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They feel so good

There are those moments when it feels so darn good to scratch an itch.

You know the feeling, right? It’s when the itch appears in the middle of your back and, although you can kind of reach it by bending your arm behind your back, total satisfaction isn’t achieved until either you use a brush or someone else attacks it for you.

Then it feels so good! Ah, life is once again balanced, the sun is shining, the fish are biting, the ball soars over the center field fence and all because it feels so awfully good.

I recently visited an old friend of mine. He had just experienced a loss in his life, and he didn’t know I was coming to see him. The words we exchanged — before and after the smart mouthing occurred — were so meaningful. They were words of comfort, comradeship and trust. The words just felt good falling into my ears, and I left him being reassured how important he is to me. He feels good to me.

After arriving back home, I filled a glass with some white wine and raised my glass to him — he deserved it. Then I began to think of everything white wines bring to our tables during these hot, sultry months of summer.

They are refreshing, can be either sweet or dry, have nice crisp acidic flavors and their citrus aromas are usually enticingly succulent. When chilled properly, a white wine is a blessing on a simmering summer day. The wine I drank upon coming home after seeing my old friend was an Edna Valley (California) Pinot Grigio.

First of all, Pinot Grigios from this country are a bit different than those sourced from Italy. Italian Pinot Grigios tend to have more tartness and more acidity. Edna Valley’s wine is subtle and although one can taste pears and apples, there is a gentle minerality that carries the crispness of the wine throughout its finish. A good, easy sipping summer wine that felt so good after visiting my friend.

Not to be outdone, Chateau Ste Michelle has a fabulous Pinot Gris (basically the same as a Pinot Grigio). The taste of pears and melons is pronounced but it’s balanced with a hint of spice. I’ve never met a wine from Chateau Ste Michelle that wasn’t very pleasing and they feel so awfully good going down my throat.

One cannot write about white wines without mentioning a Riesling and Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Riesling is excellent. Although it’s a bit sweeter than some Rieslings, it has a wonderful mix of stone fruit flavors such as pears and peaches. Rieslings are so versatile and when served well chilled, they’re all you need to get through a summer’s evening.

From the southern part of Minnesota, Round Lake Vineyards and Winery makes a very good La Crescent wine. I like it cold because that’s when the off dry sweetness is set back a bit and allows the citrus flavors and their acidity to come forth resulting in a refreshing glass of wine. It’s perfect to enjoy as you sit at the beach and it’ll make you like it even more because it’s one of ours — homegrown and made.

If you like an enjoyable and gentle glass of wine, I would suggest William Hill’s Sauvignon Blanc. This is a dry white and you can’t help but smell the scent of grapefruit and lemon as you uncork the bottle. Along with the citrus flavors, there is a nice hint of minerality that helps with the crispness of the wine. Absolutely a treat on a sultry summer day.

We can’t forget chardonnays when we talk about white wines. I just received a bottle of Napa Valley’s Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay. It’s a 2014 vintage and celebrates this winery’s 40th year of operation. The bottle remains corked for now. We’ll soon be visiting Chicago and this bottle just might come along with us so we can savor it with our son and daughter-in-law.

In the same way that scratching that annoying itch and talking with an old friend feels so good, having a refreshing glass of white wine during our heated months tastes and feels darn good, too. Enjoy life — sometimes it’s too dang short.

Next week, a walk and a talk.

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!

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