Back to school special

The traffic on East Lansing’s main drag has picked up a notch or two in the last few weeks, which means we’re nearing the end of summer and the beginning of MSU’s fall semester. But this column isn’t for the undergrads. This is for the parents, grandparents, or other important people who are dealing with toddler freakouts, hormonal teenage trainwrecks and looming college debt.

Summer break is now over for the kids. Whether you’re watching your child get on the bus for kindergarten or over-packing their car to send them off to the dorm, try to sneak in a quiet moment with a glass of wine to help ease the transition.

If your kids are headed to elementary school, you’re still going to get stains on your clothes (and elsewhere) from time to time, so don’t fear red wine! If there’s a spill, it’ll just add to the ever-evolving, Jackson Pollock-like life reflection that is your carpet. Soccer fees and orange slices have probably become part of your weekly budget, and that large amount of discretionary income you used to set aside for high-end booze has probably dried up.

Check out this dependable value wine from soccer-loving Italy: 2013 La Fiera Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Don’t expect to spend more than $8 on this juicy wine. While it is not a complicated wine, it shows somewhat expressive cherry and raspberry notes and isn’t too rustic or tannic for everyday appeal. This is a top-notch spaghetti wine.

If middle school is the destination for your kids, priorities may shift toward discipline and focus. This is a daily struggle. Your kids are just starting and wrap their head around a world larger than the five-foot radius around them — while also dealing with teenage hormone surges. So dump the kids off on some unsuspecting babysitter and treat yourselves to a date night, you unsung heroes.

You have enough stress in your life, so you’ll want something versatile that pairs easily with a wide variety of food, something low-alcohol, elegant and graceful. Take a look at wines from Beaujolais, France.

First off, pay no attention to Beaujolais nouveau. Nouveau is a different beast, and the wines range from zippy and fun to smelling like a rotten banana.

The 2014 Domaine Dubost Brouilly Vieilles Vignes is a vibrant $20 wine. It features a complex flavor, including cranberry, plum, violet and rose-like notes that scream for roasted meats or sea bass.

For the parents of high school kids, the stakes are higher as adult-like impulses and influences start to set in. Underage drinking is, of course, a big no-no. If you don’t want your kids stealing your wine, look for a label that is a hot mess that will never look good on your kid’s Instagram.

Check out Roza Ridge’s 2012 cabernet sauvignon from Rattlesnake Hills, Wash., which should run you about $15. The front label looks like someone already opened the wine, let it sit in the sun for a weekend, then rolled the bottle around in a sandbox. Despite the ugly packaging, the wine is actually good. 2012 was a blessing of a year for west coast grapes, with warm temperatures and calm weather around harvest time. This wine is optimal and ripe, with balanced flavors like blackberry, cocoa, cassis and plum — and it packs enough tannic “oomph” for steak night.

Finally, congratulations to those of you who have kept your sanity long enough to get the kids into college. You make the world go round. Do yourself a favor, and get your favorite takeout pizza and a bottle of Champagne. The toasty notes of Champagne taste like decadent heaven with a greasy pie.

A recent favorite of mine is the Jean Laurent Blanc de Blanc. It’s from the Aube, an often ignored sub-region of Champagne. But make no mistake, this is delicious, dry Champagne. With toasty brioche, green apple and bright fruit notes, this is not to be missed. But it is $60, so it’s a special occasion wine for most of us.

If you’re looking a something in the everyday range, check out an outlier from New Mexico: Gruet Winery and its Blanc de Noirs. It’s the only winery from the land of enchantment to have any national market presence. For $22, this wine is a safe pick with a balance between racy and rich fruit flavors.

There’s a lot for parents to celebrate this time of year. You get to witness the most important people in your life slowly getting older, learning and experiencing new things and trying to figure the world out piece by piece. It’s an exciting time, but it can move quickly. So enjoy every beverage you get, whether it’s Champagne, a cup of coffee or a leftover Capri Sun with some orange slices.

Justin King is a certified sommelier and resident of Williamston. He does not drink Capri Sun — but that has more to do with the stupid hole at the top of the pouch. Tell him how it’s done at justingking@gmail.com.