Summer Sipping Suggestions
This summer my husband’s new hobby is using our new smoker and grilling. While it is nice to not have to cook dinner, it can take hours to smoke it. In the meantime, I have a few ideas to sip on while we wait. Let’s explore summer wines that pair perfectly with porch sipping, pool sitting and sizzling steaks, grilled veggies or seafood. These wines have a few elements in common-light in body, crisp with a solid acidic backbone, sometimes spritzy, sometimes still and chilled. I want to go out on a limb and suggest interesting bottles that aren’t your typical varietals of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
#1. Vinho Verde – Vinho Verde is a style of wine from Portugal in the Minho region. Verde means green and it is best to enjoy this wine young. They are known for their spritzy bubbles, zippy acidity, citrus notes and are also low abv (Alcohol by Volume) which is perfect for a hot summer day. It pairs well with salad, fish tacos, beaches, porches, picnics and patience while you continue to wait for the grill master. It also is made as a rosé! My favorites are the Quinta da Raza Vinho Verde & Arca Nova Vinho Verde Rosé.
#2. Vermentino – This is perfect for poolside sipping. Vermentino is predominantly grown on the Island of Sardinia in Italy. You will be transported to the island on your first sip. If you are a Sauvignon Blanc fan you will love this! It has the acidic back bone that all New Zealand Sauv Blanc fans love. It is a complex wine with notes of lime, grapefruit, green apple, and a hint of white flowers. My favorite is the Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino from Sardinia, Italy.
#3. Muscadet – Muscadet hails from the Loire Valley in France. This wine is named after the region it comes from. The name of the grape is called Melon de Bourgogne. Confusing right? Why is the grape named after Burgundy when it comes from the Loire Valley? It’s said that the grape originated in Burgundy. This wine is perfect with any seafood! Oysters on the half shell, mussels, white flaky fish, and seafood boils – the epidemy of summer with friends!. My favorites are Domaine de la Pepiere Clisson & La Perdrix de l’annee des Betes Curieuses Muscadet.
#4. Schiava – (Ski-ah-vah) Notes of fresh wild strawberry, rose, and cranberries waft from this chillable red wine from the Northern most wine region in Italy, Alto Adige. It is a light elegant wine that is known to be the best picnic wine. If you enjoy Pinot Noir, try this dry red from Kaltern, one of my favorite wineries in Alto Adige.
#5. Now summer isn’t summer without a Barbeque. Did you know South Africa is known for their BBQ’s which they call a Braai? I have to be honest, when I first started learning about wine I dreaded having to taste a South African Red. To me, they tasted like tar and rubber tires with a hint of barnyard, but recently, I have been so impressed with South African reds! I have been impressed with the wines from Remhoogte Wine Estate, especially their reds. My favorite from them is of course the most expensive, Sir Thomas Cullinan Reserve Merlot/Cabernet blend. This bottle paired with a grilled steak is a pairing made for royalty. Royalty you say?? Why, yes! A diamond found on their estate in 1905, was gifted to the King of England and now makes up part of the crown jewels. If you don’t want the expensive price tag, try the Thelema Mountain Red Blend.
Finally, the grill master has finished dinner, time to sit down and pour us a glass of one of these summer bottles. The hardest part is deciding which one to pop open…
Cheers!