Torrontes, Albarino & Other Lesser Known White Wines for Summer
August 16, 2011
In the hot summer months, many wine lovers reach for a chilled white wine to quench their thirst. Here are 4 lesser known whites to help you beat the heat.
There are hundreds of white wine grapes in the world, but most of us are familiar with only a few. Grapes such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Pinot Grigio (Gris) are well within the boundaries of our comfort zone. Many of us are intimately acquainted with these grapes and may even love to drink them. We reach for them out of habit and familiarity. But, sometimes it’s exciting to delve into the unknown and unfamiliar. The following grapes may be more unfamiliar to most of us, but they are definitely worth exploring.
Torrontés
From the high altitude vineyards of Argentina comes the aromatic white grape, Torrontés. While Malbec rules the red wines of Argentina, Torrontés is definitely the queen of the whites. Torrontés displays a distinctly grapey character similar to Muscat along with aromas and flavours reminiscent of Gewurztraminer. Wines made from these grapes can smell of exotic flowers and tropical fruit with a hint of spiciness. These wines are generally dry and are meant to be consumed young.
The region producing the best examples of Torrontés is Salta province, in the northern part of the country. The high altitude of the vineyards there produce Torrontés of naturally higher acidity and an assertive flavour profile. There are also large plantings of the variety in La Rioja where it produces a voluptuous yet elegant wine. For more information on the Torrontes grape, please read “Torrontes – Argentina’s White Specialty Grape.”
Torrontes is great paired with spicy Thai and Mexican cuisine. It also a beautiful match with most seafood and shellfish, including sushi.
Albariño
The Rias Baixas region is home to the Spain’s highly fashionable Albariño grape, where it produces intensely aromatic wines similar to Viognier, but with less weight and more acidity. It conjures up aromas and flavours of white peach, apricot, citrus, and sometimes almond.
In Portugal, the grape is known as Alvarinho, and is best known in the Vinho Verde region. Here it is made into refreshingly light, zippy, and slightly effervescent wines. The best examples have well-balanced acidity with aromas of tropical fruit, citrus, peach, apricot, dried fruit, and white blossoms. Vinho Verde wines are not as intensely aromatic as those from Rias Baixas, but are delicious and thirst quenching just the same.
Albariño (Alvarinho) is not meant for ageing and should be consumed while still young and fresh. Any kind of shellfish is a great match with Albariño. Try mussels, oysters, scallops, or crabs for a real treat. They also pair well with light summer green salads.
Read on
* The Dry Wines of Portugal
* Refreshing Red Wines for Summer – Beaujolais, Barbera, Pinot Noir
* Albarino and Savagnin Misidentified Wines
Grüner Veltliner
In Austria, the hills are alive with the vines of Grüner Veltliner. It is the most planted and most important grape in that country. Grüner Veltliner is an incredibly versatile grape that can be made into a wide range of wine styles from very light and refreshing summer sippers all the way to lusciously rich sweet wines. Flavours and aromas can include cracked white pepper, spice, herbs, blossoms, citrus, and exotic fruit. While Grüner Veltliner is not as aromatic as Alvariño or Torrontés, it is definitely crisp, refreshing, and revitalizing. For more information on Gruner Veltliner please read the article “Groovy Gruner Veltliner from Austria.”
Good quality Gruner Veltliners are suitable candidates to cellar and can gain complex flavours of tobacco, sponge cake, and dried fruit when mature.
Grüner Veltliner is extremely versatile with food, especially lighter summer fare, and pairs well with a number of dishes. They are great matches with vegetarian starters and salads and also work surprisingly well with deep fried finger foods. Traditional Austrian wiener schnitzel is a favourite match as a myriad of seafood dishes including tuna tartar, sushi, prawn’s and soft goat’s cheese.
Assyrtico
Assyrtico (also spelled Assyrtiko) is as much fun to say as it is to drink. Hailing from the Greek island of Santorini this top quality grape is able to retain a high level of acidity despite the hot climate. The wine typically displays a steely minerality, with citrus notes of grapefruit and lemon. Most are made in a dry style but the grape is also used to make sweet Vinsanto wine.
It’s amazing how well wine tends to pair with food from the same region. It is no different with Assyrtico which pairs beautifully with the classic Greek dishes of calamari and traditional Greek salad. Actually the wine’s crisp acidity, minerality and fresh citrus make this wine perfect for just about any seafood dish and most fresh green salads.
There are many other lesser known grapes that make high quality, refreshing white wines for summer. If you’re in the mood to be a little adventurous just ask the salesperson or product consultant at your local wine shop to recommend one of these wines or something else out of the ordinary. You may be surprised at the great wines you’ll discover.
Source: http://www.suite101.com/content/4-out-of-the-ordinary-white-wines-for-summer-a233424
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Regular guests of the best restaurant in Angeles City Pampanga requests for popular seafood dishes this summer, gourmet items like barracuda, Atlantic Mackerel and Sea bass that wine and food lovers are accustomed at the fine dining restaurants in Manila, Subic and Clark Philippines; many order a bottle of fine vintage wine from the wine cellars of Yats Restaurant, the best restaurant in Clark Philippines.
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How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Philippines? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.
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