Champagne and Provence rosé are often the wine of choice for a hot summer’s day. Their high acidity and low residual sugar satisfy most drinkers looking for a refreshing glass. But if you’d like to wow your guests at your party, steer away from these standard options and check out the following alternatives:
“Champagne is only from Champagne”! But outside of Champagne, France produces quality sparkling wines in many other regions at a fraction of the price. Crémant specifically refers to sparkling wines made from outside the Champagne region but using the same “Champagne technique”.
There are eight official French Crémant appellations: Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Die, Jura, Limoux, Loire, and Savoie (and a Cremant de Luxembourg from its neighbor). Regional regulations may vary, but all Crémants follow strict production regulations such as manual harvest and a minimum of nine months lees-aging.
While Champagnes are mostly made from well-known international grape varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, many Crémants utilize local specialties, including Auxerrois (Alsace), Aligote (Burgundy), Grolleau (Loire), and Clairette (Die). For a classic example, try Crémant d’Alsace produced by Clément Klur, which was featured in the wine comics Les Couttes de Dieu.
Not all Rieslings are from Germany, and not all Rieslings are sweet. It takes a real wine connoisseur to appreciate the beauty of a dry Riesling from the New World.
What make Finger Lakes Rieslings special is its unique history – the glacial movement and resulting lake formation 2 million years ago, Prohibition in 1920s and the subsequent loss of American vines, and eventually the rise of European Riesling in the United States. When Riesling met another cool-climate wine region, the magic happened. What a great story to tell!
The Rieslings here may not show the typical petroleum notes of its German counterparts, but the stone fruit and honey characters stand, along with its electrifying acidity. Forge Cellars from Seneca Lake carry a wide range of Rieslings, and its 2014 Finger Lakes AVA Classique won the Gold Award of Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2017.
The allure of the French Riviera has solidified the popularity of Provence rosé for years.
But the truth is, there is a much bigger world of rosé wines out there. At the western shore of Italy’s largest lake, Lake Garda, the practice of wine-making had started since Roman times.
Over the centuries, the tradition had carried on, and one of its specialties today is a rosé wine made from the local Groppello Gentile variety. Violet, red cherries, and plenty of spices such as marjoram and olive wood, a Valtènesi Chiaretto delivers a serious rosé wine that is unparalleled.
Within the small subzone of this appellation, the most iconic rosé is Costaripa Riviera del Garda Classico DOC Valtènesi Molmenti.
Looking for a light red wine, but with a bit of structure? Try a Langhe Nebbiolo, also known as “Baby Barolo”. Long gone are the days when you have to age a Nebbiolo for 10 or 20 years before it is drinkable.
A Langhe Nebbiolo, which essentially uses the same grape variety (Nebbiolo) as a Barolo does, is designed to be earlier drinking. Carrying the same perfume of rose and red berries, a Langhe Nebbiolo has a lighter body and softer tannin, which makes it perfect for the summer time when it’s slightly chilled.
For the ultimate splurge, do not miss the Giacomo Conterno Langhe DOC Nebbiolo Cerretta.
Alice Wong is a certified wine educator based in Hong Kong
