White wine to drink on its own....

[Tboy]

Hi!

Does anybody have any favourite white whine they just like to drink on its one (ie, without food)? - something you like to just drink at the end of a long day and is refreshing enough on its own to just 'drink'?!

I'll start off - I currently like a good Viognier on its own - my current favourite being a Renwood 2004 Select Series Viognier. I could sip away at that bottle all night just for the great taste of it! :)

[zammdogg]

2006 Kurt Erbes Urzinger Wurzgarten Riesling. Perfect with chinese, brimming with sweetness and a tangerine-like nose, excellent on its own, too

[kerdragon]

I found a Muller-Thurgau from the Baden region of Germany at a wine tasting that I love as an aperitif. Ironically, I haven't managed to figure out a good food match for it.

[rickym13]

i like to drink good high end calif chard on its own:

aubert
kistler
Kongsgaard
sqn
lewis

[ballulah]

I've been telling everyone who will listen about a Greek wine from a nearly extinct varietal that is unbelieveably good: Malagousia. This could quite possibly be a near perfect white wine, peach and apple fruit notes, tart, floral, hint of honeysuckle sweetness, many many layers of complexity in a very drinkable wine. It's artisinally produced in small quantities so it can be hard to find. But wow, if you can find it. Gerovassiliou is the winemaker.

[zammdogg]

Color me intrigued...where've you bought it? Is it possible to order online?

[Bill Hunt]

Do yourself a favor and try a good Gavi d' Gavi. The Coretese grape really shines! Great, light white with a lot of flavors.

Hunt

[Cerise 37]

New Zealand Savignon Blanc is very refreshing and the price is right. I lived in N.Z. for two years and drank alot of their SB. I found their expensive SB wasn't any better than their inexpensive. Sancerre is my all time favorite, but too expensive to drink every night. A French Chardonnay or Chablis (if you like steely) is a nice change.

I am going to try Gavi and Arneis as I have been reading about them in some of the food and wine magazines. Anybody have any comments?

So many wines, so little time!!

Enjoy,

Cerise

[kenito799]

Italian whites are great! So many varieties and regions to choose from, fresh young fun wines. Roero Arneis was my favorite white last year...aromatic, tangy with minerality and floral notes. 05 Funtanin is only $9 at PJWine right now. Gavi and other Cortese are also really nice, crisp, easy drinking, great for warm weather. I just tried some Grechetto from Umbria (05 Chiorri) crisp with a touch of frizzante, pears, hazelnuts, good body. Another delicious varietal is Vermentino di Sardegna, vanilla and tropical fruits, Argiolas has an excellent and inexpensive one.

[cooknKate]

Principessa Gavi is one of my favorite summer whites

[diane419]

orvieto PERFECTO!

[scrappydog]

I agree with many of the suggestions above, and often opt for a NZ Sav Blanc (Babich, for one, but there are scores that we like) or the Pine Ridge mentioned above. In the bargain category, the Bonny Doon Big House White is pleasant at about $6 locally.

[jonathon]

Big House White for $6............? Where is that?.............Randall hasn't made that
wine for at least 2 years now.................

[scrappydog]

Local Trader Joe's last month. I guess it must have been a closeout.

[scrappydog]

They also regularly carry the BH Red at $7.99, and generally, that is always in stock. However, the last two BH Red that I bought were not as good as I remember from earlier years.(At least in my opinion.) I am sure this is not due to the recent sale of the brand, as they were clearly bottled before that. Must be due to a change in the mix or source of grapes used.

[Tboy]

I love the sound of the Pine Ridge...now just to find it up here in Canada! TonyO...where do you get your "case" of this wine from????

[TonyO]

I am in Vermont so most local wine merchants have it (I am near Burlington). I usually shop at Cheese Traders (So. Burlington), Beverage Warehouse (Winooski), or Richmond Beverage (Richmond). I'm not sure about availibility right now as I purchased my case in September / October.

[TonyO]

Try Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc / Viognier blend. At $11, it is a true bargain that can be enjoyed anytime.

[Bill Hunt]

I second the Pine Ridge. Unfortunately, it's all but disappeared from the shelves in PHX. This seemed to happen about the time that Mrs (nee MS) Andres sold PR, but may have had nothing to do with it. Great "welcome" wine.

