As the summer days cool off, there’s still plenty of time to open some beach wines. No, not wines that you take to the beach. Sadly, there aren’t many of those days left this summer. Rather, wines that come from coastal areas with a beach. As well, it’s fun to pair wine with food from the same country. For example, an Italian Chianti complements Pasta Bolognese. The same goes for wines grown near beaches. For instance, we tasted these crisp white wines that go well with regional meals.

Beach Wines

We tasted three wines from coastal regions in Italy and France. Tenuta di Fessina Erse Bianco 2020 is from the coastal region of Etna DOC, Sicily. Umani Ronchi Vellodoro Pecorino 2020 is produced in the coastal region of Abruzzo, Italy. Meanwhile, Les Frères Couillaud Château de la Ragotière Les Vieilles Vignes Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 2020 comes from the Loire Valley, France. Wines from these areas benefit from a maritime climate, which provides a long growing season for the grapes.

Tenuta di Fessina Erse Bianco 2020 ($25)

Tenuta di Fessina Erse Bianco is a blend of traditional Sicilian varietals Carricante (90%), Catarratto and Minnella. The Mediterranean reflects sunshine to help ripen the grapes at a variety of altitudes on the slopes of one of the world’s most active volcanos. We found aromas of herbs, flint, lemon peel and almonds, leading into flavors of apples, citrus, and herbs, with salinity, minerality and high acidity. As a result, we loved this wine and will look for more bottles to purchase.

Les Frères Couillaud Château de la Ragotière Les Vieilles Vignes Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 2020 ($18)

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie is a dry white wine from France’s Loire Valley, near the Atlantic ocean. It’s produced from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, which is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Muscadet grape. The old vines produce concentrated, ripe fruit. Consequently, this clean and lively wine features aromas of honeysuckle, peaches, pears and crushed oyster shells. Next comes textured flavors of lemon, green apple and hazelnuts, mineral notes and intense acidity.

Umani Ronchi Vellodoro Pecorino 2020 ($17)

On the east coast of Italy, bordering the Adriatic Sea, Abruzzo is a beautiful region of Italy with high grape yields, partly because of dry Adriatic breezes in the summer. This is 100% Pecorini, a crowd-pleaser with aromas of grapefruit, lemon, lime and nectarine mirrored on the palate. In addition, this is a tart, zesty white wine with loads of minerality and a good structure. Umani suggests pairing it with fish, vegetable soup or cheese.