Rocks in your Glass
Minerally Swiss wines are the way to go when the mercury rises
There's a wonderful side effect to the proliferation of restaurants serving buttery spaetzle: They're also serving glasses of crisp, mineral-laden Swiss wine.
To see what we mean, grab a window seat at Soho's Swiss-centric Café Select and order the Chäschüechli and a glass of the house Chasselas. Alternate bites of the crunchy, molten-cheese-filled pastry with sips of cold, bone-dry Chasselas and all will be clear.
With crisp, clean, stony flavors, these cool-climate, high-acid wines are the perfect summer libations. Switzerland boasts buckets of them thanks to some of the highest vineyards in the world, as well as its own array of obscure, acid-bright grapes.
Chasselas, also known as Fendant, is the country's most-planted variety. For a richer white, look to the honey-scented Petite Arvigne or the pear-rich Heida. The Swiss excel at summer-weight reds, too, from bright, light Gamay to lean, spicy Pinot Noir.
Here are four Swiss wines to seek out around town:
2008 Dubaril Chasselas ($14) Light, fresh, crisp and impressively affordable, this is one to stock up on for everyday drinking (fermentedgrapes.net).
NV Dubaril Gamay Romand Vin de Pays Rosé ($10 a glass; $35 a bottle) Light as air and just as easy to inhale, this dry rosé is fresh and bright, with sour-cherry flavors and a hint of spice. Available at Café Select, 212 Lafayette St. (between Spring and Broome sts.); 212-925-9322 or cafeselectnyc.com
2004 St. Jodern Kellerei Visperterminen Heida ($62) Swiss-born chef Ralf Kuettel has stocked his wine list with excellent Swiss selections, including this Heida, a rich white with juicy pear flavor deepened by smoky minerality. Available at Trestle on Tenth, 242 10th Ave. (at 24th St.); 212-645-5659 or trestleontenth.com
2007 Rene Favre & Fils Chamonson Valais Dôle ($21) "Dôle" is Swiss for a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay; the Gamay provides the fresh strawberry tones, while Pinot Noir plays bass notes of spice, earth and dark cherries (fermentedgrapes.net).
