Summer here has been great and long may it continue, although you wouldn't be saying that in Melbourne right now! The temperature there is in the 40's and people are dying and bush fires raging.
I would hate to think what that is doing to their wine industry, that combined with the caterpillars in Western Australia, and drought in South Australia it only leaves the Hunter Valley in reasonable shape.
Here things are different and it looks like another bumper harvest for our grape growers across the country. Hopefully the lessons of 2008 have been learnt and that there has been some green harvesting, thus allowing the remaining fruit to be more concentrated and reduced yields to manageable levels for the wineries.
The ideal wines for Summer are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, and Pinot Gris. Chardonnay, for me, is the wine of choice as it offers a diverse range of styles. You can have big oaky, buttery ones or more austere Chardonnay like Chablis.
Hatton Estate make a beautifully balance Chardonnay called 'EC2'. It is more Chablis in style with no oak treatment and purity of fruit is the focus, along with texture and 
minerality. Craggy Range also make a Chardonnay 'Kidnappers' but this wine sees oak but is so in balance that it is less obvious.
For those who are trapped in the 80's then Odyssey make a big buttery style wine called Iliad' . Craggy range also make a Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay that is bold in style but both wines prove very popular still.
For those of us who want to be daring why not try a Rippon Osteiner White wine. It is very dry and just like biting into a Granny Smith apple with malic acid being the most obvious taste. This wine makes great summer evening drinking and matches tomato salads and seafood perfectly.
Go on be daring and treat yourself during this beautiful summer and not get stuck in a rut with Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
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