5 Wines That Were Practically Made for Drinking Outside This Summer (and One Costs Only $16)

Updated Mon, April 9, 2018 at 1:01 PM UTC

One day soon it’ll be warm enough to kick off your shoes, bring a cheese plate outside and help your toddler catch fireflies. It’s only right you stock up on a few great bottles of wine for when that perfect day strikes. We turned to five different sommeliers for their favorite fun and inexpensive summer picks.

Tement, Klassik, Sudsteiermark 2015

Sommelier: Liz Martinez, Director of Wine at Prime + Proper

Yep, Australia is known for its Grüner Veltliner wine, but this Sauv Blanc is intriguing and delicious. Anything but basic, its notes of white flowers, Meyer lemon, canned peaches and white stone minerality pair well with potato salad.

Buy it ($16)

Mas Candí, Tinc Set, Metode Ancestral, Catalonia, Spain 2016

Sommelier: Hugh Crickmore, Wine Director of Roberta’s and Blanca

This dry, light Xarel-lo and Parraleta blend tastes like citrus pith, fresh quince, lemon curd and sea breeze. Enjoy the inexpensive sparkler over a late lunch of tapas, preferably somewhere near the ocean. Did we mention it’s organic with no sulfur added? Say goodbye to your usual wine headache.

Buy it ($18)

Riesling, Wittmann, Trocken 2016

Sommelier: Michael Engelmann, Wine Director at The Modern

The best from an underrated producer, this affordable sipper is dry, crisp and refreshing. Aromas of nectarine, green apple and meyer lemon plus plenty of minerality pair decidedly well with shellfish (razor clams, anyone?) and your largest floppy hat.

Buy it ($22)

2015 Onward Malvasia Bianca, SUISUN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

Sommelier: Kathryn Coker, Owner of Esters Wine Shop & Bar

Made by badass female winemaker Faith Armstrong, who tends her wines like children (with lots of room to breathe and be themselves), this Malvasia Bianca has an electric nose. It’s intensely fruity and floral, but the palate is surprisingly clean and bone dry. Sip it outside on the porch while you contemplate how to cook all the asparagus you hauled home from the farmers’ market.

Buy it ($27)

Patrick Bottex Bugey Cerdon La Cueille

Sommelier: Katie Owens, Wine Director, Winc Wines

Light and bubbly with just a fleeting touch of sweetness, this is the pink sparkler you drink with your best friend on the patio on a Friday night in June. Juicy strawberry and cherry notes pair pretty darn well with charcuterie and crudités, if you’re in the snacking mood.