Cool and Casual:
Summer Blahs? Drink Wines with ‘Ahhhs’
By Bernard Ledermann
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Photo by Cheryl Jackson.
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Other articles in this series have made much of red wines, especially those of fleshy ilk, but are these too heavy when it’s 90 degrees and the dew point’s at 68? Red wine lovers argue not. Some advise waiting until nightfall brings temperatures in the ‘60s and you don’t feel like you’re crossing the River Styx at high noon. Air-conditioning helps too, and provides a pleasant surrounding in which you can enjoy a noble Bordeaux, Burgundy, or California Zinfandel. Also, consider pairing a few quality cheeses with your favorite red and give wide berth to a boisterous rib-sticking meal of red meat and trimmings. And by all means give your vin rouge a light chill. It’s known that reds served at summer’s prevailing room temperatures will feel dull and flabby on the palate.
Light food. Lighter wines. Also a chance for you to experiment beyond the traditional fare of sandwiches, potato salad, chips, and salsa. Today’s alfresco outings can be converted to dining splendor on the grass. (So much for keeping it simple). It’s not unusual to see elaborate pasta salads (orzo, anyone?), patés, smoked salmon, even caviar appearing on beach blankets. No doubt about it, the picnic circa 2000 is a drastically different concept. Lucky for you, Buffalo boasts fine specialty take-out establishments who excel at dishes you’d never have the time, patience, or cool to construct on your own.
America’s summer pastime. Think it’s baseball? Not with Steinbrenner buying up endless pennants. Today’s attention is on the outdoor grill. Problem is, which wines will break through against all those smoky, mesquitey aromas, zesty marinades, and crispy textures? Here’s where a few deftly chosen reds with reduced weight and elevated flavors will work nicely—with food offerings from grilled fish to B-B-Qd chicken to lamb kebobs.
With grilled salmon, try the 1997 Eberle Côtes du Robles ($12.99). A Rhone style medium-weight blend featuring Grenache and Mourvédre. Unleash flavors brimming with juicy blackberry fruit followed by lingering secondary flavors.
Hearty sausages, pork chops, and firm-fleshed fish will harmonize well with the 1997 David Bruce Central Coast Pinot Noir ($16.99). One of California’s best at a decent price. A pleasantly rich style with expressive aromas of black cherries, crushed berries, and the right amount of smoke and spice. Lovely roundness and just the correct balance.
Ubiquitous hamburgers, sometimes problematic to pair with wine, find a match with the 1998 Borie de Maurel Syrah ($8.49, a Robert Kacher import), a favorite summertime red, with the Syrah harvested from 45 year old mountainside vines. This wine is rustic though pure with density of black stone fruits and spicy herbs. A winner. Of course, a quality Beaujolais-Villages or a California Zinfandel like the 1998 Ravenswood Vintners Blend ($10.49) will work just as well. Count on Ravenswood to give you the right balance of fruit, spice, and tannin to make it proper with any char-broiled food.
For that first class piece of grilled Angus, reach for a first-rate California Meritage blend of Cabernet, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc to be found in the rare but rewarding 1996 or ‘97 Flora Springs ‘Trilogy’ ($34.99). Drinks like a St. Emilion with a gush of black currants and some violet impressions on the nose. Great filet mignon never tasted better.
Excellent with all grilled meats, sausages, and cheeses are two Italian entries: the ‘97 or ‘98 La Spinona Dolcetto d’Alba ($12.49), a youthful, flavorful, purple attention-getter from the town of Barbaresco; and the soft and easy ‘98 Di Majo Norante Sangiovese ($9.49), a soft, supple mega-value which isn’t bashful with the cherry-berry fruit.
It would be sheer negligence—and idiocy—if we didn’t mention two white wines for specialty items “off the coals.” With any shellfish (read: scallops!) or white-fleshed fish, treat yourself to a bottle of ‘97 Baron zu Knyphausen Riesling, Qba ($9.99). So what’s all the fuss about German Rieslings? Aren’t they all too fruity, too sweet? This summer, find out how producers like Knyphausen can give you mouth-watering, honeyed, lemony fruit offset by crisp, quenching acidity. It drinks drier than you’d ever believe. Finally, for you fans of grilled fish slathered with a slightly spicy fruit chutney, lay on the ‘97 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Riesling Kabinett ($11.99). Its lemon cream and spice notes plus an extraordinary finish will have you cheering, “Riesling über alles.”
For the basket case, Summer ‘99 saw the emergence of some real drop-dead, over-the-top picnic menus, according to the food literature scattered across my desk. There is sense in exploiting Summer’s Salad Days, as the season offers unlimited forage, all at its natural best. Still, green peppers stuffed with garlic, capers, tomatoes, and fresh chervil might defy wine. Not so, when you bring on Robert Kacher’s ‘98 Domaine de la Becassone Côtes do Rhône Blanc ($10.99). Mostly Roussane and Grenache Blanc, it releases a fragrant and flowery ripe nose, then follows divine melon-y flavors with mineral notes and a crisp, fresh finish. Also recommended with cold seafood salads, even cold fried chicken.
Keeping it exotic with cold parsley and tarragon soup laced with leeks and cubed new potatoes—and some grilled shrimp skewers on the side? Domaine Albrecht’s smashing ‘98 Pinot Blanc ($10.49) is for you. It’s a fine alternative to those plodding butterball Chardonnays from California, and its spicy, peachy flavors and long, crisp finish also pair nicely with grilled veggies and crudités. Trot it out often and savor some real value.
