BRATTLEBORO — The dog days of summer are upon us, and they certainly affect how and what we eat and drink.
As a wine lover, I look forward to the changing seasons guiding my wine selections. I look for wines that pair with the settings in which I'll enjoy a glass and the foods that we'll be consuming. Now is the height of my “summer sippers” season.
What makes a wine a candidate for the summer sipper short list?
First, and probably most obviously, it is served chilled. On hot evenings when we sit out on the porch, waiting for the deer to show up in the meadow, listening to the call and response of the myriad birds, and declaring that life is good, we look forward to a nicely chilled wine to accompany la dolce vita.
Most probably, it is a white or a rosé, but there are reds that can accommodate a light chill quite nicely. So long as the wine is not tannic (see sidebar), even red wines can be chilled and therefore are candidates for summer sippers.
Wines made from red grapes like Gamay (Beaujolais), Dolcetto, Cinsault, Tempranillo (Rioja and Ribera del Duero, but be sure these are unoaked), Mondeuse Noire (Savoie), and some Cabernet Francs (usually entry-level Chinon, Saumur, and Bourgueil) are low in tannins and can be enjoyed chilled.
Valpolicella and Bandolino are Italian blends that are often served chilled as well. Popping any of these into the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before you expect to pour them should bring the wine to a good temperature.
Try any of these wines with meats right off the grill or with grilled flatbreads. You will see for yourself that lightly chilled reds earn their place in the summer sippers line-up.
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A second property that characterizes whites and rosés as good summer sippers is a healthy dollop of acidity.
When I have a chilled, acidic wine at 7 p.m., it is energizing, not enervating, the way many ponderous reds lull me to sleep after half a glass.
Acidity provides a little tingle in my mouth right when the wine enters, but it is most pronounced on the wine's finish. Wines with more acidity leave one's mouth salivating. That reaction is one that really wakes up my mouth, in effect cleaning it up, getting it ready for more good tastes.
In short, the overall effect is refreshing.
Grapes that have a nice balance of sweet ripeness and high acidity are abundant, but some of my favorites for summer sippers include Grüner Veltliner (entry level), Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc, Vinho Verde (Portuguese blend), Garganega (Soave), Verdejo (Rueda), Godello (Bierzo), dry Rieslings (especially from Austria), and Grenache Blanc (Empordà or South of France).
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The body of a wine refers to its weight in your mouth. Think about the difference between skim milk and whole milk. If you are used to drinking whole milk and you take a sip of skim milk, it feels like there's nothing there. Wines vary every bit as much.
My summer sippers are relatively light bodied.
One of the principal factors contributing to a wine's weight is alcohol. The higher the alcohol, the weightier it is.
Alcohol is a function of the ripeness of the berries in the winemaking process. The riper the berries, the higher the sugar content, and it is sugar that the yeast converts to alcohol.
Those big reds from California (Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot), the South of France (Grenache, Syrah), parts of Spain (Grenache, Cabernet, Carignan), and Australia (Shiraz) come from areas with long, hot summers capable of allowing those varieties to attain their sweet ripeness. When their sugars are converted to alcohol, they produce wines that weigh in from 14 percent to 16 percent alcohol; that is a mouthful of wine!
In contrast, summer sippers usually measure 11 percent to 13 percent alcohol, and they're often made from berries that just don't get that long to mature because they come from cooler climates.
These wines feel lighter and friskier in the mouth, and that helps make them good candidates for the kinds of foods we are likely to want on a hot summer evening: fresh fruit, salads, vegetables simply prepared, and grilled meats.
The most important factor to consider when pairing food and wine is weight. Because the foods of summer are lighter than the roasts, stews, and casseroles of winter, our wines should be lighter as well. We want the wine to complement, not overwhelm, the food.
Chill, Acidity, Body = Refreshing!
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So, back to the front porch, 7 p.m. It is still sunny, but the shadows of the trees are starting to lengthen, and soon “our deer” will show up.
We are connecting on the front porch, sharing observations about our respective days, listening to the sounds of summer in the background: birds, now tractors mowing hay, and bike tires on our dirt road as the area's many cyclists get out for an evening ride.
I reach for my summer sipper.
La dolce vita, in Green River, Vt.