Summer time means lighter fare, weekend cookouts, beach and lake trips, the outdoor life, right?

It all leads to less red wine consumption and more whites. So when you prepare your lighter meals, what kind of white wine are you reaching for? There is little argument that Chardonnay is the most popular wine in America. After all it's available in every wine store and for some it is virtually the only wine that comes to mind when white wine is mentioned. In recent years Sauvignon Blanc has also become very popular, largely because of the success of the New Zealand whites with their crisp acidity, clean unoaked flavors and wonderful affinity with many different foods.

There are so many wonderful whites that end up lumped into the "other white" grouping. For those who love variety, the choices are endless.

For example, some favorites are the Rhone styled wines which come not only from the original French sources but also from New World sources like Australia and Central California. These wines are made from the Rhone based grapes like Roussanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc. The light crisp flavors of Roussane mix well with the nuttiness of Marsanne or the richness of Grenache Blanc and though each can make lovely individual wines, the blends are especially nice. The lovely (and hard to pronounce) Viognier (Vee-oh-nee-ay) has nice characteristics of peaches, pears, nectarines and its trademark Jasmine nose is unmistakable. These wines are usually very lightly oaked, (if at all) making them especially food friendly.

Italians have always had lots of interesting whites to choose from, in fact their most widely planted grape is the ubiquitous Trebbiano, but most of that never leaves the country. Pinot Grigio is currently the most well known of the Italian imports but there are also wonderful little regional favorites like Vermentino, usually from Sicily or Tuscany, which is often blended with other grapes including Chardonnay to produce wines which have a fresh dry taste, with a tad of acidity and a slightly bitter finish that picks up nicely with fresh seafood dishes. Another option is Vernaccia, which has a slight almond flavor to go with its light and fruity but dry notes. In Sardinia they take the Friulian grape called Verduzzo with its floral and honeyed notes and combine it with Pinot Grigio, the result is a crisp refreshing wine with a medium body. From the Piedmont area the wines from the grape Arneis have recently newfound popularity, with notes of apple pear and hint of licorice.  

Spanish wines also have many varieties to choose from including Albarino, with its peach, melon, and apricot characteristics, Godello, a tangy wine that is both dry and light bodied and Verdejo a nutty varietal which is sometimes blended with Sauvignon Blanc.

I could go on. Suffice to say that there are many great whites to pick from.  The beauty of these light crispy wines is that, although each has its own characteristics, they are often interchangeable, so you don't have to knock yourself out trying to pull off the perfect pairing. Chill one up and enjoy your summer!

About the Vintner 

The Wine Club has been offering fine wines and accessories at discounted prices since 1985. Today there are 3 stores in California: Santa Ana, San Francisco, and Santa Clara, and www.thewineclub.com, a web store that has a constantly changing inventory of over 1200 different wines and accessory items for you to choose from, you can pick them up or we can ship to most of the USA. Stores are open 7 days a week and each has wine tasting events scheduled on most weekends, so come on by and visit.