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Summer has arrived, not only on the calendar, but also on the thermometer. For lots of folks this means time to sit on the porch and chill with a frosty mug of…wine? Hmmmm….well, why not? If you think that wine means big, beefy reds or oaky-smokey chardonnays clocking in at 14% alcohol, well then maybe wine won’t be your summer beverage of choice, but you’re missing out on some serious wine treats!
When things get hot I tend to eat lighter and drink lighter. Good summer wines include crisp whites with good acidity, fruity pink wines like Loire Valley roses, and dry or off-dry sparklers. When seeking out grapes or kits to make summer wines, look for grapes with origins in cool climates: Northeastern North America (Finger Lakes, Long Island, Erie, Niagara); the Northwest Coast (Oregon, Washington, British Columbia); Northern France (Loire Valley, Alsace), Alpine Italy, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile and Argentina.
Cool country grapes tend to be harvested with lower sugar levels and greater acidity. That leads to wines that are lower in alcohol, and which taste fresher and more refreshing. Italian Pinot grigio is probably America’s favorite summer wine. The widely available supermarket Pinot grigio is usually grown in the lower, warmer lowlands of Venezia. For wine of generally better quality, look further north to Alto Aldige and the Veneto. Or leap across to French Alsace, where the world’s finest Pinot gris wines are made.
Sauvignon blanc is another candidate, but it depends on the style. Rich, smokey, barrel-aged California Fume Blanc or Loire Valley Pouilly Fume may be too much for back-porch enjoyment, and many inexpensive California Sauvignons are just too insipid. On the other hand, a big, bad, in-your-face Sauvignon blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, or from South Africa, might just ring the bell!
Pink wines are often thought of as appropriate for summer, and if you’re thinking about a crisp and fruity Rose d’Anjou from Northern France, go for it. Most pink wines from southern France and Northern Spain tend to be a bit on the heavy side—high in alcohol, that is. While I respect the huge appreciation Americans have for the light, sweet “blush” wines from California, I find most of them to be too sweet, and too low in acid. They tend to be flabby rather than refreshing, unless you drink them ice cold.
If you haven’t already made your summer wines for this year, well, it’s generally too late. However, there are a few of the non-oaked white-wine kits that could be made, bottled and enjoyed within 6-8 weeks. Try a New Zealand Sauvignon blanc for a real treat. You say you’re a Chardonnay nut? For summer drinking, let me recommend Winexpert’s Okanogan Chardonnay (and you might even consider leaving the oak out of it.
Some of the lighter red wine kits can be enjoyed at lightly chilled temperatures for summer enjoyment. Try a Bergamais for an old-fashioned style Beaujolais-type wine.
It is better, however, to start planning now for next year’s summer wines. Have them properly aged and bottled by the time the “humiture index” starts to peak your thirst.
And what about all those big reds you’ve got already bottled? Well, now every summer wine is meant for back-porch or picnic drinking, is it? If you’re having roast lamb for dinner in your air-conditioned condo, well, go for that big burgundy or cab or Chianti! But here’s another thought. Do you have a big or medium red that isn’t, well, quite up to your table-wine standards? Can you say SANGRIA? Nothing goes better with barbecue, my friends!
Here’s how to do it. Pour 3 bottles of wine into a punch bowl. Dissolve a cup of sugar (or more, if you like) in some hot water to make a heavy syrup. Add this to the bowl. Now add a 2-liter bottle of ginger ale or your favorite citrusy soda, one can of orange juice concentrate, and lots of ice. Float slices of fruit on top and it’s party time!
Let’s be clear. It isn’t Amarone, but it sure is GOOD! While the French convinced the Home Wine and Beer Trade Association (HWBTA) to not use their legally defined, and protected, wine names (e.g., Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chablis), such an agreement is only now being worked out with Italian authorities. SO, until it is finalized, kit makers can use terms like Amarone, Chianti, and Brunello on their kits, no matter where the grapes come from or how they are processed.
That said, Mosti Mondial’s ALLJUICE is clearly made from Corvino grapes from Valpollicello. The must was rich enough to suggest some version of the “riposso” method, or else the use of truly raisined grapes, went into preparing the must. In addition the kit included a large addition of what the manufacture called “specially selected” raisins to increase body, alcohol and phenolics in the finished wine.
The result is spectacular. This is a beautifully rich medium-red wine, full of cherry flavors and aromas. In fact the aromatics in this wine are outstanding, and a real testament to the value of using sterile musts that have not undergone any concentration.
If you like Amarone you will enjoy the wine you make with this kit. One caution: you will be tempted to drink this up quickly, because it is very drinkable even when young. Nonetheless, this wine will certainly improve remarkably over at least 7-8 years, so make extra batches and squirrel some away.
By the way, now that HWBTA is about to start respecting Italy’s appellations, don’t expect to find kits labeled “Amarone” in the future. Instead look for something like “Corvino Riserva de Valpollicello” or something similar.
Chianti is not a type of grape, but rather it is a legally controlled name applied to wine made from a specific part of Tuscany in Central Italy. Like most Tuscan red wines, the primary grape in Chianti is the Sangiovese. Up until the 1970s or so, most Chianti marketed in this country was a light-colored, light-bodied wine sold in raffia-covered flasks which were widely used as tabletop candleholders once the wine was consumed. This Chianti was cheap, and widely popular as an appropriate accompaniment to a spaghetti dinner at your local Italian restaurant.
Even back then, however, there were several “serious” wines made in Chianti, especially the “riservas” from the central part of the district known as Chianti Classico. Today, it is hard to find the old-fashioned light red Chianti, and much easier to find full-bodied, cherry-toned, oak-aged red wines of world-class quality sporting the “Chianti” appellation.
“Chianti” will soon disappear as a name on kits, by the way. Look for names like “Sangiovese di Toscana” or words to that effect.
Comments? Questions? Write me at dan.mouer@verizon.net
Also, see: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CentralVirginiaWinemakers/
Copyright 2005 L. Daniel Mouer