"Frizzy" Wines, the Perfect Antidote for the Summer Heat

Guido from da Ferdinando

Spending a lazy afternoon with our new friends Guido, Marco and Ferdy at da Ferdinando on Spiaggia di Fornillo became a blissful habit.  We would start in the morning with a little time on the water, renting a kayak or pedal boat from them with the later becoming our preferred vessel due to the minimal amount of effort it actually took to move it. After an hour or so of swimming and cruising in the cool blue waters,  we'd meet friends on the deck for lunch at our table in the corner.

One of our favorite appetizers, grilled mozzarella on lemon leaves

Lunch would begin with our favorite antipasti of prosciutto e melone (prosciutto draped over honeydew or cantaloupe), mozzarella alla griglia (grilled mozzarella on lemon leaves), insalata caprese, alici fresche al limone (fresh anchovies with lemon), just a little something to hold us over 'til our main courses arrived. Needing to wash all of that food down with a local beverage, the sheepishly grinning Ferdy would bring the first of many pitchers of our preferred drink to the the table, the house white wine. 

Kerry pouring us the favored vino bianco in Portole, Italy

Vino Bianco della Casa in Italy is really everything one wants in a summer wine and during one of those dreamy afternoons, many pitchers later on the beach a da Ferdinando, the name "frizzy" wine seemed most appropriate. Usually served in small ceramic pitchers or glass carafes with a subtle amount of spritz or frizzante, it is light, palate cleansing, refreshing and much too easily drinkable by the litre or two or maybe three ...And while we most enjoyed it during those lazy afternoons on the Amalfi Coast, it was our drink of choice from Rome to Cortona and everywhere in between.  

They call it VinhoVerde in Portugal, Txakolina in Spain, Frascati in Roma, Greco in Greece, Falanghina on the Amalfi Coast, but no matter the grape or the name, it's one of those highly quaffable beverages that when served with the local food makes for an unforgettable experience.  So in trying to recreate those moments for us and our friends I'm putting together a collection of "frizzy" wines at the shop.  And if you've been to any of those places I mentioned above, you know what I'm talking about.  Usually inexpensive and always easy to drink at any time of the day, best experienced by pouring them into a ceramic pitcher and envisioning yourself sitting on the Amalfi coast gazing into the crystal clear waters...

Our time on the deck at da Ferdinando would end with fuzzy heads from frizzy wine, so Guido would set up our umbrellas as we take our spots on the colorful beach chairs for a nap and a last dip in the aqua blue waters.  Once our heads would begin to clear we stop back at the bar for espressi and maybe a limoncello, say our good byes to the guys and local cats before we took the walk back into town in search of gelato, leaving another hard day on the coast behind us.

Spiaggia di Fornillo, Positano

Current selection of frizzy wine:

Fontana Candida Frascati, Riondo Soave, Anjos Vinho Verde, Arca Nova Vinho Verde, Ameztoi Txakolina, prices range from $8-$17