If you like light, refreshing, crispy wines, you will like Gruner Veltliner from Austria. This wine is making its presence at the world market. It accounts for more than a third of all planted vines in Austria. The grape ripens late and produces wine with a pale color and a slight green tint. You will find aromas of herbs on the nose and flavors of pears and white pepper. I used to drink this wine while living in Prague, because it goes very well with dishes based on sauerkraut.

The summer is finally here and that means more barbequing. This is my favorite dish to bring to a barbeque party, called Ratatouille. It is easy to make and I can even prepare it a day ahead of time. Ratatouille is a classic dish from Provence, France. It can be served hot or at room temperature.

On a hot summer day I serve it with Chardonnay or Albarino, but it pairs well with lighter red wine, such as Pinot Noir.

We explored Roditis Marras, pink skin varietal that is used to make white wine. You can idetify it as a love child of German Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Bright color, fruity lemon flavor, light perfect summer wine.

Pairs well with seafood, horse d'oevres, light cheeses and salads. We enjoyed it with Greek Feta cheese, vegetables and pita bread.

Our red wine to explore was Kouros Nemea. Indigenous grape Agiorgitiko also known as Mavro Nemeas. Elegant, dry red wine with flavors of fresh berries, dark cherries and plums. Low in acid, well balanced tannins.

Wine of the evening: Elena Zinfandel 2008 from Healdsburg, Sonoma County.
The grapes were left to ripen longer in the summer heat and the wine was aged in American oak barrels for over a year. The end result was a wine with intense fruit dominance with a hint of spice, black pepper and soft tannins with a wonderful long finish.
 

Our trip to Spain (without a passport) was a great success! We tasted wines from Ribera del Duero, Jumilla, Rias Baixas and Catalunya under the guidance of Rick Fisher, Spanish wine educator. Rick did an excellent job presenting the wines and educating us about the regions. He used an interactive approach to taste the wines and we enjoyed sharing our tasting experiences.