Two Wonderful White Wines to Signal Summer's End

Robert August's Pinot Grigio and Snoqalmie's Chardonnay

Sep 17, 2009

Summer's end signals shorter days and cooler nights. A crisp grigio and a minimalist Chardonnay make perfect companions to enjoy the blending of one season to the next.

Robert August’s California Pinot Grigio 2007 is made in California. Its label is a cool vintage surf board, reminiscent of a 60s endless summer theme. Reason being is that the guy, Robert August, an American surfing legend and star of surfer-dude films, The Endless Summer (1966) and The Endless Summer II (1994), decided to go into the wine biz with winemaker Dennis Hill who makes Blackstone Wines and a couple of others.

August has turned his wine making partnership into a moneymaking venture with a website devoted to selling wine, surfboard, accessories and such, all geared toward his love of surfing. The wine is a definitive “Hang 10."

It’s from the Monterey region of California that’s known for its warm days and cool nights. The result is a clean, crisp taste with notes of apples, grapefruits and nuances of some tropical, citrusy flavors. A slightly mineral finish, this grigio (with a splash of Sauvignon Blanc thrown in to add a little sunshine), is perfect to pair with fish, h'orderves , and those end of summer celebrations. Perfect for sitting around the campfire at the beach or drag out the firepit and gather 'round and try a couple of bottles. Surf’s up! Retails for around $12.

Naked Wine Goes Organic

Winemaker Joy Anderson has created an “au naturel” wine called Naked from Snoqualmie Winery. This Chardonnay is stripped bare of all the additives that most wines have and is made from certified organically grown grapes in her organic facility in the Horse Heaven Hills region of Washington State, with the absolute minimum of sulfites added for preservation and taste.

Anderson’s philosophy is that “it’s best to leave Mother Nature alone,” and capture the natural essence of the grapes. Her Naked< line includes a Merlot, Riesling, Rose, and Gewurztraminer. Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator have given past Chardonnay vintages 86 and 87 points; the 2007 is up to par with a more expensive pinot grigio and retails for $12.99, although it can be found at times, on sale for $8.95 at discount wine warehouses or grocery stores such as Piggly Wiggly.

Blended with five percent Viognier, it’s rich and creamy with fruity compliments such as pear, lemon, and lime with an oak finish. Although the alcohol content is 13.5%, higher than some wines, it works beautifully—no tart finish to this one. Its manufacturers tout that the Horse Heaven Hills Region produce grapes that have a “dribble down your chin juicy character.” Don’t know about the grapes but the wine is intense, flavorful and oh so good. So go organic, get back to nature and get Naked before summer’s end.

The wine cup is the little silver well, Where truth, if truth there be, doth dwell.-- William Shakespeare

The copyright of the article Two Wonderful White Wines to Signal Summer's End in US Wine is owned by Brigitte Surette. Permission to republish Two Wonderful White Wines to Signal Summer's End in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.