OR, HOW WE SPENT [PART OF] OUR SUMMER VACATION
Like most wine lovers, we have favorite bottles that we return to time and again. From Puglia, two exquisite Primativos: Acinore and Rinforzo Primitivo Salento. From Napa, Edict and Burgess [a 2024 discovery] Cabernet Sauvignon. And from Trader Joe’s by way of Portugal, the $5 Espiral Vinho Verde. Like old friends, these wines are always welcome at our table. But we are always on the lookout for new wines to add to our collection, particularly during the summer when entertaining goes into overdrive.
This year, our summer discoveries spanned the globe, from France, Italy, and Croatia to Oregon’s Willamette Valley and Arizona’s [yes] Cochise County. Italy dominates, no surprise there given our recent travels. All of these excellent, well-priced wines are available online or at many local shops. Most are $25 or less, with a few splurges throw in.
WHITE
- Volpaia Vermentino 2024; Radda in Chianti, IT; $20 at Raeder’s Wine
Vermentino perfection, full of grapefruit, minerality, and smooth tannins; well integrated with just the right amount of acidity. Volpaia is rightly known as a “Chianti House,” but its white wines are equally memorable. - Goretti Grechetto DOC Colli Perugini 2024; Perugia IT, $18 at Post Wines
Crisp, tart, and flavorful; full mouthfeel; very food friendly. Quintessential Umbrian white! - Ilok Cellars Grasevina Riesling Italico 2023; Danube, Croatia; $18.66 at BinEnds
Bright, crisp, and dry with lots of grapefruit and light fruit flavors. This is an unfamiliar grape [to us] but it turns out Graševina, a kin to Riesling, is Croatia’s most widely-planted varietal. It’s a pleasure to drink.
ROSÉ
- Pietraventosa EstRosa Rosato 2022; Puglia, IT; $23 at K&L Wines
A fresh, lively blend of native Puglian grapes. It’s pretty in pink but nothing like those bubble gum Provencal rosés. Lots of red berries and good minerality. - Château d’Aqueria Tavel Rosé 2024; Tavel [Rhone], FR; $17.88 at Station Plaza Wine
This lovely wine is intense in color but smooth and pleasing on the palate. A blend of 6 red and white grapes [Grenache dominant], the Tavel is beautifully balanced and perfect as a pre-supper sipper or paired with fish or chicken. - Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Rose 2024; Willamette Valley, OR; $20 at the Winery
“Pale pink color, juicy with fresh red berry flavors” sounds like a rosé Lisa would hate! But the Elk Cove is not a lightweight summer sipper. Bright and dry, with good acidity, and, yes, red fruit flavors, this Pinot rosé holds up to cheese, fish, or BBQ.
RED
- Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2018; Montalcino, IT; $133 at Saratoga
Gary’s favorite new Brunello, he wine is a work of art on the palate, with a slow-release of intense red fruits enveloped by velvet tannins and balanced minerality and acidity. Pricey but worth the splurge! - Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva 2021; Radda in Chianti, IT; $45 at JJ Buckley
Scents of leathered humidor, smoke, and finest pipe tobacco. Stays silky smooth throughout. Textbook standard for Riserva. - LDV Winery Sky Island Grenache 2017; Cochise County, AZ; $25 at VinoShipper
We discovered wines from Arizona years ago on a trip to Scottsdale. We were skeptical at first. But a few glasses of Syrah from Dos Cabezas WineWorks removed all doubt. So when friends recommended LDV Winery’s Grenache, we were all in. This wine reminds us of some of the yummy Rhone Valley reds we’ve enjoyed through the years. Aged for five years in neutral oak barrels to highlight the fruitiness of that year’s vintage, the Grenache/Petite Sirah [5%] blend is indeed fruity, with flavors of dark fruit and spices. A smooth, silky finish completes the package. - Kermit Lynch Cotes du Rhone Villages 2023; Rhone, FR $15 at Red Wagon Shop
Dark garnet color and medium bodied, toasted caramel on the nose, with hints of leather. Spicy licorice and black currants on the palate. A steal at $15, this is now our House Red.
We’re sad to say goodbye to summer but grateful for the new gems we discovered at far-away wineries, local wine bars, favorite shops, and from friends bearing gifts.
VinoDuo 
Hi Lisa,
Looks like you guys enjoyed some amazing wines this summer, including “surprise surprise” Willamette Valley. Your comments reminded me of a spectacular evening that Bruce and I enjoyed in Portland OR, about 10 years ago, tasting a deep flight of some of the best pinot noirs from that region. (It’s also fun to recognize where you took your photos.)
I’m flying home a week from today and should arrive in Cotuit shortly before midnight next Thursday (rendezvous-ing with a friend from Napa Valley at Logan). Barring maintenance emergencies here, I expect to stay on the East Coast through January and maybe into February.
How long I stay depends on how long it takes my upstairs neighbors to complete their kitchen and bathroom remodel. The noise (and dust) will all be directly overhead, so it will be far more pleasant (even if much colder) in Cotuit than Kirkland while that work is underway. The project doesn’t start until October, and the condo owners live in Santa Barbara. It’s hard to imagine that the project will proceed smoothly or quickly when managed from such a remote distance¦
I’m looking forward to spending some lovely times with you guys, either in Cotuit, Waltham/Boston or in between.
Hope all is well with you both, as you prepare to wrap up your summer stay in Cotuit. I also hope all is well with both of your families. And just wait until you hear about my brother’s travails¦ Ten surgeries (and counting) since I returned from France in late May. Two bouts of sepsis, over two months of extended ICU and hospital stays. I count my blessings everyday for continuing good health. I hope the same is true for you.
Big hugs,
Chris
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Great to hear from you, Chris. We tasted the Willamette Valley rosé at Uva a few weeks back. Let’s go there again when you’re back! We’ve saved many of the Italian wines we shipped home for when we see you in Cotuit.
Lisa,
this podcast is very helpful. It is not esoteric, but gives valuable information to normal wine-loving folk.
Thank you
Ted
Thanks, Ted and welcome to VinoDuo!