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Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris in Oregon) - flavors can range from melon to pear and some even offer a subtle tropical or citrus fruit, often there is a honey or smoky flavor component as well. It has very smooth, almost silk-like overtones that leave an impression on the palate. Pinot Grigio pairs nicely with seafood, light pastas and cheese cracker combinations. Since this wine is fairly acidic itself, avoid pairing with foods that have high acid contents, like citrus fruits or tomato-based recipes. Styles available at The Wine Cellars to try include:
Banfi “San Angelo” (Italy) $18.99 – an elegant wine of pale-straw color, with an intense, fruity aroma, followed by a clean, rich, refreshing taste. These characteristics distinguish the unique and aristocratic San Angelo Pinot Grigio from its northern counterparts. San Angelo Pinot Grigio is a delightful complement to light fare, seafood, and simple veal and poultry dishes.
Montinore Pinot Gris (Oregon) $14.99 - Very aromatic with notes of fresh ripe pear, yellow apple and a pleasant floral/herbal accent. On the palate it bursts into flavors of ripe honeydew melon with hints of mango overlaying ripe apple/pear character. The long finish is dry, fresh and crisp with a sweet/tart apple essence and distinct mineral qualities.
Serve this Pinot Gris with poultry and light fare. Monarchia (Hungary) $10.99 - offers a bouquet of citrus, grapefruit, green apples, and forest notes characteristic of the Buda terroir. Clean with bright acidity and no tannins, this wine offers flavors of lemon, grapefruit, green apples, and melon with absolutely no oak. Versatile and food-friendly, it is crisp and clean on the finish. Serve Monarchia Cellars Pinot Grigio all on its own and with fish, white meat, veal, pork, Asian dishes, and other spicy fare.
Tamás Estates (California) $10.99 - This vintage reveals vibrant aromas and flavors of grapefruit, green apple, and citrus complemented by hints of green grass and mineral with a crisp, refreshing mouthfeel.
Pairs well with salads, light seafood, delicate chicken dishes and spicy foods.
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Chardonnay – which can boast an impressive range of flavors from the expected buttered, oak overtones to the un-oaked style with fresh, fruit flavors of apple, pear, citrus and melon, leaving a lasting palate impression. Chardonnay will pair well with poultry dishes, pork, seafood or recipes that have a heavy cream base. Styles available at The Wine Cellars to try include: Clos LaChance Glittering-Throated Emerald Chardonnay (unoaked) (California) $13.99 - This wine opens up with strong aromas of freshly cut green apple, melon and pear. A bowl full of tropical fruit salad (pineapples, bananas, mangos and papaya) is in there, as well as a hint of floral apple blossom. On the palate, the refreshing flavors of crisp apple and fresh citrus are balanced with an acidic component. The finish is fairly long considering that there was no oak used when making this wine. I really enjoy the lingering tropical fruit flavors of pineapple and banana.
Pair with Scallops with Mango Salsa, Chinese Chicken Salad, Camembert Cheese Saddlerock Chardonnay (California) $13.99 - Pale gold in color, this Chardonnay has hints of Braeburn apples and tropical fruits fused with floral notes of honeysuckle and lemon blossom. The aromatics transcend on to the palate with sweet citrus and light acidity leading towards an elegant, crisp finish.
Pairs well with creamy soups and chicken dishes. Terra Andina Chardonnay (Chile) $9.99 - Juicy and fresh with pineapple and citrus notes and a silky smooth texture.
Serve it with roasted Chicken, Shellfish or pasta dishes in a light cream sauce. Bruno Colin Chassagne-Montrachet (France) $54.99 - Golden in color with an open floral come-hither nose of peach, melon rind, honey nougat and mineral with quite a bit of spicy oak showing. On the palate, medium to full-bodied with flavors of melon, peach, citrus, hazelnut and spice. It is full flavored and has a creamy texture but with dry flinty characters to tighten things up and plenty of fresh acidity. Chassagne-Montrachet is an enigma. It is thought of as one of the "big three" white wine villages of the Cote-de-Beaune, a member of the Holy Trinity if you will, along with Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. |
Sauvignon Blanc – Typically a light to medium-bodied, crisp and refreshing white wine with notable acidity, Sauvignon Blanc offers a fairly wide range of flavors. From herbal taste sensations to veggie, and from flavors of grass, hay and mineral tones to a citrus and tropical flavor mix, Sauvignon Blanc displays a very unique wine tasting adventure.
Sauvignon Blanc is a very food-friendly wine and terrific for appetizers such as artichoke dip, veggie dishes or dips, garlic or Italian seasonings in creamy sauces, fragrant salads - like Greek, Caesar or Garden, Thai food, fish (sushi), poultry and the list goes on. Styles available at The Wine Cellars to try include:
Niner Sauvignon Blanc (California) $16.99 - Golden hay in color, the finished wine has both rich tropical and grassy notes in the nose. Tropical flavors of guava, melon and apple meld nicely with pineapple-like acid and a hint of flinty minerality. The mouthfeel is full and lush, while lightly textured.
