Wine & Dine

Summertime Wines
Fun stuff to drink when it is warm.
By Julianne & Scott Donnini
Auburn Road Vineyards

We are going to take a little hiatus from our tour of the great wine regions of the world to explore a question that several readers of this column (and several more denizens of the Enoteca) have asked that we explore – that is – what is a good wine to drink in the summertime? Great question. Until not very long ago, I was one of those persons under the belief that life is to short to drink anything but red wine. Getting into the wine-making business, however, has very much broadened my horizons and I have discovered some great ways to enjoy wine in the heat of the summer (by the way, you generally want to serve all of these slightly chilled to cold depending on your preference):

White Wines:

• Light and Dry: If you want something crisp and citrusy, look no further than Pinot Grigio. Chill the daylights out of it and then sit it in an ice bucket. Very refreshing.
• Light and Sweet: Maybe try a semi-dry Riesling – great ones come from the Finger Lakes Region of New York (I just had one from Dr. Constantine Frank’s Vineyard – it was wonderful). Also Silver Decoy Winery in New Jersey makes a great one! For a twist on the theme, our Sole (pronounced “Sol –ay”) is a Vidal blanc with a little sweetness and bubbliness that is perfect for summer.

Blush/Rose Wines: What people refer to generically as a “White Zin” is really a light pink wine made from red grapes of any type with the juice taken quickly away from the skins so they don’t absorb a lot of the red color. And they come in a wild array of different flavors and sweetnesses.

• Dry Rose/Blush – can be great and refreshing for those without a sweet tooth. Heritage Winery in Mullica Hill makes a terrific one.
• Sweet Rose/Blush – can be a lot of fun and easy drinking. I don’t like them too sweet and it is great if there is a little acid to them as well – almost a tartness – that keeps them from feeling like sugar water. Our Rosalita has some nice strawberry flavors to it too. 

Red Wines: Beaujolais, Bardolinos and Good Karma:  For devout red wine drinkers, there is hope! These three are great in the summer with a light chill on them:

• Beaujolais: Sometimes disregarded as not a serious wine – Beaujolias (which is the name accorded to wines generally made from the Gammay grape in the French region of Beaujolais) can be very complex, interesting and at times fruity. For all its light body, there is usually a lot going on. And you can still be manly and drink it (though if you are concerned about such things, you may want to avoid the Georges DeBeauf flowery bottles)
• Bardolino: The Italian response to Beaujolais. It is a light red blend that again can have a little more substance than a blush but is not too heavy for a hot day.
• Good Karma: A weird little wine of ours made from Sangiovese and Merlot. Light bodied and dry with a lot of cool stuff going on and some nice cherry notes that come from the Merlot and light hints of vanilla from the oak we age it in.

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Fruit Wines: Even before the Garden State’s recent wine renaissance, you needed to look no farther than New Jersey for great fruit wines. Blueberry, Apple, Peach, Strawberry, Cherry – you name it and you can find it nearby. Cedervale Winery in Rapaupo, Heritage Station Winery in Mullica Hill and Tomsello Winery in Hammonton are all close and make terrific fruit wines (and Cedervale and Heritage grow pretty much all the fruit themselves). Also, Chestnut Run Winery here in Pilesgrove make very cool wines out of Asian Pear and apples. 

Sangria: Gotta love Sangria in the summer. There are a million recipes out there. My advice to you is to stick with wine alone – when you start mixing wine, brandy or rum (which a lot of recipes call for) and a really hot day, you can be in for a world of hurt. Here is a recipe (a million and ONE) for you that we use at the Enoteca for a Sangria that is light, refreshing and fruity without too much alcohol (so you can drink more of it):

“Rosalita Sangria” 

1 bottle of Auburn Road Rosalita wine (or another semi sweet rose)
1 can of peach nectar
3 fresh Jersey peaches cut into slices
1 small can of pineapple rings (pour it all in, including the juice)

Let it sit for several hours and then serve over ice with a little lemon/lime soda to taste (to add a little fizzyness).  

Enjoy and have a great summer!

If there are wine related topics or questions you would like for us to address in upcoming installments of this column, shoot us an email through our website. Thanks for reading and see you at The Enoteca!