Posts Tagged ‘tropical fruit’
Varietal: 22.7% Malvasia Bianca; 15.9% Gruner Veltliner; 15.7% Sauvignon Blanc; 9.2% Gewurztraminer; 7.9% Riesling; 7.3% Chenin Blanc; 6.1% Muscat Canelli; 5.2% Viognier; 4.5% Verdelho; 4.4% Albarino; 1.1% Pinot Gris
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Big House wines are a rebellious mix of non-traditional grape varieties destined to give the imbiber a new experience. To wit this year’s prisoner is a captivating blend of aromatic whites that span the distance of the Alps themselves. With a nose that carries the vibrancy of spring and white flowers and lychee fruit that surround the senses. The palate opens up to tropical fruits, dried apricot, and white peaches. This wine finishes strong with a cleansing citrus zest that lingers. Pairs with fresh fish, Asian cuisine, or even Sunday morning fruit salads.
My Review: I’m a big proponent of tables wines, and I feel as though that’s a niche that Big House wines has embraced and possibly even tried to make their own. Looking at the list of wines that are put into the bottle it’s almost disappointing to not see one labeled “kitchen sink”. There are times when a wine can try and do too much and end up falling flat, and while I’m not going to go so far as to proclaim the 2010 Big House White an amazing wine, for a $10 table wine, you can do a lot worse.
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Region: North Carolina – USA
Cost: $15 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Straw-yellow in color with aromas of butter, lemon, wild strawberry, pear, and apple. Slight hints of oak and butter with citrus and ruby red grapefruit nuances followed by a nice lingering acidity. A nicely balanced fruit-forward wine. Pairs well with mussels, oysters Rockafeller, scallops wrapped in bacon, prawns, oak plank salmon, Asiago and Gouda cheese, and pasta with Alfredo sauce.
My Review: With some salmon in the oven, last night I decided that some Chardonnay sounded good. Fortunately I had a bottle of 2010 Biltmore Reserve Chardonnay in the fridge, so it was easy enough to make my decision a reality. It was obvious from the moment I stuck my nose in the glass that the wine had spent some time in oak, so I warned my wife before she could try any as she’s not a fan of oaked Chardonnay.
Varietal: Chardonnay with a touch of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc
Region: 71% California; 29% North Carolina
Cost: $11 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Yellow/green in color with aromas of tropical fruit, pineapple, peach, persimmon, and mint. In the mouth the wine is fresh and fruity with a touch of butter; a smooth wine with a medium body. Pairs well with seafood, chicken, pasta, and light dishes.
My Review: I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this bottle. Not only did I not know what the percentages on the blend were (though I’d make a rough guess that the Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc account for less than 10% of the wine), but blending two grapes not just from different regions in a state, but from different states, seemed odd to me.
Varietal: Sauvigon Blanc
Region: New Zealand
Cost: $10 – $13
Pale green in color with aromas of citrus, tropical fruit, and herbs. Flavors of pineapple with a herbaceous and clean finish. Pairs well with shellfish, asparagus dishes, summer salads.
Recommendations: On Friday while shopping for groceries, my wife and I also picked up a bottle of the 2009 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc – we had been looking at it for a while when stopping in the store and we have a big lack of white wine in the house at the moment. On Sunday we opened it up to pair with a dinner of bacon wrapped scallops and butter noodles.
If I had to pick two words to describe this wine it would be “green” and “citrus”. On the nose the tropical fruits and citrus were prevalent, and in the mouth, pineapple, herbs, and a nice clean finish with a hint of acid made this a nice wine to sip on. The citrus and acid did a nice job of cutting through the rich flavors of the meal, but it was light enough to be enjoyed while the meal was cooking, especially on a warm day. Read the rest of this entry »
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: Jongieux
Region: France
Cost: $11
Light and crisp with aromas of tropical fruit. Green apple on the palate with a slight mineral finish complimented by just a touch of effervescence. Pairs very well with seafood.
Recommendations: I’ll be the first to admit that I had never heard of the Jongieux grape before receiving this bottle, but then I don’t drink a lot of French wine. I was told to pair it with seafood, and so I had to sit on the bottle for a bit while my wife and I got the ingredients together for a shrimp jambalaya that we had been planning for for a while. It was worth the wait.
The wine was light in the glass and the aroma of tropical fruit was present, but very subtle. Crisp and refreshing, it took me a few minutes to put my finger on the flavor, but the green apple I got was very enjoyable, and a perfect pair to the slight mineral finish that the wine offered.
Slightly effervescent, the wine as a whole was a great compliment to the slightly spicy dish of shrimp jambalaya, and would pair well with any well seasoned seafood. I can imagine this as a great compliment to a spicy peanut tilapia dish.
At the end of the day, the real question on any of my reviews is would I drink this again, and in this case – absolutely. At $11 it’s a great value for a good white wine to pair with seafood, and I’d actually pair more for it. Definitely one worth grabbing for your next seafood dinner.
Special thanks to Wine & Beer Westpark for supplying the wine for this review.
