Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. As many of you know my new favorite wine is usually the wine that is in my glass at the time. Today I want to talk about my favorite summer red wines.

During the summer I naturally tend towards white wines due to the heat and the abundance of vegetables we eat. But that is not to say I don’t drink red wines. In fact when it is very hot I may lay a bottle of red wine on top of some ice recognize I said on top not in the ice, and I just give a cool down. It makes it very pleasant to drink.  But I do tend to seek out lighter styles of red wine. Grenache and Sangiovese are two varieties I enjoy very much in the summer.  Look for wines with good acidity and youth. Spanish Rioja is a wine that tends to work with the chilling method I just described as does Italian Dolcetto. If you’ve never tried Cigar Volant from California the summer is a good time to seek out a bottle or two. The key for me is lower tannins and less chewy big wines. You don’t have to have Cabernet Sauvignon just because you put a steak on the barby. I think you might be just as happy with a softer Merlot in the summer. I like Washington Merlot. For the most part they are very serious wines and they tend toward a smooth well rounded and easy drinking wines.  So think softer brighter reds in the summer.  Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today’s Vine to Wine.