When the days turn warm and the afternoons are long and leisurely, my interest turns to good food and refreshing white wines. Mary and I have come to depend on good, inexpensive wines that make lunch or dinner a more sensuous and soothingly lingering experience. Nothing can beat a lively, cool, crisp white wine to make any meal memorable and the company more intimate. There are many excellent wines that offer such qualities but often we turn to one of the three wines listed here.
Experience has taught us that dependability is an important element in truly enjoying a long, summer meal with friends and family. These three wines offer refreshing taste, well matched acidity and minerality, and a knack for making summer foods pop with wide-eyed fun. They are also priced below $20.00.
Our Summer 2016 List
Our go to wine these days is the German Peter Lauer Barrel X Riesling. Peter Lauer has something of a cult status and this entry level offering is worth seeking out. Barrel X is a dry Riesling with nice complexity and nuanced tones. It has great minerality, citrus and green apple notes and a sparkling liveliness from nose to finish. I think you will fully enjoy this superb offering. Pairs great with Asian food, barbecue, blue cheese and fish.
Barrel X normally goes for about $18.00.
Take a peek at Peter Lauer Barrel X
Next on our list is Kim Crawford's Sauvignon Blanc. This is an exciting wine from New Zealand. It's a great place to start if you are looking for some pop in your wine drinking experience. Unlike many Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand it has more tropical fruit, melon and pear elements making it very pleasing and approachable. It's juicy, mouth-watering acidity on top of a tangy fruitiness makes for a real zing that can help any meal reach full potential. Pair it especially with grilled fish, mussels, and shrimp.
You can pick a bottle up for about $16.00.
Here's a nice offering at Wine.com
To finish off things off, we have a Casal Garcia Vinho Verde from Portugal. This is a simple wine that offers fresh, fruity aromas that fit perfectly into a relaxed summer atmosphere. It suggests a hint of effervescence that adds a perky and lively feel to the core of acidity. Casal is crispy dry with just enough fruitiness to make you go back for more time and again. It's a focused wine that stays away from complications. It matches well with sushi, cheese dishes, seafood and salads.
You can probably find this for under $10.00.
Check out Casal Garcia Vinho Verde
I hope you savor these wines as much as Mary and I have over the years. With warm weather upon us, you can enjoy the long, hot days with respectable companions.
Let me know you favorite summer wines.
