The Case for a Summer Picnic
We picked wines at random that had the potential of going along for the ride in our picnic basket. We ran the gamut of styles and varieties.
The weather is perfect and the location is set: the perfect tree sitting in a nice meadow—perhaps on top of a hill—with lush green grass underneath. Not too hot and not too cold—in a word, perfect. This is a picnic spot of champions. Of course, we can’t all have the wonderful hidden away spot, but we still want to have picnics! Perhaps it’s at your local park, lake, front lawn or even backyard. Picnics are all about the food,company, and of course, the perfect wine to pair with all of that.
Think about all the famous picnic foods and you’ll quickly realize that: 1) most of the foods are cold and 2) most of thefood is on the lighter side. Remember all of your favorite picnic foods? Potato salad, cold fried chicken, cheeses and crackers, some lunch meats and fresh bread, ripe fruit in season, etc. Lots of variety. So what are the best picnic wines? Well, you think cool, crisp, and white/rosé .
Picnic fare is all about the variety, ease, and “travelbility”. The food has to survive the time it takes to get to the picnic area, These tend to be foods that are lighter: the cold fried chicken, veggie trays, lunch meats, and fruit. Crisp, delicious white wines are a must in these situations! You can buy those freezer sleeves that can slide over bottles to keep them cool so you don’t have to worry about carrying too much ice with you. Crisp wines are a good choice. Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Blanc are among favorite varietals. They are bright, acidic, and loaded with crisp citrus fruit and minerality. Lighter white wines like this make the food come to life while refreshing your palate.
The wines were sampled at Little Joe's restaurant. Various antipasti plus chicken strips were served. We would have had a picnic for proper context were it not for a tour before of the Old Mint across the street. Here are the results.
5 
(95+) LOVE IT!~EXTRAORDINARY Platinum Medal - An exceptional, ravishing wine that sets the standard against which other wines are judged
4.5 (92-94) SUPERB ~ REMARKABLE Double Gold Medal (95+) LOVE IT!~EXTRAORDINARY Platinum Medal - An exceptional, ravishing wine that sets the standard against which other wines are judged4 stars (90-92) DELICIOUS ~ EXCELLENT Gold Medal- A complex, concentrated wine that balances lush fruit flavors with refinement
3.5 (87-89) ENJOYABLE ~ VERY GOOD Silver Medal
3 stars (85-87) LIKE IT~ GOOD Bronze Medal - A pleasing wine with varietal distinctiveness
2.5 (82-84) OK ~ SATISFACTORY
2 stars (80-82) MEH~ FAIR - A simple indifferent quaffer for everyday drinking
1.5 (77-79) DISAGREEABLE ~ MEDIOCRE
1 star (75-77) DISLIKE IT ~ DEFICIENT - An inferior, innocuous wine that borders on the flawed
Group Enjoyable
Average Very good or above 1st,2nd,3rd Total
Toolbox 2008 Pinot Grigio Clarksburg $14
2.95 85 9/20 1,0,3 6
Crisp and lemony, longer finish, lovely aromas of pears and citrus, refreshing, minerally, an excellent picnic or evening on the porch wine, distinctively PG with more body with a less coastal influence
Lionheart 2007 Roussane McGinley Vineyard Santa Barbara $32
2.72 83 4/20 1,0 5
pear and peach, citrus, pineapple, floral, creamy and full bodied due to malo, some spice, not enough fruit
Triennes 2007 Rosé Provence $15
2.72 83 4/20 0,1,1 3
pleasant, strawberry and watermellon aromas, simple, stick with "Lucy" from Pisoni Vineyards
Navarro 2006 Muscat Blanc Anderson Valley $19
3.20 86 10/20 3,4,2 19 2nd place
floral, honeysuckle, lemon blossom, dry and refreshing, complex and exotic, distinctive, nice switch from the usual suspects
Stein Family Vineyards 2009 Gewurtztraminer Los Carneros $22
3.45 87 12/20 5,4,2 25 1st place
lychee fruit, grapefruit, zesty, fragrant, fleshy, loaded with flavors, slightly off dry which suits this wine, well balanced, delightful
Mer Soleil Silver 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands (Monterey) $25
3.34 86 11/19 4,2,1 17 3rd place
plenty of fruit, creaminess, vibrant, melon, higher in alcohol, bright and clean, bold yet balanced
Apaltagua 2008 Chardonnay Reserva Estate (unoaked) Casablanca Valley Chile $11
3.43 87 14/20 1,4,1 12 Best Buy
Fresh peach, very approachable, rich and crisp at the same time, more body than previous Chardonnay
Pirie South 2006 Estelle blend Tasmania Australia $12
2.71 83 7/20 0,0,1 1
a bit of spritz, Gewurz like spice, lime, yeast, Riesling comes through, would pair well with Thai food, some muskiness
Michel Schlumberger 2007 Pinot Blanc Dry Creek Valley $22
3.15 86 7/20 0,0,5 5
green apple, some spice, juicy pear and quince, more acidity than aroma, pleasant, simple
Foxen 2006 Chenin Blanc Ernesta Wickenden's Vineyard Santa Maria Valley $18
3.40 87 9/20 2,0,1 7
tropical fruit, crisp and clean, melon, classic, pair with seafood, honeysuckle
Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg 2002 Spatlese Riesling Mosel Ruhr Valley $25
3.47 87 12/18 0,3,4 10
great expression of Riesling, long finish, yellow apples, some lavender, racy, lovely nose,
Hagafen Cellars 2009 Riesling Lake County $18
3.29 86 9/18 2,0,2 8
vibrant, lower acid, steely, lively, lacks the weight of the previous wine
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