Wine Round-Up for the last week of February

All right, check it out...here's what I've been drinking this week.

WHITE

Santo Vineyards, Santorini Assyrtiko (Volcanic Terroir) 2014

Where: Santorini, Greece. That same island that you always see the jaw-dropping photos of, like this one: 

                         (Photo taken from http://foundtheworld.com/santorini-greece/)

Yep, it's pretty there. Beyond scenery, there's an ancient tradition of winemaking on the island, largely focusing on white wine from one grape, Assyrtiko (ah-SEAR-tee-ko). The island is volcanic, and super windy, so the vines are grown in flinty, mineraly, volcanic soil...and are trimmed low and coiled into "baskets" that grow really close to the ground to keep them from getting swept away. They look like this:

(Photo taken from http://www.fabuloussavings.com/blog/spectacular-santorini-7-off-the-jewel-of-the-aegean/santorini-vines/)

Not your normal vines. Anyways, let's get on with it!

Appearance: Light gold. Still quite clear, but it's a deeper color than, say, riesling.

Aroma: Really zippy lemon, ripe apple, and minerality (that hard-to-describe stony smell).

Taste: Bright, acidic lemon and apple come up first. At the end, you get that stony mineral note, plus a salty sea air flavor...definitely a marker of coming from a seaside environment. The acidity is enough to make your mouth water, in a good way. The taste lingers and is decently complex (all of the things dance around on your tongue). It's quite dry and crisp.

Food: Seafood. It's from an island; pair it with fish, shellfish, shrimp, squid, oyster, etc., especially if it's done up simply - grilled with lemon juice, herbs, etc. This could do alright with lemony grilled chicken, too.



Kung Fu Girl, Riesling 2014

Where: Columbia Valley, Washington. Washington is really getting a reputation for good wine. It's the second largest wine producer in the US (after the obvious one), and the cool, consistent climate has really helped some northern climate grapes (like riesling) shine. This website has some great details on the Columbia Valley...it's a huge region with a lot going on.

Appearance: Light to medium straw.

Aroma: Lime, wet stone/minerality, perhaps some ripe apple.

Taste: Bracing, rushing stream of honeyed lime. Almost like a mountain stream splashing down a rocky slope on a sunny day thanks to the minerality. High, balanced acidity; either on the full side of light body or the light side of medium body. Not overly complex, but it lingers a little bit.

Food: Like most rieslings, this could go with a lot of different foods. Given the origin of this one in Washington, the thought of pairing it with salmon makes me happy...the acidity would cut through the fattiness of the fish really well. This would also go well with a nicely spiced, fatty piece of poultry, like duck.