It has been sweltering hot in San Francisco in the past couple of days.  Of course, as some of you may know, “hot” in San Francisco doesn’t have quite the same meaning as it does anywhere else.  For example, I remember when we first moved to the Bay Area from New York City, and we overheard someone characterize 80-degree weather as a heat wave – we had just left New York’s sticky, 90+ degree summer humidity, and so to us, that just sounded like gobbledygook.  Fast foward a year later, though, when we finally experienced that same weather for ourselves without air conditioning (which houses in San Francisco typically lack), and that same statement made a lot more sense.  I only share this recollection with you because, at the moment, Weather.com says that it’s 71 degrees in San Francisco, our thermostat reads 87, and our house feels like a sauna.   

Should you find yourself in a similar situation this summer, we suggest picking up a bottle of Jean Francois Merieau “Bulles” Touraine Sparkling, sticking it in the fridge for an hour or two, popping the cork, and drinking up!  We’re confident that you’ll find this sparkler to be brilliantly refreshing, just as we have found it to be during these past couple ”hot” days.

The organic “Bulles” Touraine Sparkling – composed of 80% Chenin Blanc and 20% Sauvignon Blanc – was produced in the Touraine appellation of the Loire Valley (i.e., it is not Champagne, although like Champagne, it was aged sur lie (the link is to Wine Spectator’s free online glossary)).

We loved the lightness of body and the juicy flavors of apple, pear, and a twist of lime, and as we polished off the bottle last night on our deck while watching the city reflect the sun’s pink light at dusk, we were sure that the drink in our glasses could not have been more appropriate. 

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at K&L Wines in San Francisco.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.