This summer has been HOT. If you’ve been outside much, your sweat beads are probably as big as those on a cold bottle of Pinot Bianco in the sun. I wouldn’t say I’ve gone so far as starting to call myself a winter person, but climate change is maybe pushing me to love autumn a little more. Luckily we have plenty of refreshing wines to help us survive the onslaught!

Although there are plenty of wines to choose from for all manner of summer fun, for the hottest of the hot days I head to Italy for three excellent cool-you-down grapes:

Grillo: In Sicily, I feel like I always have a Grillo to start the night. It’s white florals and raw almond notes are pleasantly mild but not so much that they’re boring, and it’s perfect with fried panelle (really yummy chick pea fritters they usually serve at aperitivo). Try Feudo Montoni Grillo della Timpa, $26.

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo: High-acid Trebbiano is widely made all over Italy, and Abruzzo is one of the better regions for it. People say it can sometimes be bland, but they would never say that about this Valle Reale with its notes of sour cream, tarragon, and lemon pith, $20.

Pinot Bianco: This is usually my go-to when the weather is just flat-out miserably soupy. With juicy ripe lemon and white florals, Elena Walch makes ones in northern Alto Adige where the altitude makes it so nice and crisp that you feel like you’re standing on a mountaintop instead of the muggy streets of Manhattan, $25.

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