Summer Wines

Summer wine

By David E. Muhleman

In the wine world, there is probably no subject more written about than Summer Wine (followed closely by Holiday Wine). But why is so much written about Summer wine?

Wine is primarily a beverage to go with food, and a beverage to go with social functions. That is the role we give to wine. And in the Summer we eat different foods than we do the rest of the year, and we socialize differently during the Summer.

During the Summer our eating habits tend to swing to the polar opposites; we either look for foods that don’t heat up the kitchen (meaning light meals), or we look for foods to be eaten outside, and often off the grill. The evenings of slow cooked pot roast and potatoes are left behind, replaced by BBQ ribs, smothered in sauce, and an assortment of “burgers and dogs”, ladened with condiments ranging from ketchup and mustard to relish and onions.

During the Summer the wines we chose to drink with these polar opposite meals tends to also vary widely. For those nights where dinner consists of light salads or light snacks, the favorite wine may be a light crisp New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, or a fresh Oregon Pinot Gris. On those nights where there is more BBQ sauce than meat, the choices might be a bold California Zinfandel (preferably from Lodi), or a Shiraz from Southeast Australia. Again, the point being is we eat differently in the Summer, so our wine selection is often different. (An Oregon Pinot Noir or a White Burgundy would totally be wasted with BBQ ribs and KC Masterpiece).

The other difference is we socialize differently in the Summer. We get out of the house more, the weather is better, the day stays lighter later, we have Summer vacations. Our schedules change as the weather changes, and what we do with our time is much different. Not many of us picnic during the Winter months, but most of us picnic in the Summer months, even if it is in the back yard. The point being is we buy “picnic wine” for picnics, which we would not buy in the Winter. I would have to assume 90% of the sangria consumed in a year, is consumed in the Summer.

The Summer months we get out, we have company picnics, we have family reunions, and we have neighbors over after work, our whole entertaining (socializing) habits change. And with those our wine habits change. During the summer entertaining season we tend to look for wines that don’t need to go with food. Wines like Chianti’s get put back in the cellar and California Chardonnays and German Rieslings are more popular. Likewise, during the Summer we are more likely to celebrate graduation, weddings, anniversaries, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, and many other events with sparkling wines (Champagnes). Apart from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, most sparkling wine is consumed at weddings, and other Summer celebrations.

Even events like Sunday Brunches, and outdoor Happy Hours, tend to change the wines we drink during the Summer.

Everything about our lives change in the Summer; when we go to bed, when we get up, the food we eat, the time we take away from work, the trips, etc. Everything changes during the Summer months; so why should not the wines we drink change during the Summer?

Summer is also a great time to experiment and try wines you may not have tried before. To take a small risk and try something you’ve read about, or heard about, but never took the time to try it. For some reason, sitting on the deck/porch seems like a good time to try something new. So try some new wines, and enjoy your Summer.

Until next time, drink good wine.

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