Reba Cooks #13: An excellent case of summer wine

It's time.

At a party recently, someone asked me if I still blogged (technically….yes? Does once a year count?) which in doing so reminded me that I DO still have this substack (still waiting on Reba McIntire to offer me many tens of dollars to nab this iconic URL in which case I’ll hang up my keyboard). All that to say, we are so back (?)

What brings me back you ask? Well, we are on the cusp of Memorial Day weekend aka the start of summer and I just bought a case of wine to usher in the season and thought I might share 12 excellent bottles of highly recommended wine straight from my wine rack to your eyeballs.

Most of these wines are leaning toward the more natural side (which is to say, I try to steer clear of mega producers who might be more inclined to use additives, flavoring agents etc in the name of consistency), most under $30 (there is a splurge or two in the mix!) and almost all of which I found in the Indy metro area, most of them at my beloved Grapevine Cottage aka The Wine Guys. I’ve linked to every bottle I could for easy shopping!

1. A Porch Pounder

What is it? Le Morette - Bardolino Classico 2021 (Northern Italian Red)

Where I bought it: Grapevine Cottage Zionsville, IN

Cost: $21

You want juicy red? You want slightly chilled, strawberries on the nose GORGEOUS in the glass, long finish, even better going down perfect-on-a-patio wine? This is it. I first had this delicious bottle at a wine dinner recently hosted by the importer UVA Wines at Good Omen within biking distance of my home (excellent wine there go drink at their bar!) and immediately needed to own and drink this bottle. Pleased to report it lives up to all expectations.

2. An unbelievable deal: This Liter of Zwigelt

What is it? Berger Zweigelt (1L) (Niederösterreich - Lower Austria)

Where I bought it: Market District, Carmel IN

Cost: $17

I have started a little tradition of strolling into the excellent wine section every time I am at the Market District Grocery store, doing a quick drive by the Austrian section and popping this bottle into my cart. It’s cheap, it’s delicious, it’s a screw top, it’s the ultimate picnic wine! Zwigelt such a great wine if you can find it— almost always a bargain price, often sold in liters, and it’s always kind of fun to bring a 1L bottle to a party. This wine goes with everything and everyone. It’s a party.

3. An unbelievable deal part two: This Liter of Gruner Vetliner

What is it? Berger Grüner Veltliner (1L) (Niederösterreich - Lower Austria)

Where I bought it: Market District, Carmel IN, available at Total Wine too

Cost: $17

Aside from being a blast to say with an exaggerated Austrian accent, this equally valuable, delicious Grüner Veltliner also found at Market District (and I think you can find it for closer to $12 at other spots) is the yin to my Zwigelt yang. This wine has what they call “infectious drinkability” and who am I to argue with that? Into the cart it goes.

4. A Christmas Wine with a Summer Comeback

What is it? Finca Torremilanos - El Porrón de Lara 2021 (Spanish Tempranillo)

Where I bought it: Grapevine Cottage Zionsville, IN

Cost: $16

The past few years for Christmas, I’ve gone out and picked a favorite bottle I’ve had over the previous year that’s under $20 and hand it out as a Christmas gift. After a year of attempting to drink a ton of Spanish wines, this one kept me coming back and it was my gift of choice for 2023. It’s made from biodynamic vineyards and fermented with indigenous yeast so it has a little of that “natural” profile that I like. This one is worth buying a whole case of, and for a party trick, get yourself a Porron and pour it out for your friends (literally).

5. Sincerely: Rosé All Day

What is it? Field Recordings FICTION Rosé 2019

Where I bought it: Tastings - A Wine Experience Downtown Indy (you can buy wine from here!)

Cost: $20

In 2017, I picked up a Field Recordings Dry Hop Pét Nat at a wine shop in San Francisco and quickly fell in love with their whole THING. Accessible, delicious, California wines made in a variety of styles that are easy to drink and easier to love. Since then, Field Recordings has made its way to the great state of Indiana via B Side Selections (A GIFT to the Indy wine scene) and you can find their innovative, tasty wines all over Indy. This Rosé is a glass of refreshing and juicy watermelon and strawberry, with light acidity, slightly lower alcohol (10.5%) than a lot of rosés, and easy drinking greatness.

6. A Splurge on Chardonnay

What is it? 2022 Domaine de La Mandeliere Chablis

Where I bought it: After the wine dinner at Good Omen, but you can also find at Wine Access

Cost: $35ish (I paid way more than $35 buying two bottles straight from the importer after the dinner I was so wooed but it was worth it)

I am not a fan of most California Chardonnays but I DO love Chablis, which is a white wine made in the northern part of Burgundy from 100% Chardonnay grapes. It’s the perfect late-spring/early-summer wine with flavors of lemon zest, floral vibes, honey and picture perfect minerality. It screams for seafood— save this one for a perfect summer meal. At the wine dinner, it was paired with a pan roasted salmon in a sorrel cream sauce and honestly, I might just try to recreate that.

7. Wine…from McCordsville Indiana???

What is it? Daniel's Vineyard - Riesling Reign Pet/Nat 2019

Where I bought it: Grapevine Cottage, Zionsville, IN

Cost: $23

I grew up close to McCordsville, and every time I pick up this bottle I laugh out loud. Never would have imagined I would ever buy a bottle from the cornfields of McCordsville Indiana. I actually don’t know much about this place (have never been!), but I know that their Pet/Nat wine (short for Pétillant naturel —which is the oldest method of making naturally sparkling wine) is delicious, easy to drink, and affordable. It’s fizzy, has some nice peachy, pear, citrus flavors, and is the perfect easy-drinking bottle to split with friends!

8. Perfect Pizza Wine

What is it? Cleto Chiarli - Lambrusco di Sorbara del Fondatore 2021

Where I bought it: Grapevine Cottage, Zionsville, IN

Cost: $23

As a self-proclaimed Lambrusco Evangelist, you simply must have this wine with a slice of pizza on a Friday night! This is not the sickeningly sweet Lambrusco your parents drank in the 70s, no— this is a dry, fizzy, mouthful of strawberry and herbs, cleanse your palette perfectly after a bite of pepperoni, keeps you coming back for more wine! Tip: When buying Lambrusco, look for higher alcohol content to indicate it’s a dry wine. Lower alcohol = a sweeter wine!

9. Fun to Say, Easy to Drink!

What is it? Bonny Doon Vineyard - Picpoul 2021

Where I bought it: Grapevine Cottage, Zionsville, IN

Cost: $14

Admittedly, I first picked up this bottle based on label alone. Also I liked the word “picpoul.” Sometimes, when you are in a trusted wine shop, that’s the only criteria you need. Picpoul literally translates to “lip stinger” and is ZIPPY as hell, with bright lemony acidity. If you like the way your jaw tightens up when you sip a Sauvy B, you’ll love Picpoul.

10. Sicily’s answer to Beaujolais

What is it? Azienda Agricola COS Frappato, Sicily, Italy 2022

Where I bought it: Leon & Sons Wine, Grand Rapids MI

Cost: $30

I love Beaujolais wine, and am always looking for wines out there that might have similar characteristics: delicious when slightly chilled, good amount of acid, fruit-forward, pairs just as well with a roast chicken as it does a bowl of pistachios and guess what! Italy, home of a million grape varieties, has been doing it all along. Frappato is an Italian grape in Sicily that checks all my boxes. Perfect with pizza, Neapolitan if you can swing it. I snagged this from the excellent Leon & Sons Wine up in Grand Rapids Michigan (they have another great location in Brooklyn NY) but you can find it around Indy from time to time!

11. Orange you interested in something new?

What is it? Field Recordings SKINS 2020

Where I bought it: Tastings - A Wine Experience Downtown Indy

Cost: $20

Perhaps you’ve heard someone mention Orange Wine and starting thinking of citrusy juicy boozy wine? Well, I’m here to tell you that’s wrong. Orange wine is just a cool slightly confusing name for skin-contact white wine which means they treat white wine grapes like red wine grapes: they smash them in their skins and let them sit with them for a bit. This process makes a more structured, tannic white wine which I think is pretty interesting and fun! Some of them are REALLY weird, and get funky or really tannic quickly, but this one from Field Recordings (second appearance on the list!) is really nice and approachable. You should try it!

12. A little vacation prep

What is it? Division - Gamay Noir "Lutte" 2021

Where I bought it: Grapevine Cottage, Zionsville, IN

Cost: $38

Perhaps you can’t believe I’ve gotten to bottle #12 without listing a single bottle from my beloved Beaujolais, and that isn’t totally by design, but also please know I am buying so much Beaujolais on the reg that I didn’t squeeze it into the summer list! Instead, what I am featuring here is from the delightful Division Wines out of Portland Oregon. I happen to be headed to the great city of Portland this summer with a penciled in stop at their tasting room, and so it only feels right that I combine both my summer plans, and their interpretation of Gamay Noir on the 12th and final bottle in the case. Gamay is the same grape used in French Beaujolais wines, and I love checking out American wine makers interpretations of what is maybe my favorite grape (definitely a top contender). This bottle is a bit of a splurge, but is SO lovely. Like a lot of Beaujolais wines, Division uses carbonic maceration fermentation for this bottle which results in a wine that’s light in color with low levels of acidity and tannins, and highly fruity aromatics. A perfect end to a delicious case!