Sum, Sum, Summer Wines

Filed in archive Wine Tasting on June 2, 2007

The heat is on, or at least it will be soon as the temperature rises in most of the world (though, yes, I realize not all). Some of the younger crowd may be thinking bikini time. Then there are those of us that are thinking of shedding those heavy sweaters and heavy wines and turning to lighter ware and vintage as well.

Food and Wine.com has some thoughts on wines for summer time, 25 Best Wines for Summer:

2006 Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc ($14)
Montes, one of Chile's best Sauvignon Blanc producers, makes this crisp, citrusy reserve bottling with grapes from the Leyda valley, close to the Pacific Ocean.

2004 Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay ($20)
Smoky, herbal and full of rich lemon-curd flavors, this sleek white is fermented with wild yeasts, which tend to create more exotic flavors and aromas than commercial strains.

2006 Susana Balbo Crios Rosé of Malbec ($19)
Star Argentine winemaker Susana Balbo uses old-vine Malbec grapes from the Agrelo subregion of Mendoza to create this lightly spicy, strawberry-inflected rosé.

2005 The Show Cabernet Sauvignon ($15)
This ebullient, cassis-driven Cabernet comes from the same trio of innovative wine professionals (including Napa Valley's seemingly ubiquitous Joel Gott) who created the equally engaging Three Thieves label a few years back.

2005 2 up Shiraz ($14)
This affordable new blackberry-rich Shiraz bottling from Australia's Kangarilla Road Winery takes its name from an Australian gambling game that initially became popular with soldiers during World War I.

2001 Chivite Gran Feudo Reserva ($18)
Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot form the blend in this structured red from one of the oldest producers in Spain's Navarra region. Its taste recalls wild boysenberries.