Neat Thoughts About Food, Wine, Travel & More
I paired this Austrian wine with lobster this past weekend and loved how the clean, mineral flavor cut right through the rich crustacean.
The nose on this Riesling is lemony and with floral and nectarine notes. In the mouth, it’s fresh and crisp with a zippy, dry and mineral finish.
I loved the 2009 Weingut Brundlmayer Kamptaler Terrassen Riesling with lobster, but it would be great with most seafood, grilled fish and spicy Asian dishes.
Around $25.
Loving a big mouthful of ripe cherries with velvety feel and a smooth finish, I’m naturally a huge fan of Pinot Noir. The 2010 Brancott Marlborough Pinot Noir is not that kind of Pinot. What it is, is a bright, light-bodied Pinot Noir showing pleasantly tart raspberries with a slightly smoky finish. Do I enjoy this type of Pinot Noir from New Zealand? Yes – with a roasted chicken sitting on my deck on a warm summer night!
This Marlborough New Zealand wine is a dark strawberry color in the glass with tons of brightness and fragrant rose aromas.
A Pinot Noir for summer.
Around $10.
Had the pleasure of sampling this Pinot Grigio from Marlborough, New Zealand with Jim Robertson from Brancott Estate. Jim believes that a wine should do two things: wow you and by yummy. I’m not usually a big fan of Pinot Grigio, but this little number wowed me and tasty yummy.
This New Zealand wine is pale yellow in the glass misleading what’s to come in its taste. On the nose, this wine offers aromas of juicy pear, wet stones with some grassy notes. In the mouth, the 2010 Brancott Pinot Grigio shows bright minerality with a finish that caused me to pucker up from the bright acidity. A zippy, refreshing wine that could be great as an aperitif.
Serve this summer white just lightly chilled at your next get-together.
Around $12.
This Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand displays what is typical of the region for this varietal – burst of bright fruit with a tangy finish.
I first sampled this Brancott Estate wine when it was really cold and some of its aromas and flavors were masked. As it warmed up a bit, the nose was bright pink grapefruit. For those wine drinkers who can’t easily identify aromas displayed by certain wines, the grapefruit is prominent and easy to pinpoint on this Sauvignon Blanc. The citrus notes continue in the mouth with lemon and lime flavors that finish with zippy acidity.
Great summer white at a very affordable price point.
Around $12.
Enjoyed this wine with grilled steaks dusted with sea salt and it was super. It was perhaps even better than the cult California cab I picked as our lead wine, which was more than double its price.
In the glass, the 2008 Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon 815 is dark purple and very handsome. In the mouth, it’s juicy ripe berries, vanilla and dark chocolate. The finish is sweet and long with some tannins that made me crave another sip.
Around $17.
I uncorked this California Cabernet Sauvignon on vacation in Maine as we grilled some thick, juicy, peppery rib eye steaks. This is what you should pair this wine with.
The wine is dark ruby in the glass and initially pretty tart on the nose making me wish I had brought a decanter on my beach vacation. In the glass, this wine offers allspice and dark fruit. In the mouth, the 2006 Stag’s Leap Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is rich and full-bodied with vanilla and butterscotch notes. Really long finish with lingering spice.
Really nice wine that could have used a little decanting.
Around $40.
Enjoyed this Dolcetto at an outstanding Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, NY called Locanda Vini e Olii where it was served as what I’ll call the house wine.
This wine from Piedmont is light-medium bodied and is a good option at dinner where it must be paired with various dishes.
On the nose, the 2008 Enzo Boglietti Dolcetto d’Alba is fruity, a little musty and earthy. In the mouth, it’s not as light, fruity and sweet (Dolcetto translates to “little sweet one”) as this varietal typically is. It’s more structured with a good amount of tannins with unexpected earthy, wild raspberry and smoky flavors.
Nice (and somewhat atypical), no-nonsense Dolcetto that should please a wide array of palates.
Around $17.
This Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand’s most acclaimed winemaking region, is a dark garnet color in the glass and offers a slightly spicy, stone fruits and ripe cherries nose. In the mouth, I get tons of juicy, ripe dark raspberries and currents.
I served this affordable and approachable wine at my 4th of July party and it paired well with many of the dishes I was serving from blue cheese-topped sirloin burgers to sharp cheddar macaroni and cheese.
From around $14.
I decided to pair this Finger Lakes wine with scallop ceviche I was serving as a starter at my last dinner party and it was a super choice.
When I poured the 2008 Dr Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling, it was straw colored in the glass. I thought I’d made an error and opened a sweet Riesling judging by the honey color of the wine, but upon tasting it, I was pleased by the tartness and acidity I found. In the mouth, this wine offers Fiji apple, ripe lemons and wet steely stones. Great acidity and length on the finish.
Nice summer wine to add to my repertoire of affordable Rieslings.
Around: $15.
Paired this New Zealand white wine with some seared scallops and a shrimp salad and it was fabulous. This Sauvignon Blanc is bright, young and fresh and perfect for any summer parties.
The nose on this pale green wine is citrusy – Meyer lemons and pink grapefruit. On the palate, this isn’t your typical ultra-light Sauvignon Blanc but a bit more substantial wine with tart flavors of honeydew melons, key limes and other tropical fruits. The finish is zesty, mouth-watering and medium in length with bright acidity.
Around $10.
This wine was provided to me for sampling and I’m adding to my repertoire as it’s truly enjoyable.
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