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25 June 2008 - Summertime is upon us again here in the northern hemisphere and with it comes a myriad of festivals, barbeques and
other outdoor events. While for many the traditional lineup of beverages is a cooler filled with beer and sodas, an increasing
number are adding a bottle or two of white wine to the mix.
So what is it that sets white wine apart from its seemingly more
austere cousin red? Since most varietals are made into either red or white, people often believe that the grape variety is
paramount. It's always fun to introduce people to their first glass of Zinfandel that's
a dark red instead of a light pink color. So what's the difference in the process? Red wines are fermented with the grape skins,
white wines are made by removing the skins from the juice before fermenting. That being said, over the centuries winemakers
have found certain grapes lend themselves better to making red wines and certain grapes lend themselves better to making white
wines.
So how best to serve whites? Throwing a bottle of wine in the cooler for your next outdoor event is a great idea, because all
wines taste better chilled. While there will always be arguements about the ideal temperature to chill a wine to, is 55 degrees
or 42 degrees better for a given wine, most people prefer beverages to be cool in the mouth. For sparkling wines like
Champagne you can pull them right out of the cooler and serve
them. Due to international treaties most sparkling wines made outside of France cannot use the name Champagne even if they are
made in exactly the same manner. For example, Greg Norman's
Sparkling
Pinot Noir Chardonnay is made by the m�thode champenoise and usually found alongside France's more expensive offerings at
your local wine store.
Still wines (those without fizz) are best served a little warmer and should probably be pulled out of the cooler 5-10 minutes
before serving on a hot summer day. These wines are usually labelled by the grape with which they're made, so we'll look at some
of the most common:
Chardonnay - a variety of the European grape species Vitis vinifera
developed in France and grown widely throughout the world. This wine can
be anything from tart and crisp to an almost buttery softness. Cheap
Chardonnay can be found just about anywhere; some common brands are
Yalumba,
Fetzer
and Kendall-Jackson.
For more refined palates with thicker wallets, some wines of note include
Elkin Creek
Yadkin Valley 2005,
Stag's Leap Napa Valley
2005,
or the whites of Pouilly-Fuiss�, which
are all Chardonnays.
Viognier - a variety of the European grape species Vitis vinifera
developed in France where it is often used for blending. Its popularity is
waxing as of late among American vinters and winedrinkers alike, especially in
Virginia, which grows more than any other state in the US.
Viogniers are usually fruity and go quite well with the intense, spicy foods served at some barbeques. Somewhat of a hard
wine to find sometimes, I'd nevertheless recommend the
Veritas Monticello 2007, but
if you happen to get your hands on another Virginia Viognier it's well worth trying it.
Pinot Grigio - a varietal of the European grape species Vitis vinifera
developed in Burgundy during the middle ages. Being an older
varietal, it has acquired many names as it has spread throughout
the grapegrowing world. In France it is usually known as
Pinot Gris and in Deutschland it is called
Grauburgunder or Rul�nder. The tartness of Pinot Grigios usually means they're better off served a little colder than other
whites. The Italians seem to be the best at maintaining high quality while making inexpensive wines like the
Gabbiano Delle Venezie
2005, but some Americans like A
to Z Wineworks Oregon 2005 are close at their heels.
Riesling - a variety of the European grape species Vitis vinifera developed
in Hessen. Historically is has been called Johannisberg
Riesling after the domaine whose excellence made the varietal famous. Its popularity is waxing as of late among vinters and
winedrinkers alike for its sweetness and pairability with food. Rieslings from the
Mosel region near Europe's Rhine river tend to
lead in quality, like
Moenchhof
Robert Eymael's Estate Riesling 2006. Nevertheless, Australia's inexpensive wines like the
Yellow Tail 2006 are increasing
in quality every year.
Sauvignon Blanc - a variety of the European grape species
Vitis vinifera originally developed in France and grown widely
throughout the world. Today, however, the top Sauvignon Blancs
hail from Marlbourough, New Zealand. In
California is it
sometimes called Fum� Blanc, a coinage of the venerable Robert Mondavi who died last month at the ripe old age of 94. You can
impress your friends with wines like
Kim Crawford
Marlborough 2006,
Selak's
Marlborough Premium Selection 2003 or
Oyster Bay
Marlborough 2006, but they'd probably also enjoy
Golden
Kaan 2005 from the Western Cape of South Africa or
Charles Shaw California
2005 which both cost quite a bit less.
Chenin Blanc - a varietal of the European grape species Vitis vinifera
developed in France, where it is the major white wine grape of the
Loire Valley. This varietal reaches its apex in South Africa, where
the wines exhibit a crispness and complex unparalleled in other regions.
Gew�rztraminer - a variety of the European grape species Vitis vinifera
developed in Deutschland and made into white wines.
Muscat - one of the oldest varietals of the European grape species Vitis vinifera
and it is grown all over the world. It makes sweet wines and is also known as Moscatel, Muscatel, Moscato, etc. Usually quite
sweet, these wines are not cheap however, and not widely available in the US.
Gr�ner Veltliner - a variety of the European grape species
Vitis vinifera developed in Italia but grown primarily in
Österreich (Austria). Since the country consumes so much of its
own wine, only a small amount is exported making this a rewarding if somewhat difficult wine to find.
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