Rosés and White Wines for Summer (or Anytime)

For summer, we often turn to easy drinking white wines and rosés.  Rosés in particular have become quite popular, and the great bottles are made from grapes grown specifically for rosé -- and usually dry with a light to medium body.

Some of the rosés and whites we have enjoyed recently include:

2011 Arnot-Roberts Rosé of Touriga Nacional ($20) - made from the grape varietal predominantly used in Port, this seemed to have more body and a bigger finish than typical rosés. And happily it had plenty of acidity.

2011 La Clarine Farm Rosé ($20) - an unfined/unfiltered Syrah and Mourvedre blend that's a little bit more wild. La Clarine's wines are minimally processed - it's a very charming wine. 

2011 Iconic Secret Identity Rosé ($25) - made from Trousseau Gris, this rosé has been the biggest surprise for me this year - one to share and discuss. I think most people will either love it or hate it due to the grape used. I hope they make this Fanucchi Vineyards-sourced wine every year.

2010 Wind Gap Trousseau Gris ($20): Also from the Fanucchi Vineyard, I had this citrusy white with some vegetable and pasta dishes. It is a versatile food wine. And like most of the other wines listed here, is relatively low in alcohol but full in taste.

2010 Matthiasson White ($38): Who would have thought this wine was from Napa? Unlike most buttery or rich Napa whites, this wine is clean and juicy Sauvignon blanc blend. With only 12.5% ABV, I paired this wine with roasted whole fish. This will be an annual white wine splurge for me.

Other good wines to try are Lioco's Indica Rosé (steel fermented Carignane) and their Chardonnay Sonoma County, and Donkey & Goat Isabel's Cuvee (Grenache Gris).

In Manhattan, good places to look for wines like this are Chambers Street Wines, California Wine Merchants and Frankly Wines, all downtown. If you can't find some of the wines above, also try an old World wine, such as a Chinon Rosé from the Loire valley.