it’s just grape juice
Admittedly there was too much pressure to pick the first wine to write about. Self-applied of course, none of you really care that much, but my inner thoughts would nag me to pick the right wine, or rather, to not pick the wrong wine or I’d be laughed out of the proverbial building.
The internet is such a kind place after all, what could possibli go wrong?
Possibly go wrong. Damnit…
This not only being our very first wine but also the first post, I felt it somewhat appropriate to talk about what we plan on doing here.
Wine is truly remarkable. It’s beautiful, sophisticated, and unnecessarily complicated for something that is, for all intents and purposes, just fermented grape juice. But most importantly, wine is meant to be appreciated and shared, and that’s something I hope to do with each of you.
So to start, I wanted a wine that readers could actually get a hold of. I didn’t want some Grand Cru Gevrey-Chambertin Pinot Noir that’s super rare and convoluted or some first-growth Bordeaux.
I wanted to start very off simple.
And with that being said, our first wine, our first variety, our first post, our first… everything, I chose the 2019 WhiteHaven Sauvignon Blanc from Malborough New Zealand
New… Zealand...? Yes! New Zealand
Friends of mine reading this will know that I’ve been obsessed with New Zealand for years. The serene, absolutely immaculate countryside, the culture, the food, all of it looks like such a beautiful place that I am dying to visit one day.
I mean, what could be better than seeing a rugby match with the famed “All Blacks” after watching them perform the Haka?!
(The fact that they seemed to have curbed COVID-19 rather effectively doesn’t hurt either.)
More specifically, this wine comes from Marlborough, New Zealand's largest wine-producing region and a place well known for making some absolutely world-class Sauvignon Blanc.
White Haven produces a few different wines, but the bulk of the 400,000 cases they produce each year is their flagship Sauvignon Blanc (with 375,000 cases or 4.5 million bottles).
That’s… a lot of wine.
To give you some context, I’d estimate your favorite local winery (unless you live in Napa) probably produces fewer than 5,000 cases a year.
what does it taste like?
This wine is a fantastic drink for the summer. Refreshing and crisp, like a cold glass of lemonade on a hot day in July, but not the sweet lemonade you used to get from Auntie Anne's pretzels in the mall, more tart, high acid, zingy, the kind that makes your ears ring a bit (but in a good way).
It’s got great citrus flavors (meyer lemon, lime, grapefruit) that you would expect out of a Sauv, wonderful peachy / stone fruit characteristics, and it’s balanced with some lovely herbaceousness (fresh-cut grass, basil) to make it interesting and keep you drinking. Everything about this wine, the smell, the texture, the taste, feels turned up to 11, and I can’t get enough of it.
You should be able to pick this Wine from pretty much anywhere, and I would definitely recommend you give it a whirl as the weather starts picking back up. This is a wine you don’t have to worry about aging, and it will totally understand and appreciate you for living in the moment. Life’s too short after all, drink the damn wine!
-Dustin