OK, the holidays are long gone, the snow is (or
was) leaving...time to think about a few "summer
time" wines!!
Naturally, most of us first think of Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay for our summer
tastings. While I would never disagree with those choices, lets try to
think about a few of the more obscure varietals.
One of my all time favorite white wines is Viognier. While this wine is
not for the faint of heart, it can be very rewarding for the adventurous. Most
quality Viognier's have a lush peach and honeysuckle quality, and some have
been known to have a lanolin smoothness to them.
One that I dearly love
is new to the Fairbanks area, the winery is called Christine Andrew,
while these are still new to this area with a bit
of search you can find them. The
other that stands out in my opinion is a absolutely beautiful wine from Bridlewood. This
can be found at most of your wine retailers.
Next, I would like to talk about a wine that I
tried with a very special friend who passed away
a few years back, the one and only Paul Rossi. Paul
always reminded me to keep an open mind when it
came to wine as well as in life.
With this point, I bring you to..... the blush
wine. Pink
wine, blush wine, not red/not white wine, rose
wine...whatever you call it, not all blush wines
are the same. Far from it. There are
actually some very flavorful, mild body, cool and
crisp blush wines out there. NO, not all "pink" wines
are sweet!! Some of the finest rose wines
come from the southern Rhone area of France, namely
the Tavel appellation. Bone-dry with a
fair amount of spice and berry flavors, these wines
pair very well with light bodied grilled foods
or simply on their own.
One very nice, very
inexpensive rose is from Red Bicyclette,
and yes it is from France.
Give these two wines
a try at your next summer time event, open the
eyes and maybe the hearts of some of your friends
Cheers!
Dave
