On the Wine Side - Summertime Wines Sat, Jun 24, 23 It's officially summer, the season for outdoors. Picnics, parties, concerts, vacations - lots of occasions to get together and celebrate. We have some super summertime wines for you. I only discovered Gruner Veltliner when I started working here, and it's like a new best friend. The grape is grown primarily in Austria and has been compared to a Sauvignon Blanc or dry Riesling. I love its bright and crisp acidity, which for me makes it a perfect pairing for summer foods like crab cakes or any kind of salad.I was delighted when two new Gruners arrived a few weeks ago. Both are from the Helenental Kellerei winery north of Vienna. One is the GVLTat and the other is called Midsommar. Both are great expressions of Gruner, full of green apple, pear, and grapefruit notes with a hint of white pepper. Both are liter-sized bottles, to boot, so the more who share the bottle(s), the merrier! We recently got in the Villa St. Jean Picpoul de Pinet, too. Like Gruner, Picpoul is another less-known varietal that is finding its way on to more and more tables.It's grown in the AOC of Pinet in the Languedoc region of France. Wine Folly describes it perfectly: it's a "lip-zapping white wine that pairs perfectly with shellfish and fried foods."It's a bottle you'll want to bring to a lobster shack when you order fried clams! Speaking of crisp whites, that are summertime delights, how can you resist the label of a Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc we recently added to the section - the Sandpiper.Just looking at the wine puts you in a summertime, beachside frame of mind. And the wine itself is beautiful. It pops with lime and citrus notes with undertones of melon and passionfruit and a nice minerality, too. My pairing with this one? Steamers! Pink wines are fun any time of the year, but they look and taste especially good in the summer, preferably from an Adirondack chair taking in sunset. If you gravitate more toward pretty packaging as often as I do, you'll like the label on the Emiliana Natura Rose from Chile.It's an organic wine made from a blend of of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The nose bursts with fresh fruit notes, and on the palate it's elegant and balanced. A rose is a nice wine to get a party started, as it pairs so well with cheeses and other finger foods - as well as chicken, fish and salad. For a sparkling pink, check out the Louis Vallon Cremant de Bordeaux Rose. Wine Enthusiast gave it 90 points and described it as, "Crisp, perfumed and attractively fresh...full of red currant and citrus fruits...balanced and ready to drink. For something the color of tropical bougainvillea that's fun to serve with desserts, we have a Brachetto from Natale Verga. It's a sweet red that's rich with notes of strawberry and cherry. I like it poured over ice with a splash of seltzer. It's only 6% ABV, so it's nice and light, too.I can't leave out a wine for those of you who gravitate to reds no matter the season. Spain is a country that knows heat, and the Tempranillo grape is one of the its stars. We have many wines made with this food-friendly grape here in the store, and one that I enjoy is the Veleta de Solano.The winery is in La Mancha, in central Spain, land of sunflowers, Manchego cheese, and Don Quixote's windmills, where the soil is typically sand and clay and grape growers use stones around the vines to help capture any moisture. This wine is evocative of that sun-drenched landscape, with flavor notes ranging from blueberry to plum to violet and some spice. It's medium-bodied with silky tannins. James Suckling gave it 91 points. Delicious with grilled meats. This one can even be served slightly chilled. I'll be back with you for more summer selections as the season continues. Today's forecast? Sunny with a glass of wine. By Tyler Duma
