The current trend in wine – and not just in California, mind you – is a classic “be careful for what you wish for” situation. Not so long ago many American wine lovers wished that wine would be taken more seriously. And so it has.

To borrow a phrase, wine has become “seriouser and seriouser.” Witness the current trend toward harvesting ever riper fruit, which results in wines with al cohol levels topping 15%. Only a few wines can successfully – which is to say deftly – handle such alcoholic excess Most are just brutes, delivering initially striking but soon fatiguing taste experi ences. But such wines signal seriousness – or so their misguided producers believe.

Why, then, do these outlandish wines get high scores from critics? Because they stand out in big tastings, that’s why. Like Jayne Mansfield in her day, there’s a lot on offer and attention is paid.

That said, take heart. Time will prove most (although not all, in fairness) of these wines to be false wine gods,much as it did the California late-harvest zinfan dels that were so celebrated in the late 1970s. Now they’re (mostly) gone and de finitively demode.

The same will occur, in time, with to day’s similarly distorted pinot noirs cabernets, and syrahs.As with heavy met al rock, you just can’t live with it over the long term. A more subtle equilibrium of taste and aesthetics will be reached. It al ways is.

In the meantime,we are now at the por tal of some of the most enjoyable wine drinking of the year: the “summer wine” season. Summer wines are “non-serious” wines.What this really means is that they are collectively lighter-style, more deli cate, refreshing, and skip free of wine fussiness. They are a wine drinker’s “huckleberry friend.”

SUMMER WINES TO SEEK

The whole point of summer wines is sidestepping the “serious” effort of getting just the right wine from the right producer in the right vintage. Yes, such efforts have their place. But not this week. A good merchant will be able to recommend multiple examples of all the wines to follow. Since none costs much money, this is the time to be a sport. After all, it’s summer and – to continue borrowing lines from the Great American Songbook – the living is easy, right?

MOSCATO D’ASTI This is always, for me, the most desirable summer wine of all. Light frothy, slightly sweet, wonderfully low in alcohol (just 5%) and amazingly refreshing to drink (the acidity is higher than you’d suspect), Moscato d’Asti is the ideal summer sipper. Always get the latest vintage, which means 2005. Top producers: Paolo Saracco, Elio Perrone, Rivetti, Vietti, Vajra, and Forteto della Luja. Price: $15 to $20.

INEXPENSIVE BUBBLY Handing someone a glass of sparkling wine on a hot day is almost as inviting as saying “We have air conditioning.” But, really, this isn’t the moment for the likes of Krug or Dom Perignon. Instead you want something tasty and inexpensive, a bubbly for rejuvenation.

My current favorite, by far, is Gruet Blanc de Noirs non-vintage. It’s methode champenoise 75% pinot noir and 25% chardonnay, aged for at least two years in bottle, and delivers the palest salmon color and a delightful scent of strawberry and raspberry. At $15 a bottle, it’s unbeatable quality for the money.

ROSE Pink is the drink, don’t you think? Hundreds of roses are on offer, many of them pretty good. At the risk of sounding prejudiced (or worse) let me give it to you straight: Buy Spanish, French, or Italian. That way you’re sure of getting something dry and zippy. Too many American roses are, alas, over-sweet and lacking in acidity.

My no. 1 choice is Spanish roses, because they are usually made from grenache, which is the best red grape for rose in this pinkhead’s opinion. Really, almost any Spanish rose will do Seemingly, they’re all good. Get the latest vintage: 2005.

Also look for Italian roses, such as anything labeled “cerasuolo,” which usually signals a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo rose. Or something labeled “chiaretto” (from the Lake Garda area) Look also for a rosato from the lagrein grape from producers such as Muri-Gries, Terlan, or Lageder. It’s wonderful stuff, with real flavor and character. Prices are between $8 and $20.

RIESLING This is such a big category one hardly knows where to begin. German rieslings are the obvious place, as they deliver pristine riesling flavors coupled with low alcohol (11%).

What you want for summer are not the “serious” German rieslings, but the lighter, quaffable ones, the inexpensive bottlings designated QbA (Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiet, or quality wine from a specified region) or a Kabinett from top-name producers in Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheingau, Rheinpfalz, and the Nahe.

Look for QbAs from producers such as Loosen, Donnhoff, Thanisch, von Schubert Burklin-Wolf and Diel, among many others. The QbA called Dr. L from Ernst Loosen is a particularly good deal at $12 and widely distributed But this category is a trove of inexpensive pleasure at $12 to $20 a bottle. The 2005 vintage, by the way, is particularly good.