Summer time is here

Yes, it’s summer

My time of year”

“Summer in the City”

“Hot Fun in the Summertime”

“Surfin U S A”

“California Sun”

“Saturday in the Park”

“Summer Wind”

Now let’s jog your memory with a list of summer wines.

For sparkling wine Freixenet and Cristalino, both of Spanish origin, are quite nice and reasonable in price. They come in a variety of styles. Freixenet is known for its black label, but summer is a good time to experiment with its clear bottles,especially Carta Nevada. Cristalino makes a nice rose` style sparkling.

As wines go, Veramonte has an excellent Sauvignon Blanc and these following brands come to mind, as well. Sterling Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, Mondavi Private Selection Riesling, Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc, Meridian Chardonnay, St Michelle Riesling and Chardonnay, Snoqualmie Sauvignon Blanc and Pacific Rim Dry Riesling.

For red varietals, investigate Tapena~, Garnacha and Tempranillo, Blackstone Merlot, Rodney Strong P.Noir, Meridian P. Noir, Marques de Caceras and Norton.

These suggestions and lists are obviously not set in stone nor are they all inclusive. However, they do contain and reflect brands and styles that consistently maintained both quality,price and taste over the years.

Finally, these wines are quite enjoyable as “stand alones” or for pairings with summer foods and dishes. Just think of them as a bibliography for wine but the topics, genres(styles) and authors(brands) in the entire library are comprised of much more and your liking for them may change over time. Still, this is certainly a good point to start, if you haven’t already.