No matter what the season, there’s a perfect wine out there to pair with dinner. Better yet, there’s a wine for every occasion you can imagine, ranging from a snowed-in by the fire kind of day to a picnic in the park. Just like most other things, wines can be seasonal. In the winter you might enjoy a full-body red with a warm hint of cinnamon spice. The fall could call for a light to medium red or sparkling wine to supplement the fall harvest foods. However, come warmer weather, we shift towards light whites for the spring and crisp chilled whites for the summer heat. While you can drink any wine you fancy at any time, the refreshing aspect of the whites make them wildly popular in the warmer weather.
There are 6 main types of white wines (but almost 40 total), Chardonnay, Semillon, Moscato, Pinot grigio, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling being the most popular. They come with tons of flavors from citrus, herbal, berry, fruity, fresh, and floral. If you’re a white wine lover, you know that each of these taste best when chilled. The cold temperature enhances the fruity flavor of the whites and accentuates its acidity creating a crisper more refreshing drink. If you choose to chill the white wine in the refrigerator, you risk over-chilling and negatively impacting the flavor. You also don’t want to use ice unless you enjoy the dilution of the wine. For the perfect chill, consider something that enables you to control the chill-time and avoid dilution. The Cold Wave is the perfect product for chilling white wine.
Chardonnay: The most popular white wine in the world is Chardonnay. Its grape popularity began in France and then became a principal ingredient in sparkling wines. Dependent upon where it’s grown, the grape has hints of tropical flavors or a more Earthy taste. Often, chardonnay is aged in oak barrels to add a splash of vanilla aroma to the already versatile wine. Certain Chardonnay’s can be extremely expensive, but luckily there are excellent bottles that sell for under $15. No matter what your budget, chilling this wine makes it even better.
Semillon: One of the highest quality wines for the lowest price, Semillons are known for their full body and flavor similar to Pinot Grigio. Dependent on the grape ripeness, the flavor ranges from lemon, to green apple, to pear, to papaya. Also dependent on what region the grape is grown in, the taste can be poignant and peppy, or creamy. These wines have an ABV from 10%-14% and are again severed best chilled.
Moscato: Light colored Moscatos are all the rage for new wine enthusiasts as well as sweet-wine enthusiasts. Paired mostly with dessert, the fizzy wine is typically low in alcohol levels and carries a fruity taste to your tongue. Popular flavors include peach and nectarine. The grape used has more sugar than most other grapes, adding to the wines sweet taste. Moscato has been thriving in the limelight, becoming popularized by hip-hop and Hollywood stars. Moscato and a Cold Wave make for the perfect summer night.
Pinot Grigio: There are three subcategories of Pinot Grigio including sweet and fruity, dry and fruity, and dry and minerally. Pinot Grigio goes by different names depending on the region, and also varies a ton in flavor. You may encounter aromas of citrus fruit, smoky, spices, tropical, or even honeysuckle. Pinot Grigios can also be found on a budget with bottles selling for under $15. Even if you don’t know a ton about wines, you’ll definitely enjoy a nice chilled glass on a hot summer evening.
Gewurztraminer: Though a little tougher to pronounce, this white wine is very underrated. With bottles selling for under $20, the rare grape makes for a great sweet wine. Less ripe grapes give off a grapefruit flavor, while more ripe grapes taste like pineapple. Though very similar to Moscato, Gewurztraminer has higher alcohol content and is lower in acidity. This wine doesn’t go down as smoothly as Moscato does. It should be served chilled for maximum flavor.
Riesling: This white wine has strong Earthy aromas in the relevance to light fruits and floral flavors. It’s crisp taste and high acidity makes for a lightly sweet to very sweet to dry flavor. When grown in Germany and California, the grapes tend to be sweeter than those grown in upper New York or Washington. It’s best paired with spicy foods, but will work well with any food combo. Chill this wine with The Cold Wave for maximum quality.
There are so many more great wines to enjoy in the coming weeks and months of beautiful weather, but it’s important to serve them chilled. The refreshing and crisp white wines provide for a great way to kick back and relax after a long day or just to enjoy a night under the glowing moon. You can even get bargain wines that’ll do the job without breaking the bank.