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May 05, 2023

Rod Byers: Easy, breezy summer whites

I’m not sure who is to blame for founding the I-only-drink-red-wine club. I have

I’m not sure who is to blame for founding the I-only-drink-red-wine club. I have often wondered why some devoted wine drinkers are so adamant about excluding anything not red?

It's like only watching one genre of movie. I may not like horror flics but that still leaves room for dramas, mysteries, rom-coms and action films.

More than any other product, wine is about time and place. Sure you may have your favorite but squeezing it into the wrong place at the wrong time does both you and your wine a disservice.

Part of wine's fascination are the endless variations. There is a wine for every time and every occasion. You just have to be willing to experiment a little bit.

I have never understood what it is about white wine that makes it so antithetical to some drinkers. Too sweet? Too dry? Too bland? Too tart?

The curious thing is that it used to be just the opposite. In the 1980s, Chardonnay was queen of the ball. If there were 10 wines at a party eight were white and only two were red. That flipped entirely with the airing of the Sixty Minutes TV show in 1991 extolling the health benefits of red wine.

That led to the Merlot craze. By the middle 1990s, if there were 10 wines at a party eight were red and only two were white.

I would prefer to argue that white wines offer a wider and more varied spectrum of flavor profiles than reds. I’m not trying to exclude red wines from the menu, just suggesting they should not be the only thing on the menu.

The defining difference between reds and whites is tannin which creates that astringent, puckering, mouth-drying sensation. Tannins come from grape skins. Red wines are fermented with the skins. White wines are fermented after the grape skins have been removed.

That fact alone makes red wines more bombastic, but is that grounds for disqualification of everything else including light-bodied, delicate reds?

The problem with the tannin argument is that winemakers, especially in California, have largely taken tannins out of wine. Back in the day it was popular to load up a wine with so much tannin it would snarl ferociously, like licking a wooden plank. But gradually as styles evolved tannin fell away replaced instead by the Lodi-inspired uber-ripe fruit and stratospheric alcohol levels that delivered a different yet still powerful punch.

The problem with that approach is that the wines all start to taste the same independent of what variety they are.

Time to consider wandering over to the white wine aisle. Not to be too snarky but white wine drinkers put themselves in a box as well buying the same wines over and over again. It's not just about breaking out of the red-only box. It's about breaking the entire box.

I went to four local wine shops to see what I could find. I excluded Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Remember, we’re looking to expand the strike zone.

I started with Dave Luce's Alta Sierra Wine Shop bringing home Cru Winery Albarino from Edna Valley, California; Broadbent, Vinho Verde, Portugal; Bella Grace Vermentino, Amador, California; and Long Shadows Riesling from Columbia Valley, Washington.

Next was Dave Chambers Wine Merchant shop in Foothill Flowers selecting Brundl Mayer Gruner Veltliner from Kremstal, Austria; Dom Rafael Arinto, from Alentejo, Portugal; and Castell D’Age Xarel-Lo from Penedes, Spain. Now we’re talking, I thought to myself, even if we have no idea what we’re talking about.

Next I headed up Main Street to John Seeger Gilman's New West wine shop in the Holbrooke Hotel. There I picked Fillo Condesa, Albarino from Rais Baixas, Spain; Pagos Del Galir, Godello, Valdeorras, Spain; Pala Soprasole, Vermentino, Sardinia, Italy; La Piuma, Pecorino, Marche, Italy; and Luna Gaia, Zibibbo from Sicily, Italy.

Finally I headed over to Nevada City to Carrington's Fine Wines choosing Montemeraviglia, Arneis, Piemonte, Italy; Don Pascual, Albarino, Uruguay, Paul Mas, Vermentino/Marsanne/Grenache Blanc from Languedoc, France; Hugel, Pinot Blanc from Alsace, France; and Bruno, Riesling, from the Mosel in Germany.

I could easily have bought more but I figured 17 wines was enough for my project. Seeing as I had little idea what most of them were supposed to taste like I had no idea what order to put them in.

Guessing, I lined them up and pulled all the corks. As I tasted through I divided them first by quality but also by category including light, delicate and crisp, medium-bodied, and more full-bodied. Once you exclude Chardonnay from the conversation you seldom see oak.

Without tannins or oak white wines rely much more on texture and balance, be it light or full-bodied, but that does not mean they are any less flavorful.

Within those 17 wines were some delightful discoveries. The prices ranged from around $15 to $25. The Gruner from Austria, the Albarino from Spain, the Paul Mas blend from France were all winners. My favorite was the Vermentino from Sardinia.

The most delightful surprise was the Vino Verde from Portugal. At nine percent alcohol it offers a perfect summer quaff: light, gently spritzy, with lots of flavor. I’ll happily take another glass of that.

See the sidebar for more detailed tasting notes. It's time to step out and make some new friends.

