I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation because it didn’t last long enough. I was finally able to reflect and write my Bimini sips and tips guide, so make sure to check it out if you plan on heading there. I didn’t have much time to gather up a wine selection, since I wasn’t even sure if I could take wine on the FRS Caribbean to Bimini, but I manage to whip up a few bottles to enjoy. Other than the Kalik, here is a list of what I was sipping on the sand.

Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuissé 2017
The first couple of days were unfortunately full of rain, so we brightened it up with some Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuissé. Pouilly-Fuissé is the name of a village in the Mâconnais, which is a city in the Burgundy region of east-central France, producing highly distinctive Chardonnay wine.

It all started in 1731, when the Louis Latour family first bought vines in the Côte de Beaune with land in some of the top Burgundy vineyards. The vineyards producing this wine have a terroir made up of limestone and heavy clay soils.

This Chardonnay was pale yellow with a floral nose with a bit of honey. On the palate, it was light with some stone fruits, yellow apple, some minerality, and a slight zestiness. I enjoyed the fact that it was unoaked, as now is when I’m finally bringing more Chardonnay into my life. It’s funny how taste buds change over time. We drank this wine in the room while waiting for the rain to die down before dinner. I wish I would have saved it for the beach, since it was light and bright. I saw it online for $19-25, but I believe it was around $15 at Costco (seriously waiting for that sponsorship deal – totally here for that).

Bodegas Juan Gil Rosé 2017
I’m always up for Rosé, so I was curious to try this bottle my stepmom brought from a tasting. It comes from Jumilla, which is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) for wines that extends over the north of the region of Murcia, Spain. Jumilla is known for hot summers of intense sun, long and cold winters, a difference of 25ºC between day and night, almost total absence of rainfall, and with a dry and stony ground. What a terroir!

Founded in 1916 by Juan Gil Jiménez, Bodegas Juan Gil stays within the family – from son to grandson – and is respectful to the Juan Gil name.

This wine is made with Tempranillo and Syrah. It had a gorgeous deep salmon color. It was a dry Rosé with notes of red fruit, strawberry, and cranberry with a hint of citrus – like orange or grapefruit. It has a bit heavier than the Provence style Rosé’s I tend to grab, and had more of a body on it, so it was a nice treat. I saw it online for about $15. We paired it with conch salad and conch fritters at Joe’s Conch Shack (sorry, Stuart!). Yum!

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc 2017
So my gateway white into the wine world was New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Because I’m from Miami, I think the tropical fruit notes just spoke to me. One of my go-tos when I’m not trying to think too much in the supermarket aisle is Nobilo’s (which I just learned it’s pronounced Nob-Eh-Lo) Sauvignon Blanc.

The Nobilo story began in 1943, when Nikola Nobilo moved from his native Croatia to New Zealand (what a trek). Combining over 300 years of his families’ winemaking tradition, Nikola was an early champion for New Zealand wine. He recognized the landscape was ideal for Sauvignon Blanc and moved toward varietal wines, which helped guide the industry to its niche today. Today, winemaker David Edmonds continues his passion crafting fresh, vibrant wines.

The wine is pale yellow in color with and is such a beachside sipper. It’s fresh with crisp acidity, with zesty citrus and tropical fruits. It’s usually around or under $10 and can totally be found at your local Publix. I drank this one on the sand with some fried fish, when there was finally sunshine after the rain.

Drank too Fast to Note
I also brought a couple of other bottles that were honestly drank too fast to photograph or note – mainly because it was very hot and we were thirsty.  

One was Vino Dell’Amicizia Friuli Pinot Grigio, which is my stepmom’s favorite Pinot Grigio, and a Rosé from Côtes de Provence, which had a square bottle and was on sale at Costco. Both were delicious for the tropical climate.

What are some of your favorite beachside sippers?