Hunt

[TonyO]

Agree. One of the wines that make sense to purchase by the case. Funny, I pay about $10 with a 12 bottle discount of 10% and I have seen it on restaurant lists at $35 !

[invinotheresverde]

Andrus. ;)

[Bill Hunt]

I knew that did not look right, when I typed it.

Thanks,

Hunt

[cooknKate]

I love that one too.....I love the balance of the exotic Viognier and the steely Chenin. Thankfully I can find it all the time!

[cooknKate]

I love sipping a good Viognier too, and it you like that, you may enjoy a Torrontes from Argentina. It's another exotic and heady white. And while I agree that a good Alsace gewurtztraminer is lovely, I have had wonderful gewurtz. from South Africa as well.

[Conleywd3]

My boyfriend and I really like La Crema Chardonnay. Its around $20 so we don't do it all the time, but its a nice treat!

[Chicago Mike]

White wine on their own ??? Excluding dessert wines I'd say the following.... These would be some favorites, in more or less the order that they came to my mind....

1) A great Loire Chenin Blanc... I love this wine on it's own... probably my single-favorite "white wine on it's own"....

2nd would probably be....

2) A great Alsace Gewurztraminer... pure nectar in a great vintage...

3) A truly great Chardonnay... from anywhere.... Australia, France, US, don't care... there are so many good or very good Chardonnays out there... and so few GREAT ones.... just thinking about it makes me want to find one....

4) A great riesling.... or a very good one.... there's just nothing not to like....

There's others.... but ANY of the above works for me on it's own in a major way....

[Chinon00]

Addressing your number 3) it appears as though you consider Chardonnay to be somewhat derivative. True?

[Robert Lauriston]

What do you mean by "derivative"? Makes no sense to me in this context.

[Chinon00]

Assuming that Chadonnay is one general thing being closely copied from an "original".

[Robert Lauriston]

I don't understand what you mean by that in regard to a varietal.

A lot of winemakers around the world take Burgundy as their role model, which makes sense, since the winemakers there have been refining their techniques for centuries and the best are among the most highly prized bottles in the world.

[Chinon00]

We've been down this path before (and I'm afraid that we will again). The "California" Chardonnay is nothing like Chablis or Chardonnay that I've had from Italy or Germany. Grapes of any varietal are often a reflection of where they happen to be grown or of the goal of the particular wine maker. Chardonnay is not derivative but reflects its origin across the globe. It is not "one thing". Certainly a lot of wine makers take Burgundy as the model but that doesn't encompass "one thing" does it?

[Robert Lauriston]

Definitely not. It's not even one thing in Burgundy--so much not that they distinguish Chablis from Burgundy, even though it's in the region.

[Chicago Mike]

Well I honestly think you can say similar things about ALOT of different varietals... that their taste and texture is different from one region of the world to another... But at the end of the day are they so different that I can't tell they're from the same varietal ? Not to me anyway, although I appreciate that you find them to be that different...

The real key for me is that I like chardonnay from almost everywhere it's grown... as opposed to Chenin Blanc and Gewurztraminer, for example, where I find the best expressions to be from the Loire and Alsace respectively.

And on the subject of white wine to drink "on it's own", I find I can get a bottle of ethereal CB, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling with relative consistency, whereas finding what strikes me as a "monumental" chardonnay occurs with less predictability DESPITE the vast quantity of chardonnay offerings produced around the world.

[Chicago Mike]

To answer what I think Chinon's question is, and it's just my personal preference....

I believe there's certainly a core "chardonnay essence" that doesn't change from style to style... whether the wine is a viscous/buttery style or a "flinty/elegant" style... at the essential level it's still "chardonnay", at least to me...

And the perfume and flavor of a GREAT chardonnay is an over-the-top experience. But a much smaller percentage of chardonnay's (from anywhere) get to that sublime level, than do Chenins, Gewurztraminers, and Rieslings, IMO.... just my palate.

There's plenty of very drinkable chardonnays, wines that match great with food, etc. But do they reach an ethereal level, not that often for me, unfortunately.... That's why I'm so knocked out by them when I find one!

