WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘Sauvignon Blanc’

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I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite ready to stow away my flip flops and shorts for the season just yet.  For some reason, the Summer of 2011 seemed to slip between my toes, retreating out to sea rather quickly this year.  Maybe my family and I did so much that everything is just a blur to me now, or maybe (deep down inside) I just want to take in a few more warm and sunny days to put an exclamation point on the Summer of 2011.  If I were to ask my sons right now how to accomplish this, they’d probably say, “Let’s go noodling!” 

Ummm…sorry guys:  diving into murky water and sticking my hands and legs into a hole to be bitten by a 70lb catfish isn’t quite the ending I had in mind.  Unfortunately, for lack of better plans, it seems that the earthquake, hurricane and tornados experienced in the northeast will be the exclamation point(s) on the Summer of 2011. 

The other night, in the midst of yet another summer rain storm, I whipped up a simple steak stir-fry and grabbed two bottles of wine that were produced by Château de Jau.

Now, I don’t typically make my wine pairing selections based on the way a label looks, but for some reason Benjamin Vautier’s artwork made me think happy summer thoughts. 

We started with the 2010 Le Jaja de Jau Sauvignon Blanc (Sample, MSRP: $10 US). “Jaja” is an old French slang word for a glass of wine – an everyday or house wine.  This jaja was a big zap of lemon with some lime and granny smith apple flavors.  It finishes clean, but had a little too much pucker for my liking. 

2 Stars out of 4 for the 2010 Le Jaja de Jau Sauvignon Blanc. 

We moved on and closed out the evening with the 2010 Le Jaja de Jau Syrah Rosé (Sample, MSRP: $10 US).  The 2010 Le Jaja de Jau Syrah Rosé is made from 100% Syrah grapes and is a straight-forward fruity rosé that fills your mouth with strawberries and hints of violets.  Although it was a nice jaja, maybe a splash of Grenache, Cinsault or Mourvèdre would have made me gaga.   

2 Stars out of 4 for the 2010 Le Jaja de Jau Syrah Rosé. 

Cheers to the last days of summer!

Can you remember some of the things your Dad taught you as a child?  My Dad wasn’t much in the kitchen, but he did show me a few things like:  making snow cones out of freshly-laid snow (“stay away from the yellow stuff, son”) and how to properly season a vine-ripened watermelon with salt.  But my all-time favorite Dad concoction was – whipped peanut butter and syrup…scooping it up with Ritz crackers.

Over the years, I’ve tried my best to come up with some interesting creations of my own, in hopes that one day my sons would be interested in trying new foods and enjoy cooking.  I’m proud to say that I’ve officially passed down a dish that my youngest son made for the very first time yesterday. 

I first made this recipe several months ago, thinking that my sons wouldn’t have any interest in tasting it.  To my surprise, our youngest son, who is 7, came in the kitchen and said, “that smells sooo good!”  So I gave him a little taste of my chicken and sausage gumbo creation; and it was love at first bite.  He devoured a bowl of it and made me promise him that one day I would teach him how to make Chicken and Sausage Gumbo so that he could “teach his kids, and they would teach their kids, and their kids would teach their kids” and so on…

So here it is – the very first heirloom recipe passed on to and made by my 7 year-old son.

List of Ingredients:

• 1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 can of Progresso Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Soup
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion
• 1 can Mexican Style Corn (with red and green peppers)
• A generous helping of my beloved Stubb’s Chile-Lime Spice Rub
• Some sort of sausage.  We used Jimmy Dean’s fully cooked turkey sausage (4 links is plenty)
• 1 yellow or white onion
• Fresh cilantro
• Sprinkle of black pepper, garlic powder and Chipotle Chili Pepper (to taste)
• Olive oil

All you need is one large pot.  Heat up some olive oil. Place chicken thighs in the pot at medium heat.  As the chicken is cooking, chop up the onion and put it into the pot.  Now add your dry spices.  Toss this around a bit to fully cook the chicken. Next, chop up your sausage and toss it into the pot.  Now for the really easy parts.  Add the can of diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion.  Give it a good stir in the pot.  Now add a can of Mexican Style Corn and do the same.  After you’ve stirred this around a bit, add the can of Progresso Chicken and Gumbo Soup.  You want to let this simmer for about 15 -20 minutes before serving.  Top with fresh cilantro.

For a wine, I suggest a high acidity white wine like the 2010 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc from Chile (Sample, MSRP: $10.99).  The 2009 version blew us away, and the 2010 is wickedly-good too!

As for a red, my wife and I were equally knocked out by the 2009 Ricardo Santos Malbec from Argentina (Sample, MSRP: $19.00).  This wine comes from the single vineyard La Madras, on the slopes of the Andes Mountains in Argentina.  When tasting this Malbec, I detected a massive earthy, herbaceous component (it’s crazy delicious!), joined by an equally weighty burst of sweet, dark fruit that produced a long, elegant finish.  My son really enjoyed this wine as well.  I kid, I kid! 

Cheers to family traditions!!

Summer Dream:  relaxing on the beach under an umbrella, while listening to the pounding waves with a cold drink in my hand.

Produced and bottled by Vavasour Wines, in Marlborough, New Zealand, the 2010 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from two different locations within the renowned Marlborough region.  This 100% Sauvignon Blanc (61% Awatere Valley, 39% Wairau Valley) explodes with a blend of tropical fruits and a mouthwatering racy acidity.  In your glass you’ll taste a massive avalanche of grapefruit, lemon, lime, and pineapple flavors.  It’s even better than that fruity, frozen concoction that you might otherwise be sipping on under your umbrella!

4 Stars out 4 for the 2010 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc. If you’re looking for summer in a glass, look no further!

(Sample, MSRP: $10.99)

Moist, cute little cakes, topped with a big dollop of creamy, rich icing that just melts in your mouth – they’re dangerously delicious, always fun and perfect for any occasion!

The 2010 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (Sample, MSRP: $12 US) is a lot like that!  Showcasing the refreshing, zippy-delicious goodness that Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough Valley is known for, the flavors in the 2010 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc are like licking the key lime pie frosting off of the top of a tiny moist lemon cake.  Speaking of cupcakes, I wish I had some of this Sauvignon Blanc left over so I could try it with this Brown Sugar Banana cupcake with Avocado Buttercream frosting!  I bet it would be an interesting contrast in flavors.

If the cupcake idea is a bit much for you, try giving this on-the-fly, super-simple recipe idea a go:

Sauté chicken breasts in olive oil and fresh lemon juice, season with dry barbecue rub, salt and pepper to taste.  Toss in a heap of fresh baby spinach and diced up Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked Bacon into your pot.  Keep it all juicy and tasty with a big splash of chicken stock and a ½ cup of the Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc.

3 Stars out of 4 for the 2010 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc.  This is one cupcake you can enjoy without guilt!