Skip to main content

Summer Whites from Italy


 
Life has not been lived entirely through Rosé colored wine glasses this summer. I have also been pouring a variety of reasonably priced lighter Italian white wines as well. In addition to being fairly wallet sensitive and easy to find, they are refreshing and food friendly, making each of these perfect for summer sipping.


2011 Bolla Soave Classico 883 Selection
I received this as a media sample but I would purchase it again. It is easy to find, it is affordable at under $10 and it is a versatile wine to keep on hand. Floral aromas of honeysuckle with lemongrass and a fresh citrus flavor. Dry, light to medium body, medium+ acidity and a mineral laced finish. I served this as a poolside aperitif before a casual early weekend supper with my brother's family where it was well received.


 2009 Tommasi il grigio Ramato Pinot Grigio 
This wine was purchased for approximately $15 at Spec's. While this wine is made from the familiar Pinot Grigio grape, in this particular wine, the juice was left in contact with the skins, as in red wine production, for 36 hours resulting in a coppery-orange colored different style of Pinot Grigio more similar to a rosé wine. Pronounced aromas and flavors of citrus, apples and berries. Dry, medium body, medium acidity with a smooth fruity finish.  I served this with an easy dinner of take-out rotisserie chicken, tossed salad and rosemary bread. 



2011 Fontana Candida Frascati Superiore Secco
This wine comes from the Frascati DOC near Rome. I think I purchased this for approximately $10 at Whole Foods. Aromas and flavors of lemon and almond with a light citrus blossom floral note. Dry, light body, medium+ acidity with a slightly nutty finish. I served this wine with grilled shrimp and rice pilaf. An easy wine with an easy meal, very nice.






2012 Banfi Centine Toscana IGT  
I received this as a media sample but it is also easy to find at approximately $12. This wine is sourced from southern Tuscany and is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. It had aromas and flavors of grapefruit and pear with a light herbal note. Dry, medium body and acidity with a soft fruity finish. I served this with grilled chicken breasts and vegetables.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for reading Wine Life - Houston.

Popular posts from this blog

"The Zen of Zin" Tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks

On Friday evening, my husband and I attended the Zinfandel wine tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks. My husband gets totally pumped up for any and all things Zinfandel but what I found really intriguing in the line up of wines were the aged offerings. Brent Sloan, managing partner at Houston's premier wine storage facility Nos Caves Vin, had provided Fleming's with four 18 year old bottlings and one 17 year old bottling from his collection of some of his favorites. I found this interesting because 1. I don't believe that I have ever had an 18 year old Zinfandel before this evening and 2. From various wine classes, I had always heard that at best Zinfandel had very limited aging ability. So, I was definitely excited to give these wines a taste. There were also an additional five younger Zinfandel wines that are some of Fleming's best sellers. The entire tasting line up for the evening included: 2009 Orin Swift Saldo - California 2007 Schulz "Lampyridae...
5 comments
Read more

Spanish Wine under a Houston Sunset

I was asked to speak about Spanish wine and to conduct a tasting at the 30th birthday party of Kyla Kennedy on the rooftop patio of her and her fiancé, Jonathan Garrett's home this past Saturday. They invited a great group of friends with a new interest in wine tasting. Jonathan had the idea after the two had watched the movie "Somm" and had become interested in learning more about the wines of the world.  For our tasting tour of Spain: Anna de Coderniu Brut Cava * - Guests loved this Spanish sparkler! They found the history of the winery interesting and enjoyed the refreshing style of the wine. The birthday girl named the subtle tropical and citrus aromas like a pro. 2012 Burgan's Rias Baixas Albarino - Guests talked about the fresh peach aromas and the crisp taste. Many felt this could be their summer sipper.  2012 Raimat Costers del Segre Albarino* - Guests were interested in learning about this lesser known area, the innovative winery and how ...
6 comments
Read more

A Tropical Staycation with Spy Valley E Block

After a fair amount of traveling this summer with more still to come, I was looking forward to spending time at home with my family this week. Both of my millennial children have recently moved back to Houston but the home-cooked meals have been few and far between. I had recently received a sample of the Spy Valley E Block Sauvignon Blanc 2017 along with an invitation to participate in an on-line tasting with the Wine Pairing Weekend group (find them online under the hashtag #Winepw), this became the inspiration for this family gathering. I gleefully sent out a group text, "I'm grilling poolside tonight, be home by 7:30 p.m. to eat, come earlier if you want to swim." I am surrounded by funny people as the responses reflect, "Who is this?", "What have you done with my mom?", "Not a good night, Bachelor in Paradise is on." I was undeterred, I knew that they would come. I pulled the bottle out of the wine fridge to investigate what I was ...
6 comments
Read more