[Robert Lauriston]

The best white Burgundies I've had were so radically different from other chardonnays that I could easily believe they were made from different grapes. If I'd been tasting them blind I might have thought they were reds.

Same goes for the best red Bordeaux.

[drobbia]

-This certainly confirms the reality of "terroir".Chardonnay is a varietal, where it is grown and oftentimes the winemakers touch and the vineyard managers dedication assists in the production of the final product.
A Chardonny tasting from around the world (at similiar price points) would quickly demonstate that blind tasted, one could easily perceive a few as red wines. It's the terroir not the varietal.

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Absolutely, because it is well known that the Chardonnay grape is probably the most malleable in the world.

And what do you mean by "the same goes for the best red Bordeaux?"

[Chinon00]

In your OP you were very specific with your first two choices; Alsace Gerwuztraminer and Loire Chenin Blanc. Then in your third choice you stated "Chardonnay from anywhere", which implied to me that you condsidered chardonnay in general to be at least as predictable as Gerwurz from Alsace or CB from the Loire.

[Campania]

Fiano di Avellino. It is hard to get a hold of. Get Macchialupa if you can find it.
It's medium gold appearance is telling of the toasted hazelnuts, almonds, and honey that highlight its fabulous taste. Native flowers, pears, apricots, and citrus fruits may be detected along with acacia (native tropical trees), hawthorn (native thorny trees or shrubs), mint, and fennel.

[kenito799]

Inexpensive Alsatian blends like Hugel Gentil or Pierre Sparr One are aromatic and nice to sip.

[MMRuth]

I agree - as are their Pinot Blancs.

[AreBe]

Pinot Gris - I'm still exploring to learn the names of producers I like.

[Chinon00]

To me "refreshing" implies simpler wines and often with noticeable acid. And for me a wine that is to be enjoyed on it's own tends to be bigger and softer. So that would mean (again for me) southern rhone whites, big California Chardonnay, southern Italian whites, etc. Basically, anything low acid and fleshy.

[Bill Hunt]

I tend to agree. The Cal-Chards, especially, are not *usually* all that food-friendly, unless one is having a creme sauce. For stand-alone wines, I'll usually grab something from your list, or similar. Now, as an aperitif, I'll grab for a mouth-watering SB, especially if it is likely to preceed a first course, that will accompany a second glass.

However, as I type, I'm working on a glass of that "house wine" of mine, Conundrum, which does go very well with many foods, especially if there's a touch of "heat."

Hunt

[Tboy]

Interesting. I think I've only ever had Roussane in a blend...what's it like alone????

[drobbia]

multi layered,leechee nut,almonds,long finish == be sure to drink it at cellar temp .

[drobbia]

Try the Qupe Bien Nacido Hillside Estate(04) Roussane for a exceptoinally smooth stand alone white, a little high in alc.(14.5) but the result is a multi layered delight.

[tomi]

i like something that have a bit of sweetness in it. i like the Linginfielder, bird label Riesling Germany, got a hint of citrus, floral, easy to drink. Main Divine Savignon Blanc new zealand, lot of grapefruit, good with food and also good with itself.

hope that help
tomi

[Tboy]

Any particular Sauv Blanc Robert? Any favourite?

[Robert Lauriston]

With one exception (a $6 bottle at Trader Joe's), I've liked every Marlborough s.b. I've tried, so usually I just go for what's cheapest. My favorite is the Giesen but it's hard to find.

Currently I'm working through a case of 2004 Haute Victoire Quincy, cost around $10 a bottle.

[rabaja]

In SF, you can get the Giesen at the Jug Shop on Polk and also at Cost Plus in Fisherman's Wharf, both places carry it for $9.99. Can't think where in the East Bay, but these two places have been reliable.

[zin1953]

Saw it this evening at Andronico's on Shattuck.

[Robert Lauriston]

I saw the 05 Giesen Adams Block at the Richmond, CA, Costco today for $13.79.

[Robert Lauriston]

For an aperitif, I like a high-acid sauvignon blanc, e.g. Marlborough or Sancerre.

[tanveer42]

'Such a useful thread I’ve been looking this topic everywhere!'

[url=http://www.winedrop.co.uk/search.asp?...] Sauvignon Blanc[/url]