The sun is out (mostly) and it’s time to get outside on the back porch, in the park, on the river, and in the woods. Summertime is why Oregonians suffer the rainy months. There’s no better place on earth than summer in Oregon.

And summertime means easy-drinking white wines and reds that complement whatever you’ve got on the grill. In the lingo of the wine biz, “porch pounders” are uncomplicated wines that go down easy and are affordable. Too often, the mass-market porch pounders are silly, overly sweet, entirely forgettable wines.

But here’s the good news: These days, top winemakers are making high-quality and complex wines that are perfect complements to your summer.

Our reds are deep, dark and luscious – and perfect for anything that comes from your grill. A hard-to-find Oregon-grown Zinfandel, our first red from J. Scott hits the spot with big, jammy, berry flavors and soft tannins to tone down the spice. Our second red is the “GSM plus C” from Seven of Hearts. What? Yes, this is a traditional Rhône blend of Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre blend with a splash of Cinsault thrown in. Perfection!

I’m thrilled to be featuring a White Pinot Noir from Seufert Winery as our first white. Yes, you read that correctly. The characteristic earthiness and spice of a Pinot with the light and refreshing quality of a white wine, it’s delicious! Our second white is the Amrita blend from Anne Amie that features six different white wine varietals in an amazing porch-friendly blend that will remind you of the light, slightly-effervescent Vinho Verdes so popular in summer in Spain. This bottle will go down so quickly you’ll wonder how you can get another!