Light White Wines Are for Summer Sipping

By Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr

As summer brings record-setting temperatures and clinging humidity, we find ourselves changing our moods for what wines to enjoy with or without food. Sit outside on a hot humid day and our thoughts do not turn to a big California cabernet sauvignon or an aged red Bordeaux. Now don’t get us wrong: give us a glass from either of these categories around the fall and winter holidays and we will gladly savor their bold intricacies. But in the summer months our minds turn to white wines.

Albarino wine: Bright Fruit & Acid

One wine that continues to draw our interest is albarino. Predominantly grown in the west coast of Spain and Portugal, albarino can tame your thirst with a balance of bright fruit and acidity. Add an albarino to a light repast such as fresh fish, shellfish or chicken and you have a beautiful marriage.

Spain refers to the grape as albarino and Portugal refers to it as alvarino. Albarino thrives in the Rias Baixas region of Galicia on the eastern Atlantic coast. A little to the south and across the northern Portuguese border you will find alvarino in the Vinho Verde region. The albarino/alvarino grape from both of these regions feature dry refreshing citrus and sometimes white plum notes with a bracing acidity that refreshes the palate. The grapes are often grown on pergolas to encourage air flow in the vineyards. Most alberinos only see contact with stainless steel and often are aged on lees.

We recently tasted a trio of Spanish Alberinos from the Rias Baixas region and were impressed by their differences. Following are our tasting notes: 

• Pazo de Lusco Albarino Rias Baixas D.O. 2023 ($25). Aged on its lees, this wine was our favorite of the tasting. Great price with clean refreshing citrus fruit and white plum notes. Made by the Gonzales Byass Wine Group.          

• Mar De Frades Albarino Rias Baixas D.O. 2023 ($20-25). This blue bottle is a cool presentation. A ship appears when the wine attains an ideal cool temperature. See bottle for details. A little leaner and acidic than the Pazo De Lusco with a lemony creaminess and a hint of pear.

• Pazo Barrantes Albarino Gran Vino Rias Baixas D.O. 2021 ($55-60). A bit unusual as some of the wine is aged in acacia barrels to give the wine a hint of wood notes. Bright acidity with some floral notes as well citrus and almond. Very elegant.

Portlandia

More often than not the wines we taste from Oregon are tasty but cost a bit more than your average daily drink. So, we were pleased to sample three wines from a relatively new Oregon/Washington State wine producer that were priced very reasonably, at least for our pocketbooks.

Portlandia Winery was founded by Damien Davis, a tech industry refugee, who released the first Portlandia Wines in 2013.  He has received positive reviews of his wines from the wine press and very positive feedback to his reasonable pricing. 

We tasted three of his current releases recently and found them to be worth considering. Following are our impressions. 

• Portlandia Sparkling Rose Columbia Valley N/V ($20). This attractive sparkler is made with 100 percent syrah grapes sourced from some of the Columbia Valley’s cooler vineyard sites. Creamy strawberry and ripe apple notes framed with good acidity. Nice bubbles.                

• Portlandia Rosé Columbia Valley 2024 ($14-18). Pretty pinkish color with greenish floral notes as well as citrus, peach and cherry flavors and a delightful freshness. 

• Portlandia Pinot Noir Oregon 2022 ($18-22). Cherry and berry notes with a nice touch of earthiness. A very nice drinkable package.

Wine picks

• Amelia Chile Pinot Noir 2022 ($65). From Chile’s Limari Valley, this elegant pinot noir shows off layers of red cherry, tea and spice notes.

• Delas Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes 2020 ($110). If you like Rhone syrah, this is a stunner. Rich with dark fruit character, black olives and black pepper. Opulent aromas include licorice, violets and spice. Big tannins make it a keeper. 

• Terrazas de Los Andes Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza 2023 ($20). This is an excellent value from Argentina. Juicy red currant, plum and black cherry flavors with a hint of vanilla bean and caramel.

• Syncline Cuvee Elena Columbia Valley 2021 ($60-65). This terrific Washington State is a wonderful blend of syrah, grenache and mourvedre. Very ripe fruit flavors of cherry and strawberry. Only 14 barrels made. 

• Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2021 ($15-20). A striking package with straw vines on the bottle. Plum and cherry notes in a meaty style. A dependable wine year in and year out.

• Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Porto Special Vila Velha Edition N/V ($45). Made from grapes sourced from the Quinta Vila Velha. Very grapey with plum and cherry elements. Elegant and a bit more complex than the regular bottling.

• Veramonte Pinot Noir D.O. Casablanca Chile 2022 ($12-15). A delightful bargain from Veramonte. Fairly simple but appealing with bright cherry notes and a hint of oak.               

• Trapiche Iscay  Malbec Cabernet Franc Uco Valley Mendoza 2020 ($110). This wine from Argentina is a dead ringer for a grand cru red Bordeaux. A 50/50 blend of malbec and cabernet franc this example tastes and smells of cherries, tobacco and violets. Delicious!        

• La Vite Lucente Tenuta Luce Toscana IGT 2021 ($20-30). A very drinkable blend of 75 percent merlot and 25 percent sangiovese. Dark berry fruit with abundant but balanced oak and mild tannins.