It has hardly been a hot summer but the odd splash of heat should inspire you to shift your wine drinking habits, at least for the last half of the season, to fresher, if slightly off-the-beaten-track, wines. It’s especially important if you want to be seen as a savvy, on-your-game wine drinker and, let’s face it, it can be a lot of fun to get off the tried-and-true wine track for a bit.
Lighter and fresher (even gulpable wines) should be your summer mantra, not to mention wine you can relax around. No notes, no long discussions, no extensive research should be required. In fact, all you really should require is a glass, a patio and some imagination. To that end, this week we offer some easy-to-embrace summer food themes and wines to match.
Steamed clams with a bit of onion, butter, chili flakes and a squeeze of lemon are about as easy as it gets, and you can match them to a variety of wines. The crazy, affordable match is the Francois Lurton Les Fumées Blanches 2011, Pays d’Oc white from southern France. The latest from Lurton still over delivers for the price with its fresh smoky, citrus mineral nose that suggests a wine of nearly twice the price. The attack is fresh and clean with kiwi, melon, gooseberry flavours that run through its grassy finish. Balanced, refreshing and crazy value, it’s sold under screw cap. You should back up the truck and load up. Clams anyone?
Nothing says “party on, dude” more than pork, as in barbecue ribs or pulled-pork sandwiches. Add a slaw or a salad or two and you are ready to investigate the versatility of Riesling, or any off-dry white. The level of residual sugar should match the level of spice or heat in the dish. Our pick is the Nollen Notorious Rooster Riesling QBA 2011 from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region of Germany. Notorious over delivers for its $14 price tag, plus you will enjoy its fresh peach/nectarine aromas and the mouth-watering crisp apple and sweet peach flavours. It’s the perfect match for your pulled-pork sandwich.
If grilled chicken is a big part of your summer diet, you are in luck. It is easy to prepare and you can sauce it a dozen ways to tweak the wine match. For white wine drinkers we suggest Sauvignon Blanc as a worthy patio pick; for reds, think Cotes du Rhone.
The latest Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc 2011 remains chiselled and fresh. The Aussie white is lip-smacking fresh; the palate a tight mix of lime rind, nettle and citrus all with a hint of petrol à la Riesling. Perfectly suited to fresh summer salads and simply prepared foods from corn to chicken or pork kebabs and/or with fresh goat cheese. Super value here.
The Louis Bernard Côtes du Rhône Villages Rouge 2010 is a clear jump up in tone from the simple Cotes du Rhone blend. A bit warmer and spicier, the fruit penetrates deeper on your palate and the spice penetrates deep into a finish flecked with licorice and dried herbs. It is hard to beat this authenticity for the price. Anything grilled on the barbecue will work here.
Grilled salmon is a west coast favourite and it is the simply prepared dishes that benefit most from the wine. Whether it is a mustard or soy sauce you brush on your salmon, think Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris or perhaps a Gamay-based red. Our pick is Zenato Pinot Grigio delle Venezie 2010 from the Veneto region of Italy. The style is fresh and juicy, yet slightly austere with pear, baked red apple, honey, citrus, floral flavours. Good solid styling and intensity for food. Another fine value.
My last pick is a strong wine you can use two ways. If you want a night off from cooking and you like to order-in, choose Indian food to match the Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap Viognier Chenin Blanc Grenache Blanc 2011 from the Western Cape region in South Africa. If ordering in seems a chore, simply take the bottle with you to your favourite BYOW Indian restaurant and explore its flavours as you do the food. I thought it would be tough to beat last year’s Boekenhoutskloof white, which is an ode to the southern Rhone, but wine maker Marc Kent easily topped that, blending mostly Viognier with Chenin Blanc and the secret weapon, super-fresh Grenache Blanc. The wine is bright and floral with juicy, watermelon, honey, white peach, ginger and citrus aromas — it screams for curry or something similarly spiced. The attack is fresh with peachy Viognier fruit leading and the brighter, more electric Chenin and Grenache supporting underneath. A modern, sophisticated South African white wine that is miles from the smoky, burnt rubber reds that dominate store shelves in Canada, more or less killing brand South Africa. Great value. Pick your curry.
No one knows more than you how fleeting summer can be on the west coast. It is your duty to celebrate summer with the freshest local foods you can find at your local farmers market. After that any one of these wines can kick start the fun.