"Summer Wine" is a song written by Lee Hazlewood. It was originally sung by Suzi Jane Hokom and Lee Hazlewood in 1966, but it was made famous by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood in 1967. This version was originally released as the B-side of "Sugar Town" the previous year, before featuring on the Nancy & Lee LP in 1968. It was the first of Sinatra and Hazlewood's string of popular duets.
Lyrically, "Summer Wine" describes a man, voiced by Hazlewood, who meets a woman, Sinatra, who notices his silver spurs and invites him to have wine with her. After heavy drinking, the man awakens hungover to find his spurs and money have been stolen by the mysterious woman; the subtext of which being they experienced intercourse and as payment she took his "silver spurs, a dollar and a dime". He then declares a longing for more of her "wine". One interpretation is that the man singing the song was seduced by the woman in order to steal his money and belongings. Another interpretation, sometimes cited, is that the song contains an allegorical description of drug use and that the lyric "she reassured me with an unfamiliar line" specifically refers to cocaine though that is anomalous for the apparent period setting.
The song was later covered by Demis Roussos with Nancy Boyd, The Corrs featuring Bono of U2, Ultima Thule, Gry with FM Einheit and his Orchestra, Anna Hanski & Lee Hazlewood, Scooter (on the 2000 album Sheffield), Jack Grace and Moimir Papalescu and The Nihilists (with the male and female parts switched). A cover version by Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon, recorded for the soundtrack of Das Wilde Leben, was the 4th best-selling single of 2007 in Germany and was certified Platinum by the BVMI.