Summer is always a bit like an energetic young animal – charging out of May, sprinting through June, reaching peak speed around Independence day, and then limping turgidly through August.
These wines will help you make it through the summer doldrums.
The above photo of a Flora Springs vineyard in Napa Valley says it all.
2023 Beronia Rueda Verdejo ($14). Lots of pleasant green fruits, a touch of creaminess and fresh herbal spices in the finish.
2022 William Hill California Sauvignon Blanc ($17). Enjoyable, with green fruit that is more creamy than tart, with a touch of spiciness in the finish.
2023 Mendes & Symington “Contracto” Vinho Verde Alvarhino ($22). Very approachable with straightforward green fruitiness – especially lime – and light tannins at the edges.
2023 Pazo de Lusco Rias Baixas Albariño ($25). Very nice, especially at this price – great depth of textures and complexity with flavors of whey, green fruits and tangy spices.
2021 Beringer Napa Valley Private Reserve Chardonnay ($50). A full-bodied and mildly toasty Chard with good apple fruitiness – an excellent poultry wine.
2023 Flora Springs “Soliloquy” Napa Valley White Wine ($70). A delightful icon of Napa whites, it has great structure and floral, spicy flavors with notes of green fruits in the finish.
2023 Dr. Konstantin Frank Finger Lakes Rosé of Saperavi ($25). Like a Loire Valley pink with baking spice aromas and ripe, red cherry freshness and a few tannins in the finish.
2023 San Leonardo “Gemma” Trentino Lagrein Rosato ($30). Very enjoyable, with satiny texture and strawberry and citrus flavors.
NV La Vieille Ferme Vin de France Sparkling Rosé ($12), Rounded strawberry and citrus flavors with good persistence of bubbles and a fresh finish.
NV Marques de Cáceres Cava Brut ($13). Lively herbal and yeasty aromas reflected in the flavors along with some lemon and mellow apples in the finish.
NV Alma Negro Mendoza Brut Nature Rosé ($23). Very enjoyable – tightly knit, emphasizing bubbles and intensity, with light strawberry and citrus flavors.
NV Miguel Torres “Estelado” Chile Brut Rosé ($23). Very nice berry and citrus flavors with some savory notes from the native Pais grape.
2020 Beronia Rioja Crianza Tempranillo ($15). Light, like a Left Bank Bordeaux with barrel notes and cassis and subdued red berry flavors.
NV Marietta Cellars “Lot Number 74” California Old-Vine Red ($20). A California staple devoted to the idea of field blends – this release has cherry plus berry fruit with a lightly tart finish.
2022 Seghessio Sonoma County Zinfandel ($21). Very harmonious, with ripe red fruits and a mellow tinge in the finish.
2020 San Felice “Il Grigio” Chianti Classico Riserva ($27). Full-flavored red with tart berry flavors, good acidity and dusty tannins.
2021 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($35). Very smooth with creamy blackberry fruit yet still lean and bacony in the finish.
2021 Dr. Konstantin Frank Finger Lakes Saperavi ($35). This Eastern European grape makes for a good quaffing wine with its light, spicy fruitiness and a few savory hints.
2022 Seghessio “Cortina” Dry Creek Zinfandel ($44). Ripe red fruits, somewhat assertive, with tangy and tannic finish.
2020 San Felice “Vigorello” Toscana IGT ($67). Very pleasant, with satisfying red fruits, a bit of earthiness, good integrated tannins, and a crisp finish.
2019 San Felice “Campogiovanni” Brunello di Montalcino ($69). Good flavors, though light in body with dark blackberry fruits with lots of tannins and long on the palate.
2022 Moone-Tsai “Corinne Cuvée” Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir ($120). Very minerally and complex with more cherry than raspberry flavors – just a lovely wine, lightly high in alcohol.
NV Warre’s White Port ($18). Very nice, with sweet but balanced creamy flavors. Serve well-chilled or, as it is a higher-alcohol fortified wine, over ice.
NV Gonzalez Byass “Tio Pepe” Palomino Muy Seco Fino Sherry ($20). A little more assertive, it seems, than traditional Pepes have been, though still with the lovely hickory nut and almond flavors.
Prices listed are generally SRP or from wine-searcher.com. As more wineries are now shipping direct-to-consumer, check the winery website if you can’t find a bottle in your retail store.
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