Page 2, The Summer Sommelier: Reds, Whites and Rosés to Complement the Season’s Fare

There’s a bevy of white wines particularly appropriate for summer. All are especially refreshing thanks to their bracing acidity. Portugal’s Vinho Verde, or “green wine,” is one of them. Its name refers to the young age it’s best at. Its light body, low alcohol content, high acidity and slight fizziness make it wonderfully restorative. It’s lovely to sip on its own or with grilled vegetables or light fish.

From the Loire Valley, Muscadet is light and crisp, often paired with oysters and simply prepared seafood.

Sauvignon Blanc (sometimes called Fumé Blanc in California) is another great summer wine. New Zealand is known for its spectacular renditions. Very good Sauvignon Blancs also come from France, California, Chile and South Africa. You can easily recognize it because of its distinctive aroma of gooseberries, grapefruit, other green and citrus fruits, grass, herbs — some even say cat pee. Sancerre, in the Loire Valley, makes fine Sauvignon Blancs; those from its neighbors Quincy and Menetou-Salon are similar yet less expensive. Sauvignon Blanc complements fish and shellfish, grilled and tough-to-match vegetables like asparagus and artichokes, main-course and side salads, lentils and simply roasted or grilled meats; it’s a classic with goat cheese. And it’s flexible enough so that Meyer recommends it with barbecue. “Go with any white wine that is high in citric acid, like Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre,” he says, “particularly if you’re a lemonade-with-barbecue fan.”

Riesling is the noblest white grape of all. It’s planted in many regions, but those from Germany, Alsace, Austria and New York are best. Rieslings range from bone dry to extraordinarily sweet. Finer Rieslings are elegant, complex and, unlike most white wines, age well. German Rieslings labeled trocken, halbtrocken or Kabinett are light and dry, so they’re good as aperitifs or with white fish and chicken. German Spätleses and Ausleses are good with Asian food, especially spicy dishes, and fusion cuisine, salsas, fish, chicken and pork. Germans even drink them with beef! Alsatians Rieslings complement full-flavored fish; they also pair beautifully with sushi. Game birds are another good match. My advice is, When in doubt, reach for Riesling.

Albariño is Spain's best white, made in Rías Baixas on the Atlantic coast, where the natives drink it morning, noon and night. It’s perfect with the seafood caught in the region. It’s just as perfect with the seafood served here too. And it’s one of those whites that shines with barbecued ribs. At a Food & Wine Magazine Classic tasting in Aspen, Colorado, several years ago, when six wines were tried with barbecued ribs, everyone expected the Merlot and the Sangiovese to stand out. Surprisingly, the “winners” were the Champagne and the Albariño.

Pinot Blanc (as it’s known in Alsace and the US, Pinot Bianco in Italy and Weissburgunder in Austria) ranges from crisp and light to full bodied and rich. Often called the poor man’s Chardonnay, it’s an excellent and reasonably priced match for many foods, including fish, chicken, pork and veal. All in all, it’s an especially versatile wine that offers very good value.

Produced widely in France, South Africa (where its sometimes called Steen) and the US, Chenin Blanc is fantastically food friendly. It’s made in styles that range from aperitif through dessert. Look for French Vouvrays that are not labeled dry because a little sweetness combined with bracing acidity makes for a more palatable wine. Cape Classics, which imports South African wines, playfully calls its versions “Pinot Grigio with muscles in a hula skirt,” as its Chenin Blancs are bigger and more flavorful than the oh-so-popular Pinot Grigio and have lots of tropical notes. Chenin Blanc marries well with cedar-planked fish and much other seafood, especially shrimp, crab and lobster. Because of its rare combination of high acidity and rich texture, it can accompany richer foods than many other white wines, including veal, pork and poultry dishes.

Moscato d’Asti is a fresh, slightly fizzy, ethereal sweet wine that’s delightful with dessert — especially anything with fruit or custard — or as an aperitif.

These many wines give you many choices. Experiment, try something new and different. Find a good store and ask for advice as to styles. Choose what appeals to you, what fits your budget, and get out your corkscrew. A votre santé!

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RELIABLE PRODUCERS

Prosecco: Mionetto

Cava: Cristalino, Mont Marcal, Raventos i Blanc, Sumarocca

French sparkling wines: Gratien & Meyer, St. Hilaire

US sparkling wines: Domaine Chandon, Gloria Ferrer, Iron Horse, Roederer, Schramsberg (CA); Gruet (NM); L. Mawby (MI)

Champagne: I haven’t met a Champagne I don’t like; some are better than others, but that’s another story

Rosés:
Château d’Aqueria, Château de Pourcieux, Château Grande Cassagne, Château Routas, Domaine Tempier, Mas de Gourgonnier (FR); Marqués de Cáceres, Muga, Ochoa, Valdemar, Vega Sindoa (SP); Castello di Ama, Alois Lageder, Scalabrone (IT); Fairview Goats du Roam (SA); Bonny Doon, Robert Sinskey, Saintsbury, Sanford, SoloRosa, Tablas Creek (CA); Wolffer Estate (NY)

Vinho Verde:
Aveleda, Gazela

Muscadet:
Marquis de Goulaine, Sauvion

Sauvignon Blanc:
Babich, Brancott, Cloudy Bay, Craggy Range, Seresin, Villa Maria (NZ); Château de Sancerre, Didier Dagueneau, Domaine Thomas, Henri Bourgeois, Lucien Crochet, Michel Lynch, Michel Reede, Pascal Jolivet (FR); Casa Lapostolle, Veramonte, Concha y Toro (CH); Mulderbosch, Thelema (SA); Beringer, Frog’s Leap, St. Supéry (CA); Columbia Crest, Hogue (WA)

Riesling:
Bürklin-Wolf, Darting, Dr. Loosen, Egon Muller, Fritz Haag, Georg Breuer, J.J. Prum, Lingenfelder, Robert Weil (GER); Hugel, Josmeyer, Léon Beyer, Paul Blanck, Pierre Sparr, Trimbach (FR); Dr. Konstantin Frank, Salmon Run (NY); Anne Amie (OR)

Albariño:
Condes de Albarei, Lusco, Morgadío, Nora

Pinot Blanc:
Hugel, Josmeyer, Lucien Albrecht, Marc Kreydenweiss, Paul Blanck, Pierre Sparr, Schlumberger, Trimbach (FR); Alois Lageder, Santa Margherita (IT); Erath, Foris (OR)

Chenin Blanc:
Champalou, Domaine des Baumard, Foreau, Gautier (FR); Kanu, Raats (SA); Chappellet, Dry Creek (CA)

Moscato d’Asti:
Ceretto, Marco Negri, Vietti (Italy)

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New York City award-winning author and certified sommelier Sharon Kapnick has written about food and wine for many magazines, including Time, Portfolio, Food & Wine and Hemispheres, and many newspapers, thanks to the New York Times Syndicate. She contributed to several entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America.