Small Bites: Summer in Madison is the time to explore wine

A simple guide to finding new bottles, enjoying old favorites, and staying grounded.

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“Small Bites” is about exploring the broader world of food and drink in Madison through approachable and specific experiences.

When the weather shifts and the air is warm against your skin, I start to think about drinking wine outdoors. It’s easy to imagine the sun-dappled vineyards of Tuscany from a ’90s movie, all white linen and good posture and well-stocked bank accounts—but my mind is elsewhere. I’m thinking about Lake Merritt in Oakland, just down the street from Ordinaire Wine Bar. At Ordinaire, there are very few seats: you’re encouraged to bunch up around the long natural wood-standing bar with friends or browse the retail bottle shelves intermixed with classics of literature. When the hot early afternoon sun streaks in through the front window, you can grab another pour. Or you can ask the bartender for a bottle recommendation and kill the rest of the day lakeside in the grass, sipping something pink and bright and lightly fizzy while looking out at the water.

It’s not that Lake Merritt is the pinnacle of picturesque beauty—it’s a small tidal lagoon that was dammed into a salt-water lake in the 1860s. And as beautiful as it is, Lake Merritt is still part of downtown Oakland, a major city with all the less-than-perfect major city accouterment. But what I love about those memories is how easy drinking wine felt. You didn’t have to be an erudite aspiring sommelier to pony up to the rail at Ordinaire and ask for something weird—you just needed $10 to $15 and a free afternoon to enjoy the vibe. Ordinaire was packed full of service-industry veterans (baristas post-shift, bartenders pre-) hobnobbing, and what could be an inaccessible interest became the opposite. 

Wine can be intimidating—wander into any wine store and you’re staring out at racks and racks of bottles with labels that don’t tell you much if you’re not well-versed in grape variety and terroir. Most people learn wine preferences without much education. Cabernet Sauvignon refers to the grape used, but asking for a Cabernet at a restaurant could land you anywhere from California’s Central Coast to the middle of France—both wines would taste wildly different. Hell, even two Cab Sauv’s grown next door to each other in California could taste wildly different. But that’s part of the joy of wine drinking: it’s a world ripe for exploration and challenging your palate. 

Don’t get me wrong—it’s good to have preferences and know what flavor profiles you like, but there are lots of wines made from lots of grapes that can replicate what you like to drink in new and exciting ways. Half the fun of drinking wine is snagging two bottles on every shopping trip: one you know and one you don’t. But wine can be tricky to shop for. Grocery shelves are easier to stock with widely available labels from major distributors. Even if the price point is palatable, the wine itself might not always be. You’re always better off shuffling to the wine store. But even then, it can be hard to know where to start—the wine community in Madison is warm and welcoming, but first you have to find it. 

While Madison doesn’t have a baked-in wine-drinking culture like cities adjacent to wine country, there are still plenty of options for anyone who is wine-curious. Table Wine on Atwood offers by-the-glass pours that can be enjoyed while browsing the bottles or out in the shop’s wine garden when the weather is nice. The shop specializes in approachable price points, as well, meaning that you can snag a liter of low-intervention or natural wine for $15, and most bottles rarely exceed a $25 price tag. Like any specialty foodstuff (think: high-end coffee or fancy cheese), you’re likely to see more exciting and more interesting wines in a wine store than even the high-end local grocery, and you’ll also have knowledgeable staff who can help pinpoint something new to take home. At Table Wine, I always keep an eye out for affordable, easy-drinking reds (I’m a big fan of Chat Fou, Ercole Barbera, and Cousin Oscar) while pursuing the ample number of staff picks on the shelf. 

Drinking wine doesn’t have to be a tasting exercise, either. Most Madison Parks allow alcohol (double-check before you make plans), which means you can bring a bottle and some house-made jerky from Meat People lakeside to Yahara Place Park. Put up a hammock and sway in the cool Lake Monona breeze while you sip—why not? With a variety of interesting and esoteric options, Meat People is a great east-side spot to snag a bottle you’ve never seen before and turn it into your afternoon. Grab a few friends and a blanket, tell them you’ve all got Saturday plans, and stake your claim in the greenery with some plastic tasting glasses (glass usually isn’t allowed in the parks). I personally like splitting a bottle four ways—two short pours a piece, and then you’re a bit warm and fuzzy and primed for an easy nap just as the sun’s about to go down. 

While I’ve not yet been myself, sommelier MJ Hecox has been holding wine pop-ups every weekend at the space that used to house The Heights. When the cafe was still open, the back patio was one of my favorite places to while away the time outdoors. When patio season is back in full swing, I’m eager to try a variety of suggestions from a certified wine professional. And when I’m down on the Square, I always love popping by Square Wine for a tasting and some bottle browsing. With a wide selection of Old World conventional wines and affordable daily drivers, Square is also an excellent place to pick up a recommendation from the staff, who are excited to help you navigate their expansive shelves. 

But if I’m truly being honest, my favorite spot to drink wine is my own mosquito-riddled backyard. I love building a big fire, pulling up some plastic Adirondack chairs, and staring out at the giant purple-cinderblock wall that demarcates the edge of our property. In the early spring, when it’s still chilly, I like to sip on a warming and spice-tinted red. When summer rolls in and we have friends over for pizza nights, I enjoy pulling a crisp and floral white out of the fridge. While I still have fond memories of those trips out to Oakland and relishing the coastal air, true everyday luxury requires some grounding. And what better way to ground yourself than by looking out at a lawn you need to mow and weeds you need to pull while sipping wine? There are always chores to do in the summer, but if you stock yourself up the right way, there’s always wine to drink as well.