It Must Be Summer

The unofficial start of summer here in Ohio is Memorial Day, which was last Monday, but Saturday was definitely the start weather-wise. After an incredibly cool month of May the temperature soared to 85 degrees and the humidity rose in a like manner.

Warm , humid temperatures are meant for rose' wine with a slight chill to them. That's exactly what happened when I opened a 2006 Domaine Pierre Guindon - Saint Gereon Chateau D'Ancenis gamay rose from the Loire Valley in France. It had the requisite bright strawberries and cherries, a nice dose of acid, and a dry finish highlighted by a subtle taste of rhubarb. The dry finish was just wonderful, and was probably the best part of this wine. Not great, but for $10 it may appear on the table again.

I threw some Long Island Sound oysters on the grill for an appetizer. We are nearing the end of the season for oysters and these were plump, sweet, salty, and tangy. While we devoured the oysters a large rib steak took up residence on the grill and some garlic and rosemary potatoes roasted in the oven.

The wine was even better with the steak as the fruit really came to the fore and the acid did it's palate cleansing job, and there was enough fat in the steak that Scott and Ellie were thrilled to be on the receiving end. Good steak, good wine, great oysters.

The nice thing about this time of year is that it cools off once the sun sets so we ended the day watching the Stanley Cup hockey finals and sipping a glass of the world's best Scottish whisky, Lagavulin. Strange coincidence that it is Scott's registered name? No.

The storm door from the previous post? It was pounded back into submission with a rubber mallet and is at least usable. The new door will be here Monday or Tuesday.