Corey Pierce
Cool crisp whites for hot thirsty days
We drink wine for a lot of different reasons from the lofty to the most primal reason of all: because we’re thirsty. Wine is capable of unimaginable delicious flavours yet it is equally valued as a thirst-quenching beverage — a simple refreshment for quaffing back on a hot day . So let’s take a vacation from wine’s serious side and explore its simple side as we search for the world’s most refreshing wines.
When refreshment is what you seek your search will usually lead you to the world’s cooler vineyard sites. Cool sites produce wines with more acidity and leaner flavours such as citrus fruit herbs and minerals just the kind of thing you crave on a hot day. So our search today will take us to the island of New Zealand the seasides and hilltops of Italy France’s famed Loire Valley and of course a stop in Deutschland.
New Zealand has been the trendy go-to for hoards of thirsty Calgarians over the past decade or so. The Kiwis seemed to rise from total obscurity a virtual unknown that exploded onto the world wine stage with dozens of examples of crisp herbaceous and scintillating Sauvignon Blancs. Although this small island produces less than 10 per cent of the wine that its larger and more accomplished neighbour Australia makes New Zealand has managed to capture the imaginations and palates of wine consumers worldwide carving out a niche for reliably crafted Sauvignon Blanc. There are dozens of examples in our market and most of them are good if you can take the laser beam acidity and piercing gooseberry aromatics. My favourites tend to move away from the green asparagus flavours and lean toward more crisp grapefruit notes. Two worth slurping up:
• 2009 Torlesse Sauvignon Blanc Waipara $20 — Exotic aromatics and fresh flavours make this a great wine for any patio.
• 2008 Seven Terraces Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough $17 — The combination of a reasonable price tag (rare in New Zealand) and ripe appealing aromatics make this one a winner.
Most people dismiss Italy’s whites as simple and boring but for the adventurous there is a whole world of great value waiting to be discovered. Surprisingly many of my favourites come from the south where altitude and proximity to the sea mean cooler conditions. Campania is one region that seems to create an inordinate number of wonderful wines in a small area just east of Naples. With exotic names like Greco Falanghina Coda di Volpe and Fiano these grapes quickly capture your imagination and leave you salivating. Here the wines exude the character of the land offering precise and refreshing aromas of passion fruit ripe pear and fresh lemons. Simply put there are no better wines for refined refreshment under the summer sun.
While there are no bad examples of these wines on our market my favourites are from Mastroberardino. If you can find the Greco di Tufo ($25) or the simple Mastro White $18 (a blend of all the grapes I mentioned) they are well worth the search.
The vineyards planted along the cool Loire River deliver some of the most exciting and refreshing wines in all of France. On the shores of the Atlantic in a small village called Nantes a well-known but rarely experienced wine called Muscadet is made. From the humble Melon grape in a climate barely capable of viticulture comes a wine that allows the drinker to taste the sea. These wines are lean stony and vibrant making them an ideal choice for shellfish of any description. The best way to enjoy a bottle is to chill it in an ice bucket and plant yourself in a nearby deck chair. Oysters are optional but recommended.
There are a few dodgy examples in the market so direct yourself to a good shop to buy your Muscadet. If you’re in a bind look for Chateau l’Oiseliniere ($17). None of these should cost you more than $20.
Finally I make another plea for the wines of Germany — still largely ignored in our neck of the woods. The Germans have caught on to the “dry wine thing” and are cranking out some seriously good juice at laughably low prices. And when I say dry I mean it — some of these wines can take a layer off the inside of your mouth and leave your teeth noticeably whiter. Here are a couple you should defiantly endeavour to slosh back this summer:
• 2006 Schloss Reinhartshausen Hattenheimer Riesling Dry $18 — Don’t worry about saying it just cut out this piece of paper and hand it to the person at your wine shop. If the shop doesn’t carry it just ask for another good dry Riesling. Chances are you’ll like it.
• 2008 Gunderloch Fritz Riesling $16 — Think all Riesling is sweet? Think again. This is seriously dry — think British humour and you’re close but drier.
