Five Chicago wine experts dish on the trendiest wines to sip this season—and there’s nary a rosé in sight.
Photo by Sonya Khegay/Stocksy United
DOMAINE CHERRIER SANCERRE “We’ve learned a lot from the rosé trend,” says David Flom, managing partner at Chicago Cut Steakhouse. “We learned that Americans are going back to France, like low-alcohol wines and are definitely doing more day drinking.” That led Flom to Domaine Cherrier & Fils Vineyard, whose Sancerre has a bright minerality that, according to Flom, pairs perfectly with chilled seafood on the patio. $17 per glass, $85 per bottle, 300 N. LaSalle Drive, 312.329.1800
CELLER PARDAS PUR XARELLO 2016 The Catalunya grape xarello is commonly found in Cava, but Perman Wine Selections’ general manager Hannah Grossman thinks it’s time for this Spanish grape to shine. Grossman compares Celler Pardas Pur Xarello to white Burgundy. “Yet it is still so distinctly Catalan, a wine of the Mediterranean,” she says. “When I think of the Mediterranean, it’s as if I can feel the sun on my back and I am in need of a refreshment, stat.” $30 per bottle, 1167 N. Howe St., 312.255.8990
GHIOMO FUSSOT, ARNEIS, LANGHE, PIEDMONT 2017 Shying away from the usual suspects, Spiaggia and Maddon’s Post sommelier Rachael Lowe wants this to be the summer of arneis. “Known in local dialect as ‘the little rascal,’ due to its difficulty to grow, this is a bright, aromatic grape,” Lowe says about the Piedmont fruit. At Spiaggia, she’s pouring Ghiomo Fussot alongside “salads, appetizers, seafood or simply by itself as an aperitif.” $14 per glass, $56 per bottle, 980 N. Michigan Ave., 312.280.2750
DOMAINE SIGALAS, ASSYRTIKO “If any varietal can take over rosé as king of summer, assyrtiko just may be the one,” says Adam Sweders, director of wine for DineAmic Group. This grape hails from Greece, where volcanic-ash-rich soil gives it its signature minerality. At Prime & Provisions, Sweders recommends the crisp and acidic assyrtiko from Domaine Sigalas. $66 per bottle, 222 N. LaSalle St., 312.726.7777
CASCINA PRAIE IL CANNETO 2017 For RPM Italian sommelier and wine director Richard Hanauer, summer wines should channel Mediterranean vacation vibes. “At their best, the wines smell like a Mediterranean breeze with a touch of brine on the palate,” he says. He’s talking about the wines of Liguria, specifically the fresh and fruity Cascina Praie Vini Il Canneto. $59 per bottle, 52 W. Illinois St., 312.222.1888