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I was at dinner the other night in Malaysia where the taitai hostess was being more than usually anal about food and wine matching. I am sure that the only reason why I was there was to provide a line of defence should somebody raise objection to the "overtly flintiness" of the Hungarian Riesling when being consumed with an entree made from the produce of a wayward Russian sturgeon.
She was in raptures about the "texture of the caviar" working in contrast to the "viscous minerality" of the riesling and constantly berated the perspiring wine waiter about the incorrect temperature of the wine, in an al fresco setting so hot and muggy that fried eggs could have been cooked on the pavement and which left me drinking as fast as I was sweating just to stay upright - all a bit obsessive and kinda hard work for what should have been a lazy relaxing Saturday evening.
There are some basics to drinking wine when being bothered with the necessity of eating at the same time, like keeping it cold if it is white, but not so cold that it freezes the fruit out of the flavour, and decanting it if it is aged and throwing a crusty sediment. These rules are great, but like all fun things in life are best acknowledged and then scrupulously ignored in the interests of science and discovery.
The one thing that one cannot take away from today`s offer is that over the past few years of us being in business, this wine has outsold almost every other white wine in a very crowded market place. We have looked at a LOT of pinot gris and this is the only New World version of the varietal so far that we have got excited about - and the database seems have agreed in terms of orders and re-orders.
Rockburn Winery from Central Otago is famous for its Pinot - much like it neighbours in that part of the world. Whilst most of the world is still gorging on Sauvignon Blanc at every occasion, many people are turning to this style of wine as a much-needed relief to the mountains of green capsicum and cats pee SB concoctions that are blocking our supermarket aisles every day.
It has all the sexy acid of a SB, but a lot more elegantly dusted spice and density of stone fruit and juicy pear flavour. It is made for drinking now, but can be cellared like a Semillon if you wish.
Bottom line - it`s a great frosty cold alternative for just about any moment - from hot, muggy dinner parties to something just to take the edge off a long day in the trenches, and I reckon it goes with any kind of food short of raw venison haunch...
The Offer: Rockburn Pinot Gris 2010
$32 net
$30 per bottle net case price
(Names and places have been changed to keep me out of trouble...)
To Order:
"...Why Pay Retail...?"
PHONE ORDERS AND ENQUIRIES: 6296-1914
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