Feeling French? Delatour 2008 Chardonnay

Last night, I was in a white wine kind of mood so I picked up a bottle of Delatour’s 2008 Chardonnay. The bottle said it was a Gold Medal winner at the 2009 Paris Wine Contest – so I figured it had to be good.

I’ll say up front that I’m not normally a Chardonnay drinker, but I go through phases where my wine of preference changes.

Delatour is a winery in the Languedoc region in the South of France.

It’s label is fairly plain with ‘Delatour’ written in a nice script. The edges are rugged, like you would see on a lost treasure map or an antique letter.

Delatour’s Chardonnay is pale yellow in color and has aromas of white flowers, almonds and exotic fruits.

When sticking your nose further in the glass, the fruity aromas almost sting your nostrils. Not in a bad way — but the aromas coming from the glass are very powerful.

It’s flavor is light on the palate at first, but turns fairly tart with a crisp flavor that coats your mouth.

It’s suggested to be served with fish or white meat. We enjoy it with grilled chicken and a side of spinach salad with cranberry, gorgonzola and walnuts.

I thought the combination of Delatour’s 2008 Chardonnay along with the cranberries from the salad brought out a light sweetness and less tart flavor to the wine.

I’d definitely buy this one again.

Delatour’s 2008 Chardonnay is 14% ABV.

What’s your favorite chardonnay?

 

Fake Sangria – A Delicious Party Drink

I put together a bachelorette party a couple weeks ago and I decided that I wanted to make a fun drink. I bought plastic martini glasses, borrowed a friends drink container and scoured the web to find a fun and delicious drink.

I came across a sangria recipe that looked delicious, but defintiely wasn’t sangria. You can’t just put fruit in a drink and call it sangria. So, I’ll call it fake sangria. What did it call for?

• Sparking Wine
• Sauvignon Blanc (or any white wine will do)
• Fruit

So, I bought peaches, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries and threw all but the peaches in the freezer figuring the fruit could act as ice cubes since the drink container would never have been able to fit into my fridge.

I used equal parts of both wines.

Well, the fake sangria was a hit. It was light and fruity — but not too fruity. It was a good balance between the fruit, the sparkling wine and the lightness of the sauvignon blanc. The perfect party drink, and it wasn’t going to get you completely wasted like a jungle juice would do off of just one.

Apologies for the expletive, but hey - it was a bachelorette party!

The one thing that I should have thought through was the fruit. I assumed because frozen blueberries float, all the other fruit would float if frozen too…. WRONG! The fruit sunk and clogged the spout. We ended up using a ladel which was fine — but that is something I will keep in mind in the future.

What’s your favorite party beverage?

 

 

Honig – Great wine and Great Detail

I love packaging that is creative and unique. Not only does it make a product look nice, it makes it easier to remember in the future. Honig Vineyard and Winery is a company that does a great job packaging their products.

I recently encountered their 2010 Sauvignon Blanc.

On the back of the bottle it says that Honig is “Family Owned, Sustainably Farmed, and Solar Powered.”  At first glace, the Honig label is very elegant looking – a black label with a gold rim. The logo is a  a Captial H with a small bee — a small play into their nature theme.

The wine itself is pale in color. It actually looks green in the bottle itself. To me, it smelled almost like a riesling with hints of green apple aromas.

Honig’s Sauvignon Blanc has a light and refreshing tartness to it. One that makes you almost want to smack your lips together to get the full extent of the flavor. Its finish is excellent — the flavor stays with you.

What you might not have noticed from the picture is that Honig’s packaging continues to make itself be seen as you sip your wine. One the back, inside of the label is a field — plots of land — offering the drinker the view of a colorful horizon. Maybe their vineyard?

I thought this was a nice touch. When it comes to packaging, or labels, usually you don’t see this much thought and detail.

Overall, I love the creative work and the wine itself. At $16 dollars a bottle, it’s one I would totally recommend.

Honig’s Sauvignon Blanc is 13.5% ABV.

Have you ever tried Honig?