We're entering the peak travel season, so I wasn't surprised when a reader e-mailed a question on how to transport bottles, either home from wine country or outbound to special events. Temperature extremes are anathema to perishables, and wine accidents can generate sticky messes, so proper packaging is key to a successful long haul.

Here's how I kept my juice cool last July, when my wife and I crossed northern Italy for two weeks during one of the hottest summers on record.

At the start of our trip, we each checked a suitcase and an empty cardboard box with a Styrofoam 12- pack bottle insert, available for about $17 at liquor stores and on the Internet. Upon our European arrival, I filled several of the slots with half-full bottles of frozen water sealed in plastic bags.

One box was eventually designated to hold purchased wine and stayed in the hotel room, while the other usually sat in the back seat of our car, guarding any bottles we bought during the day. What a joy it was to scour the wine shops along our route from Milan up to Lake Como and then back down through Piedmont and into Tuscany. I could hunt for bargains unavailable back home and - even after buying them - maintain a constant, benevolent temperature for my new treasures.

When we returned to our room at night, we brought the second box up with us and refroze the water. Where we had no freezer, we asked for the concierge's help.

For the voyage home, I packed eight bottles into each shipper and put ice in the remaining four slots. One of our airlines required that all boxes be wrapped with plastic and provided a heat-shrinking service at the check-in counter. This was OK on the outbound trip, when our boxes were empty, but definitely not acceptable when they contained wine, so on our last day I bought a $2 roll of plastic wrap and threw away the excess before departure.

Also, there are weight restrictions on certain routes, and we had to pay a hefty penalty to tote our wine within Europe. But when we got home we had 16 liquid memories of our trip.

Unfortunately, I think that this summer a sluggish economy will lead me to party on my porch. But while some world-class wines are available only in their countries of origin, it's possible to incorporate a taste of those far-away lands into your regular wine budget.

Whites are a popular warm-weather choice, and I'm particularly fond of bubbly, citrusy Italian prosecco, crisp and tangy Spanish verdejo, rich, supple Oregon pinot gris and honey- and-stone-fruit-scented, off-dry German Riesling.

For reds, try Valpolicella from northern Italy, redolent of sour cherry pie, as well as beef-and-peppery Sonoma syrah, chewy, cedary Toro from Spain, and cinnamon-scented, finely grained Oregon pinot noir.

I should mention that some of this week's recommendations were tasted at the Arvada Center's Wine and Arts Classic, where more than 100 wines lubricated a very worthy charity event. Brad Vanderpool, owner of Primo Vino, a terrific wine store on Olde Wadsworth Boulevard in Arvada that co-sponsored the Classic, also poured a special tasting of high-end bottles. A lot of wonderful juice gets poured for great causes along the Front Range, and I'll keep you informed of events I think are especially noteworthy.

Recommended

WHITE

* Zardetto Prosecco NV (Veneto, Italy), $11

* Naia Verdejo 2007 (Rueda, Spain), $14

* Chehalem Pinot Gris 2007 (Willamette Valley, U.S.), $20

* Joh. Jos. Prum Riesling Kabinett 2006 (Mosel, Germany), $24

RED

* Villa Spinosa Valpolicella Classico 2004 (Veneto, Italy), $14

* Cline Syrah Sonoma Coast Cool Climate 2006 (Sonoma Valley, U.S.), $18

* Finca Sobreno Toro 2004 (Toro, Spain), $19

* Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Yamhill Cuvee 2005 (Willamette Valley, U.S.), $39

Ben Weinberg is a certified sommelier. benweinberg@comcast.net