Summer Wines
With these warm days, there will be barbeques, graduation parties, vacations, as well as many social get-togethers taking place. Here are a few ideas that you can use when you are in a rush and want to bring an excellent bottle of wine to any occasion.
Summer Wines
Summer has arrived, and brought the sun with it. With these warm days, there will be barbeques, graduation parties, vacations, as well as many social get-togethers taking place. If you're like me, you will usually be the one bringing the wine to the party. I typically procrastinate, and end up grabbing a bottle on the fly. Unlike myself, I assume most people don't have the luxury of being surrounded by wine every minute of the day, so here are a few ideas that you can use when you are in a rush and want to bring an excellent bottle of wine to any occasion.
Most people prefer to drink outside, so when you're buying wine - keep that in mind. Very bright and clean whites and silky smooth reds are the best way to please a majority of the crowd. While most would like to stay safe, and grab a wine that most people will be familiar with, do something different and use this opportunity to wow the crowd. For a white wine, bring a Greek Assyrtiko from the Santorini region. Lighter in body and beautiful acidity make these wines very approachable and they are surprisingly inexpensive. For a red, I'd go for a nice Cotes du Rhone from France. Generally, Cotes du Rhones are heavily influenced with Syrah and Grenache. Their medium bodied, silky texture, and beautiful fruit make these wines crowd pleasers. I highly recommend the 2010 vintage with its powerful fruit.
You can find these wines in the $10-15 price point. Without breaking the bank, you can look like a genius by bringing wines that people may not be familiar with. When you bring a wine to a party that people fall in love with, it will solidify yourself as the "wine guy/girl," and will save you the time and labor of cooking and cleaning!
Cheers,
Daniel Schmerr
