If you're anything like us, you are savoring these summer days and trying to fill them with all those special moments that only happen this time of year. For us, that's a lot of alfresco dinners on the back deck, popping delicious bottles of wine and eating, drinking, and telling stories late into the night. Just last weekend we threw some lamb burgers on the grill and invited some friends over for an evening around our outdoor table. It is easy to wish this season would never end. Lucky for us living in California, some of the most beautiful weather is still ahead, with the golden days of late summer and early Autumn offering plenty more opportunities for beach days, backyard BBQs, and dinners on the patio.
This week's wines inspire simple summer suppers under the stars -- a Godello to pair with grilled seafood, and an oh-so-drinkable Sangiovese for a seared steak or pasta night.
Another carefully crafted and delicious wine from our friends at Valdesil in Galicia, Spain. Godello is one of those grapes that does exceptional things when grown with care, but is often avoided by winemakers due to its fickle nature and generally low yields. The Prada family (no relation to the fashion empire) works all their vines by hand and ferments the wine in stainless steel vats using only wild yeasts -- all of which help the fresh fruits and aromatics of this grape shine through. It has wonderful structure yet feels light and elegant on the palate. Notes of lemon rind, apple, white flower, minerals and fresh herbs. This is a great wine to sip on its own, or serve with seafood like crab, halibut or grilled shrimp.
This is the new vintage of an absolutely delicious Sangiovese from Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. Chiara Condello is a young and truly exciting winemaker from the town of Predappio, where she crafts stunning, pure Sangiovese wines on her 4.8 hectares (about 12 acres) of vineyards surrounded by olive trees and forests. She works entirely organically and the resulting wines are just spectacular. Instant pleasure with notes of dark fruits, chocolate, anis, baking spices, and dried rose petals. This is one to enjoy with a seared steak and any pasta dishes - especially with parmigiano (which comes from the same region!). We're sure it will win you over on first sip.