Since our earlier post on “Best Wines for All-Day Drinking” remains one of the best read ever, it made sense to me to settle in for another afternoon of porch sitting, visiting and taste testing, all to offer you more wine recommendations for all-day drinking.
You’re welcome.
To prepare, I rolled into Seattle’s Esquin wine store and asked for some “porch pounders”—wines to enjoy in the heat that are light enough to be drunk over the course of a day. That means they must be low in alcohol, sugar and price.
Interestingly, all of the wines the team at Esquin recommended were European whites. I went with two French and two Italian.
The Contenders
Here’s what I came home with:
Chateau Moulin de Ferrand 2013 Entre-Deux-Mers: this is a white Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes with an alcohol content of 12.5%. It retails for $9.99.
Costamolino Vermentino di Sardegna: there’s no vintage on this Italian Vermentino white wine from Sardinia, but it does have an alcohol content of 14% and retails for $15.99.
Domaine de Pajot Les Quatre Cepages 2013: from the Gascogne region in southeast France, this wine is a blend of four grapes: Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Gros-Manseng. The alcohol content is 12%, and the wine retails for $7.99
Villa Sparina Gavi de Gavi 2013: this Italian white is made in the Gavi region from the Cortese grape. It has an alcohol content of 12% and retails for $17.99.
The Setting
My friends and I geared up for a day of porch sitting and taste testing against the incredible backdrop of Lake Chelan in north central Washington State. We’re all in the Balanced and Developed tribes, so this wasn’t a representative tasting across all four tribes. But I can make an educated guess as to what the Accessible and Complex Tribes would like. (Don’t know what tribe you are in? Take the quiz here then make sure to check out the “Wine Picks By Tribe” section at the top of the page for personalized wine recommendations.)
The Results
These were all good wines. We found that each taster’s individual tribe predicted whether or not they’d be drinkable wines all day.
The Chateau Moulin de Ferrand was no one’s fave, but it was a decent wine. Across the tribes, people perceived it to be better on its own than with food—it seemed to get sweeter when paired with a meal. Given the sweetness, I bet that this would be the pick for the Accessible Tribe.
The Costamolino was a big hit, especially with the Balanced Tribe. Folks liked the scents of apricot, pear and sunscreen (who doesn’t like the smell of sunscreen?) They enjoyed the tastes of pineapple and vanilla. And they also liked the slight effervescence and “spiky” mouthfeel.
The Domaine de Pajot was the other winner, coming in as the first choice with the majority of our Developed Tribe members and a strong second for the Balanced Tribe. This one has flavors of green veggies, pineapple and honey. I know it sounds like a weird combo, but that hint of fresh greens makes the wine lighter on the palate and an easy choice for all-day drinking. I think this wine is a great crowd- pleaser. And at $7.99, what’s not to love?
The Gavi was a great wine, but not necessarily for all-day drinking. It’s rich, with herbal and marshmallow scents and tastes of caramel, orange blossoms and dried apricot. Everyone liked this wine, but it felt just a little too heavy for ongoing tippling in the heat. This may be one for the Complex Tribe members, however, especially those with a bit of a sweet tooth.
The Perfect Day?
So there you have it: another successful taste test of wines meant to be enjoyed on the patio in the sunshine with your friends for hours on end. If y’all are interested, I would be happy to keep investigating this very important topic. In the meantime, please leave a comment and tell us your thoughts on the best wines for all day drinking. 