It wasn’t much of a summer, I’m afraid.
The empty ballparks, the missing actors and musicians, the fraught travel, the social distancing — little was there to divert attention momentarily from the pitiless price of the Covid-19 pandemic and the destruction caused by climate change.
At least fresh summer fruits and vegetables were bountiful. But now that gift is nearing its end. If you’re like me, you’ve been eating tomatoes like crazy, and have maybe even considered preserving some for the winter.
As summer segues into autumn, the taste for wine begins a seasonal transition, too. It’s never as simple as white wines in the heat, reds in the cold. Though that formula at least has some logic to it.
Whites and rosés are often the best choices for fresh vegetable preparations and other seasonal dishes. As the weather cools and the oven is revved up once more, many of the roasts, stews and bean dishes will be better suited to reds. And, for wines of all colors, we’ll be looking for a little more body and weight.
Shopping online at Manhattan retail stores, I found a dozen wines that are great for this transitional season. I picked more reds than whites, though most of the reds are still rather light-bodied.
For this roundup, I restricted myself to bottles costing $20 to $30.
Price is always a tricky issue. For some, this price range is a splurge. Others consider these bottles cheap. It’s often a question of priorities, but increasingly in the pandemic economy, it’s a matter of resources as well. I have long maintained that the best values in wine are in the $15-to-$25 range. I continue to believe that, though the Trump administration’s inexplicable tariffs on wines from France, Germany and Spain have pushed prices upward.
The tariffs were put in place nearly a year ago as retaliation against subsidies the European Union gives to Airbus, its largest aircraft manufacturer. Only wines below 14 percent alcohol are being taxed, and sparkling wines are excluded. Expect to see many more wines from these countries with labels indicating alcohol levels above 14 percent.
I will continue to write more often about wines under $20, and even under $15. But occasionally it’s worth raising the bar to examine what’s available in different ranges. Some of these bottles were once inexpensive enough to fall into that under-$20 range.
What’s the biggest difference that comes with spending a little more? You have far more good choices in this range. I’ve included a rosé and a Muscadet that are among the best you could ever hope to drink. You’ve got a terrific Douro red from a great producer, and a wonderful Ribera del Duero from an up-and-coming star.
There’s a delicious Fleurie for $27.99, though somebody is always ready to gripe about Beaujolais prices. I, too, remember Beaujolais for less than $10. Things have changed, not least the ambition, skill and achievements of many Beaujolais vignerons, who deserve to be paid for their labor. And yes, the tariffs hurt, too.
These wines — one pétillant naturel, one rosé, two whites and eight reds, presented in no particular order — all have a few things in common: They are refreshing, delicious, light enough for end-of-summer dining and substantial enough to take us into fall.
Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Fiore 2018 $26.99
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is one of those Italian whites that got a bad name in the old days of careless overproduction. But when made conscientiously, the wines befit a storied history that goes back at least to the 13th century. This wine, made by Montenidoli from organically grown grapes, is crisp, with floral and citrus aromas and flavors. It’s more concentrated than you might expect, and is just right for end-of-season caprese salads, fresh tomato sauces and pestos. (Artisan Wines, Norwalk, Conn.)
Scar of the Sea Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2018 $27.99
Scar of the Sea, run by the husband-and-wife team Mikey and Gina Giugni, makes an array of wines from the Central Coast as well as a bunch of ciders. This bottle is an excellent introduction to the style: savory and restrained, floral, lightly fruity and resolutely expressive. It’s perfect for when the weather cools enough roast a chicken. Ms. Giugni has her own label as well, Lady of the Sunshine, which makes very good sauvignon blancs and chardonnays.
Domaine Ilarria Irouléguy Rosé 2019 $25.99
Who said you shouldn’t drink rosé after Labor Day? Even though this is a longtime favorite rosé, I’m still surprised by its quality each time I open a bottle. It’s much darker than a typical French rosé, more the ruby color of a Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, made of tannat and cabernet franc grown in schist. The flavor is elemental, like something you might imagine concocted from rocks and blood, which, believe me, is a great thing. Peio Espil, the proprietor of Ilarria, practices hands-off farming, and works naturally. The wines get better and better. (A Thomas Calder Selection/Regal Wines Imports, Moorestown, N.J.)
Luis Seabra Douro Xisto Ilimitado 2018 $26
The evolution of the Douro Valley of Portugal, famed for centuries for its fortified port wines, has been fascinating to watch. With a diminishing market for port, the region has produced more and more table wines, and they have become finer and more evocative. Luis Seabra makes state-of-the-art Douros: graceful, appetizing and elegant. Xisto Ilimitado is made with a typical blend of red port grapes grown in schist soils. It’s savory, complex, aromatic and thoroughly delicious. (Olé & Obrigado, New Rochelle, N.Y.)
