Plans for the summer — a picnic, a road trip, a trek to the beach — should always take food into consideration. Here, our writers offer their frankly subjective rankings of the season’s best — their favorite fruits and gas-station bites, the ultimate French fries and sausages.
have you heard of a rose renissance? You may recall something of a rosé Renaissance in late 2016 and 2017. Does that mean rosé is passé? No way, says Anderson.
"It's still really big. It probably caught on about 10, 15 years ago on the U.S. coasts," he said. "Now, (rosé) is becoming even bigger than it was last year."
Anderson said the popular rosés these days are "real, true, dry wines," without the sweetness associated with types like White Zinfandel.
So why is the buzzy rosé Anderson's uncontested pick for the perfect picnic wine? Basically: It plays well with others.
The next best wine for summer would be a Zinfandel. Two best place would be Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley, or Russian River’s historic Alegria Vineyard.
Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley highlights the density and tenacity of the variety, revealing concentrated, luscious, complex fruit. Organically grown Quivira Black Boar Zinfandel highlights the spiciness of Zin with sweet nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon wrapped in layers of black cherry and berry.
Russian River’s historic Alegria Vineyard, provides fruit up to 125 years old for David Ramey to blend Zinfandel with a touch of Alicante and Petite Sirah in his Sidebar Cellars Old Vine Zinfandel (previously knows as the Sidebar Red Field Blend) ($28). Textured and concentrated, with classic, juicy black fruit flavors without overpowering the palate. (Available via the winery.
The Tastes of Summer, Summer Wine and Spirits