Summer Wine

Summer Wine is a song written by Lee Hazlewood, and although it was first recorded by Suzi Jane Hokom and Lee Hazlewood in 1966, it was actually Nancy Sinatra that made it famous when she teamed up with Lee Hazlewood in 1967.   Although that song is about a guy who meets a woman, drinks too much wine, and wakes up hung over and missing his wallet, this writing is just about the wine part.  And I’ve discovered some new ones lately that have to be added to the list of favorites.

One of my all time favorite wines is an Old Vine Zinfandel.  I just love it, served slightly chilled, and it goes with all things BBQ!  Let me re-phrase that, it goes with everything and nothing.  You can enjoy it with weeknight take out, your favorite eat in meal, or all by itself.  So when my favorite wine store got in another new Old Vine Zinfandel, I was the first person to put my hand up and say ‘I’ll try it’!  It was delicious.  Small concentrated clusters of grapes and old vines between 60 and 80 years old like the ones at Bogle produce a fabulous rich and intense wine.   Lively red cranberry flavors with hints of pepper and juicy ripe fruit – what’s not to love.

While we are visiting the Bogle vineyard in California, I had the privilege to have their Merlot.  Now… I love a good Merlot.  I know Merlot took a beating after the movie Sideways came out in 2004, when Paul Giamatti’s character Miles kept repeating “I’m not drinking any f***in’ Merlot.  But don’t let that stop you from enjoying a Merlot.  If you’ve never tried Merlot, let this beauty be the first.  Summer plums and sweet cherries make for a decadent silky smooth wine.  The toasted vanilla at the finish just makes you want another sip.  Pork or pasta – this is your wine.

Love white wine?  Love a crisp refreshing delicious white wine?  Try this beautiful Sauvignon Blanc from Eradus in New Zealand.  This top rated wine has been given 91 points and is under $20.  Gorgeous citrus, bell pepper and herbal notes make this the perfect wine for summer salads.  And here’s another one.

I took this picture last Saturday evening during post tropical storm Arthur.  I had this gorgeous Chardonnay chilling in fridge, and decided to enjoy it with my summer salad and chicken I had barbecued the evening before.  The 490 meters Chardonnay is fresh and fruity which made it a perfect match with this meal.  By the way, I had tried a new dressing.  I make 99% of my own salad dressings and this one was especially tasty.  Take olive oil, white vinegar, some grainy mustard, maple syrup, a dash of honey and pepper.   It’s my new favorite salad dressing for Summer.

My friend Anthony told me to try this Carmenere, that it was absolutely fantastic.  And try it I did!  Given 92 points recently, this delicious wine comes in at a delicious price, at just under $25.  Anthony was telling me about the layers and I was pleasantly surprised by how complex and layered this wine was.  Oak on the front, and then layers of dark rich fruit, smoke, and herbal notes.  A nice finish with good tannic structure, this Carmenere also has some Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, so it’s no surprise to me how good it was.   I continue to be awed by the wines coming out of Chile.  They are producing first class wines at affordable prices.

So that’s it for this week… some new favorites added to the list.  Hope you can find the time this week to give some of them a try.

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene