For the first wine I decided to keep things somewhat the same and start out with a sparkling wine. I tasted the Mumm Napa Cuvée "M" Sparkling Wine (retail $22).
While Mumm Napa is the American venture of the French Champagne house it is by no means an old world style wine. Sourcing most of their fruit from Carneros, Mumm Napa allows their fruit to ripen on the vine well past the French limitations. This allows for more luscious fruit flavors in this award winning wine. As a side note, the term Cuvée in a sparkling wine refers to the first and best juice from the press. That quality definitely shows in this great California wine offering cream, pineapple, apricot and a hint of citrus on the nose. This wine exhibited mellow upfront fruit with a long smooth peachy finish on the palate. I'd try pairing this wine with grilled jumbo prawns topped with mango-pineapple cilantro salsa and drizzled with a champagne sabynon creme. For More information on Mumm Napa please visit www.mummnapa.com. The next summer wine selection comes from the Iberian Peninsula.
The Broadbent Vinho Verde (retail $12) is simply a must-have patio wine for the summer. As Portugal's most popular white varietal this refreshing wine is what I like to refer to as a lawnmower wine or a wine to drink after a long day of yard work in 90 degree sunny weather. It's mild 9% ABV won't go straight to your head on a warm day. "Verde" meaning "Green" refers to the youth at which the wine is designed to be drank, however, in the case of Broadbent it doubles as a hint toward the subtle lime color of this lightly sparkly wine. For those of you who may have recognized the name Broadbent (Michael Broadbent) this is indeed a wine selection created by him and his son, Bartholomew. I don't suggest picking a wine by its label, but this one is sure to catch your eye. Bartholomew Broadbent's niece Alice painted the label, when she was four. The wine itself is a blend of three Portugese varietals that (50% Loureiro, 40% Trajadura and 10% Pedernã) are indigenous to the Vinho Verde region. This fantastic lightly sparkling wine offers fragrances of citrus, hay and pineapple on the nose. Clean and fresh spicy fruit lead to a tangy and effervescent crisp finish with subtle hints of mineralty in the outro in this Portuguese beauty. It is suggested that you drink Vinho Verde within a year of purchase to preserve its freshness and character. Vinho Verde makes a brilliant pairing with any fish, shellfish, or poultry. I suggest pairing it up with some pan seared sea bass in a creamy citrus sauce with poached broccoli and grilled summer squash. If you're interested in more information on Broadbent and the wines they produce please check out: www.broadbent-wines.com.I'll end the tasting notes today with a off-dry sparkler reining in the Piedmont region of Italy.
Elio Perrone 2006 "Sourgal" Moscato d' Asti DOCG (retail $16) is one of the most pleasant sparkling dessert wines I've had the pleasure of putting to my lips. While most regions of Italy produce some variety of the Moscato grape (known as Muscat in the rest of the world), none is more sought after than the the offerings from around the small town of Asti. The nose offers wonderful essences of peach, apricot, and floral notes. Full off-dry fruit leads to a subtle fresh finish with the slightest tinge of acidity to balance out this beautifully crafted Moscato. This light 5% ABV wine would pair beautifully with fresh strawberry shortcake and hand made whipped cream.Keep an eye out for new posts as I have recently been tasting some phenomenal wines. If there are any wines that you have tasted and would like to bring to the attention of our readers please feel free to comment on any of my posts. Until next time remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.
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