Wine, Summer, and Festivals

Wine, Summer, and Festivals

By Rebeca M. Pinhas, CSW, CSWS    

Click aqui para español- >Vino, Verano y Festivales

As we are blessed with the few weeks a year where weather is truly perfect, and festivals abound in a post-Covid era, food and drink menus around the city adapt to satisfy our changing palates as temperatures rise. Summer salads, summer cocktails, summer bodies… You name it, and it has a summer version! Does this apply to wine as well?  

While by the time Jazz Fest arrives a strawberry lemonade sounds like the best option for survival, you can continue enjoying wine throughout the summer upon slightly modifying your choices. Which wine styles or grape varieties are best to be enjoyed under the scorching sun? 

These are some of the factors I would take into consideration:

Bubbles.

 Do you ever find yourself craving a soda in the middle of a summer day? Ditch the unnecessary sugar and opt for sparkling wine! By design, tiny bubbles dissolved into liquid are quite attractive to the human palate. The size and amount of bubbles vary widely depending on the production method: from frizzante (slightly sparkling) to the super fine bubbles of Champagne and others made via the Traditional or Champenoise method. 

Acidity. 

The same way most of us enjoy lemonade on a hot day, wines with high acidity tend to feel refreshing as we drink. Acidity provides structure and helps balance wines that would otherwise be too sweet or too fruity. Some grapes known for their high acidity level are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.   

Minerality and salinity. 

Am I the only one who automatically thinks about the ocean when it’s hot out? It may be wishful thinking alone, but these marine qualities truly bring lightness and approachability to wines. Some seaside wines known for their salinity and minerality are Albariño from Rias Baixas in Northwestern Spain and Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc-Roussillon region in France. 

Low alcohol. 

Beware! Being thirsty under the sun may drive you to overdrink, which can be harmful and dangerous and truly defeats the purpose of imbibing. A way to avoid overdrinking is to be aware of the alcohol content of your beverage, and needless to say, drinking water is necessary to keep yourself hydrated and under control. Trust me; you don’t want to be one of those who pass out at a festival or the beach only to wake up looking like a crawfish. 

And believe it or not, red wine is not out of the question, thanks to some trends that aim to produce low extraction offerings. These are wines made with a less aggressive extraction of tannins and color, which creates a fruitier, lighter, and more acidic version of the usual reds. Therefore, you should serve these styles chilled rather than at room temperature. 

Enjoy your summer wines!