These days, even the most novice of wine drinkers is familiar with Sauvignon Blanc. Even if you haven't had it, you've likely heard of it. The field of Sauvignon Blanc is a vast one. With many different parts of the world producing wine from the same grape, it can seem daunting as to where to look for a great selection.
We have stumbled upon a fabulous Sauvignon Blanc that comes to us from Marlborough, New Zealand.
It's important to know that not all Sauvignon Blancs were created equal, much like most wines out there. This wine can range dramatically from region to region. In France, a Sauvignon Blanc might be grassy, herbal and even minerally. When you taste a minerally wine, you will notice a flinty almost smoky flavor in the backround. This often adds a balance to the fruit flavors of the wine.
In California, these wines might taste more citrus-y, meaning you will pick up notes of grapefruit, lemon and other types of citrus flavors. A Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is often very fruity, accented by flavors similar to mango, pineapple and tangerine. The Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc beautifully exemplifies these characteristics. A lot of this has to do with both the terroir, (that's our wine buzz word of the day to you newer wine enthusiasts!) which is the soil, climate and other natural factors that affect the grape while it's growing as well as what us wine enthusiasts call the vinification process...which quite simply is the way it's made. This wine is fermented in steel barrels. Wine is most commonly fermented in either steel or oak barrels and you can definitely taste the difference between the two.
The flavors of this New Zealand variety are very tropical and lively. We found it to be simply delicious. We also pictured ourselves on Dave's mother's patio in Bristol, RI on a warm summer day with water views...that's what this wine makes you want to do...always a good selling point. And at $20 per bottle it's probably the cheapest way to transport yourself to a nicer place.
Now what do we drink this with?
This wine is tricky because it isn't great with everything. But some of our research shows that it is fabulous with lemony seafoods, orzo salads, chicken and a handful of other things. We found it best with seared sea scallops. Here is our impressive but incredibly easy scallop dish.....enjoy!
Seared Sea Scallops with Lemon and Garlic
10 sea scallops (to serve 2, if you want to feed an army you'll have to get a lot more)
1 lemon
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp EVOO
sea salt to taste
black pepper
-Rinse the scallops and pat dry with a paper towel, be sure there's no water left on them
-Add the EVOO to the pan (if it's not enough to coat the bottom of the pan add a little more)
-Once the heat is HOT (in Dave's word "you wanna see smoke comin' off of that pan!"), add your scallops one at a time to the pan and DO NOT TOUCH--that's the secret to searing you see
-Allow the scallop to cook for 2-3 minutes until the edge becomes golden brown (NOW you can touch them...the searing action has detached them from the pan at this point)
-Flip those little suckers over and do the same on the other side--don't forget the 'no touch' rule
-Add one smashed clove of garlic (take the clove in it's peel and place your knife on top of it and use your hand to smash...the peel will come right off) to the pan and let it brown slightly then take it right back out so it doesn't burn (discard)--turn the heat down to a medium-low at this point
-Squeeze in half of a lemon's worth of juice and add your 2 tbsp of unsalted butter. Swirl around the pan, and cook for a minute more.
-Season with salt and pepper at the end and finito!!
*Note: Scallops do not usually need much salt. This dish takes a little technique but once you've tried it, you will realize how easy it is. It is also very impressive. I recommend making them on your next date (Disclaimer--If your date, like the majority of Daves, does not go well we are NOT responsible).
Serve this with your new friend Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and some other fun side dish!
Cheers,
Dave and Trish
I have to say, as a lover of SB, I was a bit disappointed by Cloudy Bay. Not because it wasn't good, but because it was exactly as good as every other Marlborough region SB, but at twice the price. Cloudy Bay has always been considered the standard bearer for Marlborough SBs, so I was excited to finally try it. It tastes (to me) *exactly* like Oyster Bay, even $9 a bottle Cupcake! I expected something similar but w/more depth.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading Jane...great feedback! It all comes down to personal preference at the end of the day.
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