Summertime fun and wine seem to go hand in hand – hot weather and cool beverages. We want to share few of our pleasurable hot weather wines in the hopes you, too, will enjoy them – especially over the next few months. Pinot gris, which is called pinot grigio in Italian, is believed to have mutated from the black pinot noir grape. Although it’s considered a white grape, its skin color is unusually dark for a white variety. The wines produced from this grape vary and are dependent on the region and wine-making style they are from. Prominent in Alsace and in northeastern Italy, color ranges from a yellow to a pale lemon.

Pinot grigios from Italy are lightbodied, crisp and acidic. Alsatian pinot gris are more full-bodied with a balance of acidity and slight sweetness. Italy has leaped in production over the past few decades. In 1970, 11,000 cases of pinot grigio were produced in Italy, and by the year 2000, this number had increased to more than 2.5 million cases.

Other growing regions to explore can be found in New Zealand, Oregon and California. Pinot grigio is one of those wines, which can be enjoyed with light fare such as sole, ounder, clams and oysters, or just sipped alone on a summer day.

There are numerous producers of this wine, so nding a nice one at any of the local wine shops will not be a problem. Prices can t any pocket book.

Here are two of our favorites. The Franz Haas winery, which produces Kris, is located in the Altoi Adige province of northeast Italy. Kris handcrafted pinot grigio features a avor pro le as playful and expressive as its label suggests. Kris is lean and refreshing with hints of blossom and honey; it is a nice everyday pinot grigio for those hot summer nights.

King Estate Winery is an organic winery located southwest of Eugene, Ore., and is considered by some to be the benchmark producer of pinot grigio in the country. While the winery also makes pinot noir and limited amounts of chardonnay, it is mainly credited with bringing the pinot gris grape varietal into national consciousness. Check out the King Estate 2011 Domaine Pinot Gris, one of America’s nest white wines. Golden, pale yellow, this pinot gris bursts with avors of white raspberry, white peach, grapefruit, melon and pineapple.

Sauvignon blanc (also known as fume blanc) is the second leading white grape in the United States, second only to chardonnay. It is a dry white wine produced by using grapes originally from the Graves region of Bordeaux and Loire Valley of France. This particular grape grows as well in California as it does in France and is usually aged in small oak barrels and sometimes blended with the Semillon grape. It goes well with white meat or sh (as long as the sh is not oily) and appetizers. As with pinot grigio, many can stand alone and be enjoyed on a hot summer day – as long as it is not one that is very grassy.

One of our favorite sauvignon blancs is Clark-Claudon, which hails from Napa Valley. Wellknown for their cabernet, Tom and Laurie Clark have produced a beautiful SB in their Wild Iris.

Something just for fun in the summertime, which can turn your day into a party, is sangria. Originating in Spain, this fruity wine punch was rst introduced to the United States during the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. The Spanish World area offered it to visitors, where it became an instant hit and has been around since. There are such varied concoctions of this drink; it can be compared to the number of gumbo recipes in the state of Louisiana.

It has such an interesting history, perhaps even going back as far as the time of the middle ages when wine “brews” had added cinnamon, ginger, etc. It is thought the reason for the emphasis on wine was the fact that water was deemed unsafe at this time in history. People bathed in it, bathed their horses in it, and it was considered the “safe” thing to drink because of its alcohol content. Even toddlers were given wine instead of water because milk was considered to be only for babies. The reason for the added spices and fruits was more likely to give it some zest and variety.

Sangria is created by using red wine, soda water, fruit and – sometimes – brandy. Always choose a good red wine and never buy a mix. Be creative and have fun. Have a sangria party! Ask your friends to bring their own recipes and taste the differences.

Here’s a recipe from Emeril Legasse.

Cheers!

Ingredients: 1 (750-ml) bottle of good red wine 1/4 cup brandy 1/4 cup orange avored liqueur (recommended: triple sec or Grand Marnier) 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 orange, thinly sliced 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced 1 un-waxed apple, cored and cut into thin wedges 1 (750-ml) bottle sparkling water, chilled Combine everything but the sparkling water in a large plastic container or glass pitcher. Cover and chill completely, 1 to 2 hours. When ready to serve, add the sparkling water.

Roxanne Bosserman has called Shreveport home since 1977 when she began a career with IBM. Although not a Louisiana native, her love for food, friends and wine has made the Bayou State her “perfect home.” Carol Gekakis is a Shreveport native and lives — for the most part — in Perdido Key, Fla. Both women have served as president of the Southern Trace Wine Club.