I am not a huge wine drinker. Typically I drink red wine with a meal (or a glass or two in the evening). Given that it’s summer and hot, red wine kind of sucks right now, so I am trying to find a good reasonable ($15 or less) white wine for those nights when beer is just too heavy. I do not like fruity wines, the dryer the better overall.
So, any favorites out there?
My summer favorite is a nice Pinot Gris (or Pinot Grigio) that can be served cold. Not too sweet, nice and crisp. You should be able to find several decent if not spectacular ones for under $20.
Other white standbys are Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. IMO, Chardonnay can can be too substantial (buttery, oaky) for my tastes for summer, and Sauvignon Blanc tends to be too sweet unless it’s a really good bottle (i.e., not cheap).
There’s also Reisling, which is simply too sweet for me ever, and white Zinfandel which is cheap and popular: the wine equivalent of Bud and, like Bud, it’s not terrible so long as it’s served icy cold, it’s just never very good.
I really enjoy Sauvignon Blancs.
You might find something from the Marlborough region (I believe that’s New Zealand).
South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia all have Sauv Blancs at under $10 that I find to be great summer wines, particularly with grilled fish and chicken.
They can be kind of hay-like, kind of vegetable-like, kind of grassy. Some are “riper” tasting than others. Anyway, there’s a bit of variety there, but they’re mostly dry, and a good place to start based on your requirements.
There are several Pinot Grigios from the Veneto region of Italy that are good and reasonably priced.
How do you feel about rose wines? They’re not all White Zinfandel- there are a number of good dry French and Spanish roses that are good chilled (though not necessarily cheap- stupid high euro…), and some California vintners are making dry roses these days. They tend to be relatively inexpensive, because they don’t have the marketing appeal that better-known reds do.
Australian Chardonnays are good, inexpensive, and don’t have that problem of being too oaky or buttery (they make theirs in a different style than the California style). Lindemans and Yellow Tail are good, inexpensive Australian Chardonnays. I also like Lindemans Merlot, for when you want an inexpensive red wine.
Try Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay; it’s easily found, less that $15/bottle, and is consistently good. It is oaky and buttery, though - I think of it as more or less the flagship of California Chards. A little less oaky and buttery is J. Lohr Chardonnay. Very good and a slightly different style.
On the Sauvignon Blanc front, try Kim Crawford. I think it’s in the price range you want (tho I could be wrong ) and it’s pretty good. I like it, and I don’t like most Sav Blancs.
And an aside to Jodi: Rieslings can be very, very dry. If you have a chance ever, try some Alsacian Riesling. Many are dry, and they may change your mind. Caveat: I’m a Riesling hound, in my eyes there’s few grapes that match it.
Go for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Some of those can be downright flinty.
I’ll second the NZ Sauvignon Blanc recommendation.
I’ll also recommend Portuguese Vinho Verde… it’s not highly alcoholic and is slightly sparkling, and is light, dry and very refreshing, perfect for hot summer events!
Good lord man, where did you get the idea that this was a desirable trait? 
Seriously folks, thanks for the recommendations so far! I’ll be grabbing a bottle of NZ Chard on the way home.
Jodi, I have tried a Grigio, but they all seem sweet to me, any specific vintners you have in mind?
Clois de Bois has a good chardonnay that prices around $12. One of my favorites.
I find your ideas intriguing and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. 
I have three whites in the fridge but once I’ve knocked them off, I’ll find a dry Reisling to try.
Not really, sorry. Pinot grigio is a “utility player” wine, IMO. I like it during the summer because it’s light and fruity but not too sweet and can be served very cold. But I don’t consider it a spectacular wine. I prefer the Italian PGs over California PGs because they tend to be slightly less sweet. Lemme think. Pinot pinot pinot . . . .
Okay. Try the Gabbiano Pinot Grigio. You should be able to find it at most major supermarkets. It should set you back about 8 bucks. Don’t expect miracles for those 8 bucks, but I think it’s a nice consistent pinot gris, not too sweet, and an excellent value for the very little money. But let me restate that I don’t consider pinot grigio to be a spectacular wine so don’t expect to swoon over it.
I also agree that for chards the KJ is a strong utility player. Another chard that is consistently adequate for the money (if that’s not damning with faint praise) is the Clos Dubois (which I see on editing has already been recommended).
