What exactly is a ‘summer wine’? Four Atlanta sommeliers explain with recommendations.

This story is part of a partnership between City Lights Collective WABE and Rough Draft Atlanta called The Beverage Beat with Beth McKibben As a regular City Lights Collective contributor McKibben joins the scheme monthly to highlight her bulk modern Rough Draft story on Atlanta s cocktail wine coffee and nonalcoholic beverage scene A selection of ros s at Parks Wine Shop in Glenwood Park Via Parks Wine Shop Facebook Summer is unofficially ros season in the wine world A time when the super crushable pink wine dominates shelves at wine shops and takes pride of place on by-the-glass menus at restaurants But ros hasn t consistently enjoyed this much popularity especially in the United States Our love for ros in this country is a rather latest phenomenon that began around years ago Sarah Pierre the owner of Parks Wine Shop in Glenwood Park and Old Fourth Ward disclosed she gambled on the rise of ros during the s when launching the ros wine club When we started doing the ros wine club it was before people were really even into ros I was almost begging people to join this wine club and now we have this huge surge in the ros Pierre mentioned People drink ros everywhere They just grab a bottle wherever they are and it s on every wine list now I think we started ten years ago Our ros wine club we were really introducing ros to people Related Story Why the margarita is the most of popular cocktail in America Yes way ros According to Vine Pair retail ros sales skyrocketed by more than percent between and And while the region has cooled slightly on ros over the last five years it still remains the number one wine people purchase during the summer Adding to ros s appeal is an average bottle price of Pierre estimates that during the summer ros accounts for percent of sales at both Parks locations Much of the credit for boosting the profile of ros goes to wine shops like Parks and sommeliers working on both the restaurant and sales sides of the industry The last decade-plus has been spent educating consumers on the wide range of ros styles while emerging down the preconceived notions that link ros to its sweeter pink cousin white zinfandel popular in the s and s When I first started working and selling wine professionally and at restaurants for a lot of guests in Atlanta ros was still a bit of a tough sell explained Jordan Smelt sommelier and co-owner of Lucian Books Wine in Buckhead I think that was because people still had white zinfandel in their minds that large jug you find at the supermarket Nowadays the options and quality of ros are never higher Bulk ros s are dry high in acid and refreshingly fruity or floral made from either a single varietal of grape or a blend of grapes including pinot noir carignan sangiovese cinsault grenache and syrah to name a limited In other words red grapes the majority of us love and are already drinking regularly Unlike red wines however grapes producing ros are only left to soak in their skins for a limited hours as opposed to days or weeks resulting in that signature pink hue which can vary from a light salmon to deep raspberry The majority of red wines sit in tanks or on oak for months while aging But that brightness and freshness revealed in ros is fully intentional This is wine you are meant to drink right away France accounts for percent of all ros production globally with percent of the country s ros s produced in the Provence region A lot of the ros s that you find in the domain are Provencal style ros s and Provence invokes this feeling of being on the Mediterranean being outside and enjoying life reported Jade Palmer sommelier and general manager of Madeira Park wine bar in Poncey-Highland who points out that beyond France other major ros -producing countries include Spain Italy and the United States Red grapes that are destined for ros are typically picked earlier than red grapes destined for red wine so you already have a higher acidity in those grapes you ll have fresh fruit flavors she announced Depending on where you re getting a ros and the makeup of the blend you could get particular herbs like rosemary and thyme in the tasting notes You could also get a little bit of citrus like orange peel Don t sleep on the pinot noir-based ros s from Oregon or the ros blends from California Related stories A call to action and challenge to drink more domestic wines Wine bar Madeira Park opens in Poncey-Highland Ameztoi Txakolina a lightly effervescent Basque wine with an percent ABV The chillable red Summer wines are typically lighter in body more acidic and lower in alcohol Think sparkling wines like cremant prosecco and txakolina whites like albarino chenin blanc and vinho verde and a category rising in popularity the chillable red That s a red chilled down to below cellar temperature of degrees comparable to a white wine chilled at to degrees Every red should be chilled down to cellar temp so before you open any bottle of red go ahead and stick it in the fridge for minutes Pierre noted However chosen reds can be consumed almost as cold as white wine A lot of those red bottles are indeed clear which is great because the winemaker is telling you this is a chillable red she declared Hold up the glass If you can see straight through the wine that s a chillable red If there s body if there s depth to that glass of wine then that wine should maybe be brought down to cellar temperature Certain winemakers have made it even easier to identify chillable reds by merely labeling the bottles as such One of Pierre s favorite chillable reds this summer is EZY TGR a blend of percent early muscat with percent cabernet sauvignon syrah pinot noir and mencia from the Willamette Valley This wine was purposefully designed to be consumed cold With a color similar to Kool-Aid Pierre describes the Ezy TGR chillable red as having a little complexity and texture with crunchy berry fruit notes While there are a number of chillable reds on the area Palmer likes the season-defying