Castro Candaz Ribeira Sacra Mencía 2017 $22.99
Castro Candaz is one of the many projects of Raúl Pérez, one of Spain’s leading itinerant winemakers, who produces gems from all over the country and beyond. For Castro Candaz, Mr. Pérez, in partnership with another winemaker, Rodrigo Méndez, focuses on mencía grapes from the Chantada region of Ribeira Sacra in Galicia, an area where the hills are more sandy than is typical in the slate-rich Ribeira Sacra. It’s a concentrated, earthy wine, with plenty of minerality. Try it with chili con carne. (Skurnik Wines, New York)
Domaine Maestracci Corse Calvi E Prove 2016 $24.99
Since Camille-Anaïs Raoust took over this estate in 2012 from her father, Michel Raoust, she has pushed to farm biodynamically, and has improved the winemaking. It’s situated in the Calvi region in the northern part of Corsica, where the leading red grape is niellucciu, or sangiovese. In the south, the leading red grape is sciaccarellu, or mammolo, a lesser known Tuscan grape generally used for blending. This red combines both grapes, along with grenache and syrah, to create a gorgeous wine that is floral, focused, lightly tannic and thoroughly Corsican. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, Calif.)
Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Château Thébaud 2014 $27.99
This is one of my favorite Muscadets from one of my favorite Muscadet producers. It’s made from a parcel of vines grown in a particular sort of fissured granite, and is aged for more than four years before it’s released. It’s dense, with great minerality, a creamy texture and incisive acidity, yet still light on its feet. If you adhere to the old “R” month myth for eating oysters, this is your perfect September wine. It will also go beautifully with other shellfish and seafood preparations, and with creamy sauces. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)
Goyo García Viadero Ribera del Duero Joven de Viñas Viejas 2018 $24.99
Goyo García Viadero is dedicated to farming and making wine with minimal intervention. This absolutely delicious wine comes from old vines of tempranillo that are simply fermented in steel vats and bottled, without the addition of sulfur dioxide, an almost universally used stabilizer. The wine is vibrant and alive, with deep, pure flavors of dark fruits and flowers, just the bottle for a platter of sausages. (José Pastor Selections/Llaurador Wines)
Manenti Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2018 $26.99
Cerasuolo di Vittoria from the Vittoria region of southeastern Sicily combines the body and richness of nero d’Avola with the limber freshness of frappato. It’s almost always a winning combination, especially in the hands of sensitive farmers and producers like Marita and Guglielmo Manenti, a husband-and-wife team who farm organically. The result here is a sweet-and-bitter, earthy wine with lively acidity. (Jan D’Amore Wines, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Anne-Sophie Dubois Fleurie Les Cocottes 2019 $27.99
Anne-Sophie Dubois organically farms about 20 acres in Fleurie. She is one of a small number of Beaujolais producers who do not use semi-carbonic maceration, the typical winemaking method in the region. Under that technique, whole bunches of grapes are piled into large vats. Those on the bottom are crushed and begin to ferment, producing carbon dioxide, which induces a different, intracellular fermentation in the bunches on top. Instead, she destems the grapes and ferments them simply, as is more typical in Burgundy. It’s often said that wines made with the Burgundian method will be more structured, but this one is great to drink now: fresh, energetic and pretty, with an underlying earthy note. (Grand Cru Selections, New York)
Division-Villages Oregon Gamay Noir Les Petits Fers 2019 $23.99
This American gamay is fun to contrast with the Dubois Fleurie. Division-Villages is the easygoing, less-expensive label of Division Wine, and though this wine is modeled on a Fleurie, it is more akin to a Beaujolais-Villages, as the name Division-Villages suggests. Unlike the Dubois, this is made using the more common Beaujolais semi-carbonic method. It doesn’t have the complexity or heft of the Fleurie, but it is delightful and insanely easy to drink. Serve lightly chilled.
Brand Germany Pet-Nat 2019 $28.99
The young Brand brothers, Daniel and Jonas, work naturally in the north of the Pfalz region. I’ve had a number of their wines, and they are all unpretentious and delicious, including this pétillant naturel, made with silvaner and weissburgunder, otherwise known as pinot blanc. It’s not complex or contemplative. It’s just a wine full of citrus and herbal goodness, perfect to go with snacks and a football game. (Vom Boden, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
