SUMMER TIME FOR FUN FOOD AND WINE
Lighter, fresher tipples enhance patio dining scene
Summer has always been a fleeting experience on the West Coast, which is why we need to embrace it as quickly as possible before it’s gone.
Instinctively, we stash our sweaters and rain jackets for shorts and sunscreen, but when it comes to wine we seem reluctant to jettison the Cabernets and Chardonnays for something just a little lighter and fresher. Today we look at some summer classics built more for refreshment and fun than contemplation.
We begin with a Portuguese classic: Vinho Verde. The Gazela Vinho Verde ($11.45) is as simple a white wine as they come, but it is the ultimate summer sipper with green melon, nutty mineral aromas and zesty, almost watery, fruit flavours with a touch of spritz. If you have forgotten this wine or perhaps never had it, chill it down and serve with tapas-like food bites for a perfect match.
From Portugal, we head to the south of France, where the safe pick is Provencal Rosé but the value pick, and far more interesting, is Picpoul. Picpoul is an ancient grape making bright, clear fresh white wine with floral notes, delicate watery fruit and plenty of refreshing acidity. Think of it as a squeeze of lemon for your food. It’s perfect with shellfish and just as much fun with a charcuterie plate. Our pick is the tasty Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet Les Pins De Camille ($16.49). When everyone is drinking Rosé or Sauvignon Blanc you’ll be sipping Picpoul and looking like the ultimate wine hipster.
The trendy Austrian grape Grüner Veltliner will see you sipping an uber-cool varietal white that is food friendly. A consistent performer in this market is the Laurenz V. Und Sophie Singing Grüner Veltliner ($22.49) that presents dry and sapid with gooseberry, green fig and white pepper notes flecked with bits of tangerine. If you want to learn a thing or two (I know it’s summer and you just want to have fun), try serving this wine alongside Pipe Dreams Grüner Veltliner from Oliver in the south Okanagan. It’s a softer rounder version that comes with fresh, pink grapefruit acidity and yellow apple, peach flavours.
The wine category best positioned to connect with consumers this summer is Rhone Valley whites. Trading off the popularity of Rhone reds, Rhone whites made with a curious mix of Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier and others is finding traction with food lovers. Case in point is the Louis Bernard Côtes du Rhône Blanc Villages Blanc ($15.49). It’s hard to believe how tasty this wine can be for so little money. It is another white wine seemingly made for the wealth of seafood we have available to us on the coast. It offers crazy value if you like dry, white wine. A local equivalent is the snappy Quails’ Gate Chasselas-Pinot BlancPinot Gris ($17.99). The attack is ultrafresh and clean mixing floral, pear, grapefruit and honey flavours. A simple but refreshing summer sipper for the patio and assorted sushi. Load up.
Riesling and summer are often inseparable as the warmth of the days and the freshness of Riesling seem to melt into each other. Riesling’s flavours only exceed the variety of foods that pair with it. Think Thai, Korean, Chinese, barbecue and more. Current favourites include: a dry, stylish South Australian Eden Valley Pewsey Vale Single Vineyard Estate Riesling 2016 ($19.99) packed full of floral notes, dried herbs, white pepper and tight, fresh, lime pith acidity. The finish is equally dry and stony with a touch of sea salt that calls for food.
Locally, the Monte Creek Ranch 2016 Riesling ($16.99) over-delivers with its streamlined super bright white peach, yellow apple and lime pulp flavours. Maybe the best yet is the Tantalus Riesling 2016 ($19.91) from East Kelowna. A serious bargain you can serve with just about anything you can imagine.
If you need red for all that grilled meat our pick is the tasty super-bargain Paul Mas Estate Single Vineyard Collection Malbec 2015 ($13.99), stuffed full of rich, plummy, blackberry and black pepper flavours.
All you need add is a patio, and friends.