Over the past year I have been asked to do a lot of wine presentations. These certainly have been fun, and I’ve left each with a smile because of the new friendships fostered. The most requested themes center on “value” wines and pairing wines with foods. This month, I share recommendations for white wines to help you along those lines.
CHARDONNAY
>> Hybrid (about $10 a bottle): This is a family-owned wine project in Lodi, Calif. I love how this wine is round and delicious and therefore ideal for everyday drinking or being served at a cocktail party.
>> StoneCap (about $10): The grapes come from an estate vineyard in Columbia Valley, Wash. This chardonnay, delicious, light and gulpable, overdelivers for the price.
>> Poppy Wine Co. ($12 to $14): This sensational value is “under the radar.” Produced from 30-year-old vines in the cool confines of Monterey, Calif., it results in an elegant, pretty, crisp style of chardonnay well suited for the dinner table.
MEDITERRANEAN FOOD
>> Elvio Tintero “Grangia” ($12 to $14): This dry, interesting fizzy is not for everyone. Commercially, it has everything working against it: no grape variety listed, dry, light, fizzy — attributes not currently in fashion. Yet it is authentic and classic, a quintessential Italian “country” white wine one would sip at a Mediterranean cafe. Its lemony quality makes it incredibly food-friendly and gulpable. You have to think out of the box to enjoy this one.
>> Bottega Vinaia Pinot Grigio ($13 to $15): It’s difficult to find good Italian pinot grigio. I had the 2010 at a tasting recently and thought it would appeal to a wide audience because it is so round, lovely and well textured.
>> Uvaggio Vermentino ($12 to $14): If you insist on buying American, here is a Mediterranean grape variety grown and produced in Lodi, Calif., by former Bonny Doon winemaker Jim Moore. It is both the ideal cocktail wine and perfect for a dinner table laden with Mediterranean-inspired foods.
ASIAN-INSPIRED FOOD
>> CF Riesling Medium Dry “Euro-Asian” ($12 to $14): This wine was specifically designed for Hawaii’s warm, tropical climate and myriad Asian food. The grapes were grown on steep, red slate soils in the Rheinhessen region of Germany and crafted by former winemaker of the year Fritz Hasselbach. Sipping this wine is like biting into a cold pineapple, which counters salty and spicy food components such as chili, wasabi, curry, ginger and black bean, hoisin and soy sauces. It cools and soothes the palate between bites.
>> Pacific Rim Riesling ($10 to $12): Because this delicious, off-dry riesling is readily available, it makes sense to list it as well.
———
Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in the DK Restaurants chain.
