Summertime wine pairings call for white (and off-white) wines

By Sam MeladaSummer has been in full swing since our first triple digit thermometerreading, and at last the monsoons have arrived. People are cookingoutdoors and socializing, creating the perfect conditions to explorenew food and beverage combinations. While there is little argument overhow beer and bratwurst are a match made in heaven, opinions differregarding which wines ideally complement summer cuisine.

 My goal with this article is to provide some recommendations that you can explore and evaluate on your own. My approach takes into consideration that not all palates are created equal, and in the words of my retired English professor father, “de gustibus non disputendum est” (about taste there is no disputing).

Cheap Can Be GoodIf you are looking for a wine to open before eating or while preparing food, one of the best bottles to start with is a Vinho Verde. I was skeptical eight years ago when a trusted wine enthusiast friend recommended I try the Vinho Verde from Famega (around $8 at Quarters). My inner wine snob was deterred by the clear glass bottle and the price, (then about $7/bottle — could there really be good cheap wine?). My first taste was surprisingly refreshing and crisp, without the cloying sweetness of many cheap whites I anticipated. Vinho Verde is usually as clear to the eye as sparkling water, with about one third the effervescence. The alcohol content can be from around eight to 12 percent, but it remains a rather light innocuous quaff. It pairs with the lightest of light fare, or you can have it with nothing at all. Another good example of this under-appreciated aperitif is from the vintner Gazela (around $10).

Rosés Are Red (Sort Of) For a segue into a first course (or the arrival of the finger food if it’s not a sit-down affair), a rosé wine is the best choice. If you are someone who may hold a disdain for “pink wine,” hear me out and let your tastebuds decide. Most importantly, do not confuse rosé with the strictly American invention of white zinfandel. White zin was created a few decades ago, essentially by mistake — the yeast quit fermenting early leaving a great deal of residual sugar behind, creating a flat, one-dimensional pseudo vinified sugar bomb.

Rosés, on the other hand, can range from sweet to dry and are pale salmon to ruby in color. The rosés from Provence are a reliable introduction to the style. A particular favorite of mine is the Bieler Pere et Fils 2009 Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Rose (around $11 at Jubilation or Quarters). The foods of summer parties are often salty, and this gem sparkles with salty finger food. If you want a simple appetizer/wine pairing that pleases the palate, I recommend this with prosciutto wrapped around morsels of melon, such as honeydew or cantaloupe. You might also try it with fish tacos if they’re spicy and citrusy, because the low alcohol content will prevent the spice from making the wine taste “boozy” and allow the more subtle qualities to shine. If you want a contrast in rosé style, try opening a bottle of the Rosé of Malbec from Crios (around $13 at Quarters) alongside the Provencal and see which one moves your tastebuds more.

Oak Is A Four Letter WordMoving further along the spectrum, I turn to sauvignon blanc. Now, if you have only had sauvignon blanc from California, then I highly recommend branching out to France or New Zealand. When I asked my old friend, Lisa Purdon, what one of her favorite food and wine combinations is, she rapidly responded “New Zealand sauvignon blanc and ceviche.” For an excellent inexpensive example look to Kono vineyards from the Marlborough region (around $10 at Trader Joe’s) This New Zealand manifestation of sauvignon blanc is loaded with citrus and pineapple that brightens your palate when it interacts with the citric acid in ceviche.

In the appellation of Entre-Deux-Mers in France, one finds the sauvignon blanc blended with two other grapes, semillon and muscadet. The French, however, don’t age these wines in oak the way they do in California — at its worst, overoaking can be like Botox and Silicone; i.e. – used to hide what nature intended. To taste the difference compare a popular California blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon, bottled by Chateau St. Jean ($13 at Jubilation or Quarters) as fumé blanc, to the same grapes blended in Entre-Deux-Mers by Chateu Bonnet (also $13 at Quarters). Now try that Chateau Bonnet with simple lightly herbed seafood preparations (think scallops or halibut) and see how a clean, crisp mineral quality shines through, while the flavors imparted by oak smear unpleasantly on your tongue.

Varietal VarietyIf these last few recommendations have failed to spark interest, allow me to close with a few more grapes that you may not have had the opportunity to encounter. These are entirely appropriate for the wine drinker who wants something a little different to drink with a summer dinner.

If you like the idea of a medium bodied white that refreshes while it stands up to grilled fish, look no further than the grape called verdejo. Alone, it makes your tongue think of green grass, kiwi or even like you just took a bite of an unripe peach, but it is medium to fuller bodied and therefore needs food (or you may not like it).

For the same $13 spent on an experiment in sauvignon blanc, instead try the Shaya Verdejo (available at Quarters) and have it with a simple limey guacamole. Last week I made a chilled cucumber and avocado soup with a little coconut milk added (an experiment from a popular cooking magazine). In a matter of 25 minutes, I accidentally stumbled into a fantastic pairing when I opened a slightly bolder verdejo from the Rueda region of Spain: the 2006 Villa Narcisa from Javier Sanz (around $18 at Quarters). Taste a good Verdejo with avocado and citrus and you will discover a simple pairing that creates that “third flavor” that the name of this column refers to.

 The last grape of whose praise I must sing this summer is gruner veltliner. This is also an unappreciated varietal that really shines in multiple summer food departments: the salads, the fried foods and the spicy. If you’re not ready to try a sweet wine like a riesling with your Indian food or your spring rolls, try a gruner. A green salad with chopped veggies can sing with this grape too. However, gruner rises to the challenge when paired with fried food or bratwurst.

Gruner comes from Austria primarily, and I recommend starting with an Austrian as an example (rather than New Zealand or California). I recommend one from a vintner named Berger (around $18), though you may also enjoy one made by Hugel. The important thing to remember is that none of this has to be fancy to be enjoyable, it’s about exploring the flavors of any food and wine interacting.

When asked one of her favorite food and wine combinations, Amy Currens, the Wine Director for Prospect in San Francisco said, “Gruner veltliner and popcorn.”  I myself brought it to a picnic and, when having second thoughts about its appropriateness, I opened a bag of Kettle Chips (the salt and black pepper ones) and had another pleasant surprise, realizing that the coating on those chips is rather like an Austrian schnitzel — lightly fried, salty and peppery. If you discover something great in the world of food and wine, either through this column or on your own, I hope you will share it with me by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . Cheers.

<a href="http://www.local-iq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1581&Itemid=52tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.local-iq.com/index.php?option=com_content”>Local IQ – Match Game

Tags: Wine Director, explorenew food, salty finger food, Sam MeladaSummer, glass bottle

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