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Summer Whites


Elissa

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Craig, do you know if the Cometa has a similar blend of grapes?

Sammy, that bottle of conundrum with no mention of Caymus anywhere on the label sounds fishy, I would suspect it of being a knock off. Also, what do you eat when you crack one open? As delicious as it is, I have yet to successfuly match it to food. Maybe foie gras? Cheese? I'm beginning to wonder if it might not be best enjoyed on its own, or as an aperitif.

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One of my favorite summer whites has been Caymus Conundrum, a white blend from California. Today, I saw abottle of wine simply called Conundrum, with no sign of Caymus anywhere on the label. The price also went up.

Anyone know more about this?

Nothing has changed about it other than the label and price, same juice, same sources, same winemaker. They are reserving the Caymus name for their two cabernets and the wines they sell out of the tasting room (sauv blanc and zinfandel).

The worst thing about the label change is that they no longer sell Conundrum at the winery so I have to go back to paying retail. :angry:

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Mastroberardino?

La Segreta is 60% Grecanico, 20% Chardonnay, 10 % Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Viognier

Hi Craig:

I'll check on the Falanghina producer on Monday and post back. You might be right, but it also may be that I tasted the Mastroberardino at another recent tasting and you might be influencing my memory just by saying it.

My quote on the mix of varietals in the La Segreta is what I remember the sommelier telling me last night. Could be the vintage we have is different, or it could be that I'm simply confused 'cuz I'd already tried a couple of glasses of it when he told me :biggrin: I'll check on that as well...

Nonetheless, both wines are VERY tasty! Even if I am confused :wacko:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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One of my favorite summer whites has been Caymus Conundrum, a white blend from California. Today, I saw abottle of wine simply called Conundrum, with no sign of Caymus anywhere on the label. The price also went up.

Anyone know more about this?

Nothing has changed about it other than the label and price, same juice, same sources, same winemaker. They are reserving the Caymus name for their two cabernets and the wines they sell out of the tasting room (sauv blanc and zinfandel).

The worst thing about the label change is that they no longer sell Conundrum at the winery so I have to go back to paying retail. :angry:

Have you noticed that about 2 yrs ago they quit putting the % of each varietal on the bottle? I think that they have started c playing with the mix and are using a higher percentage of cheaper grapes. I think that this has really changed the taste and IMHO ruined the wine. It used to be one of my wife's favorites and now we don't buy it.

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Hi all:

The Falanghina is the Fuedi di San Gregorio 2002. Very good stuff if you can find some. Of course you're always welcome to have a glass at the bar at Striped Bass :smile:

Craig - I think I was right. I had tried the Mastroberardino elsewhere. Also very good.

There's a class here in Philadelphia on Thursday evening on lesser known wine varietals. I'm considering attending just to see what they show.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad.

Sometimes I drink it when I am alone.

When I have company I consider it obligatory.

I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am.

Otherwise I never touch it, unless I'm thirsty.

Madame Lily Bollinger on her product

Gerhard Groenewald

www.mesamis.co.za

Wilderness

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Excellent.

Bollinger's: breakfast of champions

Drinking when we are not thirsty and making love at all seasons: That is all there is to distinguish us from the other Animals.

-Beaumarchais

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For me, summer is cocktail season: traditionally, mint juleps, but now more likely to be Pimms and lemondade. As both of these cocktails can be served colder than wine, I find them more refreshing.

But, back to the subject at hand. Most of the white wine that I drink comes from the Loire. Sancerre is a great wine all-year round, crisp enough for summer, but full enough for winter. I currently have some good Sancerre from Domaine la Moussiere (12.99 at Waitrose) in my rack. As the weather heats up, I generally start drinking more Muscadet, which is always very crisp. So long as the wine is sur lie (thereby ensuring a more minerally flavor), I don't have much of a preferrence, as I drink Muscadet so cold that taste variance becomes almost a moot point.

But my favorite drink for summer is a wine cocktail I read about in the Times (dubbed a Provincial Sunset). It is made exactly like a kir, but substituting a good dry rose for white wine and creme de peche for creme de cassis.

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  • 1 month later...

Lissome (and others),

Rueda Verdejo, Mantel Blanco, 2001

It's one of my most pleasant recent wine discoveries. Crisp, dry, citrus-y, grapefruit-y. Remarkably refreshing and well balanced. It likes to be drunk with food even more than just sipped, but either way it's damn good.

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My whites for the Summer:

Italian:

- Lison Pramaggiore & Piave whites (say Braghina and Ornella Molon)

- Friuli of course (Roncùs, Venica & Venica, Vie de Romans, Ronco del Gelso, Castelvecchio, ...)

- Alto Adige (St. Michael-Eppan Schulthauser Pinot Bianco, Lageder Gewurz am Sand, Tiefenbrunner Müller-Thurgau Feldmarschall, Nössing Kerner, ...)

- Soave & al (Sassaia from La Biancara)

French:

- Muscadet (lots of good producers)

- Southern France (nothing beats for me the Clairette de Bellegarde by Mas Carlot - EUR 3!)

German:

- QbA by Maximin Grünhaus

- Kabinett by W. Schaefer, Egon Müller, J.J. Prüm, Selbach-Oster, Dönnhoff, and the other usual suspects!)

