It’s the middle of July and the temperatures are heading into the triple digits — at least that’s what the thermometer at my house tells me.

What do we do under these circumstances? We pray for mild humidity, stay inside when we can and chill down the summer wines.

Sparkling rosé wine: It's always a treat, but not always expensive.

In our house, that means pink wine: dry, well-made rosé that goes with just about any food except, say, roast lamb or game. It doesn’t overwhelm with (hot) alcohol content and always is a pleasure to behold in a wine glass.

On Friday, searching for a rosé to chill down for Saturday night, I stopped into the Gabriel’s at Callaghan Road. I strolled past the more expensive wines, the Nicolas Feuillatte that I sometimes receive for my birthday, the Scharffenberger that always gives me pause, inducing as it does thoughts of icy Champagne downed with chocolate truffles. I stopped at the Segura Viudas, a Spanish Rosé Cava, cava being Spain’s answer to Champagne, that comes in my favorite shade of pale and costs an attractive $7.99 per bottle.

At that price, you get a lovely wine that sparkles and gives you a treat of fruit and flowers, a good acid balance and a surprisingly nice finish. I put it in my best Champagne glass and enjoyed it while watching a B movie from the ’40s.  A patter of rain on the roof might have made this night perfection, but close, in this case, was good enough.

Yali Wetland Merlot Rosé 2009

Fact: This watermelon-colored rosé from Chile’s wetland region near Maipo has plenty of pink with a touch of orange underneath. The aromas mingle strawberry and cherry with summer flowers. The tastes are lush and fruity yet dry, with a long finish. Serve it chilled with grilled shrimp, cool pork tenderloin or a seafood salad. The screw cap makes it perfect for taking along on a picnic. The price is an attractive $7.99 a bottle at Costco.

Feeling: The wine’s color may remind you of cotton candy, but its dryness will refresh you on a hot summer afternoon. I opened a well-chilled bottle at a party recently, and it disappeared in short order. It held up nicely with the salty tang of pickles and cut through the gooey richness of grilled cheese sandwiches.

I walked into a gas station store recently to pay for gas and grab some emergency cans of cat food. They didn’t carry any pet tuna, but I noticed something new—a wine rack next to the entrance.

My first reaction was to flinch at the sight of light pouring in through the windows and glass door onto the wine. The next thought followed quickly: It was good to see a gas station mini-mart selling a selection of wine—especially since beer drinkers have such a plentiful choice.

I saw the rack by the door as a sign of the times. The fact that an actual selection of wines was there at all might reflect the advances wine drinkers have made on beer drinkers over the past years. In a couple of recent years, in fact, the Gallup Poll showed wine drinkers outnumbering beer drinkers in the U.S. (Some, however, claim the numbers of glasses of wine and beer sold in the U.S. don’t bear that out.)

As I reflected further, it seemed that putting that rack in the window might not be all that bad. This was not high-end wine, but inexpensive wine that probably would move quickly. It was the kind of wine people would take home and drink, not put it in a cellar or wine rack. The rack wasn’t large, so the wine might not sit in the sun that long. Or at least, that was an optimistic way to look at it.

Grapes developing on the vine need sun; wine in bottles doesn't.

Sun, of course, is a great thing when it comes at the right time and in the right amounts to ripen grapes. It’s where the sugar is developed that is needed for fermentation.

But, when wine becomes wine, after it is bottled, it must come in out of direct sunlight.  This is because free radicals develop in wine when it is exposed to ultraviolet light. These cause wine to oxidize much more quickly. Colored bottles, rather than clear, do offer a little protection from the sunlight.

Another factor comes into play here, too. Wine shouldn’t be stored under fluorescent lighting, either.

In fact, if I go into a wine store and see wine on racks under fluorescents, I reach to the bottom of the rack to take out the bottle I’m going to purchase.

A study in 1988, by the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis, found that exposure to fluorescent light on still and sparkling wines, after about 18 hours, showed in the aromas in the wine. “With increased time of exposure, a decrease in citrus aroma intensity occurred, while the intensity of cooked cabbage, corn nuts, wet dog/wet wool, and soy/marmite aromas increased.”

Not tastes I want in my wine glass!

My last thought as I exited the store that day wasn’t about the wine. It was about cat food. Why, for heaven’s sake, don’t they stock it?  That’s the other thing I’ll take up with them, after we discuss wine storage.

Photos by Bonnie Walker

Casa Lapostolle Rafael Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Fact: Chilean Cabernet Sauvignons are can be fine wines at good prices. This one is a good example, priced as it is in the $12.50 range. Aromas of bright red fruit, including plums, greet you on first sniff. The flavors are a little more complex, with currant and blackberry mingling with a touch of oak, cocoa and smoke. Supple tannins and a good acid structure are friendly on the tongue; the wine dances to a tart finish.

The wine is a blend of 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 8 percent Syrah, 5 percent Carmenère and 2 percent Cabernet Franc.

