Summer may be winding down but there are still plenty of BBQs, camping trips and picnics to be had. So if you’re getting a bit tired of beer (I know, for some it might be heresy to even suggest that) but are having a hard time finding a wine to pair with the unique flavors of cookouts and cold potato salad, we’ve got the grape for you. It’s a white primarily Austrian varietal called Grüner Veltliner and its tart-sweet green apple notes make it ideal for sticky sweet barbecue, jerk chicken, grilled pork and even hot dogs.

Austrian Grüner from Paul Direder

Less sweet and leaner that most Rieslings or Gewürztraminers (which I’m also a big fan of during the warm months) and with a distinctly new-wine nose, the green-gold Grüner should be served nice & cold and can be sipped on its own as an aparatif or served throughout the evening from a smoked fish starter to the cherry pie for dessert. Not only that but most are inexpensive at under $15 and they usually come in liter bottles for a little extra bang for the buck. In short, it’s a perfect summer wine and we like it so much we’re probably going to keep drinking it in the Fall…and then on vacation somewhere warm…and next Spring…

We get the very tasty Paul D. in Brooklyn at the outstanding South Williamsburg wine shop, D.O.C. But ask your local wine store if they stock it or another Grüner. If they don’t, they really should–you can’t beat it with a stick!