Marglin on Taste

As I mentioned in my column a couple of weeks ago, sparkling wines are made for summer.Most people think Champagne and sparkling wine mean one thing: a celebration, whether it’s a wedding or New Year’s Eve or an IPO “popping.” But they are sparkling wines, after all. Wine with bubbles in it is still just a drink. And, during the summer, it can be one of the best things to put in your glass.

Sparklers are, in many cases, the jack of all wines. Their flavors tend to be sharp and crisp, and they cut through acid like a hot knife through buttah. The bubbles are also refreshing. With fresh shellfish, consumption of which rises dramatically around these parts during the summer months, there is almost nothing better than a wine with some snap, crackle, and, yup, pop. But sparklers can also make excellent accompaniments to chicken (both fried and barbecued), grilled fish, pork, and spicy Asian dishes.

For summer, you want to deploy the more affordable sparkling wines — the stuff that tastes great chilled. There are lots of relatively inexpensive wines from France (Champagne and other regions), as well as cavas from Spain, proseccos from Italy, and Champagne-style wines from the US and Australia. You don’t need special glasses for these wines, either — Champagne flutes are well shaped for preserving bubbles, but they are by no means necessary. Do bear in mind that bubbles can cause wine to go straight to your head, making you feel more intoxicated than a still wine might. So be careful, especially in hot weather: everyone reacts a bit differently to consuming copious quantities of sparkling wine.

The first key to serving decent summer sparkling wine is figuring out how dry you want it to be. Once upon a time, dryness — the lack of sugar — was the sine qua non of wine sophistication. Now the pendulum is swinging back, and people are appreciating a little bit of fruit in their champagne flutes. If you do like a touch of sweetness, there are many sparkling wines with ample sugar. And there are plenty that are dry as a bone — often labeled “Brut,” the term that has come to indicate dry sparklers in France.

Once you figure out what level of dryness you like, you may want to match the flavor of the wine with food. Lots of folks use plenty of lemon and lime when cooking during the summer; for example, I tend to use lots of lemon on my lobster and fried clams. Bubbles in and of themselves help keep acidity at bay, but I also like a little sweet with my sour. So although lobster with minimal lemon goes well with Champagne, as soon as I start squirting lots of citrus on my shellfish, I reach for something with a little less delicacy.

And though you may not want to serve fine Champagne or sparkling wine with too much chill on the bottle, for less expensive models, it’s acceptable (if not preferred) to go with deep, penetrating cold. I love the feeling of the bubbling wine warming up in my mouth, releasing new and different flavors. Plus, the cold bubbles feel really nice in your mouth when the weather is truly sweat-inducing. As a bonus, bubbles can prickle your taste buds, too — and allegedly they aid in digestion.

While some of these recommended wines may seem fairly simple, many of them are bold and assertive and snappy (or snappish, in Ally McBeal parlance). The bubbles are just a secondary attribute; these are excellent wines first, and you’ll marvel at how diverse their flavors can be when you serve them as accompaniments to food.

Segura Viudas Cava Brut Reserva ($7.99). Cava means “cave” in Spanish, and that’s where these wines are made. This one is fermented in the bottle for at least a couple of years. Never really deep, but creamy and clean and great with paella, ceviche, fresh shellfish, and spicy Asian food.

Banear Prosecco di Veneto ($9.99). Light as a feather, perfect for scorching afternoons, this gentle bubbler is pinkish and goes well with tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella or chips and guacamole. It’s a click-your-heels kind of wine. Also nice with scrod or sole.

Carpene Malvolti Prosecco di Conegliano ($12.99). Northeast Italian, very light and ultra-smooth, well-balanced, with a hint of pear. A fine apéritif, or serve after dinner with fruit for dessert.
Otherwise, try it with sole, scrod, cod,
or shellfish.

Chandon Argentina Brut Fresco ($12.99). The sémillon in this chard/pinot noir blend makes it most creamy. As good as recent US Chandon, in my opinion. Like a real Champagne, this is best with lobster, clams, or steamed mussels. Mellow and welcoming.

Alexandre Bonnet Brut Champagne ($19.99). The real deal, and a steal at $20. Dry, flavorful, crisp. This is for your fresh shellfish, your caviar, for taking a bath in; for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A winner from the old country.

