Even if you've ardently observed National Rosé Day and are a regular at Center City Sips, it may be time to admit that you know nothing about wine. Or, at least, not much on how to pick the best bottle from season to season. As many of our Philly drink experts – who include restaurant owners, beverage managers and professional sommeliers – point out, summer wine doesn't have to mean light and cheap (though you can get a tasty buzz without shelling out too much cash). Here we spill the deets about 15 summer wines from around the world, each perfectly suitable for anything from a backyard barbecue to a pricey seafood dinner. Read up and you'll be sniffing your wine glass and using vino jargon in no time!
Cashman & Associates/for PhillyVoiceJordan Fuller of Barclay Prime.Jordan Fuller
“The Chablis region is located in the northern part of Burgundy and made from 100 percent chardonnay. It’s a cool climate region and, as a result, the wine is crisp and high in acidity. The soil in Chablis is a special limestone called Kimmeridgean with fossilized seashells that impart a distinct minerality to the wine; almost like fresh oyster, it’s briny and salty.”
“It has notes of tropical fruit such as pineapple or passion fruit with apricot and peach and a hint of spice clove and floral lavender. Produced in the Columbia Valley of Washington state, it’s great as an aperitif with natural, but not overwhelming, sweetness coming from riesling grapes.”
Favorite summer wine: Fontezoppa Cuvée Rosé (Italy) Price: $15 a glass, $75 a bottle Pair with: Seafood, soft cheeses, fruit
“Combining the dual allure of its super-small production cache – just 600 cases produced – and its super-rare vernaccia nera grapes, this sparkling Italian rosé advances a heightened level of effervescent sophistication to the rosé resurgence of the summer of ‘17. In the glass, it comes with more layering of flavors than we have a right to expect from such a delicately coral-salmon-hued bubbly!”
“Summer wines should be fun, and this one reminds me of childhood summers: like a green apple Jolly Rancher, but refined, with notes of lime and white pepper. It’s fun and light, but with plenty of boldflavor.”
Cashman & Associates/for PhillyVoiceGreg Root of Root Restaurant & Wine Bar.
Favorite summer wine: CastelfederKerner (Italy) Price: $18-$23 Pair with: Most dishes, or by itself
“My favorite wine currently is Kerner from Castelfeder, grown in the Alto Adige region of Northern Italy. A clone of the riesling grape, kerner is beautifully balanced with vibrant acidity and can be paired with many dishes or enjoyed on its own. It is crisp, yet also complex and versatile. This wine has bright but refined flavors and fresh fruity aromas with hints of mango and lime. ”
“It’s silky and easy-drinking, with notes of raspberry, peach and nectarine. It’s a favorite out at Enoteca Tredici in Bryn Mawr and my go-to on a hot summer evening.”
“Channing Daughters owner James Christopher Tracy was a chef prior to becoming a winemaker, and he is doing very cool stuff. He experiments with different vineyards, unusual varietals and different fermentation styles, but everything is grown reasonably and sustainably, then hand-picked. This particular wine is light, with great acidity, and it goes great with food.”
“Summer wines are so often synonymous with simple and cheap. Summer wine seems limited to one of two types: a light, simple white or a light, simple rosé. A summer wine can be so much more than that – it should be just as interesting and complex served at any other time of the year. The Canary Islands have gotten so much attention in recent years that it’s easy to see this remote Spanish outpost as a fad; then you re-taste the wines that remind you of why people started paying attention in the first place.”
Gloss PR/for PhillyVoicePatrick Cappiello of Walnut Street Cafe.
Favorite summer wines: a trio from Weingut Knauss (Germany) Price: $12-$18 Pair with: Pizza, barbecue... just about everything
“I’d direct attention to a trio of wines from the same winery, Weingut Knauss, in Swabia, Germany. Andy Knauss has a light red and rosé made from the trollinger grape, as well as a riesling. All three of these wines are his entry-level wines, are well-made, cover a lot of ground with food, sold in liter bottles and definitely will not break the bank. If you can’t escape the city this summer, make sure to bring the red to Pizzeria Beddia, the rosé to a backyard party and the riesling to a rad urban picnic, and you're sure to make new friends.”
“During the summer is when I drink a lot of sparkling wines – this summer I have been enjoying Selbach-Oster’s Brut Sekt. A Sekt is a style of German sparkling wine and this one is made from riesling in the Mosel Valley. Refreshing bubbles and very delicious fruit.”
Bonfire Media/for PhillyVoiceZach Morris of Green Engine Coffee.
Morris will soon be opening a second location of the Haverford-based Green Engine Coffee in the Headhouse District, which will serve wine.
“To pair a season like summer with a wine, my first thought is the setting. Summer is the time to share, outside, probably around the grill, family-style. It’s certainly not new information that people are gravitating to rosé for summer and I agree with the masses. These wines are abundant in Catalunya and increasingly easy to find stateside. In PA state stores, I’ve found quite a few this year, and one in particular is super easy to get your hands on, plus it’s a bargain.”
Favorite summer wine: Zestos Garnacha (Spain) Price: $8+ Pair with: Pizza, paninis, burgers, fajitas, quesadillas and other casual fare
“This rosé is inspired by Provence but deeper in color and zippier on the palate. A total thirst-quencher. It’s like drinking a perfectly ripe pink grapefruit in the best possible way.”
“It has aromas of lychee, pineapple and nectarine along with notes of grapefruit and lime. Its citrus and tropical flavors are great for a summer dinner out. It goes great with grilled foods in the backyard and is an all-around great wine for any summer occasion.
“This wine is fresh and crisp with mineral and salinity notes and ripe aromas of citrus and peaches. It’s fantastic to enjoy while sitting on the patio or with summer’s best seafood catch.”