Bodegas Laxas Albarino, Rias Biaxas, 2008 – Spain

Despite a rather dismal start to summer, you can almost always guarantee that August will bring the heat!  And on those blistering days when you feel like cranking up the air conditioner or better yet sitting back in the shade, you need a wine that will leave you feeling refreshed, not full.  Albarino is all about that.   The Laxas Albarino is a clear brilliant wine with straw yellow and green nuances.  Intense aromas on the nose combine fruity and floral notes, (apple & stone fruits) and freshness on the palate.  A touch of acidity is perfectly balanced with the structure and body of this wine.  This is a “go with the flow” white that you can open any night of the week with dinner or have at the next cook out with friends.

Rias Biaxas lies in the heart of Galicia in the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula above Portugal.  Galicia is known for its mild, maritime climate which is what gives the wine its freshness.  Also this region has more female winemakers than in any other region in Spain.  Historically the men would go out to sea to fish while the women would tend to the fields growing crops such as grapes for wine.  If you are craving a refreshing wine that you can sit and relax with, this wine will not let you down.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS: This food friendly wine is a natural pairing with seafood as well as a nice contrast to spicy Asian cuisine and is also great with Sushi.

Domaine de la Quilla, Muscadet Sevre et Maine, 2007 – France

Gerard and Daniel Vinet run the well-known estate of Quilla in the village of La Haie Fouassiere in the Loire Valley.  A little known fact is that this village is the origin of the famous wines of Muscadet.  The village is located within the region known as Sevre et Maine which, some could argue,  is the best  area for the Muscadet grape type (which is also known as Melon de Bourgogne).  The Quilla vineyards are tended by Daniel and vinification is controlled by Gerard, his younger brother.  With the Atlantic influence, the harvest generally begins in early September.  The yields are not excessive and all the fruit is harvested by hand.  But the real key to the wines from Domaine de la Quilla is that they keep the wines sur lie for eight months before being bottled.  Sur lie is the French expression for “on the lees.”  Lees is the course sediment and yeast that accumulate during fermentation.  Wines are thought to gain complexity when aged this way for a few months.  And that is certainly the case here. The wine showcases floral notes, lemon tartness, oyster shell minerality, and wet stone hints.  For me, this is the wine to drink as a prelude to the meal.  I especially love it nice and chilled with some cool, briny oysters or simply on it’s own in the backyard with some good friends.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS: his wine tastes like the sea so match it with a like to like mentality.  Oysters on the half shell, as I mentioned, are an ideal match.  But anything that comes from the ocean will have your taste buds singing!