If you’re wondering what to drink this season besides chilled beer and margaritas, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. I’ve compiled a short list of delicious and interesting wines that I think will complement your summer meals and activities perfectly.
So, this summer I’m asking you to put down the hard-seltzer for a sec and support wineries and wine shops by drinking more wine! Besides, wine tastes better IMO and you’re going to love these.
Terrassen Gamay
Gamay is a great summer wine because it’s light-bodied like Pinot Noir and you can drink it slightly chilled. This particular Gamay is from Finger Lakes, New York, which it makes it just a bit more interesting than your typical Beaujolais (no offense, France). Expect to get flavors of mixed berries, violets, and a little bit of baking spice on the palate. Pop some salmon on the grill and pour yourself a glass of this wine for a delicious summer pairing. I tend to eat a lot of sushi during the summer, so I would actually pair Gamay with a salmon sushi roll. It might sound weird, but don’t worry, it’s good!
Maison Noir “Love Drunk” Rosé
No summer wine list would be complete without a rosé from Willamette Valley. I mean hello, they’re just THAT good. Plus, Love Drunk is part of the Mason Noir wine label created by sommelier, André Hueston Mack. What’s better than a glass of chilled rosé in hot weather? This one has flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and kiwi, followed by an elegant, acid-driven finish. This wine would pair well with grilled fish and light summer salads. A Willamette Valley rosé is even good enough to drink on its own, so don’t psych yourself out trying to figure out what to pair with it. It’s a forgiving wine, if you will.
Bananti Etna Bianco
I recently learned about Mount Etna in one of my enology classes and I knew I had to include this fascinating white on my summer drinking list. Mount Etna is an active volcano located in Sicily and one of the grapes that grows there is called Carricante, which is the grape used to make Etna Bianco. This wine is not too fruity and leads with refreshing citrus, mineral, and saline notes on the palate. For me, this is another Friday night sushi wine, but you could also pair it with grilled fish, chicken, and goat cheese.
Scribe Riesling Pét Nat
If you’ve never had Pét Nat, now is the time to try it. Pét Nat is short for Pétillant Naturel (natural sparkling) aka Méthode Ancestrale. Simply put, the wine is bottled before primary fermentation is finished and it continues to ferment in the bottle. We know that yeast + sugar = alcohol and carbon dioxide, but because Pét Nat ferments in the bottle, the carbon dioxide is trapped, which is why it’s a sparkling wine. Scribe makes many different types of Pét Nats, but I like their Riesling because it delicious (obvi) and if I don’t drink Riesling during the summer, then clearly something went wrong. I’d pair this wine with fried chicken. If you like spicy foods or want to be dared to try something crazy, the KFC Nashville Hot Tenders would be good with this because alcohol and carbon dioxide makes spicy food spicier and those tenders are worth ALL of the hype.
Ramona Wine Spritz
If you absolutely cannot put down the hard seltzer, you’ll want to try this wine spritz. Ramona Wine Spritz comes in four different flavors: ruby red grapefruit, blood orange, dry rosé, and Meyer lemon. Personally, I’m a blood orange kind of gal, but the other flavors are also *chef’s kiss*. The packaging is cute, which is a plus, and it’s also owned by women! These wine spritzers are perfect to bring to the beach, great on picnics, and would even be fantastic at a concert when those start up again. I’d pair these spritzers with BBQ because Fourth of July is coming up and it’s convenient to have canned wine chilling in the cooler. Honestly, you could eat anything with these.
*Disclaimer: I earn a commission from any purchase made through links in this post. All opinions of these wines and Parcelle are opinions of my own.
