It’s almost summer (I’m choosing to ignore the weather we’ve been enduring lately) and with the change of seasons comes a change in drinking habits — as well as venues — for many.
When you’re looking for wine to enjoy by the pool, on the boat or at the beach, you’re not looking for extreme complexity and nuance. You want fresh. You want clean. You want thirst-quenching. And it’s a bonus if the wine is sealed under a screwcap, because you know you’re not going to remember to pack the corkscrew.
Our wine of the week, Wölffer Estate Vineyard 2016 Sauvignon Blanc ($22) checks all those boxes.
Made from 100 percent sauvignon blanc and fermented entirely in stainless steel tanks, it offers aromas of just-ripe pear and lemons. If you’re looking for the aggressively grassy aromas, you won’t find them here. As it warms, the most subtle note of salty ocean breeze emerges on the nose too.
Lighter bodied and lemony, the palate is juicy and fresh and more saline and minerally than fruity. It offers a bit of pithy citrus, which is nice and only enhances the wine’s appetite-whetting quality.
Though perfect on the beach or by the pool, this is also a wine that should work well with oysters and even simple salads too.
