American Sparklers for the 4th!

The antidote for oppressive heat and depressing politics

Jul 03, 2026

Earlier this week I met with a visiting French winemaker, and I thanked her for bringing the heat. Much of the eastern United States is under a heat dome similar to conditions making headlines in Europe. Yes, we have air conditioning and we are very grateful for it, but Saturday is July 4, a national holiday traditionally celebrated outdoors with parades, concerts, cookouts and fireworks.

Temperatures here in the Washington, D.C., area are locked in at more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the next few days, and at this time of year there’s always a chance of thunderstorms. Our dogs, Ringo and Spicey, don’t want to go outside, where the surface of our flagstone patio registered 140 degrees at 2:50 p.m. this afternoon. Even the chipmunks they love to hunt are shunning the heat for the cool safety of their burrows.

The political atmosphere is also tempering enthusiasm for the July 4th celebrations this year, which is a shame since this is the nation’s 250th birthday. President Trump has put his personal stamp on the festivities, which his critics bemoan as more political rally than national celebration. Trump’s supporters don’t see partisanship (no one sees bias they agree with) and accuse the critics of being unpatriotic America haters.

yellow fireworks in the sky during nighttime — Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash

Maybe we can still agree on wine and its ability to bring us together and remind us what we have in common? It’s hard to argue politics with your snout in a glass, after all.

This Saturday, I’ll be celebrating the 4th by queuing up some John Philip Sousa marches and sitting in front of a fan with an ice-cold glass of American sparkling wine. Will you join me?

This afternoon's temps on our patio (left) and the street in front of our house.

I don’t have a bottle of Iron Horse Vineyards’ Spirit of ‘76 Cuvée 2019, a special bottling to honor the winery’s 50th anniversary and the nation’s 250th. But there are many other American bubblies to celebrate with. Here are some of my favorite producers:

Virginia: Thibaut-Janisson

New York: Hermann J. Wiemer, Chateau Frank/Konstantin Frank, Red Tail Ridge, Sparkling Pointe, Lieb Cellars.

Oregon: Argyle, Corollary, Soter.

California: The Big Four (Iron Horse, Schramsberg, Domaine Carneros, Roederer Estate), plus Lichen Estate, Paula Kornell.

WineLine Live! Will Be Back This Month!

In other news, I’ll be continuing WineLine Live! on Substack this month. Next Tuesday, July 7, at 2 p.m. Eastern US Time, I’ll be “talking DIRT” with Michael Frey of DIRT Wine, a certified regenerative producer at Mariah Vineyard in Mendocino County. Michael will share the story of DIRT and his commitment to “radical transparency” and his efforts to prevent “regenerative” from becoming just another greenwashing buzzword.

Later in July, I’ll be joined by Jamie Kutch, who is celebrating 20 years of producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, mostly from the West Sonoma Coast, while looking forward to his first harvest from his estate vineyard he planted a few years ago near Sebastopol, California. Jamie will discuss his transition from using only purchased fruit to farming his own vineyard. I’ll even ask him about his new-found love of worms.

I hope you will be able to join me for these discussions, but if the times don’t work for you, look for the videos and edited transcripts on Dave McIntyre’s WineLine.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!