A practical guide to choosing outdoor libations
By William Rice
Chicago Tribune
(KRT)
Let’s welcome the picnic season.
May, admittedly, was a month for
staging picnics indoors. Finally,
though, it’s possible to commune
with nature without wearing a par
ka and to plan outdoor meals. I ad
mire those who, with the instinct
of a skilled quartermaster, plan a
picnic as thoroughly as a military
campaign. To them, I leave the lisjt
making and packing various games
and toys. I prefer to concentrate cjn
less obvious picnic necessities
— wine, for instance.
...warm wine is no more
pleasing on a picnic than a
sudden thunderstorm.
To be succinct, any wine that
needs to be fussed over doesn’t be
long on a picnic, unless said picnic
is taking place on your terrace. Do
bring glasses and a corkscrew, un
less the wine you choose is capped
with a newly chic metal screw top.
Be sure to claim a cooler and a
share of the ice to keep the wine
— even reds — somewhat chilled.
After decades of dining al fresco in
summer, I can say with some con
fidence that warm wine is no more
pleasing on a picnic than a sudden
thunderstorm.
Today I have brought along three
samples of easy-to-enjoy wines (all
chilled, though not painfully cold).
The wines, as you can see, are
Chateau Potelle 2000 Napa Valley
sauvignon blanc ($15); Domaines
Schlumberger 1998 Alsatian nes
ting Les Princes Abbes ($16), and
Jest Red, a non-vintage red table
wine with a sense of humor from
California’s North Coast ($10).
I recommend sauvignon blanc in
the full, grassy, crisp style of
Chateau Potelle for sipping early
in the gathering. The wine has the
aroma of a bowl of fresh fruit, of
fering hints of melon, peach and
citrus. It makes a refreshing aperi
tif, but will be welcome at the pic
nic table, too, if fish pate, shellfish
salads or sandwiches, vegetable
salads made with potato or other
root vegetables are on the menu.
Or pour it with skewered seafood
or vegetables, or noodles with
Asian seasonings.
Rieslings from Alsace, the
French province that borders the
Rhine River, are a revelation to
those who have tasted only sweet
or semi-sweet versions of wines
made from this classy grape. In Al
sace, and especially at the Schlum
berger estate, much of the riesling
is dry and full bodied with teasing
flavor fillips of apple, lemon, hon
ey. Marvelously versatile, this 4
year-old white will be a fine com
panion to chicken or salmon
prepared in almost any fashion, as
well as ham, sausages and a good
many cheeses.
Generic, blended red wines are
not in favor these days, but many a
picnic meal has been enlivened by
them, and many a hostess or host
has been grateful for their modest
cost. Not only is there humor in
the name of my choice, Jest Red,
there’s a pleasing amount of flavor
in the bottle.
Having combined cabernet
sauvignon, merlot, petit syrah, pe
tit verdot, pinot noir, syrah and
zinfandel, winemaker Bob
Bertheau could truly say, “Jest Red
is truly a labor of blending love.”
Rich cherry and black currant fla
vors from almost the entire assem
blage intermingle with the pep
pery scent of syrah and zinfandel
in this all-purpose charmer. It will
complement almost any sandwich
or salad made with cheese or meat,
especially Italian cold cuts or Mid
western meatloaf, as well as grilled
hamburgers or hot dogs and maybe
even S’mores.
Finally, remember that Cham
pagne, encased in a strong bottle,
travels very well.
©2002, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by
Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
Howard Bjomson Chicago Tribune (KRT)
To be succinct, any wine that needs to be fussed over doesn’t belong on a picnic, unless said picnic is taking place on your terrace.
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