Just because it’s the end of August doesn’t mean summer is over yet. While technically the autumnal equinox is September 23rd, we all know that thanks to global warming, October basically feels like July. Our one source of respite is that while the days are hot, the nights do start to cool. The tricky thing is, what do you drink when it’s 85 degrees at noon and 55 degrees at 10 PM?
As it turns out, the team at Skurnik has all of the answers and those answers lie within the Germany, Austria, & Champagne Portfolios. So crank up the AC, toss these bottles on ice (even the red ones!), and enjoy the rest of the summer with the always appropriate wines of our German, Austrian, and Champagne Portfolio!
Gabriel Clary
NV Grower Champagne
Summer means hanging outside with friends and drinking Champagne or cold, bracing Riesling at a BBQ or really anywhere outdoors cannot be beat. Both kinds of wines mix complexity and depth, with pure, lip-smacking drinkability.
They also taste great from a plastic cup, the perfect high/low balance. Perfect with dogs on the grill!”
Matt Stinton
Schneider Riesling Kabinett 2018
Be you on a stoop, your backyard (if you are lucky enough to have one) or inside an air-conditioned apartment, this wine is good for whatever the summer in the city hands you.
Carolyn Defir
Mouzon Leroux l’Ascendant Rosé de Saignée NV
We are still enjoying rosé but this is more savory and mineral rather than a fruit bomb. It is still refreshing on a hot and humid day but can also be had with food. And from a sales standpoint… it will certainly be an enjoyable rosé once the weather starts to cool off, too!
Matthew Barcewicz
Schlossgut Diel
Caroline’s devotion to sparkling wines is a decade-long process expressed through multiple bottlings of Sekt raised en triage for 6 to 9+ years before disgorgement to emerge as débutantes of sparkling Riesling: high-class, youthful, yet mature and sophisticated personalities. The family also produces a tremendous value in the Von Der Nahe Feinherb Riesling for everyday dining and entertaining. The Grosses Gewächs are at the top of my list for world-class dry white wine that I can afford to drink and share with wine lovers (reaffirmed by the aforementioned 2012 dirndl-dropper). And the 2018 Grosse Lagen Kabinett and Spätlese tasted at the estate are poised to hit my wine fridge on release! I’ll be stashing some ’18 Goldloch GG too.
Mariel Wega
Loewen Estate Riesling 2018
Nicole DeCicco
Kruger-Rumpf Scheurebe 2017
Both times that others have brought it to shindigs I’ve hijacked the bottle for myself.
Abigail Oliveras
Ott Grüner Veltliner Spiegel 2017 OR Bründlmayer Zweigelt 2015
When it comes to red wine though, Zweigelt is my preferred grape, and Bründlmayer’s Zweigelt 2015 is so perfect as we make our way into fall. The combination of crunchy dark fruit, violets, and black pepper spice create distinctly woodsy aromatics. I plan to spend most of my September drinking this liquid version of autumn. In case you are worried about temperatures still being too high to drink red wine, I accidentally left a bottle the fridge a bit too long the other day and it was beyond delicious with a bit of chill.
Mike Lykens
Prieler Blaufrankisch Johanneshöhe 2017
While sitting in the tasting room with Georg, I wondered how he was able to develop such complex flavors in his ‘basic’ wines. His response was: ‘It’s all about purity… In the winery, it begins with the fermentation— all fermentations occur in stainless steel because I like my babies to be born in a clean environment.’ And it’s in this environment that the wines Georg is producing are pure, clear, complex, and simply delicious.