Feeling: I visited Chile a few years ago and so I’ve been following news of the earthquake and its aftermath fairly closely. One way to support the country at this difficult time is to buy its products, so I have been searching out  new Chilean wines to add to the list of ones I already love. This may not be quite as full-bodied as some cult Cabs from California, but it is far more food friendly. It was paired with braised short ribs, a combination that made both better.

Napa Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Fact: The buzz surrounding the 2007 vintage in Napa Valley should have Cabernet Sauvignon lovers as excited as they were about the 1997 vintage. Many will also be looking for bargains, which this wine is at $26 a bottle.

The year was perfect for producing grapes with intense fruit flavors and soft tannins. The blend of Cabernet grapes used in the wine includes fruit from Rutherford, adding a subtle violet quality, as well as nearby Oakville.

Aromas of blackberry, black currant and dark red fruit mingle with a touch of violet and cocoa. Let it open a little in your glass and let notes of oak and vanilla come into play. The dark fruit notes carry over to the taste, which is also marked by hints of cedar. A full, rich finish lingers after each sip.

Feeling: I likes me some smooth Cab, and this one fills the bill nicely. It’s soft yet full-bodied on the tongue, which makes it enjoyable by itself. The alcohol content isn’t too far gone at 14 percent, so pair it with a big ol’ hunk of red meat, anything from lamb to a beefy Irish stew.

I recently sat next to a woman who, when presented with dessert, deeply moaned, “I just love Cabernet and chocolate.” She then took a deep taste of wine and matched it with a taste of the chocolate mousse she’d been served.

The look on her face was, well, not as ecstatic as the expectation had been. In fact, she grimaced.

“Something must be wrong with the wine,” she muttered.

Nope. Nothing was wrong with the wine. It was fine before she tasted the dessert, and it was fine after.

It was just that Cabernet Sauvignon does not go with chocolate, despite what she and many of you have long been told.

Why?

Because the wine you drink has to be sweeter than the food you eat. It’s that simple. Put a dry wine, like most Cabernet Sauvignons, up against a sweet dessert, and the ripe fruit flavors in the wine that you had enjoyed only moments ago have become sour, shrill and acrid.

Sugar can do that.

Still, some are promulgating the marriage of Cab and chocolate, despite it being headed straight for divorce court. One chocolate company announces that it’s product is “specially formulated to complement wine. Using a blend based on the best chocolate from Ghana … ” It even recommends you eat this chocolate with “Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Barolo. … The pur cacao complements and pairs well with the tannins of a full-bodied red wine.”

Don’t believe everything you read. This 70-percent chocolate is far sweeter than that Bordeaux, and pairing the two would be the culinary equivalent of a train wreck.

There are a few red wines that do go with chocolate.

Take Banyuls, please. This is a dessert wine from the Pyrenees region in the southwest of France. It’s largely made from Grenache, but other grapes, including some whites, can be used. The flavors that arise from the glass are often vanilla, cinnamon and even a touch of cocoa powder, certainly perfect for flourless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate-dipped strawberries, brownies, chocolate chip cookies or chocolate body lotion.

Banyuls, again, is a dessert wine, and it should be drunk in smaller portions than the wine you’d drink with dinner. It’s that sweet, and it’s often fortified, so check the alcohol content before pouring.

Prices range from the high teens on up the scale. Not a great many make into the San Antonio market, so ask the wine stewards at your favorite specialty shop for a recommendation.

Another wine made for chocolate is the Banfi’s Rosa Regale ($25), a sparkling wine with a seductive red hue. Even people who only drink dry wines have been known to enjoy a glass of this. At this time of year, you can often find the Rosa Regale in premium supermarkets as well as fine wine shops.

So, save the Cabernet Sauvignon for a steak or for enjoying by itself. And grab something else to go with chocolate this Valentine’s Day.

Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Fermented Pinot Noir 2008

Fact: This is the first wine to list the resveratrol level on the label. What’s resveratrol? It’s a phytoalexin in wine that’s said to reduce blood sugar levels while being a cancer figther and an anti-inflammatory, according to Wikipedia. In other words, it could be good for you. It certainly is good for your palate, thanks for a heady aroma of cranberry, raspberry and wild strawberry as well as a touch of smoke. The flavors again make you think of tart red fruits from cranberry to pomegranate, leading to a bright finish.

Feeling: From the moment the first sip was poured, this wine was ready to drink, though it evolved nicely in the glass over time. Great Pinot flavors were evident, making it perfect with turkey or pork roast. Elegant and light-bodied, it is youthful and lively, the perfect complement to lighten up heavier fare.

Finding the right wines to serve at Thanksgiving is never an easy task. You have to start with what you’re serving.

Get beyond the turkey and look at your side dishes. Are you having candied yams and a sweet cranberry relish? Mashed potatoes and stuffing? Green bean casserole? All of the above?

Each of those foods calls for a separate wine, so you may want to have a couple of glasses on the table or offer a couple of wines to suit people’s tastes.

