The Wines I'm Drinking Now - Summer 2023 Edition

As we approach the dog days of summer, I’m seeking out wines that pair well with the season. That means lighter, fresher wines with zesty acidity and lip-smacking fruit that provide the perfect foil for the warmer weather. Here are some of the wines I’m enjoying now!

I’m always looking for new and interesting wines to taste. While Laurie and I have our favorite “everyday wines” that we buy on a regular basis, we love venturing out and expanding our horizons by routinely trying different wines we have never tasted before. We are usually rewarded with delicious and high-quality wines that don’t break the bank.

So recently, I went to one of our local wine stores with the goal of selecting a half case or so of wines that I had never tried before, and that were interesting to me or somewhat unusual and unique in some way. I could have easily filled a full case of wine, but ended up necking it down to the ones that intrigued me the most. Since the weather is really hot and humid down here these days, I focused on warm-weather wines that were refreshing and light, and perfect for sipping out on the lanai or deck.

I ended up picking five young wines from the 2021 vintage: two Pinot Gris from Oregon, two Chardonnays (one from Washington, one from California), and an orange wine from California’s central coast. What’s an orange wine you ask? Read on to find out!

• 2021 Cooper Mountain Vineyards Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley Oregon ($22). If you have never tried wines from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, you are missing out! These cool-climate wines are light in body with bright fruit and refreshing acidity – perfect for those long, lazy days of summer! This wine is a stunner. It is light gold in color, with scents of apricot, green apple, and white pepper on the nose. When I taste it I get hints of pear and citrus fruit, followed by light spice and bright acidity on the finish. But there’s also a lushness to this wine that provides a really nice counterpoint to the acidity. I’d be proud to serve this gem at any wine tasting dinner – it’s that good! Enjoy on its own or paired with a grilled chicken sandwich with roasted red pepper sauce!

• 2021 Cooper Hill Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley Oregon ($19). This wine is a second label for Cooper Mountain Vineyards – they specialize in organic wines and organically grown grapes. This wine has amazing clarity in the glass. I can smell a hint of almond, peach, and lemon when I swirl and sniff this one. This medium-bodied wine tastes of lemon, lime, and pear. The acidity is tight and lean, a textbook Pinot Gris from Oregon! I absolutely love these wines for their balance, refreshing character, and complexity. Pair this one with a cold gazpacho soup and fresh greens salad with a champagne vinaigrette.

• 2021 Dusted Valley Olsen Vineyard Chardonnay, Yakima Valley Washington ($30). Yakima Valley is in south-central Washington, and has an arid climate with mostly dry and mild weather – perfect for wine growing! This wine comes at a premium at $30 a bottle, but I consider it a value wine because what you get is amazing for the price. Everything about this wine is elegant and refined. It’s medium-bodied with a restrained hand used in the oak aging process. The nose is fragrant with notes of peach and kiwi. There’s an explosion of fruit flavors in the mouth, with tropical fruit notes of pineapple and lemon & lime as well. The acidity and oak treatment are nicely balanced and restrained in style – absolutely delicious! This wine would pair perfectly with a desert of grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream.

• 2021 Cline Family Cellars Hat Strap Chardonnay, Los Carneros California ($28). I rarely drink Cline Family white wines, not because I don’t like them but because I’m more familiar with their red wines which are readily available at the larger wine stores. So, I was excited to find this bottling which I hadn’t seen before. This wine is light gold in color with a big nose full of nectarine, pineapple, and citrus. Full-bodied, this wine is complex and beautifully balanced. Soft tropical fruit, along with orange and apricot flavors burst in the mouth. There’s a nice punch of lemon/lime citrus and acidity on the finish, keeping everything refreshing. I sense a hint of almond and bitterness on the finish, with just the lightest indication of oak to smooth everything out. I’d pair this one with seared scallops with a lemon-butter sauce.

• 2021 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Orange, Central Coast California ($15). Orange wines are all the rage now, and for good reason. So what exactly is an orange wine? First, it’s not a wine made from oranges (sorry, Florida)! Instead, it’s a wine made from white wine grapes. The juice is fermented along with the grape skins and seeds which results in an orange-hued wine. This wine is made with Grenache Blanc, Grenache, and Orange Muscat grapes. Copper colored in the glass, it’s a medium bodied wine with a lot going on! I get scents of tangerine on the noise, along with tangerine and fruit salad in the mouth. It has a nice lingering finish with refreshing acidity. This is a great substitute if you want to take a break from Rose wines – it’s very similar in style, yet shows a unique character with a bit of an edge! I’d pair this wine with a grilled pork tenderloin with grilled veggies.

Search out these wines and give them a try - I'd love to know what you think of them! And for our Sarasota friends, you can find all of these wines at local ABC stores!