Hello Everyone!
Matt here. Sadly, this is my last blog post with Only In My Dreams Events. The year and a few months that I’ve spent here has been amazing and I can’t thank Oskar and Mike enough for all that they have done for me, but it’s time to move on to different pastures. I’ll be working as a wine associate and buyer in Providence, Rhode Island. So, I thought that a great final blog for me would be about what wines to drink this summer and why!
1. What to look for in a summer White Wine: when the heat is getting to you and you’re looking for the perfect, refreshing glass of wine look for wines with high acidity, light to medium body and dry as a bone. Many wine that have those qualities have a good bite to them and make wonderful to amazing summer dishes like seafood and fattier cuts of meats on the grill. Look for dry Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc or a fabulous and slightly bubbly Albariño. Some of my fave labels are Loveblock Sauv Blanc, Trimbach Riesling, and Burgans Albariño Rias Baixas.
2. Rosé all day babyyyyyy! Whereas most other wines get better with age, rosés are meant to be drunk young. They come from sweet to bone dry, so anyone’s pallet can be satiated by a great rosé. The best rosés in my opinion are on the dryer side and come from France or Italy with some exceptions for fabulous Californian pinks. Provençal blends are delicious as well as some great single varietals like Rosé of Sangiovese or Pinot Noir. A lesser known but equally yummy rosé is made from the Grenache grape which tend to be dry with notes of watermelon, strawberry and bright lemon notes. Some of my fave rosé producers are Whispering Angel, Parallel 45, and Fleurs de Prairie.
3. Reds are a little bit tricky for the summer. Most reds that people enjoy are best in the winter due to their full body structure, deep rich taste and high alcohol by volume. So what if you want a glass of red in the middle of the summer? You’ll want to try to find the exact opposite of your fave winter reds. So for a light body, low alcohol and higher acidity. These three qualities lend to a red that can be chilled and still be delish. Think of Pinot Noir, German Zweigelt, or a light French red like Cinsault. American Cab Francs are also lovely with a bit of a chill. Some of my fave labels are the great Domaine de Chanteleuserie Cab Franc from the Loire, Sancerre Rouge by Henri Bourgeois, and Kutch Pinot Noir from Sonoma.
4. And of course, you CAN NOT forget the bubbly. There are fabulous sparkling wines in almost every wine growing region in the world. Try a great small producer from Les Mesnil in Champagne, fabulous Perle di Piera Presecco, or a beautiful Cremant de Bourgogne from Chateau de Lavernette.
I hope that you all find this to be helpful this summer, and if you ever have any questions feel free to reach out to ENO Fine Wines in Providence, RI and ask for me! Thank you all so much for reading these blogs.
Xoxo
Matt
