![]() Santadi Villa Solaris Vermentino, Sardinia $14.Įlicio Blanco Vermentino, Southern Rhone, France $12.When the wealthy new landowners of the 19th century began planting large vineyards in the fertile central valleys of Chile, they must have been impressed at how successful the imported Old World grape varietals took to the land. Try a chilled vermentino with shrimp salad or shellfish and you’ll understand why it belongs on the summer playlist. Vermentino is typically light-bodied but it tends to cling to the palate like a richer wine as it delivers waves of lime, green apple, and almond. A saucy little grape, vermentino is usually associated with the Mediterranean in fact, about half of production comes from Sardinia. The vermentino grape is not well know in this country but it’s worth getting acquainted with - especially in the summer - and especially if you enjoy the tang of sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. Steve Prati is a Franklin-based wine consultant. Central Coast weather had not been kind and the crop was very small, but Director of Winemaking Paul Clifton swore that the smaller-than-usual clusters belied highly concentrated flavors and the promise of a great vintage. I am particularly fond of the next wine because I watched the grapes of the 2015 Hahn S.L.H pinot noir ($30) being picked and crushed in late August of that year - the earliest harvest on record. Check out Pedroncelli 2014 Mother Clone Zinfandel ($18), Fritz Winery 2013 Estate Zinfandel (25), or Comstock 2013 Zinfandel/Dry Creek Valley ($36.) The rich jammy spice and mellow tannins make them a good match for just about anything on the grill - from chicken to vegetables. In California it’s known as zinfandel - and Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley is home to some of California’s top zinfandel producers. In Croatia, where it seems to have originated, it is called crljenak kastelanski, in Southern Italy, it is called primitivo. All they need is a juicy steak.Īnother carnivore-friendly label is Max’s shiraz cabernet from well-known Australian producer, Penfolds ($25.) (Max’s is also available as a straight shiraz.) Named for the late/great Penfolds winemaker, Max Schubert, the rich, dark fruit character and silky tannins of this label makes me think Max would be proud. Plungerhead’s cabernet sauvignon, old vine zinfandel, and petite sirah ($14) are all loaded with voluptuous Lodi fruit. ![]() Plungerhead’s redesigned wine labels are still goofy - but their wines are still great -and great value. Sourcing quality fruit from all over California, Leese-Fitch produces a range of single varietals and blends ($12.) Their Firehouse Red Wine is the sort of engaging blend that makes a perfect house wine. Leese-Fitch is another label to remember when the neighbors pop in for a glass of wine. These wineries offer some fun summer sippers:īecause of its Alpine location, Italy’s Kettmeir winery produces an outstanding line of fresh, cleanly acidic white varietals - including muller thurgau, pinot grigio, and pinot bianco ($22.) A longtime wine-pro friend of ours recently took one taste of Kettmeir’s pinot bianco over appetizers and declared it the best white she had tasted all summer.Ĭhilean producer Frontera has just introduced a couple of new labels: Moonlight White and After Midnight Red - both easy-drinking, crowd-pleasing fruit bombs - the new Fronteras are fun and affordable ($6.) Sometimes a crisp, chilled white or rosé seems like just the thing - other times the grill calls for a rich red. ![]() Pretty much anything goes when it comes to wine on the deck on long summer evenings. Watch Video: How to buy wine in Nashville
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