest vintages are offered, the hero of Year of the Comet boorishly asks for a can of Budweiser. The request is a further instance of the shameless brand advertising that has crept into movies and an honest indicator of the modest quality of what is to follow. Peter Yates' romantic adventure strives for champagne effervescence, but most of it is flatter than yesterday's beer. Year of the Comet tries so hard to be lighthearted that it winds up being simply airheaded and the film marks a shallow trough in the career of a director who has given us such peaks as The Dresser and Breaking Away.

The flavors of the Southwest are making their way to both coasts. These interesting blends are bright, boisterous and spicy - and surprisingly compatible with delicate seafood. We've blended these regional flavors into a dish that can have nationwide appeal. To shrimp from the Gulf we've added an orange sauce from southern Texas. The sauce is spiked with tequila, a gift from our friends south of the border, and the dish is served with corn muffins, a staple of the Deep South. This creates a spectacular combination that is refined and sophisticated, but gutsy; delicate, yet bold.

As I drove down the winding country road in the Demone Valley of northeastern Sicily, passing through small towns and villages with old rustic farmhouses in the distance, there was a feeling of growing anticipation and excitement. Even though I had made this trip only once before almost 10 years earlier with my wife, everything looked very familiar. With Mount Etna, the active volcano known as a muntagna by the Sicilians, looming in the distance, Uncle Tony and I made our way along the last leg of our trip from Fiumafreddo to Linguaglossa.