White wine is fun, it’s cool and refreshing and screams summer, Of course white wines can be drunk all year round.
The interesting thing about grapes is the transition grapes go through from start to finish. White grapes in their early stage of growth can taste like tart green apples and not much else, but give them a few months to harvest time and wonderful flavors of citrus, tropical fruits such as pineapple, banana, coconut as well as pear, peach, kiwi and quince develop.
The three main white grape varieties that nearly all white wine is made from are:
Chardonnay: is the most popular white wine today with the US leading the way in the plantings / production race followed by France and Australia. See photo above.
US Chardonnay can be lean and elegant but trends tend to favor the oaky buttery style that is typical of a lot of California releases. French releases from the Burgundy region range from rich and complex to light and crisp on the more affordable end. Australian releases on the whole are more French in style than say California and can range from rich complex wines to more elegant and restrained with Margaret River, Barossa, Tasmania and Regional New South Wales produce some of the best.
Food Pairings: include Seafood, Shellfish and Chicken Dishes and Popcorn.
Price: this can run the gamut from $15 to $150 or more.
Sauvignon Blanc: the main regions are Loire Valley (Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé) and Bordeaux (where it is blended with Semillon) New Zealand with some fine examples from California and Australia. Loire and Bordeaux offerings are characterized by green fruits of citrus, apples, pears and gooseberries with notes of flint and smoky minerality. New Zealand counterparts have a core of grapefruit with lychee, passionfruit, fresh cut grass and tropical flavors and are more fruit forward but with a crisp refreshing character. Mondavi’s “Fume Blanc” (its original name) and Heritance’s offerings are impressive whilst Groom Winery (Adelaide Hills) and numerous Margaret River Wineries keep Australia in the race.
Food Pairings: include seafood, poultry, salads, asparagus and goat cheese.
Price: NZ offers reasonable prices from $10 – $25 while up to $50.
Riesling: Germany, Alsace, Washington State and Australia all grow impressive Riesling, sourcing sweeter offerings from Germany, Alsace and Washington State and bone-dry offerings from Clare and Eden Valley’s in South Australia. Germany Rieslings fall into three categories from dryer to sweetest: Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese and are beautifully balanced and can often cellar out 30 – 40 years or more. Flavor profiles range from citrus, tangerine, tropical fruits through to dry offerings from Sth Australia dominated by citrus, lemon and key lime pie- will cellar out to 15 years.
Food Pairings: Seafood, Chicken. Remember, the spicier the food, the sweeter the wine.
Price: Anywhere from $15 to $150.
Vine to Table 