Revised intro from this week's 30 Second Wine Advisor, Wine Focus: Summer sippers!
It has been the hottest and most humid summer around here for a very long time. As a matter of fact, our local forecast folks recently mused that the average temperature here in July was the hottest since 1936, which marked the epicenter of the Midwest's infamous Dust Bowl.
This probably helps explain why I mentioned last week that it's not really a time for powerful Ports or heavy reds. Which raises the obvious follow-up question, "What do you like to sip on a steamy August day?" (Or, for those Down Under, a steamy January day.)
Does it really make any difference what wines we drink in this age of air conditioning? Or can it be both-and rather than either-or? Do we soldier on as usual with the wines we enjoy at the dinner table, but indulge in something lighter and more refreshing on the patio or at a picnic? Would you order the same wine inside the restaurant during this season as you would at a sidewalk table? And so it goes.
And while we're at it, do we even like the term "sipping" with regard to wine, a term which - like the currently trendy "juice" - almost seems to deny the reality of its status as an adult beverage.
We're talking about subjects such as these as we turn our attention to summer sippers in this month's Wine Focus. Let's taste - and talk about - our favorite summer sippers.
