Jane's Weekly Wines from the Atlanta Wine School PRINT AND GO VERSION July 13, 2006 Around the Pool Wines *************************************************************************************** RETAILERS WHO SUPPORT THIS COLUMN AND HAVE HAD THIS LIST OF WINES IN ADVANCE. Corner Wine & Art, 1402 N. Highland Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30306 -- 404-875-8810 Home Town Wine & Spirits, 4856 Hog Mountain Rd, Flowery Branch, GA --770-965-6058 The Colors of Wine, 2355 Cumberland Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30339 -- 770-432-2828 Sigman Bottle Shop, 425 Sigman Road - Conyers, GA 30012 -- 770-929-8797 Shiraz, 675 Pulaski Street, Suite 400, Athens, GA 30601 -- 706-208-0010 Windward Beverage, 12915 Hwy 9, Alpharetta, GA 30004 -- 678-566-3301 IS YOUR WINE SHOP NOT LISTED HERE? HAVE THEM CALL 770-668-0435 *************************************************************************************** Wyndham Estate Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc "Bin 777" 2005 South Australia Medium-bodied dry white wine; pale greenish straw. Clean delicate scent of lemongrass, canned peas (a typical and frequent in Australian/New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc) and herbs; flavors pick up passion fruit, with a zesty kick of good acidity (7.3% TA) adding length to the finish. White pizza with pesto; chicken salad with tarragon or poulet à l'estragon; Asian dishes with lemongrass; Koean dumplings dipped in ponzu sauce; crab cakes; sautßed soft-shell crab; raw or steamed oysters with lemon; mussels vinaigrette or cold with mayonnaise; National Distributing Co. $9 88 ************************************************************************************* Cline Cellars White Truck Pinot Grigio 2004 California Medium-bodied off-dry white wine; slightly coppery pale yellow. Exotic aromas suggest honeysuckle and white peach blossom; white peach flavors with the merest suggestion of aromatic brown spices. Pretty mid-palate with ripe white peach flavors, with lots of Pinot Noir flavors. Classic of Pinot Grigio, thanks to . Grapes: Pinot Grigio (92%); Muscat Canellil (8%). Moderately chilled, about 60 degrees, and yuo'll keep fruit coming. Very important, in my view, not to get this one too cold., so keep to about 60 degrees. Paella or paella salad; cous cous or cous cous salad; wild salmon salad with olive and fresh roasted roasted vegetables; salads with exotic dressings, such as curry mayonnaise with poached breast of chicken sliced and arranged on a bed of salad greens; grilled chicken and yellow stone fruit *peaches sliced), and the whole arranged on a bed of greens. Atlanta Wholesale Wine $11 90 ************************************************************************************* French Rabbit Chardonnay 2004 Vin de Pays d'Oc, France Medium-bodied dry white wine; medium pale yellow. Aromas suggest pear and a bit of almond; simple white fruit flavors--pear and white melon--with a clean, pleasant finish. Easy to enjoy. Full liter Tetra pak bottle with a screw cap. Refrigerator friendly, unlike many such cartons, and doesn't get mushy when set in ice. Can be recycled. Serve well chilled as a quaffer. Simple picnic fare, best as an aperitif: But will work with some foods, such as mayonnaise dressed potato salad (really good), dishes with exotic seasonings, such as curried chicken or shrimp salad with bell peppers; salmon ceviche with citrus juices and red onion; cous cous salad; paella salad. Does not like hefty garlic. Empire Distributing $14 (liter) 86 ************************************************************************************* Shoofly White 2005 South Australia Medium-bodied dry white wine; medium pale straw. Clean, fruit-filled aromas melding grapefruit and lime, while flavors uphold a complex arrangement of grapefruit, peach, lime and a touch of passion fruit. Good mid-palate, with flavors that take the complexity all the way to the crisp, long finish. Grapes: Verdelho leads (55%), followed by Viognier (22%), Sauvignon Blanc (18%) and Riesling.(5%), and you can taste all of their roles in this wine. Very well done. Stelvin screw cap closure for easy picnic pouring. Very food friendly: Lightly salted potato chips and French onion dip; fish salads; soft-shell crab; white pizza; dishes with pesto; herb/garlic Boursin on angel-hair pasta with a dab of olive oil; poached fish on greens with aïoli, steamed chilled mussels with home-made mayonnaise; chicken tarragon salad; pasta salad with fresh herbs and garlic dressing; pasta tossed with garlic/herb Boursin; Korean dumplings with pnzu dipping sauce United Distributing $13 90 ************************************************************************************* Domaine Houchart Rosé 2005 Côtes de Provence, France Medium-bodied dry rosé wine; medium reddish pink. Fine aromas of red fruits, well integrated, with no single element dominant. Refreshing red fruit flavors, raspberry especially prominent, touches of candied apple and cotton candy (the flavor, not the sweetness). Very long finish. Good acidity. Extremely well structured and balanced. Also an extremely good value. Grapes: A veritable fruit salad, including Grenache (35%), Syrah (25%), Cinsault (20%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%), Mourvèdre (5%) and others (5%). Serve moderately chilled, about 55 degrees. Aperitif wine, with light appetizers, such as salmon mousse, sushi and sashimi, Chinese barbecued spare ribs or pork barbecue buns; spring rolls, ham salad or ham croquettes. Also fried chicken (especially if it has a little spice to it); cold smoked salmon (awesome), grilled ham steak, barbecued chicken, smoked breast of lamb with mild barbecue sauce Atlanta Wholesale Wine/NDC $10 90 ************************************************************************************* Cellier des Dauphines Rouge 2003 Côtes du Rhône, France Medium-bodied dry red wine; medium deep ruby red. Aromas of black fruits, black raspberry prominent, evolves dried cherry note; flavors settle on black fruits with a good hit of black pepper, signaling the presence of Syrah perhaps in the blend. Finish seems a bit hot, so foods with some richness are needed. Firm but not aggressive tannins. Excellent value. Intriguing recycling of a traditional bottle shape. Don't fear to cool down to about 60 degrees, cellar temperature. Smoked liverwurst (Patak); fried or grilled chicken, grilled lamb, hanger or flank steak sliced and laid across greens, red wine Dijon mustard vinaigrette or with brie cheese drizzle; grilled vegetables; smoked beef ribs, asado de tira (cross-cut flanken) with chimichurri sauce (don't make it too spicy hot), grilled pork tenderloin, burgers and pizza Atlanta Wholesale Wine/NDC $9 88