Pool Juice

As we go through summer we might look at light refreshing wines that are not too serious but yet refreshing.  This will also give those who like a slightly sweeter or non-serious wine an opportunity to show their friends what good summer wine is all about.

Think Pink or white or crisp.  I call this Pool Juice. Just sipping wines in the back yard or on a picnic, usually served cold for the hot weather.  You don’t need a pool in the back yard to enjoy this type of wine.  On the patio, under a fan or in the hammock under the trees will be a perfect setting for relaxing with these wines.

While I am not a fan of many White Zinfandels, during the summer months they are more tolerable and maybe even pleasant. I also like some new dry Rieslings or Gewürztraminers though!  I've had some nice dry rose' wines and have to drink them in the correct setting.

I find that the heavier whites with the buttery or oaky characteristics will be great in summer with a meal but less pleasing around the ‘pool’.

In my early days we drank Lancer's Rose and Meteus.  We thought these were great wines to have any time you wanted wine.  Today, in my opinion, they would be good ‘pool juice’.

We have a friend with a pool and may have to invite myself to his house so I can get the true feeling of the wines in the appropriate setting. I'm looking for alcohol content of 13.5 or less but not down to 8 or 9.  This time of year could be great for someone who wants to try a lighter red wine as a beginning to experimenting with red wines.

Now that we’ve talked about the pool juice, think spicy foods.  These wines, because of their sweetness and lower alcohol content are a great match for Thai, Korean or spicy Spanish or Mexican foods.  We often think beer for these foods, but this category of wine is a great match.

Experiment with lighter reds chilled to be refreshing.

Some ‘Pool Juice’ to try:

Vega Sindoa Rose 2003 (Spain) 750ml $8

Toad Hollow Rose Eye of The Toad (USA) 750ml $8

Big House Pink, from Bonny Doon Vineyards of California

Robert Mondavi Private Selection ($9) is a wine that could be served chilled in the summer and it has enough structure to be served with Alaska Salmon or lighter red and white meat dishes with traditional temperatures for red wines.

Iron Horse 2004 Rosé de Pinot Noir. A sophisticated rosé. The price is $15/btl. It is perfectly lovely in the glass – as pretty as pink can be. The bouquet alone will make any day seem like a picnic.

I went to our local wine shop Saturday and they were featuring Lindeman Wines.  They had a Pinot Noir, Bin 99, for $3.99 a bottle. It tasted a little weak but I bought a bottle as an experiment and I put it in the refrigerator and opened it Sunday afternoon.  It was very good when consumed this way.

Pepperwood Grove Pinot is in the same category.  It is not a typical robust Pinot but has some of the characteristics of a Pinot.