Five Great, Affordable Summer Wines

May 27, 2010 at 10:41 am, by Julie Bain

As the holiday weekend approaches to kick off the summer season, my thoughts turn to backyard grilling and summer wines. Yes, I’m your health director, but I also believe in the healthy power of good food and wine shared with friends and loved ones. Hey, there are studies to back it up!

I was a food and wine writer for many years, and I’ve tasted many bottles, from the greatest to the most modest. For summery backyard and picnic foods, I love light, crisp, good-value wines. Here are a few of my favorite warm-weather crowd-pleasers (prices vary, but all of these can usually be found for under $15), followed by a grilled chicken recipe that would go well with any of them.

Five Great, Affordable Summer Wines
(The links are to online sites where you can buy the wine)

Zardetto Prosecco Brut Prosecco, the light sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy, is wildly popular right now, and for good reason. It’s festive, fun, good with all kinds of foods and a great way to toast a summer evening. There are many good brands, but the Zardetto is widely available.

Nigl Gruner Veltliner This Austrian varietal has caught on in recent years for its delicate citrus flavors and smoky spiciness. The Nigl, one of the best producers, can be a little hard to find, so if your local store doesn’t have it, ask for a good alternative Gruner to try. Everyone I’ve introduced to this wine loves it. I buy it by the case when I can find it.

Château Routas Rosé Rosé wines have had a resurgence of popularity in the United States the past few summers. I love the elegant pale pink, dry and crisp rosés from Provence. This one, a blend of Cinsault, Syrah, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, is especially good for the price and will go well with any potluck dish your neighbors bring.

Muga Rioja Rosé The Rioja region of Spain is famous for its powerful red wines made from the Tempranillo grape. But I love the zesty rosé Muga makes from it, juicy and redolent of strawberries.

Wild Pig Pinot Noir It can be hard to find good inexpensive pinot noirs. The great grape of Burgundy is notoriously finicky and hard to grow. The Wild Pig, from the south of France, is bright ruby red with the grape’s distinctive cherry and strawberry notes—perfect to pair with grilled burgers or chicken.

Citrus and Rosemary Marinated Chicken Breasts
Serves 6
My good friend Anne de Ravel created this recipe to go with the Wild Pig wines, but I think it would actually go well with any of the wines I suggested. (That’s my bad food styling, right, but it tasted great!) Anne lives in the south of France and is the founder of Saveur Languedoc, which promotes the amazing food and wine of her region and hosts trips there as well.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
½ cup olive oil
½ cup roughly chopped rosemary
4 cloves garlic, minced
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Grated zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1 orange
½ cup white wine
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the chicken breasts and all remaining ingredients in a large plastic zip-top bag. Seal the bag and shake to evenly distribute the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, preheat the grill to hot. Remove chicken breasts from the bag, letting most of the marinade drip off. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, or till just cooked through. Remove from the grill and let rest for 4 to 5 minutes before slicing.

Tell us what you’re cooking up, and have a warm and festive holiday weekend. Cheers!

Wine photo copyright Maksim Shebeko, Fotolia.com. Grill photo by Julie Bain on her terrace in New York City

One Response to “Five Great, Affordable Summer Wines”

1. Written on May 28, 2010 at 6:05 am, by delannoy

   Hello,
   I’m from France and love wines from all over the world. I am so pleased to read your opinion on Wild Pig ! It’s a french range that I discovered 2 years ago in a french restaurant… believing it was a wine from the “new world” !
   How happy I was with the Syrah at that time and I agree with you : good, unexpensive, simple and tasty… On the while, I have discovered that the producer is Gabriel Meffre, a well known negociant in the Rhone Valley (Gigondas exactly). I have tasted other wines they produce in their Cellar (at the Domaine de Longue Toque) and it’s really worth tasting. Do not hesitate if you are travelling in the region ! You can also taste a very nice restaurant in the village : L’Oustalet (owned by the family Perrin, an other great producer of the region).
   And thank you for your excellent commentaries.
   Best regards
   Laure

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