It may officially not be summer however, in the South summer has arrived with temperatures in the 80’s and 90’s. While I personally do not need summer like weather to enjoy Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect summer wine; cold, crisp and usually lower in alcohol. The varietal characteristics of citrusy, herbaceous, cut grass, passion fruit and gooseberry make for a summer food friendly wine.
Round two of my Sauvignon Blanc tasting takes me down under to Marlborough in New Zealand, one of the coldest Sauvignon Blanc prime growing regions. The number of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs available out-numbered the selection of California, French, Chilean or South African Sauvignon Blancs, at least in my buying area. It became clear New Zealand has arrived as a major Sauvignon Blanc producer and Americans are huge fans.
Kim Crawford was probably my first New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. (Kim Crawford Winery produced it’s first wine in 1996 and in 2003 sold the winery to Vincor. “The” Kim Crawford and his wife Erica have since started another winery called Loveblock also in New Zealand making Sauvignon Blanc.) I do recall really liking the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc and started buying more New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. Splurging a little, I tried Villa Maria and Cloudy Bay, considered premium brands. But even at $25 a bottle, it was a steal for a premium wine. Another reason to love Sauvignon Blanc is the value! (Another side note, Kevin Judd who was the winemaker for Cloudy Bay has since also moved on to his new winery called Greywacke, yes also producing Sauvignon Blanc). While the number of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs I have tried are many, I have narrowed my round two tasting to three New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs; Kim Crawford, Oyster Bay and Cloudy Bay. All three are 2014 vintages and easy to find in your local wine or grocery store.
My food pairings were driven by researching what to eat with what you drink in “What to Drink with What you Eat” by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. Sauvignon Blanc food pairings that stood out were: asparagus, artichokes, avocados, apples, chickpeas, crab cakes, cumin, fennel, hummus, Brie, Camembert, feta, goat cheese, mango, cilantro, garlic, tomatoes, turkey, green vegetables, basil, to name just a few. So then I turned to my cookbook collection and starting searching for recipes that sounded good with those ingredients/foods. I decided on Green Pancakes made with spinach from “The French Market Cookbook” by Clotilade Dusoulier and Cabbage, Fennel and Apple Slaw with smoked salmon toasts from “The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon” by Sara Forte and finally some fresh goat cheese coated with dried chiles and fresh herbs.
Part 2 – New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
(Rating scale from “What to Drink with What You Eat” 5 point scale +2 to -2, best to worst)
1. 2014 Oyster Bay
13% alcohol
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough; Wairau Valley and Awatere Valley
Stainless Steel fermented
My tasting notes: Nice overall acidity. When paired with the food the herbs and garlic were nicely accentuated.
Rating +1
2. 2014 Kim Crawford
12.5% alcohol
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough; Wairau Valley and Awatere Valley
Stainless Steel fermented
My tasting notes: Nice citrusy, acidity and tropical fruit characteristics. When paired with the food the citrus characteristics were enhanced. My favorite with the food.
Rating +2
3. 2014 Cloudy Bay
13.5% alcohol
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough; Rapaura, Fairhall, Renwick and Brancott subregions of the Wairau Valley
Stainless Steel fermented
My tasting notes: Nose is distinctively different from the other two. Grassy, grapefruit and stone fruit flavors with a nice big mouth feel.
Good with the food but also a nice wine without food.
Rating +2
What did I learn? New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is a personal favorite. I realized the colder growing region and stainless steel fermentation produces a more herbaceous, citrusy forward wine. I cook with a lot of fresh herbs and vegetables and Sauvignon Blanc enhances the flavor of those ingredients. Oh, and summer also a perfect match! Cheers!
Green Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 4 large eggs 2 whole and 2 separated
- black pepper
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Sauvignon Blanc
- 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk
- 8 oz. spinach finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and a pinch of black pepper. Make an indentation in the center and add 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks. With a fork mix the eggs into the flour mixture. Add garlic, white wine and slowly pour in the milk whisking as you pour. Mixture should be smooth, a few lumps are okay. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- After chilling, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and stir in the chopped spinach and chives.
- In a medium chilled bowl, beat 2 egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gentle fold the egg whites into the flour batter.
- In a large skillet or griddle, heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Ladle about 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet/griddle making a "pancake." Depending on the size of your skillet/griddle about 4-6 pancakes at a time. Flip the pancake after 3-4 minutes, they should be golden in color repeat on the other side.
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