Summer Wine al Fresco

Martha’s Vineyard Times, Galleries & Gourmets: Summer 2001, “Wines at the Fresh,” by Dawn Aberg.

Fresh.  The word has a meteorological significance in Europe.  Les temps frais in France is a cool, clear weather, for instance.  An atmosphere in which a relaxed summer gathering can elegantly move outside, en plein air with the artists, to chat, to eat, to drink, to socialize.  In Italy, fresh has an even more specific connotation.  Al fresco literally means “at the fresh” (the air is implied), an indication of experience itself in the great outdoors.

Back to fresh.  I call it a European notion, but how better to describe a Vineyard summer?  This is not the time to go with our heavier Yankee traditions.  The Island with its extraordinary light practically begs us to linger lightly in its outdoor presence.  With friends and flowers and yummy food.

Only one question remains. What wine to bring?

There is no shortage of oenological expertise on Martha’s Vineyard. Indeed, a brief Times survey last week of local purveyors pulled up lots of nifty responses to the al fresco wine question.  What would you suggest as the best summertime wine to drink in an open air setting?

As a preliminary matter, all wine mavens interviewed remind customers that drinking alcoholic beverages on public property – public beaches, parks, or on the street – is prohibited by town ordinances.  That said, there are plenty of wonderful private nooks and crannies, including your own backyard, in which you can take their advice.

Our Market’s Jamie McNeely neatly laid out the basic parameters for outdoor wine standards.  “You want something light bodied, with a low alcohol content.  Something refreshing. Something that can take a deep chill.”

How do you give something a deep chill?

“You put it on ice,” he said. “And then you chill.”

Mr. McNeely knows of what he speaks.  He has been purchasing wines for more than 16 years, and buys for some of the most sophisticated palates on the Island.  He bids on wines for customers at auction at Sotheby’s and Christie’s in New York and in California.  He stocks high-end Vineyard cellars.

Nevertheless, he says, these powerhouse wine credentials are not as important to his customers as what it is they like to drink.  “Wine is about personal preference,” he explained.  “We try to make wine as non-threatening as humanly possible.

What does “light” mean in the context of wine?

According to Mr. McNeely, light means simplicity.  Clarity. With heavier wines, there is a stronger oak influence, multiple layers of complex flavors that bloom on the palate.  And there is more alcohol.

“For an outdoor wine,” he said in recommendation of lighter, low-alcohol vintages, “you want something that will give you a light buzz.  Not something that will knock your socks off like a heavy California Chardonnay.”

He had several specific wine suggestions for the Vineyard picnic basket or garden supper.  A charming Italian Moscato D’Asti, with a light frizzante sparkle (that is, a slight hint of carbonation).  A white from the Loire Valley in France.  Or a Vinho Verdo Branco from Portugal (with its own frizzante touch).  Casal Garcia, for example.

Then there are the Rieslings.  “German wines are the ultimate picnic wine,” Jamie said last Monday morning.  “They are not sweet, like people think.”  He went on to explain that under the guidance of strict German labeling procedures, a buyer knows exactly which wine “pick” he or she gets in a bottle.  The “Kabinet” designation means the wine was produced from the first grape harvest.  And the first harvest yields the driest wine.  Go for a vineyard’s Kabinet Riesling.

Jim Sorber works out of two Island wine venues, Great Harbour Gourmet & Spirits in Edgartown, as well as the Island’s only actual winery, Chicama Vineyards. In addition to a lightly sparkling wine or a Riesling, Mr. Sorber recommended a dry rosé from the south of France.  “It is an easy drinking wine,” he said.  “Vibrant with bright flavors.”  He sought to dispel the impression American consumers have of rosé wines in the wake of the madcap “white zin” craze of the last couple of decades. “A good rosé is not like a blush wine from California,” he explained.  Those sweet wines developed a popularity among Americans before they had developed a more sophisticated palate.  “White Zinfandel hit a niche, one that was a step up from Blue Nun and Riunite.  But it gave rosé a bad name.”  American wine drinkers have grown up, he said, and should experience what good rosé is about. 

With his Great Harbour hat on, Mr. Sorber recommended a rosé from an organic estate in Mouries, a village in Provence.  The wine, which is produced by a woman wine maker, is called Mas de Gourgonnier.  He also suggested a California rosé made in the French style, a Monterey County Robert Pecota.  “It’s a good, dry wine,” he said.

