Summer 2018 Whites

Yesterday marked the #SummerSolstice, the longest day of the year and official #FirstDayOfSummer2018. Time to think about relaxing on the patio, poolside or on the shore with something cool in your glass.

Anyone can reach into the cooler for an ice-cold beer, sugary wine cooler, bottle of hard cider, or other canned or bottled cocktail, but this year there are some truly great (and relatively inexpensive) Champagne-like craft ciders and white wines that can fit the bill with a little more class!

Craft Ciders

• Eve’s Cidery 2014 Northern Spy – Naturally Sparkling Dry cider. Toasted scones, tropical fruit and dried apples on the nose. $18 – 750 ml Bottle
• Redbyrd Orchard Ciders Workman Dry ’17 – Made from a blend of apples from four different categories, heirloom, bittersweet, sharp, and wild; fruit-forward, bright, tart, but not too sweet.  $18 – 750 ml Bottle
• Troy Cider MMXIV – A wine like cider that is rich with oak and wild fruit, and naturally still. Blend of organic heirloom apples and Pineapple Quince. $10 – 500 ml Bottle
• Troy Cider 2014 Funk Odyssey – A blend of wild heirloom cider apples and rare Pineapple Quince, wild fermented and aged in bourbon barrels for 9 months + 12 months more in the bottle. $20 – 750 ml Bottle

Riesling

• Trisaetum 2016 Ribbon Ridge Estate Dry – #11 on the 2017 Wine Enthusiast 100 and earning a rating of 96 described as: Stunningly good, this hits you with waves of fruit, acidity and spice.  $32 – 750 ml Bottle
• Zilliken 2016 Rausch Kabinett (Mosel) – Wine Enthusiast gave this weightless, sweet-tart grapefruit, lime and melon flavored Kabinett a 93.  $26 – 750 ml Bottle
• Maximin Grünhäuser 2016 Alte Reben (Mosel) – Wine Enthusiast scored this ripe, approachable, elegant Riesling with notes of tangerine, apple, and pineapple a 92. $24 – 750 ml Bottle

Pinot Blanc

• Friedrich Becker 2016 (Pfalz) – Hard to improve on Wine Enthusiast’s description of this 91 point wine: Racy lime acidity is offset by sunny pear and kiwi in this crisp medium-bodied white. Dry in style and enriched by a hint of cashew on the midpalate, it finishes long with juicy squirts of white grapefruit. $15 – 750 ml Bottle
• Bryn Mawr Vineyards 2017 David’s Block Estate Grown Pinot Blanc (Eola-Amity Hills) – Ripe pear, honeysuckle, orange and lemon peel and 91 Wine Enthusiast Points. $25 – 750 ml

Just a few examples of light, cold refreshment that aren’t Pinot Grigiot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Rosé and all for under $35 a bottle.  #GirlsGoneWine