Category: Delicious

'Wine lovers eschewing overly oaked whites in the summer months often gravitate towards the opposite extreme—reaching for aggressively acidic wines like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Zesty and undeniably quaffable, these wines have a consistency and reliability that’s both a blessing and a curse for those seeking to avoid oeno-ennui. Try also getting your fix from one of these worthy alternatives:'

'Italy, long portrayed as a veritable ocean of red wine, is turning out to be just as awash in whites. This is indeed a good thing. By white wine I don’t mean the anemic, bland pinot grigio that is so often a synonym for white wine in bars across the land, but wines of character and allure.'

'Chardonnay is vinified many ways, including without oak, which seems to be a growing trend. Without the influence of new oak, the fruit takes center stage. A good unoaked Chardonnay has expressive fruit and zippy acidity – traits of a good food wine.'

'I don’t know about you, but I am definitely not in the mood for big, heavy white wines right now. Temperatures have been in the 90s here in New York, and that means eating — and drinking — lightly. For me it’s a signal for refreshing whites that are not too high in alcohol and that are easy on the oak.'

'Where California was in the 1970s — underappreciated for its quality — Virginia is today. So when we decided to hold our own Judgment of Washington, it wasn't just to see whether the United States would best France today. It was to see whether local wines might surprise the judges now as much as Napa Valley bottles did more than three decades ago.'

'Semillon is a puzzling and mysterious wine; a chameleon that takes on different aromas and flavors depending on where the grape is grown, how the wine is made and what grapes are chosen as blending partners. And then there’s the confusion centered round the pronunciation (“Sem-e-yon” or “Sem-a-lon”) of the grape and wine.'

'Traditionally expensive Bordeaux yields high quality at lower prices during economic downturn'

'I tasted dozens of value-priced whites, rosés and reds, and these emerged as the standouts.'

'Although their specific recommendations vary, our professionals were unanimous in saying a dry, high-acid wine is needed to refresh the palate after a rich oyster, which should be pristine – correctly shucked and, of course, served icy cold.'

'Yangarra Estate Vineyard makes some of the best red wines I have tasted from Australia in recent years, and to understand why, I thought it might be useful to start with what Yangarra’s three new releases are not.'