When temperatures and humidity levels soar above the 90 point mark, we instinctively reach for a cold beverage to cool us down. While we love to #RoséAllDay and everything’s nice with white wine or bubbly on ice, where does that leave red wine lovers?

This summer, chill your reds.

Light to medium-bodied reds, with softer tannins and lots of fruit make the best bottles to put in your chiller. That’s right, throw that bottle of Pinot Noir or Grenache in the refrigerator, and you’ll be able to sip it on a rooftop deck, by the pool, at the beach, on a picnic or with an alfresco dinner.

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A few months ago I stood looking at four big cardboard boxes full of wine, all delivered on the same day. Here it was, the entire Testarossa Winery 2016 vintage, a bottle of every single wine they made. Three and a half cases. Forty-two bottles. A daunting tasting challenge if there ever was one.

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There was a time, not long ago, when the word organic on a wine label meant a bottle best avoided. Thankfully, today the o word is no longer a dirty word. We look for wines made naturally, from organically, biodynamically or sustainably grown grapes. With Earth Day just around the corner, what better time to celebrate the abundance of green, earth-friendly wines.

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With a dozen craft distillery tasting rooms to visit and a new speakeasy downtown, Paso Robles, on California’s Central Coast, is swiftly becoming a cocktail mecca. Most of these distillers are winemakers, as well, which is one reason you’ll find so many distilleries inside of or attached to wineries.

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We started planning this in early spring 2018. As TV veterans, “In Wine Country” host Mary Babbitt and I (executive producer) thought a podcast would be much easier than TV. Ha! We had lots of technical issues to overcome, audio editing to learn, and working around both our very busy schedules. But finally, we present to you “Sip, Sip, Hooray!” the podcast where wine is always fun.

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Two miles up a mostly unpaved, twisty road with corkscrew turns, Mount Eden Vineyards‘ estate vineyards and winery are slowly revealed to visitors making the drive up from Saratoga. Similarly, the rich, layered history behind the wine label has been developing over the past 75 years.

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There is one bottle in my wine collection I may never open. The 1999 Meeker Winemakers’ Handprint Merlot sat on my desk at NBC pretty much the entire nine year run of “In Wine Country,” the show that I created and produced. The bottle, wrapped in colorful handprints made by winemaker Charlie Meeker, was too cool to open.

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What I love most about the holidays is the ample opportunities for a festive toast. And there’s no better drink for that than Champagne and sparkling wine. Bubbles pair perfectly with just about any holiday food, from turkey and stuffing to roast ham, and of course oysters and lobster. 

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As the season changes from late summer to early fall, my tastes in wine change too. Sure, I still want a crisp, cool white on those warm autumn days, but as the sun sets and a chill develops, I’m reaching for lighter, brighter reds too. You probably think that means Pinot Noir. Nope, I want something exciting and different. That’s why I turn to Dan Dawson’s Wine Advisor to show me the way.

In his October 2018 list, Dan puts the spotlight on seven Napa Valley producers, some you may know, and others worth discovering. I’ve been a Neyers fan for a long time, especially of the Rhone varietals, but a $60 Napa Cab? Yes please!

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