The White Boy Declares: There is a Cure for the Summertime Blues

by Steven Fox

A few years ago I joined a weekly wine tasting group. They were a fairly diverse bunch of great wine passionate guys… except in one area: they were die-hard red wine drinkers.

As we do every week, a theme is determined and everyone brings a bottle or two. In the beginning I decided that no matter what the featured varietal was, I would bring a white to “start” things off.

You see I love what I call the great whites: Grand and premier cru Burgundy, Riesling, various Alsace varietals, vintage Champagne and white Bordeaux. These are the kind of wines that I have cellared for many, many years. To this day I’m enjoying vintages as far back as 1989 and 1990.

As a matter of fact last night I drank a 1993 Pinot Gris from the Alsace producer Zind-Humbrecht. It was a lovely companion to my grilled wild silver salmon. The night before it was the 1992 Riesling, Wehlener Erdner Treppchen Spatlese, from C.H. Berres paired with a handmade hamburger of sirloin, lamb and veal.

Of course my love of white wine goes beyond the cellar worthy gems I listed. I am fond of various California, Spanish and Northern Italian whites that I enjoy within a few years after release.

I hold the belief that a decent percentage of white wines are every bit as complex, age-worthy and satisfying as red wines.

It didn’t take long for the tasting group to fall head over heels in love with white wine as well. I was dubbed: “The White Boy” by them and it is an honor I cherish.

There are so many people out there who drink red wine almost exclusively: The: “I’d rather be dead than drink any wine other than red” bunch. I believe in the live and let live philosophy of life so I’m not criticizing red wine lovers, but I am inviting them to take a walk on the white side.

Didn't Lou reed sing: Hey babe, take a walk on the white side?

This weekend a customer purchased a mix case of white and rosé wines from me. It was a 90-degree day and he said: “I normally only drink red wine, but on hot humid days like this I just can’t.”

So it got me thinking: Hey it’s after Memorial Day! You not only can now wear white but you can drink white too! Look for “White Sales” from your wine retailer. Take part in a “White flight” at a wine bar. -- Just don’t drink so much that you experience a “white-out.”