As summer begins to wane, we’re reaching for bottles from around the globe that do double-duty: These exclusive, wine team favorites are perfect pairings for heatwaves and farmers’ market finds yet also pair seamlessly with fall classics. From Australian Riesling to Sardinian red wines, and even sake, these selections are Master-Sommelier approved and perfect for the season—no matter what climate you call home.
Head of Wine Vanessa Conlin
Wine Pick: Grosset Wines Springvale Riesling
“I am in love with this wine! Grosset is one of the best producers of Riesling in Australia, and honestly, in the world. This is a bone dry—I mean bone dry—Riesling. If you’ve never tried an Aussie Riesling, they are super fresh and filled with energy, which makes them great with food. This one is really bright and citrusy, so if it’s hot out it doesn’t feel heavy at all, but it still has enough character and presence on the palate you can really pair it with fall foods all the way through Thanksgiving. It’s actually a perfect Thanksgiving wine because there is no oak to interfere with anything on the table. Across flavors and textures, this can pair with it all. Grosset Riesling is not at all heavy—it’s only 12% ABV—so you can really start with this and move on without your palate being exhausted. And it’s 94 points!”
Master Sommelier Sur Lucero
Wine Pick: Weingut Prager Grüner Veltliner Hinter Der Burg Federspiel
“This Grüner is absolutely textbook for the category and it’s just plain delicious. I love it with anything and everything fresh from the garden–tomatoes, cucumbers, ceviche, crudo. It’s got fantastic acidity but also a really nice balance on the palate. You can’t go wrong here, and it’s a great way to get into Austrian wines.”
International Wine Judge and Sake Expert Eduardo Dingler
Wine Pick: Katafune Tamura Shuzo Ginginga Junmai
“I call this my conversion sake because it converts wine lovers into sake drinkers! This is a very unique sake, it’s made in a special way where four different fermentations are blended— the same way fine wines are blended to make a balanced complex bottling. It’s absolutely the ultimate beverage, and I always have a bottle chilled because there is nothing it won’t pair with, from Mexican food to sushi, and even French cuisine. It’s got a bright complexity with chalky minerality, beautiful, bountiful floral aromatics, and the palate has great cut and balanced. It’s a fantastic go-to bottle.”