versatility of the Casa Emma Harenae a sangiovese from Tuscany carrying notes of fresh red fruit tomato leaf and dried herbs aged in big clay pots The Casa Emma can be chilled down in the summer to pair with a burger at a cookout or served at cellar temperature to enjoy with a meaty lasagna during the fall The bottle will set you back about but you can test drive it first at Madeira Park which includes a retail license If you like what you re sipping at the wine bar you can buy a bottle to take home The Ezy Tiger chillable red from the Willamette Valley Via Parks Wine Shop Instagram Summer wine Jett Kolarik the wine director at natural wine bar Side Saddle Wine Saloon in Boulevard Heights announced our bodies seem to gravitate toward lighter wines with lower alcohol when it s hot outside Heat amplifies the effects of alcohol so the lower the alcohol by volume ABV the less woozy you ll feel after sipping a glass of wine by the pool or on the patio Wines that can stand up to the heat of summer should be refreshing They re zippy bright and have a texture or mouthfeel reminiscent of skim milk Therefore most of wines perfect for drinking in hot weather are less tannic In other words less bitter and without a grippy mouthfeel that leaves a bit of residue on your teeth Related Story Side Saddle Wine Saloon debuts in Boulevard Heights I would find summer wines from cooler regions so something like a pinot noir or a gamay or blaufr nkisch from Oregon France or Austria regions where it s not super super hot and the wine isn t going to get super ripe and high in alcohol Kolarik noted Those and pet nats are go-tos for summer fun funky sparkling wines You can also look at the back of the label to see the alcohol percentage I m looking for ten to percent Il Baffone skin-contact frizzante and Ashanta Resist Rosado chillable red Via Side Saddle Wine Saloon Instagram Kolarik also recommends sparkling ros They are at this time into the syrah-based P A N K Badass ros pet nat from Hungary It s a limited-run wine and might be a bit hard to find in Atlanta but this unfiltered pet nat ros is worth seeking out for its rich earthiness hit of spice and dark fruit notes Or consider picking up a bottle of Gonc Sabotage blaufr nkisch from Slovenia which several shops around Atlanta carry including Parks This zippy wine for around a bottle is juicy with notes of ripe blueberry and blackberry and carries subtle floral notes You re bringing the Gonc to the cookout At Lucian the food on the menu changes frequently driven by what s in season This time of year Smelt tries to steer guests toward wines that are lighter fresher and with a texture lower in viscosity Aside from ros there are particular great things that we re recommending this time of year Chosen areas that tend to be a little bit cooler setting just so the alcohol might be a little bit lower commented Smelt who suggests summer wines from countries bordering the Alps like Germany and Austria or reds from mountainous regions such as Jura located between Burgundy France and Switzerland Consider California wines including wines produced along the San Luis Obispo coast Cotes du Jura at Lucian Books Wine Via Lucian Books Wine Instagram What the pros are sipping Smelt has two favorites this summer both available at Lucian and local wine shops The Moritiz Kissinger No a sparkling wine blend of chardonnay pinot blanc and pinot noir from Germany is an energetic bottle of fizz It s an ideal wine for the pool patio or beach or for grilling hot dogs and hamburgers in the backyard retailing for around The Monte Rio Cellars Cot from California is fruity fresh and a tad spicy it should be served with a slight chill Retailing for Smelt reported the Monte Rio Cot is made with a distinctly Loire Valley personality As a wine seller Pierre doesn t have specific go-to producers or bottles of wine she reaches for to take to gatherings Instead she leans into styles Regardless of the season Pierre will constantly have champagne or a cremant on hand to satisfy her love for sparkling wine For summer she also enjoys chenin blancs chablis Portuguese reds and super fruity domestic reds chilled down like the blends from Oregon-based Fossil Fawn Like Pierre you ll find Palmer opting for sparkling wine during the summer too She s at this time crushing on the Nathan Kendall Traditional Method Extra Brut from the Finger Lakes in New York It s a blend of chardonnay pinot noir and pinot blanc available at Madeira Park and local wine shops for I love bubbles Bubbles are great for hanging out with friends I love to start my evening with bubbles noted Palmer Nathan Kendall Traditional Method Extra Brut Going back to my favorite Finger Lakes sparkling wine right now is the Nathan Kendall sparkling brut It s made in the same style as champagne she explained Fresh to almost ripe yellow orchard fruit apples pears it s got a little bit of baking spices on it It s got a nice mineral finish and sort of gives champagne vibes without a champagne price Kolarik too enjoys sparkling wines during the summer and certain white wines especially when paired with grilled seafood and oysters on the half shell I love white wine and white bubbles with particular white flowers selected nice acid not overwhelmingly acidic but nice structure and then a little bit of tartness they mentioned For still white wine maybe we re going to go with albarino to get more mineral tropical notes and still have a bit of meatiness to pair with oysters and seafood at cookouts The best place to start your exploration of summer wines is at your local wine shop where you should be asking questions of the staff and can build a wine preferences profile The greater part wine shops track your purchases which provides staff with insight into the wines and styles you gravitate toward preponderance Building up a preference profile also provides you with more personalized wine recommendations The post What exactly is a summer wine Four Atlanta sommeliers explain with recommendations appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta