heat and wine

It is so hot. So hot. SO HOT in NYC for the last 3 days. It’s so hot that by the time I get out of the train and amble home, I’ve lost 5 pounds from sweat pouring out of pores I didn’t know I had, like toe knuckle and earlobe. It’s too hot to drink my usual glass of red wine – too heavy and too room temperature (which is about 80 degrees in my apt, no thanks to the weak AC circulating warm air so faithfully). This is when I pop open a brachetto d’acqui. Yes, I know, it’s really a dessert wine, but since I’m not sophisticated enough to pair food with wine, I happily drink this beautiful bubbly with everything. Besides, I’m forever pushing bubbly wines (champagne, prosecco) as dinner wines.

Brachettos are made in the Piedmont region of Italy. It’s a red wine, but it's incredibly light - lighter than some chardonnays. Brachettos have a slightly honey flavor, but less sweet than most moscatos. I love watching the tiny bubbles fizzle and pop around the ruby liquid. Paired with some dark chocolate, you just can’t ooze more romance than that.

But when I really want to cool off, I reach for a beer. Not ale, not lager, but a bottle of good ol’ pilsner. But that’s another entry.