| To many people, if you say you want a white wine, | | | | and fresh tomatoes in an olive oil and garlic dressing. I |
| they think Chardonnay. And while the Chardonnays | | | | had chilled the wine thoroughly, though not overly, |
| of many vineyards are delightful, light and tart | | | | and popped the cork expectantly. Pouring myself a |
| presenting a rich body and smart nose, many others | | | | small portion, I sampled the nose of the wine and |
| are awkward, sour or overpowering. These latter | | | | was greeted by the most amazing and almost |
| ones, and the somewhat unpredictability of the | | | | overpowering freshness of citrus. In fact, not just |
| varietal has caused me to search for an alternative, a | | | | any citrus, but strong grapefruit. The smell was so |
| more reliable alternative, to the ubiquitous | | | | specific and strong that I read the entire label of the |
| Chardonnay. I should say here that most California | | | | wine again to make sure that this was indeed grape |
| Chardonnays, and some South African ones, are | | | | wine of the variety Sauvignon Blanc with no additives |
| absolutely wonderful, well-crafted wines with nuanced | | | | or flavors beyond just the wine. I was startled at the |
| and multi-layered flavors that entertain without | | | | strength of the grapefruit scent and had to know if |
| overpowering. However, there are those others.... | | | | it extended to the flavor of the wine. |
| So I began my quest for the Chardonnay alternative. | | | | I took a small bit in my mouth and breathed in over |
| I learned to enjoy Pinot Grigio, which offers a lovely | | | | it. And while the flavor was redolent with grapefruit, |
| contrast to the Chardonnay grape and intend to | | | | it was not overpoweringly so. In fact, this was an |
| write another article extolling its virtues, which are | | | | absolutely charming wine with power, nuance, and |
| many. The German whites, Riesling, Liebfraumilch, etc. | | | | grace. The citrus quality provided a freshness that I |
| tend to be too sweet for my tastes, though they | | | | can barely describe except to say that I now enjoy |
| are very popular and many people find them quite | | | | this wine regularly as one of my absolute favorites. |
| charming. Then a friend encouraged me to try a New | | | | Since then, I have sampled many vineyards' |
| Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. I had tried this varietal | | | | Sauvignon Blanc offerings, and found them to have |
| before, but it was European in origin, and | | | | varying degrees of success. Frankly, my experience |
| consequently expensive and frankly, I didn't find it | | | | has been that Chile produces drinkable, but inferior |
| terribly remarkable. But, this friend of mine is rarely | | | | bottles of this variety, while Australia and New |
| wrong in matters of wine-loving interest, so I trudged | | | | Zealand seem to have mastered the graces of this |
| to the local wine store and positioned myself in front | | | | delightful grape. South Africa, Europe and California |
| of the New Zealand section. After a few moments, | | | | are uneven in their efforts and can range from the |
| my eye was caught by a label that I felt was | | | | masterful to the amateur without any noticeable |
| light-hearted and interesting enough to merit my | | | | indication by price or availability. |
| attention. The bottle was not terribly expensive at | | | | Frankly, this variety has become my very favorite |
| $9, so I snatched it up and dashed home. | | | | and I seek it in all its forms whenever I can. I |
| It was a summer evening, and that night's dinner was | | | | encourage you to try it with a nice, light chicken |
| a light pasta salad with vegetables, feta, black olives | | | | dinner or avocado salad. |