Austrian:

- Wachau Federspiel (Jamek)

This of course for a start :smile:

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For those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest. At the winery there are a few bottles left of my favorite summer drink;

Argyle 1991 Extended Tirage Brut.

About the fourth or fifth time I met Fat Gut he brought a bottle to dinner. It was spectacular. I drove down the next month and grabbed a case. When I traveled through in November they still had some. You have to beg for it. They do not offer it to the general public.

This really compares with any house in France. And when I talk to my family, it really captures the feel of Paris in the 1950's!

I am really intrigued about the bubble, whites and Pinot Noir coming out of this region!

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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  • 10 months later...

I'd like to suggest some of the white wines of Alsace. There are some delightful Pinot Blanc, and in particular, places like Sam's in Chicago are selling the Alsace Willm Pinot Blanc for under nine dollars, and it's thoroughly delicious, especially for summer. Alsace Willm also produces a wine blend called Gentil which incorporates some of the "spicier" grapes like Muscat and Gewurtztraminer, so you get a white that even stands up to spicy Asian foods - and for under eight dollars! These wines, and especially this winery, should not go overlooked.

Overheard at the Zabar’s prepared food counter in the 1970’s:

Woman (noticing a large bowl of cut fruit): “How much is the fruit salad?”

Counterman: “Three-ninety-eight a pound.”

Woman (incredulous, and loud): “THREE-NINETY EIGHT A POUND ????”

Counterman: “Who’s going to sit and cut fruit all day, lady… YOU?”

Newly updated: my online food photo extravaganza; cook-in/eat-out and photos from the 70's

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Seems to me however as if between a few Albarino, Picpoul de Pinet and good bubbles one ought to be able to brave summer in the city. Have you recommendations on these, or other counts for summer whites, pinks, bubbles or even light reds? 

xxx,

lissome

Elissa, Albarino is a recent discovery for me as well. You may want to look for the 2002 Nora Albarino Rias Baixas. I had this recently, and bought some more to consume as one of my "summer whites." Nice fruit and minerals, and a lively acidity. Perfect for summer, and I believe priced somewhere in the $11-$13 range.

Jean

Edited by Jean Brislance (log)
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For half the price, Sokol Blosser Evolution Nine is basically the same delightfully confused cuvee.

Several friends of mine buy the Sokol Blosser Evolution 9 regularly to have on hand for their summer sippers. I believe it is a blend of 9 different white grapes, hence the name.

If I recall from a tasting last year, it is very fruit-driven and would be a definite crowd-pleaser.

Jean

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Pleeeez be merciful, and not hoot me off the board for my unsophisticated palate, but...we've been enchanted by a lovely New Zealand sauvignon blanc from Nobilo. It's crisp and dry, exudes pineapple and the tropics of all things :blink: , and is just a delightful quaff on a warm day. We can't buy it at retail locally yet, but, at $19 bottle at our local lunch haunt, I'd think it'd be quite reasonable, should one find it on a shelf somewhere. Okay, back to the shadows...

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I just got a Mendoza Argentinian Chardonnay/Viognier 60%-40% blend in for by-the-glass pouring. It's the Santa Isabel 2003 and is a perfect "sittin'-in-the-sunshine-sippin'" wine for summer. Lots of peaches and a hint of floral from the Viognier on the nose and crisp and refreshing to boot. Seems to be going over well with the Cafe Society types that populate our sidewalk. :biggrin:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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I just got a Mendoza Argentinian Chardonnay/Viognier 60%-40% blend in for by-the-glass pouring. It's the Santa Isabel 2003 and is a perfect "sittin'-in-the-sunshine-sippin'" wine for summer. Lots of peaches and a hint of floral from the Viognier on the nose and crisp and refreshing to boot. Seems to be going over well with the Cafe Society types that populate our sidewalk. :biggrin:

Katie, how much will that set us back at retail?

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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I just got a Mendoza Argentinian Chardonnay/Viognier 60%-40% blend in for by-the-glass pouring.  It's the Santa Isabel 2003 and is a perfect "sittin'-in-the-sunshine-sippin'" wine for summer.  Lots of peaches and a hint of floral from the Viognier on the nose and crisp and refreshing to boot.  Seems to be going over well with the Cafe Society types that populate our sidewalk. :biggrin:

Katie, how much will that set us back at retail?

Seth:

An astonishing buy at about $9.00 (at least here in PA)! Problem is that in PA it's what's called an SLO or Special Liquor Order, meaning that it's really meant for restaurants or consumers that want to go through the trouble of ordering at least a full case through the State. My purveyor (Winebow) sells it in PA, NY and NJ. Only success I had finding it with a Google search was an abundant supply in the UK (at ≈ 4.99-6.00₤), but that probably doesn't help you much. Perhaps it could be found local to you using a wine search engine like WineAccess.com or Winesearcher.com?

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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While we're stopping by South America, give Torrontes a trty from the Andean North West of Argentina. Great summer wine, available through The Wine Society in the UK for £4.75:

  Faldeos Nevados Torrontés, 2003

 

This attractive torrontés is from Cafayate, Argentina’s best region for its emblematic white variety. Scented grapy aroma and flavours reminiscent of muscat.

W.

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