Courtesy of Getty Images
READ MORE ABOUT:
This post is part of a series about eco-friendly entertaining. Read the entire Green Summer Gourmet series here.
Summer's just heating up and if you're like me, you never fully appreciate it while it's here. A cool, crisp wine can be a fantastic way to savor the moment, especially if paired with our best of the best recipes in our Green Summer Gourmet: The Season's Best Grilling Recipes or Green Summer Gourmet: The Salads series. Which wine, you ask?
We've recruited grape guru Tyler Coleman (otherwise known as Dr. Vino) to help us choose the six best wines for summer. All satisfy four main criteria: they're eco-, food-, wallet-, and taste bud-friendly.
There's nothing like cleansing your palette with a slow swig of sustainable wine. Choose the one that's right for you and let us know how you like it!
The wine: Albert Mann's 2006 Gewurztraminer
Flavor: Fruity and aromatic
Pairs well with: Spicy food or Asian salads like Miso and Ginger marinated fish, Spicy Szechuan Green Beans, and Very Spicy Asian Vegetable Salad.
Eco-friendly factor: Since 1997, Albert Mann has been producing wine organically and biodynamically -- a holistic approach that's sort of like Feng Shui for the vineyards.
Cost: $24
The wine: Clos Roche Blanche 2006 Cabernet Franc and 2006 Sauvignon Blanc
Flavor: The Cabernet Franc has a delicious vitality -- rich and
intense. The Sauvignon Blanc hints of clean, citrus fruit and green herbs.
Pairs well with: White fish, salads (like Classic Caesar or White Bean or Classic American Potato), vegetables and pasta with earthy ingredients like chanterelle mushrooms and herbs.
Eco-friendly factor: This family-run winery situated in the Loire region of France has farmed organically for twenty years.
Cost: $15-$17
The wine: Raptor Ridge's 2007 Pinot Gris
Flavor: Acidic with hints of ruby red grapefruit and Meyer lemon layered with aromas of white peach.
Pairs well with: Poached salmon, grilled vegetables, seared scallops in a cream sauce, or curry.
Eco-friendly factor: Located in the Chahelem Mountains of Oregon, the family-owned and operated vineyards are in the process of getting certified by the LIVE program, a non-profit organization committed to sustainable practices. They also avoid herbicides (they haven't used any this year) and use manual labor to weed the soil.
Cost: $18
The wine: Luneau-Papin's 2006 Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine Sur Clos Allées
Flavor: Since the vineyard's region lies at the mouth of the Loire River, where it meets the sea, the wine has a hint of brininess. There are also notes of cut grass and honeydew melon.
Pairs well with: Seafood, particularly shellfish.
Eco-friendly factor: The Luneau-Papin vineyards use only traditional production techniques. Unlike at many of the surrounding vineyards, which use energy-sucking machine harvesting, the grapes are hand-harvested here. The wine is made in small batches according to the origin of the fruit.
Cost: $16
The wine: Yellow + Blue's 2007 Malbec
Flavor: Rich with hints of berry, plum and herbal freshness
Pairs well with: Grilled meats or meat-substitutes like Grilled Marinated Portobello Mushrooms.
Eco-friendly factor: While eating meat isn't the greenest of options, the wine's ultra-light Tetra-Pak packaging -- which reduces its carbon footprint -- will compensate. The light packaging also makes this a convenient wine to bring on a picnic with some Lemon Walnut Hummus.
Cost: $11
For more ways to swill with green sophistication this summer, check out Dr. Vino's blog, an ongoing commentary on wine addressing topics ranging from carbon footprint to biodynamics. He also has a best-selling book, Wine Politics.
More Green Summer Gourmet
Green Summer Gourmet: The Season's Best Grilling Recipes
Green Summer Gourmet: The Salads
-
- {}
