The Lazy Days of Summer

August is sultry, it's soporific, it makes you want to do . . . nothing. The cicadas arrive and with their incessant drone send you to the nearest hammock or deck chair or rocking chair for a few stolen hours of doing absolutely . . . nothing.

+/- The Lazy Days of Summer

The indolent spirit of August invades my kitchen and dining room as well. I avoid turning on the oven at all costs, and grilling, crisp salads, and seasonal fresh fruit for dessert become the order of the day. And my Sunday dinner guests are trained to head straight for the back yard, where eight fit comfortably at the picnic table, more with additional side tables, and the dining table remains in pristine condition.

And what about wine, you ask? Over the years I have known people who buy wine strictly on the basis of the thermometer reading; they happily drink red wine all winter long, regardless of what kind of food they're having, but as soon as the temperature hits the 70-degree mark they switch to whites . . . and stay with whites until the temperature starts going in the opposite direction. I don't recommend being that arbitrary; there is of course a tremendous variety and range in white (not only in terms of taste but of weight on the palate as well), but many of our classic summer foods — especially barbeque fare like steaks, chops, and ribs — cry out for a serious red.

If you do want to drink a serious red in the high heat of summer, fine, but here's a bit of advice: chill the wine down in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before bringing it out (unless, of course, you're dining in hermetically sealed air-conditioned comfort). But for those unair-conditioned dining situations, remember that the classic recommendation for red wine temperature is 68 degrees . . . and when you bring that bottle out into 90+-degree heat, you're verging on baking your precious bottle in the sun! There is a more than acceptable alternative, of course, the "indispensable "summer wine," a dry, crisp, lightly fruited rosé, a great bet for a successful food match (since many are "meaty" enough in style that they will stand up to some fairly flavorful, heavy-duty food) and superb at beating the heat.

We dealt with rosés at some length here earlier in the season, and Alex also had sound advice regarding grilling match-ups, including specific wines to try, so I'll take a pass on making any specific "beat the heat" recommendations other than to suggest you consider one or more of this month's samplers (you'll see that mine features "chillable" reds). Instead, I'll close with a repeat (for those of you who didn't see our August newsletter) of the story of how the "dog days of summer" got their name.

We owe the coinage (as we do so many things in our culture) to the ancient Greeks and Romans: they associated the hot weather with the star "Sirius," called the "dog star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major ("Large Dog"). It is also the brightest star in the night sky, and in the summer it rises and sets with the sun (although over time the constellations have gradually drifted and are no longer in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome). No question this is invariably the warmest period of the season . . . but the heat has nothing to do with radiation from a faraway star but rather with the tilt of the earth. Whatever the cause, the cure is a crisp, bright white or rosé (or one of our chillable reds) to keep the heat and humidity at bay . . . and remember, September's just around the corner!