Beating the Wine Blahs

Ruts.

We all get into them.

This summer, my rut was grassy Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand. I love them. But sometimes, too much of a good thing is still too much.

So I turned to fellow blogger Sonadora from Wannabe Wino and took her picks for three summery white wines, thanks to the organizational efforts of domaine547. A while back, domaine547 started asking wine bloggers to put together sampler packs of two or three wines that they would recommend to their readers. This is the third blogger pack I've tried, and so far I've enjoyed them all. It's like having a friend you trust serve as your guest sommelier for the evening.

The first wine I tasted from the Wannabe Wino Blogger Pack certainly helped me beat the wine blahs I was experiencing. The 2006 Mauritson Sauvignon Blanc was one of the best domestic Sauvignon Blancs I've had in a long time. (around $17; purchased from domaine547 in a 3-pack of assorted wines for $55) First, let's get this straight: there was no oak. It was fresh, and yes, a bit grassy, but not assertively so like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Instead, warmer melon, Meyer lemon, and clementine aromas and flavors accompany the grassy notes, which were really more like hay than fresh cut grass. This was a nicely balanced wine that I would definitely buy again because it had such excellent QPR. And I warn you now: it is very likely to be on my annual list of wines that will go well with Thanksgiving dinner.

We had the Mauritson Sauvignon Blanc with grilled shrimp and lemon-basil pesto. I loved the way the lemon in the pesto picked up the Meyer lemon flavors and aromas in the wine, and the wine's grassy hay notes were very nice with the basil, too. Served with some crusty bread or linuine, this is a fast, after work meal that tastes like a restaurant dish but can be enjoyed at home.

Thanks to Sonadora from Wannabe Wino and domaine547 for lifting me out of my wine rut. Now on to the next two bottles of wine in that blogger pack!