Choosing Luxurious Summer Wines

August 04, 2015

Summer drinking is by no means limited to supermarket wines. Hot weather and outdoor entertaining can also present terrific opportunities to share some of your more upscale and valuable wine finds. When it's time for something more special than a bottle of Barefoot, look to these indulgent wines:

Champagne

Champagne's high acidity and bubbly carbon dioxide content make it a good candidate for aging. High quality champagne, stored well, can develop over time the same way a still wine will. It may lose some of its effervescence, but will develop notes of nuts, dried fruit, honey and toasty undertones. If you want to buy champagne online, be sure that you are dealing with a reputable wine dealer; champagne is notoriously fussy, and must be stored at a proper temperature away from light.

Rosé

Rosés are made by juicing red wine grapes and leaving the skins in just long enough to give the wine a light tint. While most people associate a pink color with this wine, it can also come in other hues from sunny orange to nearly red. Rosé can be made with a wide range of grapes, giving it a number of different qualities. So, a rosé can be sweet, dry, rich or carry any other number of qualities. Sweet rosé makes a great foil for spicy dishes. Dry examples are great alongside fish or fresh fruit. Some of the best examples come from the Provence region in the south of France. If you wish to buy wine online, look at reviews to learn about the character of the wine and how to bring out its best qualities.

White Bordeaux

While white Bordeaux is often overshadowed by its deep red cousin, this wine has a lot to offer during the hot summer months. This is a wine that is far subtler than other white wines. Instead of an aggressive fruity scent, it offers subtle fragrances reminiscent of honey and beeswax. The feel is incredibly light and elegant, perfect for hot weather.

White Burgundy

Many white Burgundies are designed for consumption within two to three years, but others are oak aged and develop well in the bottle over years. Talk to a wine expert to learn more about the bottles you buy to determine whether they are ones to be consumed now or enjoyed as a long-term part of your collection. Those from the Côte Chalonnaise are best young; Meursault wines, particularly Premier Cru Meursault can be stored for five to 15 years or even longer and will continue to evolve and improve.

In the summer, as in any time of year, it makes sense to drink what you want. If you prefer aged wines, don't feel you need to bend and drink younger ones. If you enjoy reds, feel free to drink them all summer long. Wine collecting and drinking is for pleasure. And, if you find you have bottles to part with, sell your wine collection to Cellaraiders to fund your future acquisitions and ensure that every bottle you own is a favorite.

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