06/16/08 Summer Wine Part 1

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Finally it is beginning to feel like summer and with the warmer weather comes the promise of some great summer wines. Today we begin a series about some of the best wines for summer sipping. When it comes to the cool white wines of summer we should probably begin with the old standbys Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. To me many Chardonnays are so oaked and creamy they seem almost too for the summer  but stop and take another look. Many wineries are producing unoaked Chardonnay that is crisp and clean you can actually taste the fruit! Also, consider French white Burgundies with a higher level of acidity they are crisp and fresh instead of cloying and thick. Also look for innovative examples of Chard such as the delightfully light un-oaked Chardonnays from Australia that sees no malolactic and no oak. The result is pure fruit, a lighter mouth feel and a zippy finish. Sauvignon Blanc is still one of my favorite summer whites. Its natural acidity and rather citrus fruit is wonderful on a hot summer day. Sauvignon Blanc has found a home in New Zealand where the wines are as dry as it gets, with distinct aromas it is undeniably delicious. Join me tomorrow as we continue our discussion of summer wines and thanks for joing me on today's Vine to Wine.