“Strawberries, cherries and an angel’s kiss in spring – my summer wine is really made from all these things!”

 

Hallgarten brand manager and one of our Greek wine experts, Evangelia Tevekelidou, has been considering what ‘summer wine’ means to her. 

This is how Nancy Sinatra describes her summer wine, and I have to admit, she makes me want a sip of it! Okay, okay, maybe more than one sip… But what is a summer wine really? What does it smell or taste like? Where does it come from? Is it a white, rosé or red? If you ask me it can be (nearly) anything! But anything, is a boring answer, so let me narrow down my thoughts. A summer wine must be a wine that reminds us of summer.

 

For me – coming from Greece – summer is a direct association with holidays in the islands (ideally in the Aegean). So, surely a summer wine in my eyes should also be coming from these islands… One that comes straight to mind is Poderi Parpinello ‘Sessantaquattro’, Vermentino 2018 from Sardinia – the Smaragd of the med. Aromas of yellow fruits, dry but smooth and very textured on the palate, this Vermentino is the perfect match for shellfish by the beach.

 

Alternatively, Bodegas Viñátigo, Gual 2016 from the volcanic soils of Tenerife, in Las Canarias, will definitely impress your palate the same way as an ‘elaborate’ summer cocktail; smokiness, jasmine and tropical pineapple on the nose, followed by a rich buttery palate and a long finish.

 

Another favourite summery wine is Gaia Wines’ Assyrtiko ‘Thalassitis’ from the iconic and ever-so-Instagrammable island of Santorini. Thalassitis, meaning ‘coming from the sea’ (Thalassa is Greek for sea), is one of the most terroir-driven wines I have ever tasted. You can feel the salt, the volcanic soil and the bone-dry conditions where these old vines are, not just surviving, but thriving.

 

 

Being from this part of the world, I could continue my island wine list even further, but what about a summer wine being low-alcohol and therefore fresher on the palate? Under the hot sun, the alcohol percentage could help you keep fresh as a daisy and not result in too many ill-effects.

 

I tasted this exciting wine in the Hallgarten tasting room recently and it could (technically) be considered as an island wine too. England is a big island, no? Yes, I am talking about an English wine, from Essex, New Hall Vineyards, Bacchus Reserve 2018. It is very pale in colour and the alcohol is only 10.5%, making it a perfect choice to enjoy under the hot sun. The wine itself has an abundance of green apple flavours, white pepper notes and it has an absolute freshness that will cool any palate.

 

 

A wine we have seen take the trade by storm in recent years is Koshu, from Japan. Island wine, low alcohol – it ticks all the boxes! Grace Winery’s Koshu Kayagatake 2018is very light and lean in its style, but also elegantly floral with thirst-quenching acidity and only 11.5%. Arigato freshness!

 

 

After spending some time thinking about these wines, I have just realised all of my summer wines are white wines. Does this mean that summer wine always has to be white – no. When people think of summer wine rosé often springs to mind or a lightly chilled, fresh red wine.

 

In Greece, we often see temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius in the sun and nearly 70% of our local wine production comes from white varieties. I might be biased, but it seems that this is why my summer wine, is a white wine. Oh, oh summer wine…