White Wine For Hot Summer Imbibing

I don’t know about you, but once the temperatures start heading into short sleeve territory, I start drinking more white wine. Those first couple of sips can be quite refreshing after a long commute, a tough day at the office, or paired with some grilled chicken or fish.

Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio are overwhelmingly the white wines of choice for most wine drinkers. Chardonnay has been the most popular grape of white wine drinkers for at least the last twenty years. Quality Chardonnay is grown in practically every major wine producing region of the world.

Italian Pinot Grigio began to make its mark with white wine drinkers around ten years ago. However, Pinot Grigio is also now grown extensively in California with little discernible difference in quality or taste.

Next on the popularity list for white wine drinkers is Sauvignon Blanc. California and New Zealand have become well known for the quality of their Sauvignon Blanc. The New Zealand whites display grapefruit and passion fruit flavors that are quite distinctive. The bargain minded should also look to Chile for well-made Sauvignon Blanc. Finally, the Loire Valley of France produces some of the worlds most acclaimed wines made from Sauvignon Blanc. Many European wines are named after the specific region where they are made, rather than the grape. Poiully-Fume and Sancerre are wonderful French white wines that are made with the Sauvignon Blanc grape.

If you are looking for a white wine to sip on the deck or by the pool, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc should happily please your palate. You should be aware however, that these extraordinarily popular white wines offer just a hint of the broad number of wines available to the adventurous white wine drinker.   

(Newtown resident and wine enthusiast Steve Small is the general manager at Yankee Wine & Spirits on Queen Street.)