OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Is it Wines-day again already?? It's time to discover the world of white blends. People pass whites off and categorize then into Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or savvy b's. (Notice I didn't even utter the word white zinfandel! If you are drinking that, you can go booze with the 90 year old's who are organizing the soup kitchen at Our Lady of DISGUSTING). There are so many other white wines to be explored! The best way to start testing them out would be to try some blends. Sometimes this grapes that they put into these types of wines can be a little much by themselves. Take Moscato, for example! A SUPER SWEET wine that would make me gag if I drank it alone... but put it with a few other varietals, and BOO-YA!
Some of my favorite blends worth trying :
Ah... the 2009 Bodega Pirineos Mesache. This is the wine I featured from Sunday's brunch. It's an amazing blend: 35% Old Vine Macabeo , 35% Gewurztraminer, and 30% Chardonnay. Ever tried a Gewurztraminer on it's own ? Ever even HEARD of Macabeo? I hadn't ! So, let's have a little lesson from my periodic table of wine ! (Yes, it's hanging in my home and YES I love blends for this very reason...to put it to use!)
So, Macabeo : A popular Spanish white! Lightly floral, fruity, and soft.
Guwuztraminer: High;y fragrant! Lychees, spicy cinammon, peaches, and honeysuckle!
I mean, how is that even possible in a white wine?? By itself, I do not like Gewurztraminers! But, it grounds the butter and apple of the chardonnay, makes the crisp quality of the Macabeo a little less boring, and adds a little KICK to finish it off.
This is like no other blend. PERFECT for brunch...or DRUNCH (Drunk lunch. Let's be honest, it's all code for booze at lunch). This wine is pairable with anything and will surprise anyone!
Viogner: apricots, honeysuckle,peaches, fruit
For me, this wine starts off like a life saver candy and finished like a butterscotch. Sorry... but I don't know a lot of people that have sucked on honey suckle for fun...so, let's get real about it).
Semillion: Forget the wine table....too hoity toity. This taste like a sprite soda mized with a fig newton. I'm not kidding. It's random, but a Semillion is crisp but soft.
Muscat: Typically a dessert wine. Not overly sweet, but smells of florals and grapfruits. AKA - not my jam on it's own, but to the conundrum blend, it is the game changer.
What we have here is a party in your mouth of all these different grapes! It is very fruity, backed up with honey, very crisp, finished with a little bit of tinge that I would describes as sweet perfume.
Want something simpler just to switch it up but not get to crazy? I am a big fan of this Chenin Blanc/Viogner blend from Pine Ridge. So, we have already discussed a Viogner , and for a lot of people, a Viogner can be a little off-putting for a white when they think they are about to hit some crispy deliciousness comparable to that of a Pinot Grigio. Well, a Chenin Blanc is a grape popular France and South Africa. It goes well with sweet wines as well as dry whites. The Periodic table of wine was playing games with me and says to describe a Chenin Blanc as honey bees wax and wool... ummmmm....what ? Basically, it's fruity but the tinge, or acidity, takes heavy honey out of of the Viogner , leaving you with a YUMMY, crisp, clean white that is worth giving to your tastebuds :)
So, don't let these blends intimidate you! Challenge yourself to try new things! You will learn what you like and what you don't! But, can you believe all the of the white grapes that you had no idea about?? We will hit more believe me! All I'm saying is, get out of your pinot grigio haze, or WORSE, put down the white zin grandma!
XOXO
Her LadyMess
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