How to Summer Wine 🍷☀️

Summer’s here, and if you’re in the Pacific Northwest that means one thing: outdoor adventures… beach picnics, river floats, camping trips, backyard barbecues and everything in between. And I firmly believe that if you’re going on adventures, your wine should be going with you.

But sipping well on-the-go requires some strategic wiles—and a willingness to say sayonara to wine snobbery. Warning: some of these suggestions might make wine purists gasp and clutch their pearls. But I think if you’ve hung around me long enough, you know that I believe wine should be fun. And summer adventures are the perfect place to make this happen.

So without further ado, here are my 5 Golden Rules to Summer Wine Right…

1. Gear Up 

This is not a sales pitch for any particular items, but trust me—gear matters. If you're bringing wine camping or to the river, invest in a small, wine-sized rolling cooler. The kind that fits six upright bottles, seals tight, and won’t leak when filled with ice. Even better if it’s compact enough to throw in your raft. Stainless steel tumblers are also essential—for the love of Krug, leave your wine glasses at home! No Zalto deserves a rocky riverbed death. Plus, people are barefoot, dogs are running around... no one wants a glass shard in their toe–even a handblown Austrian crystal one. And as for the wine itself? Screwtops are your friends. Chances are, screwcap wine is meant to be chilled, and a corkscrew is one less thing to lose or drop in the river. Canned wine is also a fantastic option! Light, recyclable and now in surprisingly high quality options. One of our  Her Way: Columbia Gorge guests was Carly Laws, founder of Freetime Wine, a canned wine brand born from her desire to make canned wine at the same quality as bottled wine, for a fraction of the carbon footprint.

2. Chill Everything (Even the Reds)

It's hot. You're sweating. The last thing you want is a 15% abv Cab weighing you down like a wool blanket (no offense to 15% Cabs - I’ll see you again in the winter). Instead, crisp whites, rosés, orange wines, and bubbles are your best friends—or light, juicy reds that you can serve chilled. My favorite options here are Gamay, Poulsard, Pinot Meunier or carbonic Oregon Pinots that basically taste like grapey wine coolers. Hearkening back to canned wines: many canned reds, like Carly’s Freetime Pinot Noir, are made to be chilled in the first place. The long story short: you just want to be able to throw all your wine (regardless of color) in one cooler, with the ability to pull any of them out and taste fabulous with a chill.

3. Hydrate (And Don’t Hate)

Yeah I know, I sound like your mom, but say it with me: one glass of wine, one glass of water. Especially if you're in the sun, at elevation, or floating down a river. Bring a dang water bottle. And while the wine gods might smite me for saying this… consider making a spritz. No, I’m not telling you to mix your expensive reserve bottles with Pellegrino. But a $15 bottle of rosé with a splash of watermelon LaCroix? Pretty darn delicious. And along with being hydrating, it’s now lower ABV with no added sugar (preventing hangovers). Plus, it’s a fun pairing challenge with all the wild and crazy seltzer flavors on the market. Some of my favorites have been: Riesling + Peach, Sauvignon Blanc + Grapefruit, or Viognier + Melon. The world is your spritzer...

4. Embrace the High-Low 

This weekend I’m heading into the woods with a crew of wine nerds for a birthday camping trip—and in case you’re wondering whether wine nerds get their hands dirty camping, the answer is: yes. There will be sandwiches and smores. But there will also be Grand Cru Burgundy and grower Champagne. The best wine experiences often blur the lines between high brow and low brow, and summer is the perfect time to play… hot dogs and Beaujolais, BBQ chicken and Champagne, burgers and Burgundy. If it makes you giggle, you’re doing it right.

5. Seek Out Summer Fun

Summer is full of incredible wine events—one- and two-day festivals that bring the region’s best producers together. While IPNC is taking a break this year (RIP), there’s still time to catch something special. Next weekend, I’ll be at Method Oregon, a brand-new event focused entirely on traditional-method Oregon sparkling wine. Over 20 producers will be pouring—including favorites like Flâneur and Corollary (Oregon’s only sparkling-only house). Come clink glasses with me in McMinnville—tickets are still available here. This is not paid advertising–you just know I love my bubbles!

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Now go forth–and summer wine! Wishing you spritzes, screwcaps and sunscreen,

Kelsey

Want to learn Oregon wine IRL?

Only a few more chances to join me before I break for the month of September to do a play (yes, I still give myself the gift of doing theater every so often)!

My Oregon Wine Tasting Experience happens Sundays at 2PM at Arden, and it’s the perfect intro—or review—to Oregon wine. We taste five rotating Oregon wines (including both classic and unexpected picks), and I walk you through a little background on our state’s wine regions, climate, geography, and what makes this place so special.

Whether you’re visiting for the weekend or a local who just wants to go deeper than Pinot Noir, I promise you’ll leave with a full glass and a new perspective.