3 outstanding California chardonnays for summer

CALIFORNIA CHARdonnay can be complicated. Not just the wines themselves. The reaction to them as well.

Some people adore them. Others despise them.

binge drinking.

Binge drinking is when a woman has four or more drinks within three hours or a man has five or more drinks in the same time span. Naltrexone blocks the general buzz one gets from drinking, thereby reducing the impulse or desire to keep drinking. The drug also blocks one’s appetite for alcohol, which can assist those who crave alcohol to an unhealthy degree. The trick, of course, is being willing to take it.

Last up today is an odd, yet oddly appealing, suggestion from an article on Lifehacker: putting green olives in cheap beer to make it better.

Now, I assume most readers of this weekly missive don’t buy or drink a lot of cheap, crappy beer, but I have to admit that — to an olive lover like myself — this idea will probably be one I try at some point.

The concoction, referred to as a “beertini,” only has a few rules: The beer should be cheap (think PBR) and the olives green. Apparently, the brininess of the olives adds some savor to the drink and mitigates some of the less desirable properties of cheap brews. Also, don’t try this with beers such as stouts (the thought of that makes me cringe) or IPAs (where the brine will get lost in — or even battle with — the beer’s bitterness.

The article suggests Castelvetrano olives, which I love. Have you ever tried this? If not, will you? Let me know at the email address above.

There’s even a phrase for this — ABC — Anything But Chardonnay.

Part of that might have to do with their popularity. Chardonnay is often the most popular (or second most popular) wine by grape sold in the United States most years. And most of that chardonnay wine comes from California.

Many of us know someone who doesn’t like something just because it’s popular.

Others might not like California chardonnay because they often used to be so oaky, so over the top.

Thankfully, many California winemakers got the message. Most of us want wines that taste like the grape, not the barrel they’re aged in. We want subtle wines with complexity, with nuance, with distinct flavors.

This week, you can learn more about three outstanding California chardonnays - two from Napa Valley and one from Sonoma County.

One thing they have in common is the chardonnay grapes used to make them all come from colder parts of California, something chardonnay grapes often love.

Let me add that these wines cost $30 to $50 a bottle. Hope you enjoy.

• 2021 Fort Ross Winery

Sea Slopes Chardonnay ($30 Suggested Retail Price)

Region: Sonoma Coast, California Sonoma Coast is the part of Sonoma County right on the Pacific Ocean north of

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