Sipping the vino on a summer day:

George Portilla grew up in a Spanish-rooted family where you always had wine with dinner.

Born in Cuba, Portilla’s wine interest waxed and waned over the years with his wife’s intolerance for red wine – until a trip to Napa, Calif. a handful of years ago that changed everything (his wife figured out it was only the cheap wine she drank during college that gave her headaches): he’s now something of a wine connossieur, in addition to his day job as a surgeon and administrator for St. Mary’s Innovis Health.

“Wineries have come a long way,” he said, as he pointed out some of his favorite summer wines at Lakes Liquors.

As a general guideline, people drink more white wine during the summer months because it’s typically served chilled, and is therefore more refreshing on a hot day, said Lakes Liquors Manager Brad MacMaster.

On the top of Portilla’s list: a citrusy sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.

“This grape has a very high quality to price ratio because it doesn’t get the press and prestige that chardonnay gets,” he said. “My favorites are from New Zealand which add a certain grapefruit citrus flavor profile.”

At Lakes Liquors, MacMaster pointed out a top shelf all lined with those fitting Portilla’s description. Portilla recommended labels Kim Crawford or Nobilo.

“Last summer, I bought every New Zealand sauvignon blanc that (MacMaster) had and we had a tasting of all of them,” he said.

Other than the sauvignon blanc, Portilla said he likes looking for unusual grape varieties, other than the other two in the “big three”: pinot grigio and chardonnay.

Chenin blanc, “a dry white wine, an unusual grape,” is high on Portilla’s list. He likes ones from South Africa, which have some of the largest plantings of this grape on the planet.

Other unique grapes, like vouvray, or a white Bordeaux, like the Augey label.

If you’re the kind of person who prefers red wine all year round, Portilla recommends a lighter blend, like a pinot noir.

He said prices on the grape have gone up in recent years, but again, pinot noirs made in New Zealand “seem to have a better bang for the buck than most other areas in the world.”

But overall in the wine world, both Portilla and MacMaster said it’s becoming less and less about the “rules” and more about personal preference when it comes to things like serving temperature and food pairings.

Although the rule might say to chill white wine and drink red at room temperature, Portilla said it’s more like, “the better the wine, the less chilled it has to be.”

“If I’m drinking a cheap wine, I want it ice cold!” he said.

MacMaster said there are actually sweeter red wines coming on the shelves recently that are meant to be chilled, mentioning a German-made Schlink Haus sweet red wine or the Alice White red lexia.

As far as pairing the wines with food, MacMaster said it’s always generally been white wine with white foods like chicken or seafood, and red wine with red meat.

“But then, we’re back to personal tastes again, it’s really all about personal preference,” he said.

Portilla agreed and said one of his favorite pairings is a light pinot noir with salmon or tuna.

“The biggest thing is that you don’t want the wine to overpower the food,” he said, “and it also depends on how you’re cooking, if it’s heartier or lighter.”

He also said it’s good to consider where the dish you’re cooking originated from and go with a wine from that region.

“Like spaghetti and meatballs, an Italian dish, you might want an Italian red wine to complement the food,” he said.

Tags: niche pubs, summer living