With Memorial Day festivities lurking just around the corner, party planners are busy supplementing their wine collections with a stash of summer sippers. Sure, the casserole Cabernets and pot roast reds still deserve a place in the rack, but oenophiles with an eye on the sultry days ahead had best make room for the fruit-driven wines that help make the impending season so much fun.
An accessible, easy-to-drink breed, summer sippers include whites, rosés, and even a few of the lighter reds—anything that delivers liquid refreshment when temperatures soar. Served poolside, on a sun-dappled patio, or to pair with a twilight dinner, they offer clean flavors and generally drink best when young.
Traditionally served at about 45 degrees F., white wines—as well as rosés—should be lightly chilled for about an hour before pulling the cork. Be careful, however, for wines that are served too cold or held at drastically low temperatures for too long tend to lose delicate flavors, and end up tasting flat and flabby.
Just as hearty reds match a winter beef stew, crisp light wines naturally enhance the cold cuts, shrimp salads, and fresh veggies of summer. For an ideal wine to serve with crudités, fruit salads, grilled goodies, and other warm weather treats, consider these offerings from area producers.
From Dierberg Vineyards comes a classic 2005 Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley, that offers aromas of mango and grapefruit, coupled with flavors of lemon zest. Fermented primarily on native yeast and barrel aged for 16 months, this wine boasts a lingering finish, and makes a perfect partner for grilled fish or juicy pork loin.
A quaff noted for being clean and crisp, the Carhartt Vineyard 2007 Sauvignon Blanc saves the day when heat waves shimmer. Made using a low-tech, hands-on approach, this refresher was fermented in stainless steel and neutral oak, and spent just six months in barrel.
“Our Sauvignon Blanc is great with dishes like ceviche, crab cakes, chicken salad, or papaya stuffed with crab,” said Brooke Carhartt, co-owner/co-winemaker at Carhartt Vineyard. “And it’s good with lighter fare for lunch or dinner.
“It’s really nice chilled and served on a warm afternoon,” she added, “maybe on the patio, maybe with appetizers before dinner … you get the picture.”
Also from Carhartt is the wonderfully named 2007 Chase the Blues Away Rosé, made from a blend of Syrah and Merlot, using a technique called “saignée,” which involves fermenting the pink juice that bleeds from red wine grapes after a short period of skin contact, and then promptly bottling it. With its vivid raspberry color, aromas of berry and citrus, and deliciously playful personality, this wine practically sings of summer.
“This rosé is dry,” Carhartt said, “so it can stand up to a lot. It’s fruity and bright, and loves barbecue, or any kind of backyard fare. It’s great for lunch or brunch, and it’s a terrific sushi wine, too. It’s a fun, uncomplicated sipper.”
Over at the Brander Vineyard, Fred Brander serves up his quirky 2008 Chateau Neuf de Pink, a Syrah-based rosé with just a touch of Sauvignon Blanc, his signature varietal. This wine has a lovely strawberry color and a dry lingering finish that belie a nose reminiscent of strawberry bubblegum.
Santa Maria’s own Costa de Oro Winery weighs into the summer scene with its 2007 Rosé Wine, a dandy 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Syrah. Priced at less than $10 a bottle, this is a perfect companion for just about any festive occasion.
Taking a page from the early days of Santa Barbara County’s wine industry, Coquelicot (which means “poppy” in French) offers a 2006 Estate Riesling for warm weather imbibing. It’s dry, so there’s no cloying sweetness. It’s fairly low in alcohol at 11.7 percent, and the delicate balance offers an interplay between apricots, ripe white peaches, and a refreshing minerality.
Under her Curran label, winemaker Kris Curran has made another old favorite: Gewurztraminer, a medley of lemony aromas and tropical fruit flavors in a light, dry wine. Curran reportedly crafted this one for personal pairing with spicy Thai food, but decided it was just too good not to release to an appreciative public.
As for ready-to-drink reds with an affinity for summer fare, the 2005 La Coppa Syrah from one of Stolpman Vineyards’ younger plantings offers lively berry and subtle pepper notes, all sealed under a screw cap to preserve its fresh flavors. Clean and casual, this wine makes a natural partner for cold cuts, antipasto, saucy pizza, and just about anything off the grill.
With the seasonal shift comes a parallel shift in the wine cellar, so let those robust reds rest, and break out the fruity favorites that were made for summer sipping.
K. Reka Badger sips summer Syrah slowly by the seashore. Contact her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in May 14-21, 2009.