This guest post is from Jim Laughren: wine collector, former president of a Florida-based wine import and distribution company and founder of WineHead Consulting. A Certified Wine Educator, Jim has conducted hundreds of teachings, tastings and training sessions, and has visited wine regions throughout the world. He is the author of A Beer Drinker’s Guide to Knowing And Enjoying Fine Wine. He recommends three exciting white wines you’ve probably never heard of.

As a kid in New England, growing up within earshot of chilly North Atlantic waves crashing onto the rocky shoreline, “summer whites” referred to lightweight, summer uniforms donned by the swabbies at nearby Newport Naval Base. While I’m sure the sailors were glad to trade in their peacoats and winter woolens for something a bit more comfortable, many modern day sailors—of the culinary variety—have grown tired of their summer whites and would love to find some delicious new wines for onboard entertaining.

Whether grilling in the backyard, welcoming friends to the summertime table or lounging next to the pool. If you’re still reeling from the ABC syndrome (anything but Chardonnay), and have had your fill of not-too-exciting Pinot Grigios, take heart. There are some wonderful white wines out there just waiting to be discovered.

Txakoli, pronounced cha-ko-LEE, from Spain’s Basque region. Photo © Jose Ortuza.

Txakoli

The Basque country of northern Spain us one of the world’s centers of great cuisine. When a light white is needed, the locals call for Txakoli. Ppronounced cha-ko-LEE, it’s a lively, light-to-medium bodied wine with a slight effervescence.

Typically pale straw in color with dramatic, mouth-watering acidity, expect to find honey, citrus and stone fruit notes that go beautifully with light, simply prepared seafood. It’s the answer to the question of what wine is perfect with grilled octopus.

If the wine’s name isn’t enough to give you pause, consider that it’s made from the grape variety Hondarrabi Zuri (onda-RAH-bee THOR-ry, with a rolled “r” on rabi).

Edelzwicker (AY-del-ZVEE-kur) is next in our lineup of who-named-these wines. The name means “noble blend.”

Edelzwicker is a scrumptious, fuller bodied white that easily handles foods like smoked salmon, light pork and veal dishes. Higher in alcohol than Txakolis, these wines hail from Alsace, that northeast corner of France that’s been a ping-pong ball of territory batted back and forth between Germany and France since the Romans first established the region as a viticultural outpost around 50 B.C.E.

Edelzwickers are a free-form blend of any or all of the best Alsatian varieties, including Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Auxerrois and/or Sylvaner. Despite the lack of uniformity in composition, these wines are usually a lovely yellow color with open, fruity aromas. A similar, and more easily pronounced, wine, called Gentil, hails from the same region and is nearly indistinguishable.

It may sound more Italian than Greek, but Moschofilero (moss-ko-FEE-leh-roe) hails from the highlands of the central Peloponnese peninsula in Greece. This rather marvelous white wine is vying to become my new, new favorite.

Moschofilero, a pink-skinned grape descended from the ancient Filero grape family, produces wine that is light in color and known for its effusive aromas of roses and violets, followed by some nicely textured, spicy fruit flavors. This wine has presence; in fact, it’s hard not to be impressed with this particular wine, regardless of the wine styles you’re normally drawn to.

There you have it: three unique wines, three excellent summer sipping options. While you may have trouble getting all the syllables in order, you shouldn’t have any problem finding them at most good wine shops.

Let your retailer know you want the best examples of these wines. After all, life is short; why drink anything less than excellent? Txakoli, Edelzwicker and Moschofilero are able, exotic and ready for deployment as your new summer whites. Do your palate a favor and welcome them aboard.

With much summer entertaining ahead, we’re publishing these budget-friendly tips from Jeanette Pavini, consumer savings expert for the philanthropic savings site, CouponsForChange.org, shares her tips for hosting a barbecue on a budget:

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SUPERMARKET SALES

Don’t wed yourself to certain menu items. Be flexible, and build your menu around foods that are on sale. For double the savings, find coupons that match the sale items. Sites like CouponsForChange.org have printable coupons for thousands of grocery items. Plus, for every 3 coupons you clip, a free meal is provided to a needy person.

