US consumers have arrived later than many others to the threshold of lower alcohol wines - not surprising for a country whose wine industry largely is known for cranking out high-alcohol, blockbuster bottlings. It's no surprise that US wine production has been slow to pursue the idea. That stands in grand contrast to the Moscato craze seven to eight years ago. (Ironically, many of those Moscatos were lower in alcohol.) The Moscato craze was easier to develop as sweet, low alcohol Moscato has been made - and made well - for a very long time. However, developing a dry, flavorful, low-alcohol wine is much trickier. I admit that I wondered if these wines would be more like "sunny with a chance of flavor".

Industry maven Heidi Schied of Schied Family Wines embraced the idea and released just this year the first vintages of Sunny with a Chance of Flowers, all coming from Monterey. 

With a name describing my balcony every April, the positive mental vibe of these wines is real. I do, however, squirm when reading phrases like "healthy lifestyle wine". Wine and health are very personal, and the link can be tricky. Still, not only do the wines remain under a double digit abv, they have no residual sugar (unlike all of those Moscatos) and have only 85 calories per five-ounce serving. There are clear positives. Still, I wish the wording "for those who revel in a full glass and a healthy pour" wasn't used. It seems to go against the idea of moderation, and people may be pouring more heavily than five ounces a glass (which, by the way, is a perfectly reasonable pour), and that could be understandably tempting depending on how the wines taste. 

Reds
86
Sunny with a Chance of Flowers 2018 Pinot Noir 9% $17
The motto on this bottle's screwcap "skirt" is "The Glass is Half Full." That's a good thing here. Of the trio, I never would have put money on the PInot Noir, a finicky grape that generally struggles to perform well under $20 retail. I'm astonished that that is not at all the case here. Well done! 

This light red smells of red cherries dusted with earth, goji berry, açai and cinnamon. The palate tastes the same, even if it finishes as quickly as the Chardonnay. The exuberant acidity is uplifting and nicely nestled into the moderate body. The mildly coating tannins are soft and unobtrusive at cellar temperature. However, as the bottle warms up and the wine opens up, the tannins turn drier and drier. This is a very good summer Pinot Noir, and it is one that welcomes a chill.
Drink: 2020-22

Whites
85
Sunny with a Chance of Flowers 2019 Sauvignon Blanc 9% $17
As promised, this light white tastes fully dry. It doesn't quite hit my "crisp" threshold, but the acidity provides good refreshment. The typically flashy nose of Sauvignon Blanc is subdued here, and it plays on thiols - green herbal tones and asparagus that give some flash, but can fade quickly or turn undesirable in a clear glass bottle like this one. The lightly-concentrated flavors shift very quickly on the palate, but the wine - if served in proper condition (again, be wary of light strike for such a delicately flavored wine) does its job as a casual sipper. 
Drink: 2020-21

84
Sunny with a Chance of Flowers 2018 Chardonnay 9% $17
Deep yellow in color, the wine certainly starts off looking like Chardonnay. It's clearly darker than the Sauvignon Blanc. A somewhat off-putting Butter Bud note starts off the nose, then bruised yellow apple (the kind where you wouldn't bother just to trim off the bruised dent) sails from the glass. The palate is almost searingly dry, as you might expect of a Chablis, but the ripe pear flavors seem incongruous with the vivacious acidity and light body. The finish is clipped, but the wine is clean. It does an honest job and will likely satisfy many palates.
Drink: 2020-21