As I write this, the temperature isn’t really conducive to thinking about summer wines. But I’ve cranked up the heat to put myself in the right frame of mind to answer the question: what wines are best for hot summer nights and days?One of the joys of summer is getting out and doing different things — in other words, voyaging. And as I’ve talked about summer wines with various friends around town, it has occurred to me that summer is a season for adventures in wine, too: a great time to try something new.

Summer food, after all, is different. Summer means outdoor grilling, more spices, more salsas and peppers and corn and chutney. It means lots of emphasis on veggies and on seafood. We’re beach creatures ’round these parts — we go to the Islands and the North and South Shores; to Maine and New Hampshire and Little Compton and the Cape. We go to the restaurants on the waterfront. And by the water when the weather’s really nice, we want wines that taste good a little cold. (Champagne is always appropriate, and in an upcoming column I’ll check out some grand sparkling wines from various parts of the world, including Spain and Italy.) What we want in the summertime, in short, is to be refreshed, rejuvenated by wine.

This always works better when the wines and foods are well matched. The problem is, we don’t want to work too hard at guessing whether we might like something. We buy wine in a store we know and then bring it with us to wherever we spend the weekend. We can’t afford surprises. So we buy what we know, merlots and chards, or maybe go a little wild and grab a sauvignon blanc, or a cab franc, or a pinot noir. In summertime, we keep it straight and narrow, solid line drives. We play it safe.

And according to almost every wine person I talked to, we are making a big mistake. There are so many rewarding wines out there for the adventurous. Indeed, there are some pretty out-there values out there. And because you are visiting friends, or sharing, or traveling, chances are you are exploring plenty of different foods. You want your wines a tad out there.

So I’ve hunted down some unbelievable, kicking summer wines, all but one less than $10, for you to boldly go to the shore with, to drink when you feel the heat. They’ll do equally well near a lake or by the ocean. (If you’re truly trapped in the city, try turning on a garden hose.)

Note: don’t try to pull these wines off with overly fancy foods. These are for pastas, for stir-fries, for grilled corn on the cob. They’re for crab cakes and fried clams and wieners.

These wines are bargains you almost can’t afford not to try, because if you like them, not only will you save yourself dollars and impress your friends, but you’ll also enjoy exotic and enticing wine pairings. Meanwhile, you’ll be getting into the spirit of summer in New England and having your own bona fide grand wine adventures. Some of these are unusual, but I found them all at the Wine Cask, in Somerville.

1998 Paul Lapandery & Fils Côte Roannaise ($6.99). A vivacious gamay (think Beaujolais) from a province to the west of Burgundy. Though it would be unlawful under strict French regulations for this wine to contain any pinot noir, it does have the complexity and aromas of something other than gamay. A light fruity wine that might like a bit of a chill on it. Great with seafood or burgers, and very bright on the palate.

1998 Chateau Villerambert Julien Minervois ($6.99). A sharp rosé, made from grenache and syrah. Lots of pep and verve, very deep fruit. Tastes of rhubarb and strawberry, along with some pepper and jasmine. Maybe even a hint of licorice. Sort of an all-purpose wine, one that would do as well with a white pizza as it would with fried clams or crab cakes. A kick.

1998 Clos des Briords Muscadet de Sèvre & Maine Sur Lie (Loire) ($8.99). A cheery wine, clean flavors, citrus zest, great with shellfish or chicken stir-fry with Oriental spices (teriyaki or soy). A very light wine, refreshing cold, with a really nice pop on the finish. Good buy.

1998 Domaine de Beaurenard Côtes du Rhône ($9.99). Soft and full, good balance, ample fruit. You can taste the pepper of the syrah, but the predominant flavors are cherries and blackberries. Appealing and eminently approachable wine, great with steaks or burgers.

1997 Chateau de Cruzeau (Pessac-Léognan) ($13.99). Wow! I know, this is more than $10. But you will taste the extra dollars. Unbelievable sauvignon blanc-sémillon blend (85 percent-15 percent). Lush and creamy, some vanilla, sumptuous fruit flavors. Just a honey. With salmon, fried clams, cod, or scrod. God, this wine is really good. Go for it!