Pop the Cork: A Dinner's best friend

Hey folks. You know the old saying that no meal is complete without wine? Ok well maybe it's not an old saying...it's my saying. Well with that in mind, we are going to write about it.

Welcome to a new column I'll be writing...uh, well whenever I have wine with dinner. That should be quite often. This is a blog about wine, as evidenced by our world wine tour (which we have put on hold for a few weeks due to schedule constraints), so why not just start posting ratings on the stuff we drink at we drink it. I figure it's a great way for us to share our thoughts on a HUGE variety of wines, as well as what how we thought they complimented the meal of the night.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new column, as both Grape Nut and I will be posting them quite frequently. Now, on with the show, but first let me set the stage for you. The meal was stir fry, teriyaki shrimp with peppers and onions. The wine, given to me by a good friend who really loves white wine, was a Sauvignon Blanc.

The Wine: Astica 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Country: Argentina

Region: Mendoza

Vintage: 2005

Category: Sauvignon Blanc

Price: $7.99

Tasting Notes:

The Color: Very, very light straw color.

The Nose: Beautiful and fragrant. Very nice full fruit: apples (as my wife said and I quote "smells like the granny smiths I bake with"), citrus and a little honeydew melon. Wonderful floral/lavender hints.

The Taste: A wonderful explosion of light fruits and citrus right off the bat. Apple and pear flavors are really pronounced up front. Citrus lemon and orange flavors shine through in the middle, with a slight tartness. The finish is very smooth, and flavors of pear, melon and vanilla seem to linger on the tongue.

Overall, I found this wine very enjoyable. For those of you who've drank with me before, perhaps the best comparison I can give you is a Casal Garcia, without the effervescence. The fruit is very nice, but not the type of wine that tastes like coolaid. That's likely because the tartness of the citrus counteracts the sweetness of the apple and pear.

Thanks to my friend Sean for sending me this bottle. I found it to be a very nice companion to my shrimp.

The Verdict: 8 corks