Monday, January 19, 2009

A Spanish Contender for House White

Finding a white wine versatile enough to qualify as a house white can be oddly difficult.

Some white wines are too sharp. Some white wines are too flabby. Some white wines are too darn expensive.

The 2006 Telmo Rodriguez Basa, on the other hand, is just right.

As such, it's an excellent QPR Spanish contender for your house white. ($11.99, domaine547; available elsewhere for the same price). Made from biodynamically farmed grapes, it has zesty flavors, and a heavier moutfheel than most zingy white wines. There are lime zest and litchi-fruit aromas, which are subtle until it warms up in the glass. Waxy flavors of Meyer lemon, golden delicious apple, candied lemon peel, and lime round out the experience of this delicious white wine made from a blend of Verdejo, Viura, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Versatile enough to go with everything from chicken and feta tostadas (a Greek twist on a Mexican classic) to chicken with lemon and olives, this is a wine that will be welcome on almost any table.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great white! Not sure what the Viura does in the wine, but the blend works so who's to complain! :)

Anonymous said...

That does indeed sound like the perfect solution to the house white dilemma... and at $12 a bottle, it's certainly something I can afford to serve often with my chicken and turkey dishes. I can imagine it going quite nicely with the seafood bisques and chowders I tend to like when it gets cold out as well.

Like you said, it's a challenge to find good, versatile whites that really go with the full spectrum of meals that they are traditionally paired with. One may be too acidic while another just doesn't have the strength to stand up to dishes with more flavor. Every once in a while though, you come across one that's just right and that you find yourself reaching for relatively often.

I've found a few go-to white vintages through my various wine clubs and wine memberships over the years, but it's nice to be able to mix it up. The whole point of exploring wine clubs in the first place is to keep one out of the proverbial rut, so to speak. Anyone interested in exploring the world of wine clubs for themselves is invited to visit us at wineclubguide.com any time!

RJ's Wine Blog said...

any thoughts on where else to buy this? i tried a few of the links you provided and looked at my sources and i can't find it. would love to try i.

thanks.

Susan said...

I am making the chicken and feta tostada tomorrow night. I don't have the wine you suggested; I wish I did. It sounds like a great pairing!

Dr. Debs said...

RJ, I'd just go with a more recent vintage of the wine. I think you can't find the 2006 because it's been replaced in the market with the 2007. SBerko9118, hope you like those tostadas (we did...great after work supper that's quick and tasty).