Last month, I spent the 4th of July weekend socially distanced camping with family on a lake near my hometown in northeastern California. My boyfriend and I loaded up the car with essentials for a lakeside retreat: camping gear, floaties, beach chairs, our dog Leroy, and a cooler full of my favorite easy-drinking wines. 
            Under a blazing sun, we filled our cups with ice-cold Muscadet and floated lazily near the shore. We gathered in the evenings to eat, pulling chilled reds from the cooler to pair with an array of flame-kissed fare. My dad’s grilled tri-tip with our new juicy and perfumed Lacrima di Morro d’Alba was a standout pairing; Thivin’s Côte de Brouilly with campfire-cooked sausages was just as memorable. After a couple of glasses of wine, Grandad’s big fish stories had us all hooked. First thing each morning, when the lake was so calm you could hear a fish jump way out in the middle, everybody’s poles were rigged and ready to reel in a bit of glory.
            The first two days, we got skunked—not even a bite! On Sunday, our lures must’ve been lucky. We caught six rainbow trout and my dad netted a big, beautiful German brown. We cleaned and stowed our prize fish in the cooler over ice. Later that evening, we enjoyed the trout fresh off our grill alongside crisp Chablis and chilled Rossese. The meal tasted like quintessential summertime. Here’s a sixer of thirst-quenchers, my camping wine lineup, to help you beat the heat.