Picking the Perfect Wine for a Picnic

Busy week? You’re not alone. While summer helps slow things down for many people, some weeks just feel a little overwhelming, and a weekend picnic, accompanied by a wine for a picnic, is the single best way to unwind.

A chance to breathe the fresh air, bond with someone special, and take a moment to reflect, there are few things that create that quintessential summer feeling the way a picnic can. Convinced? Don’t forget the wine! 

What makes the perfect wine for a summer picnic? This quick guide will have you ready to place your order in no time.

Choosing the Right Wine for a Picnic

If you’re looking for the perfect wine for a picnic, there are a few ways you can go wrong. The first is to choose a full-bodied, heavy wine that has a high alcohol content. Picnics are the perfect time for a refreshing, light wine that pairs well with picnic foods. You want a choice that travels well, reflects the gentle season, and offers a crisp, cool flavor. 

The second way you can go terribly wrong is to choose a wine that doesn’t travel well. After all, you’re headed out to your favorite picnic spot! You can’t get there without a bit of walking, so an older, fragile vintage isn’t the right choice for this occasion. Neither is a sparkling wine that might accidentally get shaken in the picnic basket. 

Now that you know what you shouldn’t buy, you’re probably left wondering exactly what you should choose. In most cases you want something that is crisp and refreshing, has a low alcohol content, and offers a fruity flavor profile. 

Five Wine Choices For Your Next Picnic

Here are a few great options you can add to your cart now. 

2021 Rainstorm Pinot Gris: Your picnic demands a wine with a great body, and this is one that won’t lead you astray. Featuring delicious summer stone fruit flavors that are balanced with surprisingly fresh acidity, you’ll get a fruit-forward fresh zing with every sip. It’s perfect for a hot afternoon thanks to its refreshingly dry mouth feel.

2021 Dry Riesling: If you’re looking for a cooling drink in the heat of the day during your picnic, this is exactly what you’ll want. With a light aroma bouquet that includes fresh jasmine, it’s the perfect complement to enjoying your favorite picnic spot. The flavor notes here include citrus and white peach, so it pairs well with more traditional picnic dishes. 

2021 Rainstorm Pinot Noir Rosé: Summer fruits are the perfect way to cool down and enjoy the flavors of the season, and this choice looks and feels like summer. The strawberry and pomegranate bouquet is the perfect aromatic touch for your picnic, and it’s perfect if you just want wine or you’re looking for the perfect picnic pairing. 

2021 Rainstorm Pinot Noir: picnics demand a light-bodied, full-flavored, fruity choice, and you’ll find it in this option. With complex flavor notes that include red berries, bright cherry, and pomegranate, it matches a wide range of foods. That makes it ideal if you’re doing a charcuterie with lots of different cheeses and meats. The low alcohol level also makes it the perfect wine for a picnic. 

2021 Sweet Riesling: Aromatic and vibrant, this sweet riesling encapsulates the season of summer itself, making it perfect for your picnic basket. With juicy fruit aromas like pear and orange blossom, it smells amazing as soon as it hits your glass. The flavor notes here only further enhance the summery feel of this wine, as the pineapple and white peach notes offer a sweet brightness you’ll certainly want at your picnic. The low alcohol level is also perfect for the summer heat.

Ready to choose your perfect summer picnic wine? Browse our complete selection now.

What Wine Should I Bring to the Cookout?

Few things match the power of a summer cookout. With the scents wafting off the grill, the beautiful table, the music in the background, and the chance to spend some quality time with your best friends, a summer cookout, accompanied by wines for cookouts, is often what makes the season great.

If you’re bringing the wine, though, you want to select one that’s going to go well with the food and taste amazing. If you’ve spent hours asking yourself, “What wine should I bring to the cookout?” don’t worry! Choosing wines for cookouts doesn’t have to be tough. Consider one of these options. 

A Great Pinot Noir: 

When it comes to tomato-based sauces, you can’t go wrong with a Pinot Noir. Our 2021 Rainstorm Pinot Noir has the ability to use its taste profile enhanced with red berries, bright cherries, and pomegranate to match the power of the sauce. 

This wine is also perfect with grilled salmon because the fruit flavors and moderate tannins can work nicely with the rich flavors presented by salmon. It will also pair well with smoky grilled vegetables. 

A Classic Cabernet Sauvignon: 

Hearty grilled red meats deserve our 2020 Silver Totem Cabernet Sauvignon. If you’re thinking about steaks on the grill, this is the ideal wine thanks to the structured tannins. 

You’ll find that it’s distinct enough to help balance your palate, and the flavor concentration includes currant and blackberry, which offers an intensity that can match flank steak, ribeyes, and more. 

A Light Pinot Gris: 

If you’re getting creative with your grill and serving something with a sweet honey-barbeque-based sauce or a grilled fruit like peaches or pineapples, our 2021 Rainstorm Pinot Gris is the ideal option. A refreshing choice, you’ll find a flavor profile that includes stone fruits balanced by fresh acidity. Crisp and flavorful, serve it well chilled for those hot summer evenings. 

An Elegant Rosé: 

When you want a wine that looks as beautiful as the table will, you can’t go wrong with our 2021 Rainstorm Pinot Noir Rosé. Not only does it look simply amazing in the glass, but it also pairs well with seafood on the grill. 

The bouquet here is summer itself featuring strawberry and rose petals, and the taste is crisp elegance redefined. You’ll find a complex burst of flavor that is ideal with a variety of other flavors as well including your grilled appetizer course. 

An Extraordinary Red Blend: 

If you’re serving something with a spicy rub or sauce or you’ve selected heavier cheese options to pair with your meal, a red blend like our 2018 Thick Skinned Red Mountain is a perfect choice. 

The bouquet of cocoa, sweet coconut, dark berries, vanilla, and cherries is amazing, and the mouth feel offers firm tannins that can stand up to the spice of any dish. The perfect complement for a great barbeque, it will highlight whatever is being served in a way other wines simply cannot. 

Bring the Best Wine to the Cookout

Cookouts create summer memories you can look back on as the chill of fall begins to set in. Choosing the right wines for cookouts is a great way to help everyone relax and enjoy the time together. Take a look at our complete selection to choose a few bottles that are ideal for your next cookout invitation.