Last entry we reviewed some wines for warmer weather. As summer temps for July & August continue to get warmer we can refine more suggestions of wines for the season.
Let me start with more information and encouragement to drink dry Rosé from France. If you like raspberry, strawberry or cherry flavors in a chilled, refreshing wine (more than the citrus or stone fruit flavors found in white wines) then Rosé will be your new favorite during hot weather. You can’t get raspberry, strawberry or cherry flavors from white grapes. That is what dry rose is for. Rosé from the south of France usually blend different red grape varietals to make the perfect blend of flavors and crispness…Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, and Cabernet….these wines are delicious and much more complex, interesting and fun than any Rosé from a single grape (if you like Rosé made from Pinot Noir you are in for a treat). This month I’m recommending Chateau de Lancyre, from Pic St Loup (NW of and higher elevation than Provence). It has fantastic strawberry and tropical flavors, rich and complex.
The Chateau du Donjon Rosé we have from Minervois, (further west in southern France than Pic St Loup) north of the Corbieres and Cotes du Roussillon areas is another great dry Rosé…made of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault…it has wonderful strawberry, cherry and plum flavors that went perfect with the planked salmon I paired it with this afternoon.
One of the risks with any popular trend in wine (like dry Rosé) is that drinkers select one of the wines that jumped on the trend instead of a wine that created the popularity in the first place. Both Chateau de Lancyre and Chateau du Donjon have been around from the start, and have helped create the popularity in dry French Rosé. When you drink these wines you will have tried some of the best Rosé wines available and can confirm if they are right for you…or if you’d prefer sticking with chilled white wines during hot weather.
Consider some of the great white wines of Spain. I re-sampled this week Fuente Milano white wine blend (Verdeho/Viura) and Nessa Albarino, both great choices for warm weather wine selections. The Fuente Milano is a crisp, citrus and herbal wine that is super refreshing and pairs well with any meat, fish, salads or fruit/veggies served cool or room temp. The Nessa is a favorite with fish all across the north coast of Spain. Even in Bilbao, far from where Albarino is grown, that is the wine they drink with the fish course. It is a medium bodied white with great stone fruit, peach, nectarine and some pear flavors. No oak on either of these wines…they are both fresh and refreshing. They’ve just arrived from the 2013 vintage and are worth the effort to find and try. Thanks for your attention and please let me know what you think after you’ve tried the suggestions I’ve made.
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