A lot has happened since my last column. I went to Iceland to celebrate a milestone birthday, fell at the bottom of the Kerid Crater, heard a pop and felt intense pain.  I’m not sure whether the fall or walking out of the crater gave me the displaced fracture, but I ended up having surgery (in the USA) to put in a plate, screws, and repair two ligaments.  Six weeks spent in a leg cast up to my knee, and I’m finally able to walk, albeit with a pronounced limp and a cane.  From a combination of my sheer exhaustion of crutching around all day, my body mending bones, and my concern for keeping my balance, I hardly drank any wine this summer.  However, I did help a friend who wanted a list of cheap, good summer wines to keep in her iPhone, and thought I would pass the list along to you.

Albarino is a white wine from the Galacia region in northern Spain.  It pairs very well with seafoods, with a characteristic slight salinity from the maritime influence. Chan de Rosas has a pretty label (not that you should ever buy a wine solely because it has a pretty label!!) that looks like a summer garden, as well.  $13 at Wineworks.

Domain Houchart is a lovely rosé from Provence.  Reliable year after year, the 2018 release is the usual Provence blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Cabernet Sauvignon, with distinctive raspberry flavors.  Another summery label on this pretty pink wine. $12 a bottle at Wineworks.

La Bollina Tinetta Rose 2018, another rosé, this one 100% Nebbiolo from Piedmont, a region in the Northwest corner of Italy (one of my favorites for both wine and skiing).  Floral notes on the nose, with cherry and strawberry flavors on the palate. Cool red bicycle on the label. $13 at Wineworks. 

Viña Zorzal – Garnacha 2017, from Navarra, Spain.  I first had this wine at Zahav several years ago, and I have been drinking it steadily since.  100% Garnacha, fermented in full clusters with indigenous yeasts, in stainless steel. No oak. It’s fresh, fruity, and delicious.  An amazing value for only $8 at Wineworks.

I’ve written entire columns about the joys of Mencia.  This one is from Castilla y Leon, rather the Bierzo region.  Mencia is a wine that often smells really earthy and rustic, but tastes very smooth and elegant. In this version, blackberry, blueberry and plum on the nose continue on the palate, with firm tannins.  This was the secret wine I poured at last year’s BCBF Wine, Beer and Bourbon tasting.  A steal at only $9 at Wineworks.

Enjoy the end of your summer!