Everything About Summer Wines Phoenix AZ

It's Summertime, and the Sippin's Easy

It was an ordinary visit to the local market for a few essentials. When I arrived at the checkout counter, however, I realized that during my shop I had been under the influence of a powerful force. Instead of milk and bread, my basket was crammed with shiny new grilling tools. Time now, I thought, to begin stocking up on summer wines.

I have a general rule of thumb when choosing the wines of summer. They must be fresh and lively and somewhat lighter in body than the heavier, richer, more intense wines I favor in cooler weather.

There are exceptions, of course, but by and large I go light through the summer, emphasizing refreshing acidity and fruit over richness and structure. Here are a few examples of wines and wine styles that should play well on those sultry summer nights:

Dry Rose

This style of wine has long been popular in Mediterranean countries, where the heat can be suffocating and the air conditioning often doesn't exist or doesn't work. It's not unusual to see a restaurant empty on the inside during the midday meal while the lawn is covered with tables, chairs and umbrellas.

You'll likely spy a bottle of dry Rose on nearly every table. This fondness for dry Rose is beginning to catch on here in the United States, which has inspired more domestic producers to jump on the bandwagon. There's even a 'Rose only' winery, Solo Rosa, located in Sonoma County.

The domestic versions of this style are generally intensely fruity despite being fermented dry, and often more deeply colored than, say, the onion-skin colored Roses of the south of France, such as Domaine Ott. Among my favorites domestically are the two from Iron Horse Vineyards, one made from Pinot Noir and the other from Sangiovese.

Albarino

Though relatively unknown outside of northwestern Spain until the past 20 years, Albarino is a high-acid white grape that is fast becoming a favorite all over the world with raw and steamed shellfish. So much so that Albarino prices have skyrocketed in recent years, inching ever closer to $30 per bottle.

One of the best of the lesser expensive Albarinos is Burgans, which generally retails in the $10-$12 range. This wine is made at the Martin Codax cooperative (a spiffy facility with very stringent standards) and offers slightly fuller, more rounded textures than more tightly packed, higher acid Albarinos at twice the price.

Domestically Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon is producing a very nice Albarino, and other U.S. wineries are beginning to come online, including York Mountain, whose 2006 Edna Valley Albarino won the Best of Show White Wine trophy at the Critics Challenge International Wine Competition over the Memorial Day weekend. This is the wine you hand the grillmeister to keep him/her refreshed while slaving over a smoking barbecue.

Sauvignon Blanc

This grape is the workhorse of summer wines. Nearly always cool, crisp and refreshing, its popularity has soar...