Tailor your menu to items on sale. Photo courtesy 123rf.com.

KNOW WHEN TO SHOP

Ask your butcher what time of day the store marks down meat. It’s usually in the early morning or in the evening. Some stores have two rounds of markdowns. For example, a package of chicken might be marked down 30% in the morning, and if it doesn’t sell by evening, it will be further marked down to 60%.

ADD COLOR TO THE GRILL

The grill is not just for cooking meat. Make your grill do double duty with vegetables, so you get the most from your charcoal. Grilled vegetables are easy and delicious (we love the color of orange, red and yellow bell peppers). If you’re serving a large crowd, see if there is a wholesale produce market in your area. That’s where the restaurants shop, so you’ll get the same wholesale prices as they do as well as the freshest fruit and veggies available.

BUY IN BULK

Usually, a large cut of meat will be cheaper than the same amount cut into smaller pieces. If you don’t want to cut it yourself, you can always ask the butcher if he or she will cut it into smaller pieces for free. You can save even more if you buy bone-in cuts of meat.

If you’re looking for a lower-cost beer and wine alternative, sangria is a popular and refreshing option—and a little goes a long way. Buy whichever fruit is on sale: apples, berries, oranges, pineapples, whatever. Combine with a bargain bottle of wine, add carbonated water and a sweetener like orange juice.

 
Please share your budget barbecue tips!

Thai iced tea, known as cha-yen (cha is the word for tea), is served in Thailand, Vietnam, elsewhere around the Pacific Rim and in Thai restaurants in the West and elsewhere around the world.

It’s made from strong-brewed black tea and sweetened condensed milk, which adds body and creamy mouthfeel.

The brewed tea can be enhanced with spices, such as cardamom, clove, nutmeg, star anise, and tamarind. If you like chai tea with milk and sweetener, you’ll equally like Thai iced tea.

For visual appeal, the deep amber tea and white condensed milk are swirled together or layered. The drink can be topped off with evaporated milk, coconut milk, half and half, or whole milk.

The countries where it’s most popular are known for hot, steamy summers. Thai iced tea is a welcome refreshment—and a complement to spicy food. If your neck of the woods is as hot and steamy as ours is, it’s time to try the recipe.

> The different types of tea.

> The history of tea.
 
 
RECIPE: THAI ICED TEA

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. STEEP the tea leaves (and any optional spices) in boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain out the tea leaves. Using an infuser (tea ball) makes this step easier.

2. STIR in the sugar until dissolved while the tea is still hot; then stir in condensed milk.

3. COOL to room temperature or ideally, chill in the fridge.

4. ADD ice to tall iced tea glasses and pour in tea mixture until glasses are roughly 3/4 full. Slowly top off glasses with evaporated milk.
 
Variations

If you find yourself in the Pacific Rim, you can have what Americans think of as iced tea.

 
If you’re looking for unsweetened iced tea in the Pacific Rim, you may be out of luck. It’s the birthplace of sugar.
 
 
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SUGAR

Sugar is native to Southeast Asia, with three species seeming to have originated in two locations: Saccharum barberi in India and Saccharum edule and Saccharum officinarum in New Guinea.

Originally, people chewed on the raw sugar cane stalks to enjoy the sweetness. Refined sugar appears around 500 B.C.E. when residents of what is now India began to make sugar syrup from cane juice. They cooled it to make crystals that were easier to store and transport. These crystals were called khanda, which is the source of the word candy.

Indian sailors carried sugar along various trade routes. In 326 B.C.E., Alexander the Great and his troops saw farmers on the Indian subcontinent growing sugar cane and making the crystals, which were called sharkara, pronounced as saccharum.

The Macedonian soldiers carried “honey-bearing reeds” home with them. But sugar cane remained a little-known crop to most Europeans for the next thousand years, a rare and costly product that made sugar traders wealthy.

