I see you out there, six days into summer, looking sun-kissed and fabulous, seeking only two things: white wine (okay, maybe sparkling, maybe rosé) and patios.
So, I’m officially calling it: we’ve breached 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and we need recourse. Here are wines I’ve been happily sipping on patios around Dallas lately. Sometimes while noshing on a wood-fired pizza. Sometimes not.
None of them is a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.
Cibo Divino: 2017 Kellerei Bozen pinot bianco from Sudtirol/Alto Adige
I found this wine dazzling, made with the care that’s customary in this Italian region of Alto Adige that borders Austria and Switzerland, where the grapes are treated with the careful approach that would be applied to Austrian wine. The result is a light, delicately aromatic, lovely white that’s crisp, with clean, clear notes. Sure, pinot bianco is a bit of a stepchild grape—limited quantities, refined treatment: that’s exactly what makes it quietly dazzling. (Yeah, this is where the wood-fired pizza is a must. The burrata, for example.)
Homewood: 2017 Somnambulles pét-nat rosé
I find it difficult to express how much I am in love with this wine. If there were a feisty wine, it would be this: effervescent and almost saline with notes of raspberries, it’s a pet-nat (bubbly, natural, and all the rage), and it’s a rosé, so pink and bubbles and a little funky—what’s not to love? Pro tip: pair it with Homewood’s house-cured fiocco, making little sandwiches with a base of lavash, a thin layer of fiocco, and the horseradish-rich whole-grain mustard. Notice how bohemian the crowd on the patio is. All those folks seeking fermentation and greens, herbs, and seeds salad.
Neighborhood Cellar: Chenin blanc flight
Find the chenin blanc flight in the list of eight. The tour through expressions of the varietal from California, France, and South Africa is fabulous, each of them so remarkably different.
Veritas Wine Room: 2016 Tokaji from Pajzos
There was no way I could not get a white Hungarian Tokaji, especially when the tasting notes read “apricot, lemon rind, spring rain.” The rich muscat gorgeousness and bright, citrusy notes make this surprisingly dry white wine delicious.
