So we are all ready for a long weekend to reflect on the many good things that our nation’s independence brings us every day.  A chance to talk with the young’ns and explain the history of the United States of America.  These are excellent things to do on the Independence Day weekend and maybe more often than once a year.

But any talk of our shared history will eventually get to food, and since we are in the great state of Texas we will talk about grilling.  Ah, that is also a worthy subject, but a hot one!

So what can we sip while we grill when even the native Texans are saying, “It is a might warm.”  Oh, the many choices we have!

First, cold water.  Not only a great drink, but it really caught you off guard, didn’t it?  Never forget that water is your friend, particularly when the thermometer hits the triple digits.

Then there is beer, well known to quench a thirst, well-loved throughout the world.  In the heat you might want to lean toward the lagers, pilsners, even lights, because they are better tasting when a real cold beer is needed.

However, right now I want to remind you to enjoy some wine in the summertime.  There are many white wines, rosé wines, and even red wines that do well chilled.  Plus they give you so much when matching food and beverage.

Rosé wines are probably the most misunderstood wines for a steamy day.  They have a fresh fruit, crisp, and vibrant flavor that will match hotdogs, roast chicken, and a big slab of baby backs any day.  Try some of the inexpensive Spanish wines or some of the new crop of rosé wines from Argentina and Chile.  They are made from many different grapes like shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and malbec.

Well, now that we have mentioned malbec, let us talk about the red wines you can get cold.  Malbec is a new one to try, but the stand-bys are pinot noir, beaujolais and grenache/garnacha.  This can be a flavor-changing process.  All red wines should be served at least cool, but chilling them down to 50 degrees will make most reds taste flat, or one-dimensional.  The few listed above can still be quite pleasant a cooler temperatures — different from how they would be at a dinner in an air-conditioned room, but still flavorful and refreshing.

Now we get to the white wines, the main event.  There are so many that work well that I think it would be better to list one to avoid.  Big, luscious, long-oak-aged chardonnays.  If you get those too cold, they just taste like grill wood.  Save that type of wine for a different setting.  But the slightly effervescent, crisp, light vinho verde wines of Portugal are just wonderful as pool juice or grilling accessories!

Then the many rieslings of the world, from rich German to more mineral dry ones from Australia or the Finger Lakes region of New York are a welcome cleanser for your palate.

New Zealand sauvignon blanc.  Yeah, I know, what took me so long to get to them?  These are fruity and lemon-lime tart, a perfect foil to a spicy pepper and fruit mélange basted chicken.  But do not overlook the sauvignon blancs from South Africa and South America, they will muscle in between bites of smoked pork tenderloin with the best of them.

But what is a celebration without sparkling wine?  Whether it is Spanish cava, Italian prosecco, German Sekt, French Champagne, or Australian/Californian/South African sparkling wines, bubbles make it a party!

No matter which one you choose, toast the people who made it happen in 1776.