Fairmont Vintages – Summer Wine Talk with Kerrin Laz
Kerrin Laz Interview
This summer, Fairmont spoke with Kerrin Laz, Dean and Deluca’s wine director, to find out her opinions and advice regarding summer wine picks and pairings. Hope this can help you make the most of your summer indulgences.
What is your favourite wine to drink in the summer time?
I love a crisp White or Rose in the summer or a fresh bubbly. Anything that can be enjoyed on its own or with my favorite summer fare like chilled shellfish or grilled seafood or meats.
No one wants to turn on the oven on a hot day, what kind of wine would you suggest with a juicy BBQ’d steak?
A bold Red blend that offers a little spice and full-bodied fruit that can handle the smoky, full flavors of the meat.
Any tips on making a homemade wine cocktail to enjoy this summer by the water or on a patio?
I would make a cocktail using a Prosecco or cava and mixing it with a fresh-squeezed orange juice or even ruby red grapefruit juice and then to give it a little kick, add some Campari or Aperol.
Cheese and wine is a classic appetizer or midafternoon treat, can you suggest how to pair these two delicacies properly?
I love pairing big Reds with hard cheeses or blue cheeses and for the softer cheese, I like serving them with a fuller White like a Chardonnay or White Rhone-style blend. When in doubt, a fuller-style sparkling wine is a great choice to serve with your cheese course.
For someone who loves wine but is not too sure how to pair it with various foods, can you offer some insight on standard guidelines to follow?
Of all the different ways you can pair food, I like to offer bolder flavors with fuller-style wines while more delicate with the more subtle wines. I also like more acidic and mineral-driven wines to cut through the seafood like oysters or chicken while sharing a fuller-bodied white with the more buttery flavors of the meal.
What is the best way to keep the wine chilled while between glasses? What works best, bucket of ice or wine sleeve?
If the wines come directly out of the refrigerator and is cold, it’s almost better to let it sit on the table with just a stone sleeve. If it’s a really hot day out and you’re tasting other wines in addition to the white, keeping it in an ice bucket is the better way to go.
How should the glass be held to ensure the wine is not being warmed?
The best way is to hold it by the stem. If you’re drinking out of a stemless glass, then you can just hold the glass where wine isn’t being held.
Are there other things that can be done to keep wine cold on a scorching summer day?
There’s a great wine carafe that my friend recently gave me as a birthday gift. It has a cylinder within the carafe to hold ice. That allows the wine to stay chilled without it getting diluted or too chilled.
In the summer, when serving wine at a party or ordering for a table, what is a safe pick?
I lean towards a small-grower Champagne or crisp Rose.
For a link to Kerrin’s biography, click here.