As temperatures soar and warm summer days become the norm, food lovers and industry experts are getting creative with their food and wine ideas as a means of embracing the sun and also cooling off.
Jonathon Alsop, founder of the Boston Wine School, is no stranger to the long list of rules about storing wine. But he said he wants to push back on the notion that putting red wine in the refrigerator is an “arrestable offense.” Certain light red wines, such as pinot noir, are actually better when chilled.
But an even more adventurous wine trend happening this summer is adding a pickle to a glass of sauvignon blanc. This is a development destined to please the martini lovers out there — and evidence that people are sick of how rigid the world of wine can be.
“Maybe they like wine, but maybe they just don’t like rules,” Alsop said. “So here’s red wine in the refrigerator. Here’s sauvignon blanc with a pickle in it. We’re going to keep the product identical, but we’re just going to break every rule of service, hospitality, food pairing until something adheres.”
If pickled white wine doesn’t tickle your tastebuds, you may be interested in tinto de verano, Spanish for “summer red wine.” The simple drink contains just red wine and a lemon-lime soda or sparkling lemonade.
Originating in Spain, tinto de verano was anointed the Drink of Summer 2026 by HuffPost. Amy Traverso, senior food editor at Yankee Magazine, told Under the Radar she’s a big fan of the concoction — and she can see it becoming a trend this summer given how accessible the few ingredients are.
And in the world of local tasty snacks, Brazilian cheese bread called pão de queijo is having a moment. It’s been present in the Boston area for a while, given the area’s robust Brazilian population, but Traverso said she’s seeing new uses this summer at Bōm Dough in Cambridge and Cafe Brazil in Allston as part of breakfast sandwiches or savory-sweet treat when filled with guava paste or dulce de leche.
“This Portuguese cheese bread made with cassava flour, is naturally gluten-free, has a wonderful savory Parmesan flavor, crispy outside, chewy inside,” Traverso said. “I like to think of them as gluten-free gougère. It’s delightful.”
All this and more in this week’s food and wine roundtable!
Guests
- Amy Traverso, senior food editor at Yankee Magazine, co-host of GBH’s Weekends with Yankee and author of “The Apple Lover’s Cookbook.”
- Jonathon Alsop, founder and executive director of the Boston Wine School and author of “The Wine Lover’s Devotional.”
