Week 1 Wine Review:Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc 2008

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Our first wine in the series, “13 Wines in 13 Weeks” is a very fruitful Sauvignon Blanc by Veramonte from Casablanca Valley, Chile. I’ve always enjoyed a nice white wine. I was in the middle of preparing a spicy four pepper garlic shrimp pasta dish when I decided to compliment it with the Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc.

This particular wine had taken me by surprise. Why you ask? Lets start off with the screw top. Hmmm…I’m still not sure about screw tops. I’ve heard pros and cons. The last time I had a screw top wine I punched a hole in the middle of the cap with my corkscrew, not even noticing the circular rings at the top of the bottle. Don’t laugh, I’m sure a few of you have already done the same thing. This time I already knew! So there!

What I found surprising about the Veramonte SB is it is heavy on the aroma and taste of grapefruit. Now, let me say for the record I am not a fan of grapefruit. With that I was a bit disappointed. I had to remind myself to keep an openmind as I have yet to finish dinner. The SB as a very light almost white in color. The aroma is bold, but contains itself within the glass. The taste of grapefruit rolls across your tongue as if you were having a nice slice of grapefruit for breakfast.

One of the reasons why this wine is so bold and lively is because it is fermented in stainless steel barrels, not French Oak. So no oak overtones. For those who are sensitive to oak, this is a great wine to try.

As I had prepared the table and served angel hair pasta with my sauteed shrimp using black course pepper, cayenne, chipolte and red crushed pepper along with fresh garlic and basil. The character of the wine changed from a bold grapefruit overtone to a nice smooth airy Sauvignon Blanc. Remember what you prepare for the table will change the flavor of your wine. In this case, the spices toned it down. I enjoyed the wine more with my meal than I did by itself. Again, because I’m not a big grapefruit fan.

For $11 it’s worth a try. Compliments well with a light salad, seafood and pastas. I’ll go further and pair it with a nice pork loin, some grilled chicken and vegetable skewers.

Enjoy!

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