Tuna or chicken salad, always picnic favorites, taste “at home” with the ‘98 Valckenberg Pinot Gris ($9.99). An excellent German version that offers hints of roses, apricots, good spice, and satisfying weight on the palate.
If your hamper holds an assortment of deli items, including hard sausages and soft cheeses, take along a lightly chilled Village cru from Beaujolais, the ‘98 Domaine ‘Les Fines Graves’, CHENAS by Jacky Janodet ($12.99). Spicy, round, and already exhibiting some velvet on the finish, it’s a red that will add luster to any foody outing.
With all the fuss about chilled pesto and sun-dried tomato pasta salads, you should treat yourself to one of Italy’s bright Pinot Grigios. An unusual Tuscan entry, the ‘98 Castello Banfi San Angelo P.G. ($13.49) will suit you nicely. Floral nose, rich, and flavorful with zippy acidity poised against a lot of stone-fruit nuances. Eccellente.
Stay with Tuscany and its “own” white grape, Trebbiano, as offered in Villa Antinori’s ‘98 Bianco, Toscana ($10.99). Fresh, crisp, and savory, it’s perfetto with grilled white-fleshed fish and a variety of picnic veggies. Also enjoy as an aperitif.
Think pink. Believe it or not, it’s O.K. to drink rosé. Eye-catching rosés (do not think white zinfandel) should always be in style for summer. Time to experience the exceptional drinking to be found among the following: the Syrah and Grenache-based ‘98 Chateau Grand Cassagne Rosé ($8.49) from southeast France is rich and spicy with more tinges of red than pink in its attractive color. Its flavor evokes the earthiness of wild strawberries and it harmonizes with grilled sausages and any number of hard and soft cheeses you can throw at it. A California entry, the ‘99 Toad Hollow ‘Eye of the Toad’ Dry Pinot Noir Rosé (Sonoma, $10.49), has just a splash of softening Gamay in the blend. A deep coppery-pink color is just the beginning of the fun. Hold on for forceful berry-cherry flavors and a long, pleasant finish. “Dr. Toad” (Todd) Williams says it’s his driest wine, having the least RS (residual sugar). That makes it DRY and great with cold ham sandwiches, Mom’s classic deviled eggs, and mild cheeses. Every picnic should have some sparkling wine around, so why not try New York’s own Chateau Frank non-vintage Cèlébre Rosé ($13.99) Off-dry Methode Champenoise produced from Pinot Noir shows fine, steady bubbles and a clean fruit finish. Pretty, tasty, and teams well with smoked salmon and mild pâtés.
When the sea beckons, prepare to keep an open mind toward Riesling—and other German wines, too. Remember, Rieslings cover a variety of styles from light-bodied, bone dry and low in alcohol (sometimes less than 8 per cent) up to the world’s most unctuous dessert wines. Riesling’s peerless aromas, bracing lightness, and fruit-packed intensity should also impart those mineral elements present in its originating vineyard site. Joyous complexity, and particularly in-tune with grilled fish and seafood, pâtés, and quiches. Also, they’re much longer-lived than 95% of the Chardonnays on the market today. And was there ever a more thirst-quenching wine on a July day than a dry German Mosel (in the green bottles) with its typical elfin sprightliness?
For beach sipping or to serve with those sumptuous clam bakes—or whatever you may prepare on a portable grill, consider: ‘97 Maximin Grünhaüser Abstber Kabinett ($22.99), from a wine estate that has produced for 1,004 years. Heaps of mouth-filling lushness here, accented by white peach flavors and racy acidity. Drink it while listening to Mozart’s Symphony no. 40 in G Minor. Rapturous and phantastisch— and so’s the ‘97 Fitz-Ritter Durkheimer Abtsfronhof Spätlese Halbtrocken ($11.49)— pineappley nose with lime flavors and a crisp, citrussy finish. Bring on the grilled fish with mango chutney, lump crabcakes, or roasted chicken. The ‘99 Huia (named for an exotic bird formerly found around Marlborough, New Zealand) Riesling ($12.99), a newcomer in the U.S., is a versatile food wine finished in a full-bodied, dry Alsace style. Round, not cloying fruit, with spices and lychees balanced by mouth-watering acid. Pairs with Asian salads or honey-baked ham. Finally, a gorgeous non-Riesling from Germany, the ‘98 Hirschhoff Westhofener Kirchspiel (Hessen) Weissburgünder Kabinett ($13.99), doesn’t drink at all like a wine of Rhine origins. It’s a plump, exciting Pinot Blanc with mineral niceties, crispness, and complex, refreshing echoes after swallowing. Excellent as a substitute for Muscadet when shellfish or creamy cheeses are the fare. This green/gold-tinted quartet will really help you understand the essence of cool in summer wine enjoyment.
So, is it around the corner—global warming? Better prepare for days when neither your rooms nor the outdoors feels the scintilla of a breeze. Keep your summer wines stylish, not heavy; make them yielding, not commanding; above all, select them with suavity in mind—so smooth you can drink them with absolutely nothing.
(O.K., but if the right salad and cervelat sausage come along . . . )
Bernie Ledermann, a wine retailer and occasional consultant on restaurant wine lists, has adopted Raleigh, NC as his new “semi-retirement” home. Recently, writing poetry brings as much satisfaction as reviewing wines.
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