Whine # 60

Quote of the day:  “Wine improves with age, the older I get the better I like it.”

Summer Wine:   For those of a certain age the term “summer wine” brings memories of the 1967 hit song by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood.  In that song sultry Nancy gets Lee drunk in order to steal his silver spurs along with $ 1.10.  Her “summer wine” was flavored with strawberries and cherries and no doubt was a bit sweet. 

My notion of summer wine is something crisp and refreshing and which will not lead to a Lee Hazelwood type of massive hangover.  Here are my recommendations for White or Rose summer wines.  All of these wines should be served very cold.

Sauvignon Blanc:   Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, light and refreshing despite its relatively high alcohol content.    It is distinctive in that it tastes like citrus, lime or possibly green apple.  Because of its high acidity this wine pairs well with all those summer salads that have oil and vinegar as dressing.

Pinot Grigio:  If you prefer something a little less acidic then this could be your choice.  Again, this is a high alcohol content white, but the taste is less of citrus fruit and more like mango or melon.

Vinho Verde:  My favorite summer sipping wine is this very low alcohol (9.5%) wine from Portugal.  It is classified as a “crackling wine” which means there is a slight effervescence, but not full bubbles as in a sparkling wine.  On a hot day this wine is wonderful when served very, very cold.

Viognier and Chardonnay:  These wines are less acidic, and if they have been oaked (as are many California Chardonnays) there is a distinct buttery taste.  Either will go very well with boiled lobster that is dipped in melted butter.  Also a good accompaniment for Digby scallops.

Rose:  In hot weather don’t overlook Rose.  Although many roses pair well with food, I prefer mine chilled and on its own.  Roses come from many different countries and are made from many different grapes.  Experiment with which one suits your taste.

Summer reds:  After you have started with a cold beer or a cold white wine, it is time to fire up the barbecue.  Now is the time for a big, bold red wine to accompany your favorite protein.  If you are grilling a nice thick steak then your choice should be an aged Cabernet Sauvignon  from Australia, California or South America.  With ribs, nothing matches better than a spicy Shiraz from Australia.  On the other hand you may be doing chicken, in which case I suggest a good Merlot.  Finally, my favorite for the summer grill is a thick salmon steak.  Although this will pair with a Chardonnay I tend to stick to a light red such as Pinot Noir.

None of the above suggestions involve strawberries or cherries, but then I don’t have a pair of silver spurs to catch Nancy’s fancy.

Corkage Fees:  Restaurants’ wine lists have a mark-up of at least 100%, frequently much more.  It is always annoying to find that an ordinary $ 20. bottle will cost $ 40. or $ 45.  In most cases a good bottle is just too expensive to order.  Thus, one may end up with very good food, but accompanied by a mediocre wine.

In Nova Scotia, as in many other places, restaurants are required to allow customers to bring their own wine.  However, the restaurant will charge a hefty corkage fee, so again it will cost perhaps $ 40. to drink a $ 15. bottle of wine.  Of course, if you bring a very expensive wine with you the percentage “mark-up” is less.

Occasionally, one finds a good restaurant that doesn’t charge a corkage fee.  Le Cuisine de Robichaud in Saulnierville, N.S. is one of those.  Another excellent restaurant that I recently visited for the second time is Chantel’s Steakhouse in Edmundston, N.B.   Here there is a fee but it is a mere $ 1.10 per person.

In April we took a family cruise with our sons and their families to celebrate Betty’s and my 50^th anniversary.   To our surprise Royal Caribbean has ended the corkage fee practice in their main dining room.  The catch, of course, is that when initially boarding one is only allowed to bring two bottles of wine per stateroom.  However, this is still better than other cruiselines that tend to charge  corkage fee of $ 25. U.S.

Opimian offering:  My pick from this selection is 8192 Chateau Canet (2014) from Minervois.  This wine doesn’t need much aging and is a little more bold and more affordable than most French wines.