Heat Wave

In this terrible heat, it’s been hard to think about serious wine. Big Red sponsored a tasting and I think one of the Tuscan reds was probably really good but I couldn’t imagine buying any. Even thinking about the wine would have meant thinking about something like a braised boar shoulder and the very thought of something that hearty, cooked that long, was oppressive. My idea, these last few days, of a hearty meal is something like a plate of melon with some Serrano ham (thanks to the butcher shop), or an omelette with sliced tomatoes and basil. So I have been drinking light white wines with gratitude. And stumbled across a fantastic cooler – “Pasil” 2004, a Rueda Vedejo imported from Spain by Kysela, priced somewhere in the low teens (it’s too hot to think about saving receipts against the eventuality of blogging). As required by the season, it is light and fresh and clean, with citrus overtones. But it goes beyond the call of duty with charming notes of apple and tarragon. A lot of wines like this live on acid but the Pasil is in fact soft in the mouth, with a fresh aftertaste free of bite. I would have thought that this weather favored low alcohol acid wines like Moselles but Spaniards clearly grasp heat better than Germans do. I also would have thought that Australian winemakers could understand relentless sun and humidity. I now think that they run for beer when it gets this hot. In fact, another few days like this, and I’m grabbing the Dogfish India Pale Ale myself. But the heat is supposed to break tomorrow and, if it does, I’m going to grill a steak and open a Chateau Neuf du Pape while I can, before running back inside to learn more about Spanish and Portuguese whites.