With the candied yams and the relish, both loaded with sugar, you’ll want a sweeter wine, something like a Riesling or a Gewürztraminer from Washington state. That’s because your wine should always be sweeter than the food you’re pairing it with or the wine will taste shrill and bitter. Hogue Cellars and its sister label, Genesis, make fine examples of both starting at about $10 a bottle.

Hogue Cellars Riesling

If your plate will be filled more with roast turkey, mashed potatoes and a not-too-herbal stuffing, then think about a Chardonnay or a Burgundy (either white or red, but not California’s “hearty Burgundy” out of a jug). The bold flavors of these wines will bolster the meal without clobbering it into submission.

An elegant Pinot Noir, with plenty of acid, is supremely food friendly. Fine examples of this can also be costly. But, we like the 12 Clones Pinot Noir from Morgan, which runs in the $20s. If you want to spend more, Morgan has a line of single-vineyard Pinots as well, each equally stunning.

Another red suggestion could be a Rhone blend, either from France or the United States. These are lighter bodied wines that won’t clobber your dinner with its brashness. Llano Estacado Signature from Texas is a fine example of this at a reasonable price of about $10 a bottle.

There are many lighter-styled reds that are very good matches with giblet gravy or a gorgeous goose. Inexpensive Spanish Tempranillo or Garnacha, Chilean or New Zealand Pinot Noir, Beaujolais Villages, and even Italian Montipulciano reds can slip right into your Thanksgiving dinner beautifully.

Cool, refreshing rosé certainly pair well with many Thanksgiving favorites. The acid cuts through the sauce of the green bean casserole and gives turkey a little pick-me-up. Plenty of youthful rosés from the southern hemisphere have begun appearing in the market now, with the Mulderbosch Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon ($12-$16) being a perennial standout. Also, be sure you’re purchasing a dry rose — white Zinfandels and other blush wines will be sweeter.  (So, maybe have those with the candied yams!)

If you have to have Cabernet Sauvignon, especially a big one in the California style, then feel free to do so. But think about serving it after dinner, so you can enjoy the wine on its own and be thankful for every drop in your glass. Remember, these wines are more geared to go with beef than turkey. Serving one will only help disguise all the flavors of what you’re eating.

If there is one ubiquitous wine for the multifarious dishes on the Thanksgiving table, it might be the most logical choice for a celebration: sparkling wine. Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, all sparkling wines and all worth exploring. An off-dry Prosecco like Zardetto often sells for $10-$15, while the ever-reliable Domaine Ste. Michelle series from Washington state sells in the same price range. We recently judged a wine competition where both the Korbel Brut Rosé and the Korbel Blanc de Noirs (very light rose color) took top prizes. These are under $15.

You could also use a less-expensive sparkler in the following Thanksgiving-inspired cocktail, the Relish: Mix 1/2 ounce cranberry juice and 1 ounce orange juice in a Champagne flute. Top with chilled sparkling wine. Serve.

Bonnie Walker and Cecil Flentge contributed to this article.

Melka Winery Métisse 2006

Fact: A sushi bar might be the last place you’d expect to be enjoying a bold Napa Valley proprietary red wine.  But I was at Godai, where the proprietor, Goro Pitchford, not only has a good wine list but now and then brings out a taste of something special.

While I don’t seek out big, expensive proprietary reds from California, as a rule, I don’t turn down something another wine lover is excited about, either.  This wine was Melka Winery’s 2006 Métisse, a proprietary blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petite verdot from the Napa County region. (Online vendors still have it in stock; the prices are around $110.)

The nose gives you more than a hint of the rich,  complex fruit flavors to come. The color is a deep, dense purple-tinged red. This is a powerful wine, with flavors of chocolate, dark plums, black raspberries and something floral, perhaps lilac or violet. The oak does not overpower; the tannins, while certainly present and providing the needed structure in such an intense young wine, are smooth and restrained.

Feeling: I was having a teriyaki rib-eye, so the wine and steak did not argue. But I found myself pushing away the plate to just enjoy the wine. If I were to invest some money to buy this wine by the bottle, I’d buy two; one to enjoy now and another to enjoy, say, 10-15 years from now. The Métisse 2006  should age beautifully.

Nautilus Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Fact: New Zealand is known for producing Sauvignon Blanc that is full of bright fruit flavors reminiscent of grapefruit, gooseberry and passion fruit. Aromas of the latter dominate this wine almost to the exclusion of anything else. That’s not a bad thing at all. It’s so fragrant that it draws you back continually for more. On the tongue, bright citrus acidity and melon flavors mingle, leading to a clean finish. $13 a bottle.

Feeling: This is summertime in a glass, which is fine with me as our evenings flirt with autumn. On a recent rainy night, this wine was crisp and lively, an escape from what surrounded us. Pair it with pumpkin bisque or seafood with a cream sauce for a pleasant contrast. Or match it with a goat cheese salad with peppery arugula and fresh figs, and watch the wine provide the missing link to what could become a perfect opening course or light dinner.