Posts Tagged ‘New Zealand Wine’
In a more perfect world I would have made some pointed and in-depth piece about what bottles of bubbles I was opening for the friends I was having over to my house on New Years Eve. We do not live in such a world. While I did come across tweets and pieces about people opening $100 bottles of sparkling wine and champagne, I just couldn’t justify that, in no small part because I knew exactly how the evening was going to descend (into a raucous good time).
I do, however, feel as though I owe it to the new year, and to the bottles that I opened, to show the bottles that I provided for the evening. Friends brought over others, but here’s a picture of the bottles that I provided for the festivities.
There are a lot of different wine sites out there giving suggestions on what you should be pouring during your Thanksgiving festivities. Since, however, it’s been fairly well established what varietals go well with the traditional Thanksgiving feast, I thought I would change it up and let you know what I’m pouring at dinner, or rather, what I’m taking up to my parents house to pour for the army-sized feast my mother will be cooking.
2009 Coastal Vines Pinot Noir – Sonoma, CA – $10
Well, the end of summer isn’t that far away, so when I was recently sent a mixed case of summer white wines, it seemed a shame to sit on them and try to go through them each individually as I would have quickly run out of summer by the time I was able to get to them all. With that in mind I invited some friends over, opened up all the wines, and tasted them all at once, because let’s be honest, that’s what summer’s really all about. Here’s what I thought.
The first one I tasted was the 2010 La Fiera Pinot Grigio (SRP $8). I got mostly apples on both the nose and the palate with a nice lingering finish with just the right amount of acid. There was a slight hint of sweetness to my palate, but for being the first one I tried, it was a good start and it’s a good value for these kinds of parties.
Next up were two from Tiamo. First was the Tiamo Prosecco (SRP $15) which had a hint of citrus on the nose with medium sized bubbles and a slight bit of yeast on the palate and a mix of crisp fruit. This was definitely not a super-dry Prosecco and it was quickly consumed by my friends.
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: New Zealand
Cost: $26
Pale straw in color with hints of green and featuring blackcurrant and gooseberry on the nose with concentrated fruit and tropical fruit on the palate. Pairs well with crab, salmon, chicken, and cheeses.
Recommendations: This time of year, I drink a lot of Sauvignon Blanc, which is why I’m always happy to get a sample sent my way. I’d never heard of Brancott Winery before I got this wine, but the description sounded good and like I said, I like Sauvignon Blanc this time of year.
I didn’t really catch the hints of green in the glass, but the wine was certainly straw colored and given as how I’m not particularly familiar with gooseberry, I mostly got citrus on the nose. On the palate the wine was full of citrus with a finish of lemon-grass. Paired with a dinner of salmon and risotto, the Brancott B did a great job of cutting the richness of the risotto and the fattiness of the salmon. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: New Zealand
Cost: $8
Light in color with a bright, acidic nose and flavors of Meyer lemons and Key limes in the mouth. Pairs well with seafood and creamy soups.
Recommendations: Ok, full disclosure, I picked up this wine at my local Costco while doing some shopping because the name of the vineyard caught my eye and I just couldn’t resist. I figured it would be funny, and would give me the opportunity to write about a bad Sauvignon Blanc. I was half right.
I’m not going to say that this is my favorite Sauvignon Blanc by any stretch of the imagination, but for an $8 wine that I can enjoy on the deck during the warm days of Spring and Summer while munching on some light food, it’s hard to beat the Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: New Zealand
Cost: $9.99
Light and juicy with just enough grapefruit flavor to let you know it’s a Sauvignon Blanc wthout overwhelming you with citrus flavors. Great for seafood, sushi, appetizers, or on the patio.
Recommendations: While Terra Andina Sauvignon Blanc has take its place in my heart as my go-to summer deck wine, Ponga is certainly giving it a run for the its money. Light and crisp with just enough citrus to be refreshing without beating you over the head with it, this white from New Zealand was the perfect compliment to a lunch of cheese, crackers, hummus, and home made bruschetta that my wife and I enjoyed this past weekend. That being said, I would definitly recommend pairing the Ponga with a piece of spicy tilapia or even some sushi.
If you’re in the market for a deck wine and don’t want to spend a lot of money on it, the Ponga Sauvignon Blanc is a great value with a great taste. Half the fun of drinking it is just saying the name, but you’ll get a lot of enjoyment drinking this on the deck as the temperature continues to climb. Grab this one.
