Wow.   What a beautifully crafted Sauvignon Blanc!

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a wine that gets many people into drinking wine.   They are ripe, easy drinking and approachable.   The ones I like best are the ones that have the powerful fruity nose and bright, acidic finish.   And, the best of the best are perfectly fine on their own, no food necessary  :-)

The Silver Birch is a perfect example of a wonderful Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.   The scent?  Ready for this?   Grapefruit, fresh cut grass, ripe melon, guava, passion fruit, key lime and leaves.   Ripe, fruity mouthfeel and delicious acidic finish.  Very refreshing.   This is a great wine to have on hand in case your friends stop by for an impromptu BBQ.  IF you can share it!

$23 for a 3 liter box.   Find it, and buy it.   Now.

GRAND SLAM!

OK, I’ll admit…  I bought this wine because I loved the name, and the bottle!   I mean, the top of it looks like the top of a jam jar, how cute!

At first whiff…   wow, the fruit really comes out.   The strawberry/raspberry jammy scent shows the wine lives up to its name.   Also get notes of pepper.   SWEET midpalate, light fruity finish.   Very different and its a great bottle to drink on its own – it would be very easy to drink the whole bottle!   The tannin structure is pretty non-existant so this is not a bottle for those wine snobs out there but its great for those who are a fan of sweeter, fruitier wines.

$10 per bottle

Triple

I paid $3.99 for this wine.   Seriously!   Regular price is $6.99.   My friend’s Elena’s husband has a motto when it comes to wine – “Buy if cheap”, and this is cheaper than his beloved Yellowtail!

In the bottle, the wine looks clear like water.   When I poured it into the glass, the color was very pale yellow.   And there were bubbles in the glass, interesting!

OK, time to smell and taste.   Lemon lime on the nose, like the imitation Sprite they sell at A&P.   Also a hint of fresh cut flowers.   Fizzy mouthfeel, very light finish.   The alcohol content is only 9.5% but I still had the aftertaste of taking a lemon drop shot.   Refreshing, best if served very cold.   Might taste better on the beach!

Single at $6.99, Double at $3.99!

I have decided to change the format of the blog, mainly so I have the opportunity to post more wines!

I’m no longer going to exclusively review rated wines.   I had started this to try the Wine Spectator value wines from 2009 but they are pretty difficult to find!   Also, I’d like to give smaller, less known wineries a chance.   Some of the best bottles I have ever tasted were from wineries that do not even have a distributor.

Wines will still be under $15, and since spring weather is here I will be adding more whites to the mix as well.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading!  

Oooooh, smells like dark chocolate covered cranberries.   Not the chocolate covered cranberries you usually find in the supermarket but the more expensive Belgian chocolate covered dried cranberries.   Yum.   A bit of dirt and tobacco as well on the nose.   Amazing, spicy midpalate and a big finish – lingering fruit, yet dry.   I can’t wait to drink this again, maybe with steak or a burger.   A merlot with lots of ooomph!

$12/bottle

Home Run

Do you like a fresh, crisp Chardonnay?  Dislike those creamy, buttery, oaky ones?   Well, this is the chardonnay for you!   Extremely well made with lovely notes of apple on the nose and a lime aftertaste.   Refreshingly citrusy.   I would love to try this with pesto!

$12/bottle

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