Week 3

Chardonnay

“Chardonnay is the world’s most planted white grape.” (Puckette and Hammack 73)

Primary Flavors
Yellow Apple
Starftuit
Pineapple
Butter
Chalk

Chardonnay can make a very rich, strong, almost always dry, white wine. This grape originated in Burgundy, during the medieval times, and is a major player in the production of Champagne and other sparkling wines. Chardonnay vines are well adapted to varying climates, because of this you can get a flavor range from more tropical fruits in warmer climate regions to a green apple and citrus flavor in cooler regions. Often times Chardonnay is put into oak barrels to ferment, this gives a rich full-bodied wine that often times has the hints of oaky vanilla, baking spices, or butter. Chardonnay can be pale to deep gold in color. This, often times, gold color is due to the oxidation that happens in the oak barrels during the wine making process.
Chardonnay is often referred to as the white grape of Burgundy. All white wines coming out of Burgundy are 100% Chardonnay. As of 2015 Chardonnay grapes are planted on 491,000 acres of land.

Food Pairings
Lobster, crab, halibut, shrimp, chicken, pork, mushroom, French, cream sauces, soft cheeses like triple cream brie, medium-firm cheeses such as Gruyere, rich or starchy vegetables like corn, pumpkin, or squash.

Sauvignon Blanc

Primary Flavors
Gooseberry
Green Melon
Grapefruit
White Peach
Passion Fruit

Sauvignon Blanc is a light to medium bodied and often times dry wine, which is indigenous to Bordeaux on the Atlantic side of France. This vine is an uncommonly vigorous vine that can yield bumper crops without losing its flavor. Sauvignon Blanc’s roots go well back before 1534, when writer Francois Rabelais first mentions the grape in the Loire Valley. This wine usually falls in the heavy citrus circle with some notes of exotic fruits and is always herbaceous. Often times it has a pungent aromas of fresh cut grass, peas, or asparagus to tropical and ripe passion fruit, grapefruit to even mango.
Sometimes Sauvignon Blanc is aged in oak barrels. This creates a more well-rounded and lush wine with creamy or waxy notes and leaves an oil feeling in the mouth.

Food Pairings
Light pairings like halibut, crab, lobster, haddock, bass, cod, salmon, oysters with mignonette, calamari, or herb-driven sauces over chicken, tofu, turkey, pork. Mint, dill, cilantro, chive, rosemary, basil, thyme, bay leaf are great herb pairings. Soft, flavorful cheeses like herb-crusted goat cheese, burrata, or mozzarella di bufala in a caprese salad, nutty cheeses such as Gruyère. Veggies such as cucumber dill salad, fried zucchini, asparagus risotto, green peas, arugula, tomato, artichoke, lemon, lime, zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, leek, and green bean.

Riesling

Primary Flavors
Lime
Green Apple
Myer Lemon
Pear
Peach
Apricot
Beeswax
Jasmine
Petroleum

Traditionally, Riesling is a more on the sweeter end because it needs to balance out the wine’s high acidity, but can be found at varying degrees of sweetness from candy sweet to bone dry. Usually if a wine has a low alcohol percentage, below 9%, it will most likely be on the sweeter side. Riesling grapes are rather small grapes, this means they have a much more intense flavor and ripen very early. They are native to the southwestern German valleys of the Rhine between Frankfurt and Trier. Germany is currently the world’s most important produce of Riesling wines. I myself prefer a nice German Riesling in those lovely blue bottles. Riesling has a naturally strong resistance to oxidation, mostly due to its high acidity levels. This gives it a great aging potential.
Rieslings usually have an intense aroma of orchard fruits, honeycomb, jasmine, or lime peel. Sometimes, usually in an aged wine, you get aromas of petrol, rubber, or diesel fuel.

Food Pairings
The perfect accompaniment to spicy or stronger, bolder foods. Indian and Thai cuisine is a good bet to pair with. Spiced duck leg is a classic dish to pair with Riesling. Duck, Pork, Bacon, Chicken, Shrimp, and Crab with accompaniments of cayenne Pepper, Ginger, Clove, Cinnamon, Allspice, Turmeric, Madras Curry, Sichuan Pepper, Shallots, Soy Sauce, Sesame, Marjoram, Basil, Rice Vinegar, or Teriyaki Sauce.

Pinot Grigio/ Pinot Gris

Primary Flavors
Lemon Zest
Yellow Apple
Melon
Nectarine
Peach
Crushed Gravel

Pinot Grigio grapes are originally from Burgundy. They are technically a red grape, but they lack the gene that provides the color saturation that is needed to make red wines. This is because Pinot Grigio is a mutation of the Pinot Noir red grape. If Pinot Grigio grapes are fermented with their skins on they can produce a nice coppery colored rosé.
Pinot Grigio wines tend to be less sweet due to their medium high to high acidity levels. They have a primarily fruity flavor notes, such as lime, lemon, pear, white nectarine, and apple with aroma notes of almond, clove, ginger, and spice. Depending on where the grapes are grown, they can produce notes of honey or honeysuckle.

Food Pairings
Pairs well with light flaky fish like tilapia with a cream sauce, crab, ceviche, sushi, or scallops. A semi firm to softer cows milk cheese such as triple-cream cheese, Lighter meals of chicken or turkey that include a fruit element such as lemons, oranges, peaches or apricots. Fresh veggies and salads to braised and well-spiced green using shallot, garlic or ginger as their flavor base also pair very well.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Primary Flavors
Black Cherry
Black Currant
Red Bell Pepper
Baking Spices
Cedar

Full bodied red wine that is heavily planted in the Bordeaux region. It is currently planted on around 717,000 acers and is one of the most popular wine verities in the world, thus commonly called the king of grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon is a natural crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc that happened in the 1600s. It has unusually smaller berries that have a thick skin, this results in more flavor, tannins, and color. The Cabernet Sauvignon vines tend to bud later in the spring and the grapes take longer to ripen in the fall.

Food Pairings
Pairs well with foods in high fats and umami flavors like charred gruyere burgers, mushroom pizza, marinated ribeye steak, or braised short ribs. Also pairs well with lamb, beef, smoked meats, or firm cheeses like aged cheddar, or hard cheeses, like pecorino.

Pinto Noir

Primary Flavor
Cranberry
Cherry
Raspberry
Clove
Mushroom

Pinot Noir is a lighter bodied red wine. Burgundy, France is the original home to Pinot Nior and is considered the original wine grape. These grapes have a thin skin, prefer a cooler growing climate, tend to ripen early, usually produce a low yields, and are a demanding grape to farm. Pinot Noir is one of the few red grapes that are usually made into reds, whites, roses, and sparkling wines.

Food Pairings
Pairs great with duck, pork, chicken, and mushrooms. Also goes well with veal, cured meats, cream sauces, soft cheeses, and semi firm chesses like gruyere.

Syrah/Shiraz

Primary Flavors
Blueberry
Plum
Milk Chocolate
Tobacco
Green Peppercorn
Black Pepper
Cured Meat
Violet

Syrah is a full bodied red wine that is heavily grown in Rhone Valley of France and in Australia, where it is called Shiraz. Syrah is a small grape with a thick dark skin, this gives the wine a higher tannin content. Because of its thick skin, it is a common practice to cold soak Syrah grapes for several days. This helps to increase the wines color and fruitiness, while reducing herbaceous flavors and tannins.

Food Pairings
Pairs great with lamb, beef, and smoked meats. Also goes well with firm cheeses like white cheddar and Manchego. Dark and spicy meats like Lamb Shawarma, Gyros, Asian five spice pork, and tandoori meats bring out the fruit notes of the Syrah.