After last weeks stirring post on Sauvignon Blanc, I figure I’ll get as much mileage as I can, and while the weather cooperates.  No I’m not hitting the panic button yet.  We’ve got plenty of Summer to go.   And I’m going to enjoy squeeze every drop out of it I can.   Well, at least I’l enjoy some great vino in the process.

I’m working in reverse order here.  The meal and wine for this week actually took place before the 4th of July Holiday, which was written about a week ago to rave reviews.  Or maybe that’s all in my head, oops.  Well anyhoo, here we go!

A dear friend of mine, who has hosted dinner parties in the past, was preparing a decadent meal of chicken stir fry.   This always leads to great adventures in wine pairing.  After a brief discussion we both instinctively and in unison Sauvignon Blanc would complement this dish to its fullest.

Because a lot of green and vegetables were going to be used, the Blanc was the correct choice.   I did a bit of research as to why, which confirmed what we were thinking.  You want the wine to contain at least some of the herbs, greens, and potentially even some fruits that were being used in the dish.  This is simple enough and a user-friendy aspect of wine and food pairing.

And to keep the simple theme going, the first bottle I spotted was an old reliable, the Starborough Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.  Try saying that a few times without getting tongue tied.  Admittedly, that label drew me in the first time I grabbed this bottle, going on 5+ years ago.

The 2015 version tasted the same as I remember.  It’s smooth, easy to drink, and I tend to forget or not care about what might be in it.   But as my knowledge and curiosity gradually expands, I want to learn more.  At the time of our meal I didn’t care.   However, I did sense some grapefruit and to my pleasant surprise, I was right.   Summer fruits such as kiwi, guava, and passion fruit are mentioned but, I was hard pressed to detect those as I was sipping.  Maybe next time or maybe in the next life.  But fresh cut grass?  I got to sip on this again.

As we had our dinner, I wasn’t doing any research.  That would be poor form and lacking in manners.  I did snag a few pictures before I ate just to get that out of that way.

The meal was stellar as usual.

The wine pairing was spot on but it was almost too easy to drink.  It’s a discrepancy I’ll get into briefly.   I paid $13.99 for this bottle at a local wine shoppe.   I think it drinks for no more than a $10.00.  Why do I say that?  Because I’m so used to standard labels that you find in many stores, that cost $9.99 or less.  It’s just an observation and a few dollars in the grand scheme things is not the end of the world.  But it’s the principle.  I think that makes sense.

What makes absolute sense was the great company and great food prepared by my pal.   It’s the simple times with good people and good conversation that make this life worthwhile.  And it makes this one of the easier posts to do.

If you’re interesting in purchasing this wine, this link will be your friend.  The lower the price, the better.

More to come.

Best,

Ideen