Wine on Wednesday – In Good Taste

#WineWednesday: Nine Walks Sauvignon Blanc

Maris Callahan — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:41:40 +0000

I’m not big on red wine, but between receiving media samples, gifts and buying wine for past parties, I have somehow amassed a large collection of it. When I have parties, my apartment tends to heat up pretty quickly so unless the weather is very literally sub-zero, which is certainly not out of the question here, no one who comes over wants to drink red either. So, I spend a lot of time shopping and looking for white wines to serve when I have parties or gatherings, need to contribute to a BYOB dinner or want to offer friends a glass of something when someone stops by. When I was offered a sample of 2010 Nine Walks Sauvignon Blanc, I assumed it would be one I would want to share with you. First, it has a story. The wine was inspired by The 9 Great Walks of New Zealand, one-of a kind walking and hiking trails know for their natural beauty and peaceful calmness. The 9 Great Walks have been said to “rejuvenate the soul,” which I won’t tell you this wine can do….but I also won’t tell you that it can’t. Sauvignon Blancs, whether grassy, crisp or on […]

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#WineWednesday: Five Rosé Wines You Must Try

Maris Callahan — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:00:41 +0000

In college, white zinfandel, in all its too-sweet glory, always seemed to have a place in the refrigerator that my roommate Sarah and I shared. I’m happy to report that when we turned 21 as our palates matured, so did our tastes in wine. As my taste in wine evolved, I wish I could say that I immediately appreciated rosé wines but likely scarred from my sub-par experience with the big pink box of Franzia, I immediately moved on to white wines and later, slowly, to reds (and I’m still kind of working on the latter). With the summer here, there is a new kind of wine perfect for hot days, picnics and cookouts and while it resembles the dreaded white zinfandel, it’s quite a bit tastier and comes in many varieties. Rosé wines, typically a pink-ish, blush color are versatile and food friendly and thought they have a reputation for falling on the sweeter spectrum of wines, they’re actually run the gamut from sweet-enough-for-dessert to dry enough for the discerning wine drinker. Fun fact: the color of a rose can depend on what kind of grapes are used in the wine. With the help of some of my friends […]

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#WineWednesday: Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Maris Callahan — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:00:40 +0000

90 percent of the time, when someone asks you if you want white wine, they mean Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. I don’t know if that’s true, but 90 seemed like a good percent. Sauvignon Blancs are crisp, dry, easy to drink, and one of my own personal favorite things to drink on a patio during the months between May and September. And this is a Sauvignon Blanc worth saying yes to. The Sauvignon Blanc grape is commonly grown in France, Italy, California and more recently in New Zealand and Chile. South African wines in general are fairly new to the market (since the early to mid 90’s South Africa wasn’t allowed to export and wines were not the best quality). Because Sauvignon Blanc is grown in so many different places it takes on a lot of different flavors. Most often what you are going to see flavor-wise is an array of grapefruit flavors, followed by gooseberry and honeydew and in parts of France, Sauvignon Blanc takes on a lot of tomato vine and basil aromas. Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc 2009 from Walker Bay South Africa is an incredible wine that is brisk and perfumey with aromas of lemon and fresh […]

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Wine on Wednesday: Jacob’s Creek Reserve Pinot Noir

Maris Callahan — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:35:12 +0000

I’ve never been to Australia, but now I have another reason why I’d like to visit: Australian wine. Last week I met with Bernard Hickin, Chief Winemaker for Jacob’s Creek, one of the most well-known wineries in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. Jacob’s Creek recently launched a new line of Reserve wines from three key wine regions in Australia: Barossa, Coonawarra and Adelaide Hills. Each new wine is said to reflect the distinct personality of each region through the chosen grape variety. The philosophy of Jacob’s Creek is to offer a range of wines that suit all occasions, which they certainly do, but the wine I want to talk about today is one that embodies their philosophy on its own: Jacob’s Creek Reserve Pinot Noir. Now, we all know that I’m not the most enthusiastic red wine drinker. There are some that I enjoy, like Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel, which you can buy at Walgreens, but for the most part, if I’m ordering wine in a restaurant or picking something to pair with a meal, I tend to favor whites. Yet, the Jacob’s Creek Reserve Pinot Noir is something I could drink every day. Well. You know. If […]

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#WineWednesday: Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz

Maris Callahan — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:00:02 +0000

Shiraz (Also known as Syrah in France) is the most widely planted red grape in Australia. There are a lot of different styles of Shiraz that are produced as well, ranging from jug wine (think: the ones with kangaroos on the labels) to wine that are internationally recognized and rated among the greatest wines in the world. It’s easy for the casual wine drinker to find high quality Shiraz for around $10-25 per bottle. How do you know if a Shiraz is high quality? A way to cheat and ensure that you are getting a better quality Shiraz is to look for wines with the name of a wine growing region on the label (for example: Barossa, McLaren Vale, Hunter Valley). If the wine just says ‘Australia’ on the bottle the grapes could be grown anywhere and generally speaking (there is always exceptions in wine) the wines might not be as high quality. Torbreck 2011 Woodcutter’s Shiraz, made in the Barossa Valley, Australia is one of my fail safe red wines. It is a full bodied red wine that smells like blueberry muffins, black cherry, lavender and pepper. This wine is very easy drinking, even for white wine drinkers, because it […]

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