When wineries are owned by families rather than big corporations, they have greater latitude to make changes, and often the ability to make better wines.

In 1968, for example, two years after California wine pioneer Robert Mondavi established his Napa winery, he began producing sauvignon blanc -- an excellent white wine that for some reason never sold well. So Mondavi, for marketing purposes, gave his a little aging in French oak barrels and a French-sounding name, fumé blanc. It worked.

Now, nearly 40 years later, another family-owned winery, Dry Creek Vineyard, is taking the opposite tack. When David Stare started the vineyard in 1972 he adopted Mondavi's name, fumé blanc. Now his daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, is going back to sauvignon blanc. An excellent sauvignon blanc.

''Fumé blanc is passé,'' she says.

Another family-owned producer, Castello Banfi in the Brunello region of Tuscany, makes wines that sell for $75 or more. More in tune with the times are the three $13 wines it makes in its Centine line, named for the stone arches characteristic of the area's farmhouses.

And in France's Burgundy area, Domaine Faiveley, known for wines that sell for $200 or more, is enjoying success with a half-dozen in the $23-$36 range.

HIGHLY

RECOMMENDED

• 2007 Dry Creek Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley (100 percent sauvignon blanc): crisp and rich, with aromas and flavors of melons and apricots; $16.

• 2007 Domaine Faiveley Mercurey Rouge, AOC (100 percent pinot noir): spicy red raspberry aromas and flavors; rich and ripe; $27.

RECOMMENDED

• 2008 Banfi Centine Bianco (White), Toscana IGT (40 percent sauvignon blanc, 30 percent pinot grigio, 30 percent chardonnay): crisp and rich, with flavors of ripe peaches and minerals; $13.

• 2008 Banfi Centine Rosé, Toscana IGT (sangiovese, merlot and cabernet sauvignon): crisp, rich and dry, with cranberry and cherry flavors; $13.

• 2007 Banfi Centine Rosso (Red), Toscana IGT (60 percent sangiovese, 20 percent cabernet sauvignon, 20 percent merlot): black cherries, black pepper, soft tannins; $13.

• 2007 Joseph Faiveley Pinot Noir, AOC Bourgogne: lush and fruity with intense aromas and flavors of black cherries; soft tannins; $23.

• 2007 Joseph Faiveley Chablis, AOC (100 percent chardonnay): steely, crisp, mineral-scented, with lemon-lime flavors, long finish; $36.

• 2007 Domaine Faiveley Mercurey Blanc, ''Clos Rochette'' AOC (100 percent chardonnay): hint of oak aroma, spicy-tart pineapple flavors, crisp; $36.

• 2007 Domaine Faiveley Montagny Blanc, AOC (100 percent chardonnay): light and crisp, with green apple and pear flavors; $29.

• 2007 Joseph Faiveley Chardonnay, AOC Bourgogne (100 percent chardonnay): aromas of camellias, flavors of ripe peaches and apricots; $23.

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