For a white wine, Mr. Sorber recommended a bright and fresh California blend of Chenin Blanc and Viognier grapes, Pine Ridge.  As a general rule, however, he said French whites would be lighter and more refreshing.

He explained why.

“In California, it is warmer, and the grapes get riper.” Even when the same grapes are grown in California as in France, the California grape has more sugar to be converted into alcohol during the fermentation process.

At his other job at Martha’s Vineyard’s own winery, Mr. Sorber had even more recommendations for “pic-a-nic baskets, Mr. Ranger sir.” (That would be a Yogi Bear, not a Jim Sorber, quote.)

Chicama Vineyards, located in West Tisbury in the Island’s agricultural heart, was the first bonded winery in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Although West Tisbury is a dry town, and wines cannot be served on premises, customers are welcome to purchase wines and enjoy a picnic outside on the winery property, overlooking wildflower fields and the vineyards themselves.

Last Tuesday, during a visit by The Times, the view from the picnic section was remarkable.  A tall pasture of yellow cosmos, daisies, clover, and sweet William moved under a gentle breeze and a half-dozen electric blue gnat-catchers darting in the wind.  Beyond the meadows lie the grapevines, the actual source of the picnic wine just purchased inside the shop.

Speaking of the shop, the winery sells a whole host of picnic accessories to complement an al fresco meal.  There are even citronella candles to keep the bugs away, if the gnat-catchers aren’t doing their job.

Mr. Sorber, who has worked in wineries in New York, California, France, Argentina, and Chile, recommended a Chicama Vineyard Chenin Blanc for a meadow picnic, or their Zinfandel, “Summer Island,” a wine with a fruity zesty flavor.  The vineyard also produces its own sparkling wine, “Sea Mist,” which he said is lovely out-of-doors.

The family-owned winery is one of those Island treats that tourists seem to know more about than locals.  But it is well worth the visit.  With its new bottling machine in place, and a new commercial kitchen under construction, Chicama Vineyards is moving confidently, yet charmingly, into the new century.

Beyond the whites and sparkling wines, red wine has its own role to play out of doors. “A Cote de Rhone begs to go with a barbecue,” said Bill Martin, wine manager at Jim’s Island Market, “or a light Italian red.”  He agreed that some of the California wines were too heavy for summer fare.  “You want something lively, soft and ripe, easy to drink.”

He cited Guigal as the best-known producer from the Rhone valley, but said there were plenty of others.  He suggested a Jean Luc in the $10-$12 range, but added there are lower priced wines that work as well, specifically a wine from Garrigues.

Mr. Martin also pointed in the direction of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.  “They are the hottest thing going right now,” he said.  “Lively, tropical fruit, grapefruit, a nice bright acidity. It stands up to chicken and vegetables.”

Beyond specific regions and grapes, Mr. Martin added a logistical tip for picnickers: half bottles.  If you’re headed to a (private) beach, half bottles are amazingly handy. Veuve Clicquot, this writer’s personal favorite in the champagne department, even comes in splits. “It’s not cheap,” he said, “but it’s good.”

Martha Look, one of the owners of Al’s Package Store, seconded the recommendations for light, white wines out-of-doors, a Frascati or a Riesling she suggested, as did the Vineyard Wine and Cheese Shop on Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs.  But Ms. Look added that one shouldn’t overlook the possibility of box wine in some situations. “Most of our customers don’t ask questions like “what kind of wine do you drink with a hamburger? One person likes one thing, one likes another,” she said.

David Richardson of Tony’s Market also voiced support for the light, white idea, but was concerned about cost to the consumer.  He suggested René Barbier, white or red, as a respectably palatable wine at only $5 a bottle. “And then there’s Cook’s Champagne,” he said. “You can’t go wrong with that for the price.”

Mr. Richardson did point in the direction of a more subtle wine choice at Tony’s, one he said was his wife’s current favorite: Aprémont, White Savoy. “It’s a very light, crisp wine,” he said, “that has a little hint of carbonation.”  It is, however, more than $13 a bottle.  He also said Australian wines were very popular, citing an Australian Shiraz, “Selena Estate,” as very good.  It’s not as heavy as a burgundy.  It’s a lighter red.”

As a last suggestion for light white, the Town Provision Company in Edgartown recommended a Trimbach Reserve Pinot Gris, made from a Vouvray Chenin Blanc grape with a very bright clean taste.

But if all the ins and outs of wine choice feel like just too much activity for a warm Vineyard night, relax.  You can always go with David Richardson’s personal favorite at Toney’s.  “There’s nothing like an IPA beer in the summertime.”