Mouth-watering wines for the end of summer

Although Labor Day is fast approaching and the end of the summer barbecue season is near, there is still time to pull off a successful alfresco-wine-and-food bash before the shadows lengthen and the leaves fall from the trees.

There are two things to remember when shopping for vino for a summer barbecue: Choose wines that are light and easy to drink and keep them versatile. Few beverages under the sun taste nastier than a tannic red wine on a hot afternoon. Heat will accentuate tannin and make a naturally tannic wine taste coarse and chalky. Cabernet sauvignon is not how you spell relief on a warm summer day.

Keeping the wines easy to drink and refreshing without sacrificing quality is the trick to pleasing those guests who can easily discern wine out of a box. For those discriminating guests who prefer a good glass of wine with whatever the grill chef dishes up, there are plenty of excellent inexpensive options.

Given that grilled meats are certain to be served in abundance, particular care should be exercised when choosing your red wines. A fair amount of body is desirable when pairing the wines with steaks and chops. Plenty of fruit is required to meet the need for refreshment and to stand up to the myriad of barbecue seasonings and smoked flavors. An element of spice just makes the match the more interesting.

A simple Cotes du Rhone from the south of France always fits nicely because it is both tasty and versatile with a number of dishes. Most wine shops will offer a selection of Cotes du Rhone priced under $10. Best known and easiest to find is Guigal, perhaps the top producer in the Rhone. Chapoutier and Delas Freres are also widely available throughout the country. Often discount wine stores will stock Cotes du Rhone from off the beaten path. Many of these wines, although less expensive than more well known brands, can be quite good.

It is best to buy a bottle and take it home for a taste test. If you enjoy, then rush back and stock the party. Similar in body and style are the beautiful Sangre de Toro wines from Torres. This top Spanish producer makes a simple Sangre de Toro that generally sells for $7 or less, and a slightly more expensive Reserve Sangre de Toro in the $10 range. The primary grape used to make Sangre de Toro is garnacha, the grenache grape from France`s Rhone Valley. Don`t hesitate to throw any of these wines in a bucket of ice to lower the temperature on a warm day.

Your white-wine selections should serve two purposes. To refresh as an aperitif and to pair with appetizers and any fish items that find their way to table. Difficult to find but worth the effort are the crisp Albarino from northwestern Spain. They can be expensive for this type of event at $18 or so, but there is no better wine with fish or shellfish. Morgadio is an Albarino that seems to be widely available, although none of the Albarino producers is large.

A balanced California sauvignon blanc, such as Robert Mondavi Coastal ($8.99) or Beringer Founders Estate ($10), will prove an excellent sipper as well as a pleasing complement to the barbecue table. A top-notch California sparkling wine, such as the Roederer Estate ($18) from Mendocino County, will accomplish the same feat albeit at greater cost. For those on a tighter budget, look for the Mumm Napa Valley Brut Prestige at about $15.

"Wine Finds" has been modified slightly for ease of use. Rather than the star ratings, which created production headaches at newspapers in some parts of the country, all recommended wines will be broken into three categories. The most outstanding wines are rated Exceptional. Wines that earn high marks for complexity, balance and flavor are rated Very Good. Wines that represent excellent quality for the price are rated Good Value.

EXCEPTIONAL:

Many Chianti aficionados tend to shun sangiovese from California, making the argument that it doesn`t taste like the real thing from Tuscany. No kidding. It`s a completely different animal, with no apologies necessary. The 1997 Chappellet Sangiovese, Napa Valley ($24), is typical of the genre in California. It`s ripe and fleshy, with more dark berry fruit and less cherry than its Tuscan cousins. A bit of the famous Chappellet cabernet sauvignon adds body and structure. The hint of oak is a beautiful finishing touch.

Some might argue the 1995 Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino ($60) is priced a bit on the high side, but the price is simply a reflection of the strong demand for top quality Brunello. This is the first release from this estate under Piero Antinori ownership and he kicks it off with an excellent vintage. It`s rich, complex and full bodied for a sangiovese-based wine, but that`s typical of Montalcino. Beautifully balanced, this wine will improve in the cellar for many years to come.

VERY GOOD:

Robert Mondavi`s flinty 1998 "SLD" Sauvignon Blanc ($18) is a tweener, occupying that territory between a classic herbal/citrus sauvignon blanc and one of the creamy chardonnay wannabes. Sourced completely from the Mondavi vineyard in the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley, the `98 SLD is crisp, complex and extraordinarily versatile with food.

The Adler Fels winery is a small Sonoma County outpost that produces world class wines in small quantities. Its 1997 Alterra Syrah, Russian River ($18), shows the skills of winemaker David Coleman in their best light. He allows the fruit to shine through, with just enough oak to be interesting without dominating.

GOOD VALUE:

So outstanding was the 1997 vintage in Tuscany that many of the good 1996 wines have been overlooked. The reserve wines are beginning to appear and there are plenty of excellent wines for the price, as the 1996 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico Riserva ($13) demonstrates. This is a solid, inexpensive Chianti for everyday Italian cuisine. For a well-made everyday red wine, the 1998 Black Opal Shiraz ($10.99) from Australia is a generously fruity crowd pleaser that could easily pass for a more expensive wine.

Callaway Coastal 1999 Chardonnay ($9) is the beginning of a new direction for Callaway, introduced a lightly oaked, crisp style that will only improve in future vintages as more chardonnay grapes from Monterey County are worked into the blend.SPIRIT OF THE WEEK:

Single malt Scotch can assume many different guises, but it`s just about impossible to conceal the fact that the Talisker 10-year-old ($45) is an island malt. The only single malt produced on the isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland, Talisker is heavy smoke and peat, slightly salty and a bit more bracing on the finish than older, smoother whiskies. Serve it over ice before dinner, or neat with a plate of fresh oysters on the half shell.

Serving suggestion: If at all possible, use glass stemware when serving wines outdoors. It doesn`t have to be fine crystal, so any sort of inexpensive stemware will suffice. And the glasses needn`t match. I often use the eclectic array of tasting-room glasses I`ve collected over many years of anonymous winery visits. The problem with plastic is that it reacts with the wine and alters the taste. Your guests will appreciate the difference.

Visit Robert Whitley online at www.whitleyonwine.com or send e-mail to him at whitonwine@aol.com.

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Robert Whitley