Is it acidic and astringent? Or bright and brilliant? For many Americans, the world of fine wine can feel exclusionary because of the way we talk about wine.
That's why some in the wine business are moving away from describing "earthiness" and whether a wine "has seen wood."
"This kind of [language] is not just to alienate normal people. This kind of conversation is really very technical, like the way car lovers would talk about the technical elements of a car," said Jonathon Alsop, founder and executive director of the Boston Wine School. "But one of the things that we in the wine business need to change is that communicating is not just talking. Some part of communicating is also the listening part, and letting the other person talk every now and then. And this is something that we're starting to learn in the wine world."
Alsop also said there's potential for confusion when someone says a wine "has a lot of grapefruit in it," for example, when there's not actually any grapefruit in the blend.
So what should you drink this summer? Alsop recommended vinho verde from Portugal. It's a bargain white wine at about $10 a bottle, and the wine itself is a little bit bubbly and has an interesting flavor because it's a blend of three to five different grapes. And Alsop said it's not a wine you have to spend a lot of time appreciating — just open it and drink.
To pair with your wine this summer, Amy Traverso, senior food editor at Yankee Magazine, recommended a few items for the grill: "clambake" grill packets, pull-apart garlic bread, blueberry-gingersnap crumble and s'mores dip.
Plus, old-fashioned cottage cheese is making a comeback.
"Cottage cheese is the Greek yogurt of cottage cheese," Traverso said. "The flavor is more neutral, it doesn't have the acidity, and it's easier to go in either a savory or a sweet direction with cottage cheese. It's high in protein for people who care about that, it's low in fat for people who care about that. ... If you look on TikTok there are 250 million views for hashtag 'cottage cheese.'"
Our food and wine contributors are sipping and savoring those stories and more on our Food and Wine Roundtable.
GUESTS
Jonathon Alsop, founder and executive director of the Boston Wine School, author of “The Wine Lover’s Devotional”
Amy Traverso, senior food editor at Yankee Magazine, cohost of GBH’sWeekends with Yankee and author of “The Apple Lover’s Cookbook”
