E. S. Brown on winegeeks wrote the following a few years back:

“Holy crap it’s hot out there. For much of the United States it seems that spring was just a weekend somewhere in May, come and gone as quickly as New Coke. Now that summer has officially parked its sweaty self over my home in the Midwest, it is time to break out the summer wines. For many of us who would normally say that “While we enjoy all wine, red is the color of my heart,” the desire to find a crisp and refreshing quaff for the patio has us scrambling to the cellar or the local shop. The thought of drinking a glass of heavy red wine right now feels just that- heavy. Syrah? Forget it. Super Tuscan? Super no. Cabernet Sauvignon? Are you kidding? So what are we left with?

Boy, am I glad that I asked in the second person. There are hundreds of great wines out there that are perfect foils for the dog days of summer. Although there are about as many styles as there are bottles, a few common denominators exist when selecting a vino for the patio. Start with crisp acidity, throw in a low alcohol content and then mix vigorously with lighter fruit flavors. The end result is a racy wine that will delight the senses and dance across the taste buds instead of plodding along like a palate attached to an anchor.”

So - what are you drinking this summer?