What this is all about...

It all started with a "little" book called 1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die. I asked a few girlfriends if they would be interested in working through the book with me. I mean, 1001 wines, by myself? Thought that would seem a little selfish. Fortunately, I have some of the greatest friends in the world and they have willingly agreed to take the plunge with me. We have gone a little "off book" but I haven't heard a complaint yet.

As we continue with these tastings, I hope to share not only the wines and what we thought of them, but also the food we paired with the wine and recipes as needed. Food can make or break a wine and our tastings have borne that out. I want to share that information and help break the "mystique" of wine.

We are expanding our wine knowledge and narrowing our choices at the same time. The real time goal is for all of us to find a few varietals (that is what the different grapes are called) that we like and then find the lowest, consistently good price point for those varietals. You do NOT have to spend a lot of money to drink really good wine!!!

13 tastings down, 100s still to go. So grab a glass, pop a cork, and join us!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Sauvignon Blanc & Italian Whites - July 2011 Tasting Notes

Sauvignon Blancs

 I had never had a Sauvignon Blanc that I like before this tasting and I still haven't.  This is one grape that your nose knows when it smells it.  To me, it smells like green grapefruit.  Now, I have never seen a real green grapefruit and don't even know if such a thing exists, but that is what this wine always makes me think of.  Tart and acidic are common terms with this wine.  Crisp and sharp are also used.  For me, think of something so tart that it makes the joint in your jaw tighten up - know what I mean?

That said, I was the sole minority for this grape.  Not everyone liked all of them, but I was the only one who said no, no, no!  I have written this grape off, personally, but there are so many other varietals out there that I am not worried.

Sorry for no pictures, but I actually worked at soaking the labels off for this tasting.  OMG - when did they start using gorilla glue to put wine labels on?!

Le Clos Chartier Sancerre - 2010 - France - $14.99 @ Wegmans
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc - 2010 - New Zealand - $33.99 @ Rick's
Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc - 2010 - South Africa - $9.99 @ Rick's

We paired all of these with fruit (low acid) and goat cheeses.


Italian Whites

 You don't think of white wine when you think of Italy and that's okay.  Our expectations were exceptionally low for these.  The great thing about low expectations is that it doesn't take much to pleasantly surprise you.  While I still have a bottle of each of these in the wine fridge, that is only because we had enough open and didn't open second bottles, well for two of them anyway.

The Greco di Tufo was nice and light and drinkable.  We enjoyed every last drop.
The Vernaccia went down the drain.  Not looking forward to opening the second bottle - ever.
The Kerner fooled everyone.  This is a German grape that is only grown in Italy.  The bottle is a traditional Riesling shape.  Everyone thought sweet.  I knew what I had read in the book about it and was so excited to try it.  If I were a giraffe, I could have stuck my tongue in the bottle to get the last remaining drops.  It was so yummy and tasty and drinkable.  I wish it were cheaper and the fact that the second bottle is still unopened and cooling in the wine fridge is proof that I am an honest keeper of the wine club wine!  But boy do I want to open that bottle and NOT share it!  We had it with the Thai shrimp and that was just about the most spectacular combination ever.  Not that I am biased or anything.

 Greco di Tufo - NV - $16.99 @ Rick's
Vernaccia di San Gimignano - 2010 - $14.99 @ Rick's
Kerner - 2009 - $29.99 @ Rick's

We paired these with (in order) bruchetta, provolone & olives, and Thai shrimp (from Wegman's)



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