Memorial Day is one of my favorite holidays, especially now living on the Russian River. A day to honor our war heroes, it also unofficially signals the coming of summer. Time to pull out your whites and diverse wine varietals including refreshing rosés from around the world. White wines I enjoy on a warm day are Albariño from Spain, Viognier from the Rhone region of France, Dry Rieslings from the Rhine region of Germany, and Gruner Veltnier from Austria. Other interesting varietals to try are Torrantes originating from Argentina, Italian Malvasia Bianca, Pinot Blanc, and Gewurztraminer, the spicy grape originally from Germany.
Branch out and try wines you’ve never before tasted. Expand your palate. Dry Rieslings are all about freshness displaying flowery, almost perfumed aromas, as well as high acidity, giving them backbone and making them a perfect counterpoint for many foods. Great ones yield from Alsace, try one from Germany or Australia.
Supplement your education with summer reading choosing among the many well-researched and informative books about wine. Informed local writers include Linda Murphy, Leslie Sbrocco, Chris Sawyer, Karen MacNeil, Tim Fis, and you can tune into Ziggy the Wine Gal for Wine Wednesday on the KRUSH. Like most opportunities in life, the more you learn, the greater the experience.
A chef develops a palate by expanding his or her vocabulary of food — tasting diverse ethnic flavors, experimenting with spices and textures. The more you taste, the greater your awareness of what appeals to your unique sense of taste. Sip wines, do they taste like cherries from your backyard tree, blackberries just picked off the vine? Does the smell resemble a barnyard with nuances of fresh straw, hay, or even earthy soil heated from the sun? Be creative in identifying the complexities of wine.
When I began learning about wine, I was transported back to my early childhood visiting farms in Utah each summer, the smell of fresh baked yeasty bread coming from my grandmother’s kitchen. These cherished memories developed my senses at a very early age. One time I tasted a Cinsaut Rosé and suddenly there I was in a wide sunny field devouring wild strawberries.
Summer is a great time to entertain family and friends. While attending music in your community’s plaza, square or green, share your wines with others. Taste these wines on their own and then see how they evolve when food is introduced.
Relevance for Today: Explore and expand your wine vocabulary this summer. Introduce friends to varietals they may have never tasted. Research how these wines pair with summer delicacies and remember to trust your palate. You might be surprised as to where it will lead.
One of my favorite French Proverbs is: “In water one sees one’s own face, but in wine, one beholds the heart of another.”
Marie Gewirtz represents wine and food clients with marketing and communications in Sonoma County and throughout the world. She can be reached at
wi*******@so********.com
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