Some words on summer wines

As I live in New Jersey ( the Garden State), summer to me means incredible arrays of great produce and seafood so fresh it glistens, all culled from farms and a shore less than 100 miles from my home. The cuisines of summer are vibrant and lighter on the palate, to go with the warmth of the season. Choosing suitable wines to pair with these varied foods seems obvious: if its white, it must be right. Don’t be tricked, Jon Snow. There are great options you didn’t even consider.

Some of the greatest red wines are produced from grapes that grow in inhospitable climates. The Rhone of France, Rioja in Spain and Italy’s Tuscany all are red grape country, yet the summer is way to hot to enjoy the fruits of their efforts. What do they drink when sweat is ruining all that great European linen? Well, rose of course. Chilled with all the great food they have to offer.

Wait a minute, Steven, you say….Isn’t all that rot sweet and kinda lame? Not the wines you want to seek out. Go to that local wine merchant I encourage you to visit often and tell them you want a nice dry rose, which goes great with Gazpacho or Ratatouille, traditional chilled dishes served when its sweltering outside. Any talented winemaker can make complex enjoyable rose wines, which lend themselves well to the flavors of summer; herbs, olives, citrus and are amazingly versatile with food off the patio grill too.

So now it is too hot to even play with the grill and the kids asked for pizza. What to serve…in the summer….That’s an easy one too. Italian Barbera and French Beaujolais, served with a nice chill (think about 50-5 F) are perfect with pizza. I have had great success pairing white pizza (garlic, veggies, maybe some chicken) with a lighter Oregon Pinot Noir, chilled in a similar fashion. Intrepid reader, fear not.