What wines should you serve during Spring and Summer? Check out SwirlSavvy's recommendations:
Spring is finally promising to fully unleash her warmth.That means it's officially time to take the party outdoors. Whether it's dinner on the deck, a picnic in the park or a full-out celebration, wine can be the perfect beverage to serve alongside summer salads and burgers sizzling on the grill.Along with your winter scarves and parkas, shed the bigger, bolder Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux wines of winter, and step into something lighter.When choosing a wine for warmer weather, it's important to keep a few things in mind.Since you're in the heat and more apt to dehydration, choose a wine relatively lower in alcohol.And keep it crisp, refreshing and acidic, the same reason we naturally gravitate toward lemonade when temperatures creep up.The same logic makes me instinctly reach for dry Rose, dry Riesling from Alsace or Australia and Muscadet from the LoireValley as well as sparkling wine.
But don’t think red wine has the season off. On the contrary, red wine stands up to heftier foods like barbequed ribs where white wine would falter.And sometimes only a glass of red wine truly satisfies. However, I'm going to advise doing something once considered heresy, and that is, to chill your red wine.Nothing is more satisfying to sip alongside a hot-off-the-grill burger than a juicy Barbera d'Alba or Valpolicella from Italy slightly chilled.When picking a red wine perfect to drink out-of-doors, think light to medium bodied, with soft tannins and a hefty dose of bright fruit and acidity.These wines will shine where their heavier counterparts seem dull or just unappealing.
Consider the following the next time you’re sipping alfresco:
Crios Rose of Malbec,Mendoza, Argentina ($14) – Ripe wild strawberries with a surprisingly clean finish and a deep gorgeous color make this a go-to for backyard celebrations.
Clos de Beauregard Muscadet, Loire Valley, France ($10) – A subtle wine, with layers of creaminess balanced by lemony freshness and hints of green apple.Perfect to sip while diving into your summer reading list.
Sorella Bronca Prosecco, Veneto, Italy ($17) – Clean, crisp and refreshing; everything a Prosecco should be. It’s made quarterly by a duo of sisters to ensure freshness when you
How to Pick a Summer Wine: The Gentler, Lighter Side of Wine
Summer’s soaring temps beg you to step away from heavy Cabernets and check out the gentler, lighter side of wine. When choosing the perfect summer wine for your outdoor engagement party or wedding, think light, crisp, refreshing--and because people tend to drink more in the heat--lower in alcohol. Nothing more prettily suggests summer than a dry (i.e. not sweet) rose. Avoid the simple, syrupy versions and try French roses from the Mourvèdre grape or roses made using the Saignee method for more complexity. Pick wines from countries where you imagine the locals sipping leisurely at sidewalk cafés while basking in the sun, like Spain. A Spanish fave is Albarino from the Rias Baixas region. Made to drink young, Albarino is a crisp, white wine with intense fruit, lively acidity and generally a lower level of alcohol. It pairs perfectly with summer foods from seafood to grilled vegetables. But you don’t need to swear off red wine for summer. Look for light bodied wines like Pinot Noir from Oregon or a Valpolicella from Italy, both capable of standing up to barbequed foods. And don’t be afraid to put a slight chill on your red wine. It is summer after all!
Rías Baixas Albariño from Spain, “Exceptional with Everything” Oh Really?
There's nothing we love more than a challenge. It's in our makeup. We're two women, thirties. One Indian. One Filipina. The first, founder and CEO of a business in the arguably male-dominated wine world. The second, building experience to be a future proprietess of a wine store. Add to this: In New York City. So when presented with the opportunity to play wine and food critic for a night—to pair Rías Baixas Albariño wines, proclaimed to be "exceptional with everything" with Mercat’s offerings —it is impossible and simply against every ounce of who we are, to refuse.
Mercat means “market” in Catalan, the language of the northern Spanish region where owner, Jaime Reixach, is from and where the restaurant’s menu draws its inspiration. The albariños we’ll be drinking also originate from the northern region, and so we’re already anticipating more perfect wine pairings than tragic mismatches.
It’s a beautiful warm Thursday night—and we are tasting two Albariño wines: Alba Rosa from Martinez Serrantes and Pazo San Mauro, both 2006 vintages. We take our time with each wine—assessing them alone and then side by side. At the end, we agree that both are delightful: the Alba Rosa is sparkling with surprising depth while the Pazo San Mauro would bring life to our springtime picnic. Further, we imagine that if each wine were to be personified, they might just be these two ladies, described as such:
Alba Rosa Martinez Serantes Albariño | Scarlett Johansson: "Sparkling with surprising depth"
This golden blonde hued wine gives an almost effervescent quality that shoots racy brightness into your mouth. It has the usual grassiness and citrus qualities one expects from this wine. The reason why this wine fits Scarlett most is because it has the quality of lightness but comes with surprising depth of character and fullness in body. The comparison would be perfect were the wine to show great legs, but its light-bodied, lower alcohol nature doesn’t allow it.
Pazo San Mauro Albariño | Cameron Diaz: “Livens up your springtime picnic”
Cameron would be a fun addition to any springtime outing. Her lightheartedness would make everyone smile and this wine does the same. The light yellow straw color gives way to granny smith apples, peaches, melon, and citrus scents that jump at your nose, smelling like springtime in a glass. This wine begs to be explored further. The crisp and pleasantly tart apple is balanced with pear and makes it the perfect brunch wine.
Now, we move on to the heart of our challenge: Exceptional with everything? Oh really? How do these two beauties handle themselves in company? After the three and a half hours of glorious sipping, chewing, and chatting, among ourselves and the restaurant staff, here are our findings:
No surprise, our lovely wines get along splendidly with their classic and traditional partners: we have raves for the nicely seasoned patatas bravas—not too spicy, not too garlicky—and the padrones/blistered shishito peppers, the char and oil offset by the tartness of the wines. One of us goes wild for the Canelons de Verdura/eggplant wrapped spring vegetables, manchego, and cranberry reduction. And then Chef Lowder sends over Trencat d’Ous/mushroom with salsa verde topped with a fried egg, which again, goes splendidly with our wines. Even the suckling pig/Cochinillo, which we think will surely clash, in fact becomes the surprise of the evening. Like the beauty and the beast, our wines and the pig make an unlikely but harmonious pair.
We ask ourselves for the last time: Rías Baixas Albariño from Spain: Exceptional with Everything?
If not for being the gluttonous bottomless pits that we are, we would certainly have answered YES with an exclamation point. But since we order those two desserts—Torrades Sta. Teresa/fried bread with lemon yogurt and Pa Amb Oli Xocolata/bread, olive oil, and chocolate, our answer must be: Almost. These two desserts with our two Albariños — are disastrous.
Rías Baixas Albariño from Spain: Exceptional with almost Everything.
Anu Karwa is the founder and CEO of Swirl Events. Anu created Swirl Events to combine her passion for wine and bringing her friends together for memorable evenings. She is a recurring guest on The Martha Stewart Living radio show and Cosmo radio show. She also writes the column "SWIRL" for Culinate. She is available for all wine and entertaining related media.
Karwa's Media Kit is available online here: http://mediakit.swirlevents.com
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