In the 12th century, Crusaders brought sugar back to Europe from the Holy Land, where they encountered caravans carrying the “sweet salt.” Venice began to produce sugar in Lebanon to supply Europe, where honey had been the only available sweetener. By the 15th century, Venice was the chief sugar refining and distribution center in Europe.

Although sugar arrived in Europe around 1100, it was very expensive and not widely used except by the wealthy, who used it both to sweeten foods and as a medicine.

In the 16th century, the price of sugar, though still high, was affordable by the middle class. By the mid-16th century, recipes for baked goods and confectionery showed sugar being used freely.

And, many experts today would say, it is now used far too freely.
 
 
HOW MANY TYPES OF SUGAR HAVE YOU HAD?

Check out the different types of sugar in our Sugar Glossary.

[1] The milky swirl of Thai iced tea is a visual treat (photo © Arbor Teas).

[2] Sweetened condensed milk is added to the top of the tea, where it swirls down into the glass, creating arresting visuals (photo © Other Things | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 License).

[3] Sweetened condensed milk is a key flavor in Thai iced tea, although coconut milk can be used as a non-dairy alternative (photo © Nestlé).

[4] There’s lots of sugar in Thai iced tea. Make your own to control the amount or use a sugar substitute (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[5] Cardamom pods are a favorite spice to brew in Thai iced tea (photo © Farmgirl Gourmet).

Drink It

Drinking sauerkraut juice may sound strange to Americans, but it is a popular digestif and tonic in Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia and elsewhere. You can drink it:

We enjoy drinking a small glass of sauerkraut juice as we eat the sauerkraut itself: with brats, franks, pork loin, etc.

And if you have a store throat, some people swear that sauerkraut juice is the cure (and much tastier than gargling with salt water).

Eat the sauerkraut, drink the juice. Photo © Viktorija | Fotolia.

 
The bacon sauerkraut recipe that follows was a hit at our July 4th festivities. The recipe is from Dietz & Watson, producers of premium deli meats. There are more recipes on the company website.

 
*Sauerkraut, a fermented food, is an anti-carinogen, digestive aid, immune support aid and probiotic. It’s high in nutrition and very low in calories.

Ingredients For 6 Servings

Preparation

1. COOK the bacon in the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 3 minutes.

2. ADD the onions and garlic; sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

3. STIR in the drained sauerkraut, chicken stock, wine and caraway seeds.Bring to a boil over high heat.

4. REDUCE heat to medium and cook about 45 minutes, until the stock is reduced by three-fourths.

5. STIR in the apples and potato and cook about 45 minutes more, until the apples and potato are dissolved. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The Alcove Cafe & Bakery in Los Angeles creates a bowl from radicchio leaves, and fills it with salad. It’s not just pretty: It’s fun food!

The Cafe serves it with their ginger shrimp, seared ginger-marinated shrimp with mixed greens, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes and plum dressing, topped with enoki mushrooms.

The dish is called “Ginger Shrimp Salad”—a bit of creative license, but if that makes people eat more salad greens, we’re all for it.

So your food fun for the week is:

Buy a large head of radicchio, remove the core, turn the leaves into a bowl and fill it with a colorful green salad.

Radicchio (rah-DEE-key-yo) is an Italian leaf chicory. There are different varieties, each named after the region in Italy where it is grown. The most common variety in the U.S. is radicchio di Chiogga, a round (pronounced key-YO-guh), tightly packed head of dark maroon leaves with thick white veins.

Radicchio has a bitter taste that mellows when it is grilled or cooked. Available year-round, radicchio is quite nutritious: high in magnesium, potassium and vitamin A, with a mere 9.2 calories in a one-cup serving.

When buying radicchio, pay attention to size. A fresh radicchio head should be about the size of a grapefruit. It you find one with a small, drier head, it likely means that it is older and the outer leaves have been pulled off to keep it looking good.

 
CHECK OUT THESE RADICCHIO RECIPES.