Summer wines

It's summer and that means time for white wine. Barb and I are normally red wine drinkers, but I look forward to the heat of the summer to relish a frosty glass of white wine on the deck. Frosty you ask. Isn't that too cold? Balderdash I say. If you're looking for a glass to cut the dust after an afternoon on the tractor, there's nothing like a cool frosty glass, so cold that the outside of the glass mists up with condensation.

The wine geeks will tell you that white wine should be between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius. That's because any  colder and the flavours of the  wine will be hidden. Balderdash I say, and that's the word for civilized company. Serve the white wine in summer just as cold as you can. Yes the flavours might be a bit more muted, but the thirst-quenching quotient will be way higher.

Think of beer, the other drink of choice in the hot weather. Yes the Brits insist beer be consumed warm, but they started drinking beer before there were fridges. Only the most priggish beer geek would insist on warm beer, and only if the weather is cool. It's the chill that beats the heat and cuts the thirst. And if you're so intent on drinking your white wine warm, chill it for your more pedestrian friends and let yours get a little warmer in the glass.

The type of white is of note too. In summer stay away from those high-alcohol, oaky Chardonnays (I'd say stay away from them altogether.) Instead choose dry, crisp whites like Pinot Grigio or a dry Riesling. The acidity in the wines makes the mouth water and that slakes a thirst. It also pairs well with that round of Brie cheese you've got melting in the sun. A swipe of gooey cheese on a crust of fresh bread, washed down with a gulp of crisp, dry white wine, and you're in heaven.

While you're at it, bring out the ice bucket, fill it one-quarter full with ice and add enough water to float the ice, then stick your white wine in the ice bucket. Everyone wants one of those fancy Champagne buckets, but in a pinch an old galvanized bucket serves very well. And while you're at it, stick a bottle of rosé in too. Oops, what's that sound? It's ice hitting the bottom of the bucket. That's my cue. Gotta go!

Cheers!

Keith

Keith Watt is owner and winemaker at Morning Bay Vineyards on Pender Island, BC