Life’s A Beach

August 7th, 2024

From the Annals of Wine Writing
This week we’ve got another re-run from the archives, for reasons that will be obvious very shortly…

Around 2010 I started dating a nice young lady with questionable choices in men and I found myself fortunate enough to be included in her family’s beach tradition. After we got married (see, questionable) I knew I was in on this tradition for good. And since I’m a wine guy in life, I became THE wine guy for the beach. But it would be a disservice to everyone involved if I limited myself to wine.

So in addition to wine advice that nobody asked for, here are some beach drinking guidelines that nobody asked for.

Since, not only do I have interest in wine, but some of my fellow beach goers have interest in wine, I spend time over the course of a year selecting items of interest. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you need to put in as much work, but I would say read your audience. It took a year or two to get an idea about everybody’s taste in wine, so I try to skew that way. If your crowd doesn’t care about wine, then the utilitarian stuff will do.

What I find myself looking for is appellations (Bordeaux, Rioja, Burgundy, etc) that I know my fellow vacationers will like. If I happen to come across a 20 year old Rioja at a fair price, I’ll stash it somewhere special knowing that it’ll be good fodder come August.

But as we all know, it simply isn’t civil to drink 20 year old Rioja before 3pm. We aren’t barbarians. This is where I make sure to include a series of low alcohol, spritz-able wines. Vinho Verde is a primo choice for lunch. It’s light, spritzy, and the alcohol clocks often around 10 percent by volume. Another good option is to take inexpensive, moderately sweet Riesling (or sweet vermouth) and serve it over ice cut with plain ol’ seltzer water (a flavored seltzer would be fine as well). If choosing sweet vermouth, an orange peel for garnish really classes up the affair. Nothing should be too precious at lunchtime on vacation.

The hard stuff should be left until sometime after 4 o’clock, excluding bloody marys of course, those are acceptable anytime after waking. Pours of bourbon, gin and tonics, or Brand Alexanders should occupy the window of time between 4pm and when dinner actually lands on the table. My wife especially enjoys a tequila and tonic with a squeeze of lime at the beach. Tread lightly if your dinner doesn’t tend to be served until close to 8pm.

Since I operate fast and loose with my priorities, I try to figure out the menu for the week so that I know how to order and prepare my wine for service. Chicken wing night has different requirements than scallop night, which has completely different needs from steak night. Magnums of white wine need plenty of time to chill, which should certainly be taken into account. Red wines in the 10+ year old range should be stood up for at least twenty-four hours so that all of the sediment can find its way to the bottom of the bottle.

You would be wise to not trust any rented beach house to have acceptable glassware or tools, I tend to bring my own. Yes, I occupy precious cargo space across four states with a box of glasses, and my family puts up with it. Try drinking 10 year old 1er Cru Chablis out of one of those little margarita glasses where the handle is shaped like a cactus, and you’ll never make that mistake again either.

-Joe Buchter, Import Wine Buyer

Need to reach me for all things wine? Email me at [email protected] (except this week, I’m at the beach).