Refreshing, pleasant whites bring patio season to life

Italian, Greek wines are great for the summer

Italian and Greek whites are some of the best patio meal wines in the world. After all, these countries have the best patios and supply of fresh fish, vegetables and herbs. This summer, I’ll try to source out these wines so you can create a little Mediterranean magic on your own patio. I’m thinking lazy lunches or evening appetizers in dappled sunlight, of course.

An easy start is with an old favourite — Verdicchio. I bet you’ve forgotten it existed. Well, it’s still out there and is as refreshing and pleasant as ever. Shades of a non-oaked Chardonnay. More nice than exciting, but for the price it does the job.

Pecorino is a seldom seen grape that’s also from the east coast of Italy. Here we’re getting into interesting flavour territory — it starts out fresh and then turns savoury and slightly sweet. It is a real charmer. Take a few sips and let yourself feel like you are travelling to lunch on someone’s terrace on the Adriatic coast. I would recommend trying it with eggs, seafood appetizers or grilled chicken.

Billy Munnelly is author, wine critic and publisher of Billy’s Best Bottles Wineletter and Billy’s Best Wines For 2007, a guide to the best wines at the LCBO, available in bookstores or through www.billysbestbottles.com. Sign up for his free wine e-letter at www.billysbestbottles.com.