Pastor Jill’s Wine Pick

Jill Henning, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lilburn, likes a good glass of wine every once in a while. Unfortunately, her husband, Matt, the pastor at Community of Grace Lutheran Church in Grayson, is a strict-observing beer guy. That’s some mixed marriage.

Pastor Jill mysteriously finds a bottle of wine in her mailbox at Trinity, every now and again, from an anonymous but grateful parishioner. She’d like to share this gift with Pastor Matt, but his distaste for wine is mostly irreconcilable. So Pastor Jill squirrels her wines away and bides her time to enjoy her stash.

That time came in spades during Pastor Jill’s annual family pilgrimage to Charleston, S.C., in July where she freely shared her accumulated wines with her sister and mother. While I mysteriously happen to know that Pastor Jill brought a wide variety of wines—some with distinguished pedigrees and corresponding high prices—the big hit of the week was an $11 sparkling wine from Barefoot Cellars.

So enamored were these wine-loving ladies that they journeyed to the Food Lion in hope of finding more. As I’ve said for a long time, one should be so blest as to fall in love with an inexpensive, mass-market wine because your favorite bottle is usually as close as your nearest supermarket. Pastor Jill and her sisters in bubbly indeed found their Barefoot Bubbly Pinot Grigio and were so inspired they bought three bottles to enjoy with the weeklong smorgasbord of fresh seafood and hours of beachside conversations.

So this week, I offer up Pastor Jill’s summer wine pick. Even Pastor Matt might agree that it is as refreshing as India pale ale, with foam on top to match.

Barefoot Bubbly Pinot Grigio Champagne, California

• $11

• Two Thumbs Up

• A mostly dry, fun, enjoyable sparkler full of fresh pineapple, lemon and peach flavors. If you favor a subtly sweet white zinfandel, you’ll fall for this.