I Tried Over 200 Wines This Month and These 3 Are a Must for Summer Seafood

Sure, you can eat shellfish any time of year. But there’s something innately summery about seafood — fried shrimp, lobster rolls, cracked crab (bring on the Old Bay), raw oysters on ice, mussels steamed with white wine and garlic, on it goes.

There’s a tired old adage about not eating oysters in months that don’t end in “r” (eg. May through August), and growing up in Houston where the Gulf Coast waters were bathtub temperature, I get that. But as a transplant to the Northeast, and to Maine for the summer months, where the Atlantic remains frigid year round, who cares? I eat oysters with aplomb. Kumamotos from the Pacific northwest? The Pacific will numb your toes quite effectively, and oysters love it.

The point is, shellfish need wine. Ideally it should be something crisp, bright, and steely (one tip that holds up is that oak aged wine and shellfish aren’t a great combo). From roughly 200 bottles across our July tastings at Food & Wine, here are three of our favorite wine options for seafood, including a red that’s ideal for chilling.

2023 Bodegas Garzon Reserva Albariño ($22)

For any kind of summery shellfish, whether shrimp on the grill, lobster rolls, or cracked crab, the Spanish grape Albariño is a no-brainer. Whether from the Atlantic coastal waters of Galicia, or, in this case, Uruguay, its zingy approach alongside citrus and melon flavors will always work. Little known fact for U.S. wine drinkers: Uruguay’s first winery was established by Spanish monks in 1611. And California? Wine didn’t get started there until 1680 or so.

2021 Tenuta Alzatura Aria di Casa Montefalco Bianco ($35)

Chef Hillary Sterling of Ci Siamo is making some of the best food in NYC right now, as far as I’m concerned. If you’re headed to the city, whether for work or for fun, you’d be crazy not to make a reservation. When I went recently, this elegant, floral white went spectacularly well with her cavatelli with crab, chilies, and vermouth — or cavatelli alla scoglio, if you want to get Italian about it. Tenuta Alzatura is located in Italy’s Montefalco appellation in Umbria, but look also for the producer's dark, peppery Montefalco Rosso.

2022 Domaine Mont Bessay Juliénas En Bessay ($60)

The top wines of Beaujolais come from its ten crus, or top subregions. This red comes from vines in Juliénas. It’s less well known than Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent, arguably the two top crus, but in the hands of the right grower, vines in Juliénas can produce beautiful red wines. This is one of them. It comes from a new estate owned by Burgundy’s Domaine du Cellier aux Moines, is spot-on for the appellation. It's brimming with crunchy raspberry fruit, not heavy at all but full of flavor, making it a nigh-on perfect summer red.