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wine picks SUPERMARKET PRIVATE LABELS

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Private-label wines, with names that often sound like housing developments (Scarlet Ridge), are big business for supermarkets—though rarely best buys. I tasted 20 private-label bottlings and rated these three the top.

2002 Q Sonoma County Chardonnay ($16) From Albertsons supermarkets, this simple, clean California Chardonnay is one of the few Chards in my private-label wine tasting that hadn't been treated for flavor with an industrial quantity of oak chips.

2003 Origin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Reserve Series ($9) One of a series of wines from different countries (Malbec from Argentina, Chianti from Italy), this Albertsons New Zealander is clean and dry, with some varietal character and lots of acidity.

2001 Diablo Creek Merlot Vineyard Selection ($8) A red wine for Safeway, this is soft, sweet and simple—a beginner's Merlot. The label design is attractive, but the wording on the back is a bit odd, beginning with: "Evening-to-morning fog intrusion..."