Sauvignon
Blanc
(Light to Medium Bodied)
Sauvignon Blanc is primarily a dry, crisp light white wine that usually does NOT spend time in oak. In fact, like Pinot Grigio, this wine is usually lighter and more crisp than Chardonnay. Some wineries (like Fetzer) have started aging Sauvignon Blanc in oak barrels, and are calling it Fume Blanc. Fume Blanc has the light tropical fruit that Sauvignon Blanc has, with an extra layer of light wood complexity. Sauvignon Blanc has become very popular in New Zealand, and the Nobilo winery was one of the first to start the trend. These wines usually have flavors of citrus, lemons, grapefruit and grass. The California and Chile Sauvignon Blancs are very tropical like mango and kiwi.
Sauvignon Blanc is primarily a dry, crisp light white wine that usually does NOT spend time in oak. In fact, like Pinot Grigio, this wine is usually lighter and more crisp than Chardonnay. Some wineries (like Fetzer) have started aging Sauvignon Blanc in oak barrels, and are calling it Fume Blanc. Fume Blanc has the light tropical fruit that Sauvignon Blanc has, with an extra layer of light wood complexity. Sauvignon Blanc has become very popular in New Zealand, and the Nobilo winery was one of the first to start the trend. These wines usually have flavors of citrus, lemons, grapefruit and grass. The California and Chile Sauvignon Blancs are very tropical like mango and kiwi.
Chardonnay (Medium to Full Bodied)
Chardonnay is one of the most popular wines in the U.S. The flavors of this popular white wine can range from clean and crisp examples to rich and complex examples with pronounced oak flavor. All Chardonnays on our wine list are classified as a dry white wines. If you like the tropical citrus flavors, the slight char of buttered toast, you’ll get along well with Chardonnay. Any oak you’ll taste comes from fermenting or aging in oak barrels. The butter flavors and smells comes from a secondary process called “Malo-Lactic Conversion” where the winemaker adds a bacteria that converts the acids from “malic” acids (like lemons) to “lactic” acids (like milk)resulting in a heavy, creamy texture with smells and flavors of butter. Examples: Rosemount Chardonnay is the lightest and has crisp citrus fruit flavors while Cuvaison Chardonnay is the heaviest Chardonnay on our list, having the strongest flavors of oak and butter out of any wine.
Chardonnay is one of the most popular wines in the U.S. The flavors of this popular white wine can range from clean and crisp examples to rich and complex examples with pronounced oak flavor. All Chardonnays on our wine list are classified as a dry white wines. If you like the tropical citrus flavors, the slight char of buttered toast, you’ll get along well with Chardonnay. Any oak you’ll taste comes from fermenting or aging in oak barrels. The butter flavors and smells comes from a secondary process called “Malo-Lactic Conversion” where the winemaker adds a bacteria that converts the acids from “malic” acids (like lemons) to “lactic” acids (like milk)resulting in a heavy, creamy texture with smells and flavors of butter. Examples: Rosemount Chardonnay is the lightest and has crisp citrus fruit flavors while Cuvaison Chardonnay is the heaviest Chardonnay on our list, having the strongest flavors of oak and butter out of any wine.
Off-Dry
/ Lightly Sweet Wines
The term “Dry” means “Not Sweet.
So the term “Off-Dry” means lightly sweet. And sweet means sweet. The off-dry wines on our list are: White
Zinfandel (Beringer and Woodbirdge), Riesling (Niersteiner, Ste. Michelle, and
Piesporter), Carlo Rossi Asti Spumante (Sparkling Wine from Italy), and
Gewurztraminer (Michel Leon). Niersteiner
and Piesporter are both the names of the village that the wine is made. Gewürztraminer
is obviously a German word. BUT, it is
more popular these days in North West France (Alsace region). In fact, the
Michel Leon Gewurztraminer that is on our list is from France, not
Germany. Gewürztraminer produces a
distinctive wine rich in spicy aromas and full flavors. In fact the name means
“Spice Grapes”. Its qualities are very similar to Riesling, but have more
flowery aromas. Riesling can also range from crisp and dry to full-bodied and spicy
to luscious and sweet. Since sugar helps cut the heat, Rieslings are a good
choice for spicy foods. The sweetest Riesling on our list is Niersteiner, and
the driest (less sweet) is the Ste Michelle (from Washington, USA). These wines often smell and taste like honey
and melon, with the tartness of grapefruit and the floral quality of some
herbal teas.
Italian
Whites
Italian whites are very light and
refreshing. They pair well with seafood
dishes, or just a nice refreshing glass of wine on the decks. Gavi is the name of a style of wine, not a
grape, the grape used is called Cortese.
Soave is also the name of a style of wine that uses the Garganega and
Trebbiano grapes. Both Verdicchio and
Pinot Grigio or the name of the grapes used to make the wines.
French
Whites
In France, the wines are names after the
region, and not the grape. In each
region the laws state which grapes can be grown there, unlike California wines
where any type of grape can be planted anywhere. In Burgundy, the only white grape allowed to
be grown in Chardonnay. In Bordeaux, the
only white grapes allowed to be grown are Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and
Muscatel. Both Chablis and Pouilly Fuisse
are the names of wine growing regions inside of Burgundy, so therefore the
grape of these two regions is Chardonnay.
The Loire Valley in France in mostly known for Sauvignon Blanc and
Chenin Blanc (Vouvray). Pouilly Fume and
Sancerre are both wine regions inside of the Loire Valley, so therefore the
grape of Pouilly Fume and Sancerre wines is Sauvignon Blanc. Generally speaking, French Chardonnays and
Sauvignon Blancs have more “mineral” flavors from the soils than those that
come from California. These mineral
flavors pair well with seafood, especially shellfish.
Rose
/ Blush
The color in red wine comes from the
skin. During fermentation (the creation
of alcohol) the juice and skin are together in the tank. For white wines it is ONLY the juice (no
skins). For Rose or Blush wines the
skins are taken out of the juice after a short period of time (maybe 1 day
instead of 2 weeks like the reds). This
limited time with the colorful skins leaves just a little bit of color in the
wine. For Blush wines like White
Zinfandel the winemaker stops the fermentation early, leaving a little bit of
sugar to give the wine sweetness. In Dry
Roses like the Rose D’ Anjou, the wine is fermented dry, and has no sugar left. The Rose is perfect for hot days on the deck,
or great wine for a couple of people where one drinks white, and one drinks
red. It is chilled and light like a
white wine, but has a little more aroma and complex flavors like a really light
red wine. The next step up in body would
be a Pinot Noir. The Rose D’Anjou comes
from the region of Anjou in the Loire Valley, France, and is made from the
Cabernet Franc grape.
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