Big, buttery, and oaky wines, specifically California Chardonnays, are being pushed aside as cleaner, crisper wines are becoming the style of choice. Why the change? Well, there could be a number of reasons why people are shunning any white wine that has come anywhere near oak. One reason could be that the market has been completely saturated with this particular style of wine for the past two decades or perhaps it is as simple as the wine industry is changing, just like any other industry would naturally do. Now don’t get us wrong, we love a good oak-aged Chardonnay paired with roasted chicken in the middle of winter but the fact of the matter is that it’s scorching hot out and all we can think about is something refreshing. If you think for the summertime your only option for vino refreshment is a flavorless Pinot Grigio, think again! There is a huge selection out there of wines that have been fermented in stainless steel, including Chardonnay and a few reds, which achieve that desired crisp style but still maintain their character.

Before we just hand over a list of some of our favorite steel fermented wines, we need to put on our Bill Nye the Science Guy hats and help everyone understand it is not Chardonnay’s fault that there is this assumption that they are all the same; it's more a result of the vintner and the fermentation process. When a wine is aged in oak barrels a few things happen besides imparting an “oaky” taste into the wine. Oak can add tannins, that thing that dries out your mouth more commonly found in red wine, which adds some structure to the wine as well as vanilla characteristics. The wine is also susceptible to malolactic fermentation. This process can occur naturally during fermentation or can be induced by the wine maker, by adding the bacteria Leuconostoc. Either way, this basically means that the harsh malic acids (commonly found in green apples) is converted to lactic acids (found in milk products) thus leaving the wine with that “buttery” and dairy-like quality. Some like this style and some hate it.

Now that we’ve gotten that cleared up it is obvious to see that if the wine is not fermented in oak barrels and rather in stainless steel, the result will be drastically different. Another reason to seek out wines fermented in steel is that, generally, they are less expensive (perhaps another reason they are more popular) because it is more cost and time efficient to do it this way. Whether you prefer oaky or not, it is important to understand what it is that you like or dislike about a wine and know that there are so many factors that contribute to the final result of a wine, that it would be impossible to generalize all Chardonnays or Sauvignon Blancs or any other type of wine. The best way to find the style of wine you favor is to keep on drinking!

A Few Wines to Try:
Farnese Trebbiano from Abruzzi, Italy-$9.00- This wine is 100% un-oaked and un-filtered leaving you with nothing but a fresh lemony zing and subtle floral undertones. This is a nice alternative to the average Pinot Grigio.

J.Lohr Valdiguié from Monterey, California-$13.00- If you can’t quite give up your reds for the summer this is a good one to at least lighten things up a bit. It is made with an obscure grape from SW France and they used whole-berry fermentation, aka carbonic maceration, in addition to the steel. Basically you’re left with a lighter red with great berry flavors and low tannins. Best served with a little chill.

Marimar Acero Chardonnay from Russian River, California-$24.99- As mentioned before this Chardonnay boasts great fruit of crisp apple and mango, yet it is much lighter in body and has great acidity.

Pampano Verdelho from Rueda, Spain- $11.99- This is the perfect choice to pair with your summer salads. It has citrus notes of lemon and grapefruit alongside a bit of grassiness.

Wine To Do: Get a sampling of the up and coming European powerhouse, Austria, with a taste of Austrian wines and food. The event is being hosted by the Austrian Embassy on Thursday June 21st, from 7-9pm. The cost is $59/pp and tickets can be purchased here.