Pair with Fresh Crab Salad, Goat Cheese and Herb Frittata, Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya Domaine de Chatenoy Menetou-Salon (California) $18.99 - An amazingly vivid wine, bursting with aromas of citrus, white peach and flowers. On the palate, it has good concentration with flavors of red grapefruit, apricot, and minerals. In her "A Wine and Food Guide to the Loire", Jacqueline Friedrich rates Domaine de Chatenoy an “Excellent” producer, calling his Menetou-Salon white “super.” This is a must-discover wine, both for its value and vivid flavors.
Pairs perfectly with lobster and scallops, as well as river fish, white meats, and vegetable pastas and risotto. Babich Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) $14.99 - The aroma of lantana and wild herbs combines with tropical fruits and green apple. The palate is exuberant and intense -fruit salad, nettles and fresh herbs burst into existence and continue through the length of the palate, joined at the end by lime/citrus and mineral notes. A powerful and lengthy Sauvignon.
An ideal partner for fleshy shucked Clevedon oysters. |
Riesling - Riesling can span a broad range of styles, being produced in both dry and sweet variations. Typically, when you are seeking a bone dry style, try a Riesling from Australia for a crisp, zippy white. If it is a bit of sweetness you are seeking, look for wines from Germany, or perhaps Washington State. When looking for a dry style of Riesling, the label’s buzz words for dry will be dry or trocken (“dry” in German). If a sweeter Riesling is on your list, then you will be looking for QBA (“Qualitatswein), Spatlese or even sweeter, Auslese on the bottle’s label.h in today’s assortment of Rieslings. Riesling aromas lean towards the fruity-side with apple, peach and pear standing at the forefront, mixed with delicate floral undertones. Rieslings tend to pick up flavoring from the mineral content in the soils they are grown in, making it common for hints of slate or stone to make their way into the aroma and flavor of Riesling wines. Rieslings pair well with many dishes from appetizers to desserts, pork, poultry or fish. Rieslings are also able to handle the spice and zest of favored Asian foods, or other spice-driven dishes. Styles available at The Wine Cellars to try include:
Poacher’s Ridge Dry Riesling (Australia) $14.99 - The wine exhibits a zesty citrus lime fragrance with the exhuberance of youth, a well-balanced acidity, zingy spritzig on the palate and a fresh finish, typical of the region. The wine is bottled under Stelvin cap and displays hints of further flavor development in the bottle at this early stage.
Try your favorite Suschi with this one. Gunderloch Jean Baptiste Riesling Kabinett (Germany) $20.99 – From the classic red soils of Nackenheim and Nierstein, and finished with just a hint of sweetnes with peach, tangerine zest and musk melon in the nose lead to an orange sorbet-like palate with smoky, wet stone and bitter citrus zest inflections. The residual sugar here really supports the fruit, then backs off to permit a finish highly suggestive of minerality. Snoqualmie Winemaker’s Select Riesling (Washington State) $9.99 – Crisp, refreshing, and bursting with aromas of spicy pear and dried apricots. The richly textured palate is characterized by spice and fruit as well as lingering notes of honey.”
Pair with Fruit Desserts, Pasta with grilled chicken, Scallops with cream reduction sauce. |
White Blend – White blends are available in a variety of styles and have become quite popular. The popularity of Caymus Conundrum has likely opened up this category. Here at The Wine Cellars, I like to call them palate pleasers. This stems from the fact that usually these wines are not too sweet or too dry, and are a good go-between for people who want to share a bottle, but have different preferences. These wines can be as few as two different varietals blended together to as many as nine found in today’s wine market. Styles available at The Wine Cellars to try include:
Maryhill Winery “Winemaker’s White Blend” (Washington State) $11.99 – This luscious blend of four white varietals, 49% Chardonnay, 36% Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Semillon and 4% Viognier will remind you of rich summer fruits: ripe juicy melons, peaches and succulent apricots. The palate is full and creamy yet fresh with crunchy pear, green apple, lemon peel and honeydew nuances leading into a long finish tinged with honeysuckle and tropical kiwis.
Brassfield Estates “Serenity” (California) $14.99 – Laurus Condrieu – (France) $54.99 – Located 11 kilometers south of Vienne, on the right bank of the Rhône, the vineyard of Condrieu spreads over nearly 16 kilometers of hillside that include the seven rural districts of Condrieu, Vérin, Verlieux, Chavannay, Malleval, Saint-Michel sur Rhône and Saint-Pierre de Boeuf. The topography of the vineyard, established on very sharp slopes, allows only for manual cultivation. 100% Viognier - The color is pale gold with a brilliant green tint with aromas of hawthorn and honeysuckle. The palate is elegant and complex with flavors of apricot and pear, typical of the Viognier grape.
Pair with soft & exotic cuisine. Superb on its own or with grilled sword-fish, trout, roast turkey and white meat game. Also an excellent companion to spicy Asian cuisine. |
