Monday, December 07, 2009

In Pursuit of Simplicity: Sauvignon Blanc

The holidays can be a crazy, stressful time. Every now and again, it's good to take a deep breath and simplify where and when you can.

In our house, this means selecting meals that aren't fussy, are built around kitchen staples so they require no last-minute shopping, and that taste comforting.

What's true of the food goes for the wine, as well. And for my money Sauvignon Blanc wins in the simple, elegant, affordable, and tasty sweepstakes.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, plan on making a delicious pot of tomato soup like this excellent version from Michael Chiarello, grilling some cheese sandwiches in a fry pan (we used Fontina cheese to continue the Italian vibe), and then popping the cork on a great Sauvignon Blanc. We had our soup and sandwich feast with the excellent QPR 2008 Frei Brothers Sauvignon Blanc Reserve. ($20; available widely for $14-$20, just hit the "where to buy" button and plug in your zip code!) Made from fruit grown in the Russian River Valley, this tasty, widely-available wine displayed round melon, floral, and orchard fruit notes along with some distinctly zippy grass and herbaceous components. Stylistically, it hit the sweet spot between New Zealand and California bottlings, which only made it more versatile and food friendly.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

6 comments:

Get Info Here said...

I really can't take the test of this wine. I prefer Sebastians. I love it.

dvestv said...

Each people have different tastes and maybe what you tasted on this wine maybe the best for others.

Oscar said...

Sounds very good indeed. Have to try this food combination!

den parser said...

I am with it. I go for this wine, so good.

Ben Simons said...

I'll have to try the tomato soup and Sauvignon Blanc combo. We are in the middle of a big snow storm right now, so some tomato soup sounds great right about now.

gih said...

I like the savor of this wine. So nice taste.