The Wines I'm Drinking Now

The unofficial start of summer has come and gone, which means it’s time to enjoy some warmer weather wines al fresco! I’ve been doing the difficult, thankless, and time-consuming task of sampling wines so I know which ones to recommend to you for the summer season. So, without further ado, here are my favorites for the summer 2024 edition of “the wines I’m drinking now”!

For most of you out there, we have four seasons a year: fall, winter, spring, and summer. But Florida being Florida and all, we have to be different so our seasons down here in the sunshine state include: the rainy season (May – September), the snowbird season (when all the tourists come to visit or stay from Thanksgiving through Easter), the hurricane season (June – November), alligator mating season (April – June), and the dry season (October – April) just to name a few.

But truth be told, we really only have two seasons in Florida, each of which lasts about 6 months: the summer season (May – October), where it’s hot, extremely humid, and we have thunderstorms almost every afternoon (which I absolutely love – can’t take the Oklahoma out of the Oklahoma boy!); and what I refer to as the perfect weather season (November – April), where we have high temps in the 60’s, 70’s and low 80’s, no humidity, and the sun is always shining with little to no rain. That’s six months of hell, followed by six months of bliss!

Actually, summer here is pretty much like summer in the mid-Atlantic and the DC-area – hazy, hot, and humid. But interestingly, it never gets as hot down here as it did when we lived in DC. The hottest it’s ever been since we moved down here three years ago is 98 degrees – we used to routinely bust 100 degrees in August in DC. The real difference is summer in DC only lasts about 3-4 months, while summer down here extends for six months. It’s relentless!

Which brings me to the topic of this blog post – my summer wine picks for you all! These wines are all perfect for sipping out on the deck on a lazy afternoon or paired with a meal dining al fresco. Give these a try and let me know what you think!

• 2022 Cantina Mesa Vermentino di Sardegna Giunco, Sardinia, Italy ($23): This is a lip-smacking wine with zesty citrus fruit and nervy acidity. It’s light and refreshing, showing hints of lime, tangerine, kiwi, and white pepper on the finish. This is a lovely, complex wine that’s perfect sipped on its own or paired with tomatoes, salads, or pasta with a white bolognaise sauce. Italian wines are severely underrated – try them and you will see what I mean!
  

• 2022 Daou Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, California ($20): Yum! This is a fruit-forward, lighter style of Cabernet Sauvignon that is an ideal match for an early season grilled ribeye with corn on the cob and loaded baked potatoes. Medium-bodied, this wine tastes of blackberries, raspberries, and dark cherries that burst in the mouth along with light vanilla notes and soft tannins. One of the absolute best Cabernet Sauvignons available at this price point, and it’s widely available as well!

• 2021 Midnight Cellars Aurora, Paso Robles, California ($39): A mix of Viognier, Picpoul Blanc, and Grenache Blanc make up this unique wine from California. It’s like spring in a glass, with notes of honeysuckle, apricot, pear, and citrus. It has nice acidity that creates a perfect balance to the lush fruit. This one is full-bodied, making it a perfect match for appetizers like cannellini bean dip with grilled pita, or Oysters Rockefeller.

• 2021 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier White Blend, Napa Valley, CA ($12): An amazing wine for the price, this blend of 80% Chenin Blanc and 20% Viognier is consistently great year-to-year, and one of the best wine values available out there. Lots of tropical fruit flavors here, with hints of green apple, pineapple, and lychee. It’s medium-bodied, but has plenty of acidity to make it refreshing and clean. Perfect with a grilled chicken Caesar salad! Also, easy to find, almost anywhere!!!
  

• 2022 A to Z Wineworks Pinot Gris, Oregon ($13): This is a wine tailor-made for fish, grilled or otherwise. It’s light and lean, with beautiful peach and citrus flavors along with light spice on the finish. A great deck sipper on its own, but also perfect with any grilled white fish – snapper or halibut would be my first choices! Also, available almost everywhere!

• 2022 Far Niente Post & Beam Chardonnay, Carneros, California ($35): This is Far Niente’s “cheaper cousin” to their well-known luxury Chardonnay that goes for $50 and up. It’s a full-bodied Chardonnay that is fruit-forward with loads of tropical fruit, lemon/lime, and stone fruit as well. Soft acidity gives way to light oak and hints of honey and vanilla on the finish. While some might think this is an odd choice for a summer wine, I find this wine to be perfect for a cooler summer day. Serve it with grilled salmon fillets along with rice and broccoli.

• 2021 Gundlach Bundschu Gun Bun Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma, California ($35): Gundlach Bundschu is a funky, fun winery that specializes in weird! Their wines are absolutely delicious, and this is an exciting one I recently discovered at our favorite restaurant in Sarasota, Meliora. It’s a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Zinfandel. It has lots of ripe fruit – blueberry, blackberry, and plumb, along with nice spice courtesy of the Zinfandel. It drinks smooth and silky, with light tannins and a long finish. Great with hamburgers or grilled brauts!

• 2022 Maryhill Viognier, Columbia Valley, Washington ($14): This is an easy drinking wine that showcases all the beautiful flavors of a classic Viognier wine – orange and tangerine, honeysuckle and floral notes, pepper spice, and vanilla. It’s got nice body with a vein of acidity from start to finish. Refreshing and clean, this wine would be perfect with a cold pasta salad. Get out of your comfort zone and try this wine – you won’t regret it!

As usual, I'll be taking the month of June off from blogging but will be back with my next blog on July 5th. Until then, enjoy these wines and the beginning of summer!!