I spent the weekend out and about doing touristy stuff in the Florida heat, and it got me to thinking, "what wines would I like for this?"
First thing I'd look for in such a wine would be chillability -- I don't want wine that has to be served at room temperature, not if it's hot out. Much better is something I can throw into (or onto) a cooler of ice to keep cold and chill me down.
Next thing I'd want would be low alcohol levels; when it's hot out, I don't want my wine to be heavy, and the lower the alcohol level is, the lighter feeling the wine is.
Finally, a bit of fizz might go well; there's nothing quite as refreshing as some bubbles!
So, here's a dozen wines to get you through the summer:
- A good sweeter Riesling; anything from a QbA, like Dr. L (Dr. Loosen's QbA), to a good Einzellagen (again, I'm a fan of Loosen's Erdener Treppchen Auslese), it's all good. Riesling like this is incredibly great just for sipping while watching a sunset, or with light food, especially seafood and fresh vegetables.
- Chilean Sauvignon Blanc; not quite as juicy as the New Zealand version, but quite excellent in general. Also about half as expensive (Chilean runs between $7 and $11 in my local wine store, while NZ costs between $9 and $27 or so), so it's perfect quaffing wine.
- Cava. Nothing like light, fizzy, and cold to take the edge off of the summer -- not to mention how well Cava goes with light foods!
- Pinot Noir. I'm a fan of Monterrey as a region, especially for value. Just a hair lighter than Russian River or Willamette in style, but with great flavor intensity. Serve them slightly chilled. I find half an hour in the fridge does them wonders, and I often leave them on top of -- that's "on top of", not "buried in" -- ice in a bucket.
- A rosé. Pink ≠ sweet -- the sooner we, as drinkers, get that through our heads, the better (not that sweet = bad, but too many people dismiss all rosé as the same as White Zin. Not so!). Dry rosé is perfect picnic wine; it goes with almost anything, from ham sandwiches through a plate of shrimp and scallops! The ideal, for me, would be a Rosé de Provence, but there are great New World rosés as well -- a personal favorite is Elizabeth Rose Rosé, a great Syrah-based wine.
- Vihno Verde. Slightly sweet, slightly effervescent, low-alcohol, high acidity, and best of all inexpensive ($5 to $9 in my local store)... what more could you ask for in a wine for relaxing by the pool! Serve it ice cold.
- Tempranillo. Personally, I like this one from Toro, but this grape in general is great with grilled meats and barbecue. Slightly higher-alcohol than the former six suggestions, and not as much for being chilled (although, a couple of minutes in the fridge does wonders for this, too!).
- Unoaked Chardonnay. The best in the world, in my opinion, come from Burgundy (inexpensive Burgundies are almost all either unoaked or use neutral barrels -- ask at the store if you can't find one), but there are great examples from Argentina, Australia, and even some from the US (although we do still have a bit of an oak fetish in our Chardonnay).
- Gamay. This generally means Beaujolais -- and if all you have experienced from Beaujolais is Beaujolais Neuveau... give it a shot. Cru Beaujolais is a wonderful wine (and generally under $20), so try a Moulin a Vent, or a Fleuire! Dryer, much more complex than you wold think, enjoyable food wine.
- White Bordeaux. This is wine made from Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, and Semillon; much more mineral in style than New World Sauvignon Blancs, and a much more elegant food wine -- a good white Bordeaux with fresh bass fillets is heaven.
- Torrontes. I posted about this grape a while ago, but it deserves some more attention; it's perfect for summer cocktails!
- Rhone wines. Both whites and reds; the reds go perfectly with grilled steaks, while the whites would be beautiful with pork chops.
So, there's a mixed case of great wines for summer -- mostly white, with a rose, and two or three reds. What will you drink for summer?
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