Savvy Sauvignon Blanc

Name: La Playa Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Curico Valley

Country: Chile

Vintage: 2021

Price: $10

Wine Critic Review: "Always eager to explore new wines, we thought we’d try the La Playa Sauvignon Blanc 2020 with our meal of grilled fish tacos. A bargain at just $8.99 from Wine.com, we’d put this up against Sauvingon Blancs at three times that price! The biggest surprise was that we had expected more of a New Zealand style, as most of our Chilean Sauvignon Blanc experiences have been, but La Playa is decidedly NorCal, in our estimation. Pale golden color. Aromas and flavors of fresh tropical fruit; pineapple, mango, and lychee; with citrus, including lime and quince. Soft mouthfeel with medium acidity and a pleasing finish." https://appetiteforwine.blog/2021/02/07/our-wine-of-the-week-la-playa-sauvignon-blanc-2020/

Wine Folly: "A popular and unmistakable white wine that’s loved for its “green” herbal flavors and racy acidity. Sauvignon Blanc grows nearly everywhere and thus, offers a variety of styles ranging from lean to bountiful. 

PRIMARY FLAVORS:

- Gooseberry

- Honeydew

- Grapefruit

- White peach

- Passion fruit

TASTE PROFILE:

• Dry
• Medium-light Body
• None Tannins
• High Acidity
• 11.5–13.5% ABV

HANDLING

• SERVE
  45–55°F / 7-12°C
  
• GLASS TYPE
  White
• DECANT
  No
• CELLAR
  3–5 Years

FOOD PAIRING

When in doubt, go green. Sauvignon Blanc makes a wonderful choice with herb-driven sauces over chicken, tofu, or fish dishes. matched with feta or chèvre, or paired with herb-driven asian flavors such as Thai or Vietnamese cuisine."

My Review:
This was my first time trying Sauvignon Blanc so I was very excited. I decided to buy this wine because it was a product of Chile, which I know is known for making "new world" Sauvignon Blancs. I chilled it before I tried it and I thought it had flavors of apple, lemon, and cat pee. I also detected some floral aromas. It seemed dry to me the first day I tried it. But I went back and tried it the next day and it had opened up more to where I got pineapple flavors. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would probably try it again but pair it with an herb-driven dish as recommended by Wine Folly. 

Rad Riesling

Name: Landshut Riesling

Variety: Riesling

Region: Mosel

Country: Germany

Vintage: 2020

Price: $8

Wine Critic Review: "The Landshut Riesling begins with a pleasing aroma of apple, pear, peach and a little honeysuckle and tropical fruit. The medium-bodied wine tastes smooth with a nice thick mouthfeel. It's medium sweet but balanced by good acidity and has similar flavors as the nose plus some grapefruit in the mouth. This is refreshing stuff for those who like their wines on the sweet side of things. It ends with a sweet (but not cloying) finish. At only 9.5% alcohol this bottle will go down easy!" https://www.reversewinesnob.com/landshut-riesling

Wine Folly:

An aromatic white variety that can produce white wines ranging in style from bone-dry to very sweet. Germany is the world’s most important producer of Riesling.

PRIMARY FLAVORS:

• Lime
• Green Apple
• Beeswax
• Jasmine
• Petroleum

TASTE PROFILE

• Off-dry
• Light Body
• None Tannins
• High Acidity
• Under 10% ABV

HANDLING/SERVE:

38–45°F / 3-7°C

GLASS TYPE:

White

DECANT

CELLAR: 10+ Years

FOOD PAIRING: Off-dry Riesling wines make a great pairing to spicy Indian and Asian cuisines and do excellently alongside duck, pork, bacon, shrimp and crab.

https://winefolly.com/grapes/riesling/

My Review:

This was my first time trying Riesling but I really enjoyed it. I bought this at Aldi while I was grocery shopping. I thought it was sweet, but had a thicker mouth feel to it like almost silky so I would say it was medium-bodied. I tasted apricots, peaches, yellow apples, and pineapple with some honey hints. This was my favorite wine I've tried so far just because of how smooth it went down and how it wasn't too sweet. I would be really interested in trying a dry Riesling next time. 

Pinot Grigio

Name: Cavit Pinot Grigio

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: Northern Italy

Country: Italy

Vintage: 2021

Price: $10

Wine Critic Review: 

"It has a delightful taste profile and light-bodied, dry-semi dry Wine. Cavit Pinot Grigio has low to medium acidity and low tannin. It is a must-have when looking for a light, fresh, yet crisp tasting Wine. The cultivation of grapes plays a considerable role in the final taste of the Wine.

Italian grapes are fun and tend to produce brighter, lighter, and slightly more acidic wines than the ones made in France. Pinot Gris from France tends to have more body and ranges from dry to medium-sweet. However, Pinot Grigio produced in the USA is slightly more fruity but less dry and acidic than its Italian counterparts."

https://ilovewine.com/cavit-pinot-grigio/

Wine Folly: 

Pinot Gris (aka Pinot Grigio) is a pinkish grape mutation of Pinot Noir. It’s famously known for zesty white wines, but can also be used for rosé. Look to Northern Italy, Oregon, and Alsace for benchmark exam.

PRIMARY FLAVORS:

• White Peach
• Lemon Zest
• Cantalope
• Raw Almond
• Crushed Gravel

TASTE PROFILE

Dry

Medium-light Body

None Tannins

Medium-high Acidity

11.5–13.5% ABV

https://winefolly.com/grapes/pinot-gris/

My Review: 

I really liked this Pinot Grigio. I specifically picked it up from the store because it was rated as one of the best brands of Pinot Grigio under $15. It is a very yellow color compared to most other Pinot Grigios. I also thought it was semi-sweet, floral, and I thought it was light-bodied. The major flavor I got was apricot but it was difficult for me to taste because I had a cold at the time that blocked a lot of my smell and taste. I drank this one chilled with some pesto pasta and I thought it paired nicely together.