Wines to Drink For Your Summer Wind Down

I've recently taken a lover. If it's just a summer fling, it will go down in history.


Vinho Verde.


We met in late April at an event and it was love at first tingly awakening in my mouth. I was struck by the flavor and the slightly sparkling quality of the wine. I was gifted with a bottle of the Casal Garcia that was served that evening and haven’t looked back.

What was left of the bottle of Vinho Verde I received
at the event. I snapped this photo to send to a friend,
declaring my love of the wine.

Yes, it's ill-advised to consume alcohol when temperatures top 90 degrees as they have on numerous days in New York City this summer, but heat or not, people are going to drink wine. {The} Native Creative Concierge turned to a few good men to learn which wine they choose for hot August summer days in the city, afternoons at the beach or an evening picnic or BBQ with friends.



SO WHAT'S IN YOUR WINE GLASS?



Though far from being an ubriacona, I do admit to having quite the taste for wine this summer. I still sully myself with a Riesling, Sancerre blanc, Grüner Veltliner or Lugano on occasion. But now I choose Vinho Verde without hesitation and have no doubts it will get me through the rest of the summer.



Turns out I'm not alone. Jack Mason, Master Sommelier and the Wine Director of Marta also pours from the same chilled bottle. "Even as temperatures outside rise, I love a good glass of wine. One of my favorite wines on a budget for a hot summer day is a partially frozen bottle of Vinho Verde from Portugal. A slightly-effervescent, acid-driven white wine combined with an hour in the freezer creates the perfect, quaffable glass that maintains a cool temperature on even the hottest of summer days."

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Let It Snow

New York City, March 2, 2009, 20 degree weather with single digit wind chills and a foot of snow. March 7, 2009, near 70 degree weather. Something ain’t right. I love spring and summer-like weather in the spring and summer. But if folks don’t think global warming is for real, they really need to open their eyes. Humans can be quite a selfish species. And because of that we alter the environment to suit us instead of respecting Mother Nature. 

During the storm on March 2, I took a trip to the park. At one point, those wicked winds picked up, snow started blowing and caused snow blindness. In all that howling wind, there was an eerie silence. There is something so resolute and absolute about nature; a power that we need to respect. Ducks fly south for the winter because it’s too cold. The largest mammal on this planet, the Blue Whale, travels to warmer waters in the winter. Bears (the most famous of the hibernators) just say, “Fuck it, it’s too cold. I’ll see you in the spring.” Animals adapt to their environment. They don’t rip it up and spit it out. The unnatural presence of humans in certain environments has grave effects on ecosystems. We sterilize deer so Bambi won’t go bounding throw backyards that we took from them. Dogs are emasculated and turned into bed-sleeping, sweater-wearing, look-at-me-I’m-in-a-handbag, gourmet-food-eating bitches. Fish are gnawing at transoceanic cables because they’re mistaken for food. I want my children to know what a polar bear or a tiger is and not just from photos. I don’t want my melanin-rich children to add to the increasing numbers of skin cancer cases due to the massive hole in the ozone layer that keeps gaping like a….. (I’ll stop there)

Global warming doesn’t just mean we’ll sizzle to death. Global warming means more hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis or wildfires. Remember El Niño? Mild winters may be arctic winters or 50 degree summers. Sea levels will continue to rise and obliterate coastal cities. We won’t need another Katrina to flood New Orleans. Steps are being made to go green and we all, as a race, species, family, genus, whatever word you wanna use, need to be smarter and more conscientious in how we treat the earth. Or don’t we care? Is this why there’s been a sudden interest in searching for other “earths” in other galaxies? I’m not ready to move.