After listening to colleagues Michael Franz and Paul Lukacs riff with Kojo (you can click here and listen) about their wine preferences for the Fourth of July, I couldn’t resist the temptation to add my own two cents to the discussion.
While I agree in principle that lighter reds — those lower in tannin and alcohol, such as Italy’s Dolcetto or France’s Beaujolais — might work best with a plate of barbecued meats on a warm summer day, I wonder about the rest of the July 4th experience — away from the picnic table.
In my neighnorhood, folks gather hours in advance of the fireworks to sun or wade through the surf or just hang out under an umbrella with a trashy novel and a cool, refreshing adult beverage.
What of these times? What would Robert drink? Heh, heh.
Well, for starters, that Leth Gruner Veltliner I had Wednesday night before the Shakespere Festival at The Old Globe would be high on my list. It was not only crisp and refreshing, but exhibited more heft than is typical of Gruner, and was slightly rounder and softer. The sort of wine you could sip for hours.
Then there is Prosecco, currently all the rage. This festive bubbly from northern Italy is fairly priced (between $12 and $20) and absolutely perfect with tapas or antipasti. Two of my fave producers are Adami and Bisol, and I generally prefer the bruts to the extra dry Proseccos, but in the slightly sweeter realm of extra dry (I know, it seems like a contradiction) the Prosecco from Cartizze, the only cru in the region, is generally well-balanced and a bit more complex despite higher levels of sugar.
Finally, I might want to add a rose or two to the mix. They’re fabulous quaffers on a hot summer day, and extremely versatile with all manner of food, from olives and goat cheese to spicy sausages or barbecued salmon.
Two I am almost never disappointed with are the Bodegas Julian Chivite Gran Feudo Rosado, from Spain’s Navarra region, and Chateau d’Aqueria Tavel Rose from the south of France.
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