Arona Sauvignon Blanc 2008, $9

LOVED this wine. Not only was it affordable, but it exuded some under-ripe peach notes on the nose and palate...delicious. Most wine is made to drink young and the 2008 Arona is no exception.

Australia cranks out a LOT of beefy reds, but I've been very impressed with New Zealand's whites. Buy a bottle (or three!) of the 2008 Arona Sauvignon Blanc with confidence, it's joy in a glass on a hot, humid day.

Cheers!

Wine with a Smokey Taste??

Have you ever had a Sauvignon blanc or Chardonnay with mild or distinct smokiness on the palate? If you look to the left you can see why! Often wine makers will char the inside of a barrel to impart these flavors in the wine. Wine gets it's unique flavors from three areas, the earth, the barrel and the grape. Another reason I love wine, it's simplicity.

Cheers!

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, 2007

The last few days have been downright unbearable in the heat. Topping out at 98 & 99 there's very few places for respite. I typically reach for a nice red, no matter what the weather, but when it gets this hot, a nice Sauvignon Blanc can really beat the heat. The first day of the heatwave I made the mistake of cracking open a shiraz. It was like running a marathon and having a volunteer hand me a cup of honey instead of gatorade!

Because wine is a perishable product a vast majority is made to drink young. The 2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is just that, young and lively. Personally I don't like to pay more than $10-$11 for a nice white, so this out of my range at $14-$15. Wine Spectator perennially gives this producer 90-91 ratings, so I splurged a little.

Apart from the typical grapefruit on the palate I also got hints of under ripe peach and nectarine. It's crisp and very easy to drink. I very much enjoyed the wine but unfortunately think it's overpriced. No doubt WS has emboldened the producer with their accolades. If you find it for $10-$11, it's an excellent buy.

Cheers!

Summer Blush

Summertime is here, in a major way, the last few days have seen our A/C on hours out of the day. The summer heat makes rich, deep, red wine a little harder to drink. Much like a change in your wardrobe from slacks to shorts and change in your meals from rich to lighter fare, most people opt for lighter reds, whites and blushes in warmer weather. I personally mourn this transition because white wine doesn't have the complexity of red wine. For some reason it also leaves me with a little headache, often from one glass, go figure!

A lot of what gives red wine it's complex flavors is the poly-phenol's in the skin. With white wine you're just getting the fruit. All this being said there are some excellent lighter wine's out there to accompany any meal. My personal favorite's (by varietal) in warmer weather are: Pinot Noir (red), Sauvignon blanc (white), Riesling (white), Gewürztraminer (white) and Pinot Grigio/Gris (white). Completely a personal bias, I prefer a crisper white wine, obviously feel free to explore on your own and discover your favorite's. One really good thing about white wine that matches one goal of this blog is, it's REALLY affordable. You can get some excellent bottles for $10 and below that would cost much more if they were comparable red's. In the next few weeks I'll be reviewing one quality inexpensive wine from each of these varietals, stay tuned!