Think all wines taste the same? Well, that’s not true at all. Pairing good food with good wine is important, but sometimes difficult. Enter the “perfect pair” authorities at Harney’s Wine & Liquors. At Harney’s, we specialize in helping you find the perfect wine every time. Enjoy the following blog of "Ed The Wine Guy." Ed gives his personal take on wines that we carry. You just may find your new favorite!
PINE RIDGE CHENIN BLANC + VIOGNIER 2013 CALIFORNIA
We owe gratitude to France for giving us so many varieties of grapes and for the wine-making techniques that bring out the best of those grapes. Bordeaux, Cotes du Rhone, Provence Rose, Champagne, Burgundy are among the very best wines in the world, thanks to France. Chenin Blanc and Viognier, white wine grapes, originated in France, but France never would have blended the two grapes as Pine Ridge, California has done. The result is a truly unusual, unique wine: 80% Chenin Blanc, contributing acidity and honeyed fruit, and 20% Viognier, contributing softness and intense aromas; there is no oak in this wine. It is a dry wine (not sweet). Dry and sweet (sugar) are at opposite poles; you can have a fruity dry wine, and you can have a fruity sweet wine. Hopefully the distinction will help you purchase the wine that you are looking for. This wine is a fruit bomb! I defy anyone to detect all of its aromas and flavors. A partial list would have to include: honey, peaches, honeydew melon, pineapple, grapefruit, etcetera. The cooling effect that this wines produces makes it a perfect deck-wine on a hot day, and it is an excellent complement to spicy Asian food.