We’re quite surprised by the quality of the wine cubes you buy at Target. Sure, it comes in a box but it’s quite good. We always have a box of red (currently Shiraz) and white (currently Pinot Grigio) around because it allows you to have one glass without opening and possibly ruining a whole bottle. Handy for cooking, too.
So it’s good and it’s cheap. Fits both the requisites you mentioned.
You simply must try to find vinho verde from Portugal. It’s crisp, light, dry and just slightly effervescent with only about 9% alcohol. I can’t recommend a particular vintner or vintage but I’ve tried about three of them and they’re always wonderful and inexpensive.
We found one at our local wine store for $5 a bottle and I have vowed to go back and buy a case of it. It’s such a refreshing summer wine.
My two faves have already been mentioned - white Vinho Verde and NZ Sauv Blanc.
I do have ‘everyday’ buys of those - for white Vinho Verde - Aveleda Alvarinho - I can usually find it at Bevmo for 5 or 6 bucks.
I also like Burgans Albarino (same grape as above - different country, different name/spelling) from the Rias Baixas region of Spain. Another one that’s easy to find and usually under $10.
For NZ Sauv Blanc in your price range that should be easy to find I like Kim Crawford and Matua Valley, but honestly, I like just about all NZ Sauv Blancs I try.
I’d also suggest a sparkling - Gloria Ferrer Brut Sparkling is a good bargain.
And there’s always Two Buck Chuck if you have a Trader Joe’s in your area. The chardonnay just took a double gold at the California State Fair.
I picked up the Clos Du Bois Chardonnay and a Blanc from Monkey Bay in Marlborough NZ.
Unfortunately neither was cold enough to drink tonight. I’ll crack one tomorrow evening and report back!
Thanks for all of the great suggestions and, please keep them coming. I think the Portugese Vinho Verde is next on the shopping list (assuming I can find it at Publix, but I feel pretty good about my chances, they’ve really beefed up their wine section over the past couple of years).
Oooooh, I like Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc.
By the way, pinot gris and pinot grigio are pretty much the same grape. It’s called pinot gris in France and pinot grigio in Italy. It may be called either one if it’s from somewhere other than France or Italy.
I had a bottle of Ecco Domani last night, and it was very nice. Not sweet at all. And you can get if for under $10. From the US, I like Sterling. Again, under $10.
Try some chardonnays from around Monterey. I’ve been drinking a lot of J Lohr Riverstone lately, and that’s pretty cheap but very good. Carmel Road is another good one. J Krug also makes and excellent Chard.
Sauv Blancs have been covered pretty thoroughly here-- I’ll echo a thumbs up for Monkey Bay and add Nobilo (just go for the cheaper stuff… should be around $10).
Jodi: Try a good (German) Kabinett Reisling with some spicy Asian food (Thai, in particular). If your wine dealer can’t recommend a good German one, then go for Chateau Sante Michelle Dry Reisling. Make sure the food is good and spicy.
Wow. Just popping in to mention a vinho verde. Guess I got beaten to it by just about everyone. My in-laws (from the Azores) like Casal Garcia, but I believe that they have also bought Los Gatos(?). And I see that psycat90 specified a white vinho verde. I had been drinking this with the family for years before I realized that there is also a red vinho verde.
With respect to the Riesling discussion: I’ve had a Jacob’s Creek Reserve Riesling that was positively steely. The price of $10 was pretty good, I thought. I liked it, but I haven’t had a lot of other Rieslings to compare it to.
More great suggestions. A night of drinking slightly delayed the first wine tasting, but I’m happy to report that the Monkey Bay is a perfect fit for what I was looking for! $9&change/bottle and the Publix guy mentioned that it’s a pretty frequent sales wine when it sells for a buck or two less.
Not that I’m going to let that stop the experimentation. It’s a wine-tasting summer!
[jeff foxworthy]
If you are cheap, dry and white, you might be a redneck in AA!
[/jf]
Famega Vinho Verde.
Martinsancho. (might be hard to find- the only producer of Verdejo)
Las Brisas.
Fort Simon Sauv Blanc.
Girasole Pinot Grigio.
White Bordeaux can be quite reasonable.
Grayson Chard.