Refreshing (and cheap) wines for muggy summers

By Kris Love
Translated by Angel Pu

If you're like me, you've probably been thinking about the changing weather and wondering how long you can avoid those air conditioning bills for. Therefore, I thought I'd give you a two refreshing wine options for the hot, humid months. These wines shouldn't break the bank, either.

Vinho Verde - Portugal
"Verde" means "green" in Portuguese but doesn't refer to the colour of this wine. Rather, it alludes to the typically youthful state in which the wines from this region are designed to be drunk. Both reds and whites are made, but the red is seldom exported...and generally I'm thankful for that! The whites, however, are steadily improving. At their best they exhibit slightly spritzy (fizzy) lemon sherbert, lime and mineral notes. Just the stuff for a hot evening after a long day!

I'd go for something with a Quinta (Estate, the equivalent of Bodega or Chateau) name attached. Quinta de Alderiz and Quinta do Ermizio are consistent, but my favourite from the region is Quinta de Azevedo from Sogrape. In a riper year, the grapes also have a honeyed, marmalade-type character to go with the zesty, fresh acidity. And, incidentally, they have the most amazing estate with a live-in 16 to 18th century museum that I stayed in a few years back. Am I being biased? Possibly, but after drinking their wines overlooking the gardens from the balcony of a 16th century estate house, how can you not be?

Gruner Veltliner - Austria
Unlike Portuguese wines, the globally-unfashionable (although this is now changing) Austrian wine industry seems to be doing well in Taiwan for some reason. Perhaps the stories of automobile anti-freeze additives from the 1980s didn't make it to Taiwan. That, however, is now ancient history and some fantastic dry whites, sweet wines and improving reds are coming from Austria, so don't be afraid to try.

Gruner Veltliner is the Austrian grape variety making the biggest waves internationally as a dry white style. Where Vinho Verde is quite a light, delicate style, these Austrian wines can be powerful, yet retain a real fragrance with a spiciness and freshness that make them great food wines as well as a good summer tipple. Look out for something from the Wachau region. The most concentrated wines from the region are labelled Smaragd with Federspiel being one level lower.

Happy drinking,
Kris

kris@wineconnection.co.nz
0916-222-336