Cheers to warm weather drinking with riesling, vinho verde, and other summery whites—plus, an easy red to enjoy during your next BBQ.
Although summertime has become synonymous with rosé season, there are plenty of other warm-weather wines to keep you cool and refreshed as temperatures rise. Here are five of our favorite wine varieties to enjoy throughout the summer months.
Photo: Getty / Klaus Vedfelt
Riesling
It's become the darling of sommeliers all over the world for a reason: Riesling is pure, fresh, and incredibly versatile. It's a perfect wine for summertime because of its aromas and flavors of cool citrus, tangy peach, and apricot with a crisp mineral finish. And although riesling has a reputation for being a sweet wine, it's actually made in many styles ranging from bone-dry to lusciously ripe, and even sparkling. One helpful tip to find your preferred style of riesling is a tool created by the International Riesling Foundation called the Riesling Taste Profile. It's a graphic found on the back label of over 12 million bottles of riesling every year; an arrow on a scale indicates if the wine is dry, medium-dry, medium-sweet, or sweet. It's a simple way of letting a consumer know exactly what to expect in terms of flavor and sweetness.
Another classic region for riesling is Alsace in France, where rieslings are generally drier than in Germany. Trimbach Riesling 2017 ($19.99, wine.com) and Domaine Remy Gresser Kritt Riesling 2015 ($21.99, winelibrary.com) are two wonderful examples.