There is just two more weeks until the official days of summer begin so it is a good time to take a look at a selection of wines and some beers for the summer holidays. Typically we will be entertaining around the BBQ, enjoying the company of friends and family, so pricing is essential. This is not the time to bring out the very special wines you have been cellaring. This is the time of year where value counts utmost in our buying patterns. What's more, during this time the food that shows up on our table is inclined to be fresh produce from the farm with the condiments being less heavy, the cooking becoming simpler and the wine and beer is fresher and lighter.

When considering pairing wine and beer with summer grilling, you should think about the style of the beverage. For example, is it light-bodied or a heavier style? Both styles will determine the type of food to pair it with. With wines, we seem to fall back to the standards of reds for the beef and whites for fish and chicken. For beer, we seem to just pick whatever is cold.

Beer can be as complex as wine and in some cases, even more so. Traditional comprised of four ingredients, water, malt, hops and yeast, the malt which is most always barley can be roasted to a certain degree, much like coffee beans, to produce a desired flavour. The addition of hops is a very key ingredient as there are many types of hops available with varying degrees of alpha and beta acids, which is essential to the taste and finish of the beer.

When considering wines for summer, we seem to fall back to the standard of reds and whites but what about rosés. If you are in any of the great wine regions of the world on a blistering hot day, what people are drinking are rosés. These are the perfect patio wines to serve fresh, fruit-driven wines with crisp, lively acidity.

Sparkling wines seem to be always associated with a celebration of some sort whether it’s a wedding or New Years Eve. In fact, they are well suited to the summertime, seemingly able to quench the thirst and give more pleasure, particularly ones produced by the Charmat method. These sparkling wines with their effervescence, crisp acidity and lighter weight make them wonderful dinner companions. The sparkle gives an added element that is superb with deep-fried foods like shrimp tempura or baked pastry. Sparkling wine also counterbalances the spiciness in hot peppers and its crisp acidity cuts cleanly through dishes that are rich or a little oily like salmon or caviar along with many soft cheeses.

Summer white wines fall into the same criteria as sparkling wines. They should be crisp, clean wines with vibrant, racy acidity that borders on a mouth-watering, thirst-quenching texture. Leave behind those heavy, oak-dominated Chardonnays and try a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from BC or New Zealand. A Riesling from BC or a Pinot Grigio from Italy goes well with almost any light meat such as chicken, veal, pork, pheasant, turkey or quail.

Red wines are still the favourite for the backyard B-B-Q but instead of the heavy reds of winter opt for some of the lighter style reds that are available. Zinfandels are the perfect summer red with most being soft and fruit-driven wines. For grilled chicken or salmon fillets, go with a Pinot Noir. Or try a Gamay if you having burgers, pasta or grilled panini sandwiches. It even goes with fish. If an inch thick rib-eye is on the menu, check out a Carmenere from Chile or a Malbec from Argentina.

In Vino Veritas
Jim Martin

Weekend Wine and Beer Picks:

Gösser ($3.40/.500ml PWS) is Austria's number one beer and represents a tradition dating back over 500 years. This is a very smooth lager that coats the palate with its mild, malty aroma and refreshingly sharp tang, which is derived from balanced hopping. Clear pale golden in colour with a small head and medium lacing, this beer is very well balanced and showing some lovely chewy malt and toasted bread aromas and flavours.

There is very little of this wine left. The 2006 Arrowleaf Red Feather ($16.50 PWS) is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay showing vibrant aromas and flavours of fresh pineapple, pink grapefruit, strawberry, cherry, raspberry and ripe peach.  This flavoursome, well balanced wine is perfect for picnics or on the patio before dinner. Finished with a screwcap for the ultimate in freshness.

One of the finer sparkling wines made in the valley, the Summerhill Cipes Brut NV ($22.90 PWS) is a Riesling based sparkling wine, which makes for a decidedly more interesting drop of wine. There’s loads of fresh green apple here with peach, pear, apricot, citrus and a hint of toast with a refreshing sprinkling of effervescence and a balance of natural acidity on the crisp finish. Tart, dry and crisp with toasty, nutty, floral, baked apple and candied citrus peel flavours and a long mouth-watering finish.

The 2006 Gabbiano Pinot Grigio ($13.90 PWS) is a straw-gold coloured wine with aromas of white flower, pear, honeydew melon and pineapple. A citrus flavour on the palate delivers complex characteristics of green apple, orange and hints of lemon-lime. The palate is lively and full created by the excellent harmony of fruit and acid. A light-bodied, with a long finish that reveals hints of citrus and almonds, it is best to be enjoyed with pasta primavera, or with grilled seafood.

Produced from 80 year-old vines, the 2006 Gnarly Head Old Vines ($22.90 PWS & GLS) is an opaque blackish purple red with deep purple streaks, a slightly crimson red rim with super high viscosity. Intense aromas of crushed black fruits, dominated by blackberries, toasty oak, beef jerky, spice rack, black licorice sticks, plum jam, black pepper and an earthy, mineral content. There are massive flavours of spicy black fruit with underlying licorice root, reductive black fruit stew, ripe plums, pepper with subtle vanilla from oak, massive tannin structure, a balanced firm mid-palate and a long finish, peppered with spice. Enjoy now-2010. Absolutely stunning!

The 2006 Sandhill Gamay ($23.90) is one of the finest Gamays I have ever tried. Sourced from a small block of vines from the Sandhill Estate Vineyard, these grapes were planted in 1999. Aged for 9 months in French and American oak and displaying a rich, dark colour, the aromas of blackberry, licorice, menthol, chocolate and cedar leap out of the glass. Intensely flavoured with lush juicy black fruit, sweet licorice, balanced acidity and tannins, this wine tastes more like a big juicy Merlot than a soft Gamay but who cares…this is one superb wine. Beautifully balanced between the lush black fruit character, the velvety soft acidity and the firm tannins, this wine can be aged for another 2 years but it is delicious to enjoy now for its youth and vitality. Grilled meats are de rigueur for this wine.