A sidebar of white wine tasting notes: If you are used to drinking Sauvignon Blanc you are aware of its tart, zingy and crisp finish. If you are in the habit of drinking buttery, oaked Chardonnays you will find many of these wines more tart. Remember that whites are typically bottled with higher levels of acidity than reds. It is equally important to remember, if you think that wine should be consumed with food, that part of the wine's job is to cleanse your palate, refresh your mouth between bites of food. Nothing does that better than a crisp white. With the exception of the two Rieslings which are just off-dry, all of the wines below are dry. After tasting them I listed them in a loose order going from light and crisp to more full-bodied. Visit the wine shops. Talk to the owners. Tell them what you like and let them help you find your next great wine discovery. There's a big world out there, available right here in western Nevada County. Broadbent, Vinho Verde, Portugal Tangy spritzy bitter lemon, crisp, refreshing, low alcohol. La Piuma, 2020 Pecorino, Marche, Italy Light-bodied with a tart, lip smacking finish. Montemeraviglia, 2020 Arneis, Roero, Piemonte, Italy Floral, citrus, lime, medium-light bodied, crisp cleansing finish. Bruno, 2021 Riesling, Mosel, Germany Honey floral aromas, light and delicate with a touch of sweetness. Long Shadows, 2021 Riesling, Columbia Valley, Washington Floral and citrus aromas, medium bodied, just off-dry finish. O Fillo Da Condesa, 2021 Albarino Rais Baixas Spain Classic. Lovely melon-peach aromas, medium-bodied, beautiful balance. Don Pascual, 2021 Albarino, Uruguay Herbaceous, eucalyptus highlights, medium-bodied, soft, easy finish. Pagos Del Galir, 2019 Godello, Valdeorras, Spain Apricot and stone fruit flavors, medium-full bodied, balanced finish. Bella Grace, 2022 Vermentino, Amador, California Tropical fruit flavors of banana and coconut, soft easy fruit-punch finish. Brundl Mayer, 2019 Gruner Veltliner, Kremstal, Austria Classic white pepper, floral, lovely mid-palate texture and finish. Hugel, 2020 Pinot Blanc, Alsace, France Orange floral essence, medium-full bodied yet delicate, refreshingly crisp. Pala Soprasole, 2021 Vermentino, Sardinia, Italy Fragrant and floral, medium-full bodied, lovely texture, elegant, balanced. Castell D’Age, 2018 Xarel-Lo, Penedes, Spain A fragrant mix of herbal and baking spices. Medium-full-bodied, soft finish. Dom Rafael, 2019 Antao Vaz/Arinto, Alentejo, Portugal Mild aromas of stone fruits, lovely texture, medium-full bodied, good balance. Luna Gaia, 2020 Zibibbo, Sicily, Italy (Natural) Salt water taffy, full-bodied, rich yet light without being sweet. Intriguing and if you are interested in trying a natural wine, this is a perfect place to start. Cru Winery, 2021 Albarino, Edna Valley, California Riper more full-bodied California style, More fig, less peach. Paul Mas, 2020 Grenache Blanc/Marsanne/Vermentino, Languedoc, France Full bodied. Baked apple. Lovely texture. Try as an un-oaked chardonnay substitute.

Rod Byers, CWE, is a Certified Wine Educator and wine writer as well as a California State Certified Wine Judge. He is the host of the local television show Wine Talk. He can be reached at [email protected] or 530-913-3703.

If you are used to drinking Sauvignon Blanc you are aware of its tart, zingy and crisp finish. If you are in the habit of drinking buttery, oaked Chardonnays you will find many of these wines more tart. Remember that whites are typically bottled with higher levels of acidity than reds. It is equally important to remember, if you think that wine should be consumed with food, that part of the wine's job is to cleanse your palate, refresh your mouth between bites of food. Nothing does that better than a crisp white.

With the exception of the two Rieslings which are just off-dry, all of the wines below are dry. After tasting them I listed them in a loose order going from light and crisp to more full-bodied.

Visit the wine shops. Talk to the owners. Tell them what you like and let them help you find your next great wine discovery. There's a big world out there, available right here in western Nevada County.

Broadbent, Vinho Verde, Portugal

Tangy spritzy bitter lemon, crisp, refreshing, low alcohol.

La Piuma, 2020 Pecorino, Marche, Italy

Light-bodied with a tart, lip smacking finish.

Montemeraviglia, 2020 Arneis, Roero, Piemonte, Italy

Floral, citrus, lime, medium-light bodied, crisp cleansing finish.

Bruno, 2021 Riesling, Mosel, Germany

Honey floral aromas, light and delicate with a touch of sweetness.

Long Shadows, 2021 Riesling, Columbia Valley, Washington

Floral and citrus aromas, medium bodied, just off-dry finish.

O Fillo Da Condesa, 2021 Albarino Rais Baixas Spain

Classic. Lovely melon-peach aromas, medium-bodied, beautiful balance.

Don Pascual, 2021 Albarino, Uruguay

Herbaceous, eucalyptus highlights, medium-bodied, soft, easy finish.

Pagos Del Galir, 2019 Godello, Valdeorras, Spain

Apricot and stone fruit flavors, medium-full bodied, balanced finish.

Bella Grace, 2022 Vermentino, Amador, California

Tropical fruit flavors of banana and coconut, soft easy fruit-punch finish.

Brundl Mayer, 2019 Gruner Veltliner, Kremstal, Austria

Classic white pepper, floral, lovely mid-palate texture and finish.

Hugel, 2020 Pinot Blanc, Alsace, France

Orange floral essence, medium-full bodied yet delicate, refreshingly crisp.

Pala Soprasole, 2021 Vermentino, Sardinia, Italy

Fragrant and floral, medium-full bodied, lovely texture, elegant, balanced.

Castell D’Age, 2018 Xarel-Lo, Penedes, Spain

A fragrant mix of herbal and baking spices. Medium-full-bodied, soft finish.

Dom Rafael, 2019 Antao Vaz/Arinto, Alentejo, Portugal

Mild aromas of stone fruits, lovely texture, medium-full bodied, good balance.

Luna Gaia, 2020 Zibibbo, Sicily, Italy (Natural)

Salt water taffy, full-bodied, rich yet light without being sweet. Intriguing and if you are interested in trying a natural wine, this is a perfect place to start.

Cru Winery, 2021 Albarino, Edna Valley, California

Riper more full-bodied California style, More fig, less peach.

Paul Mas, 2020 Grenache Blanc/Marsanne/Vermentino, Languedoc, France

Full bodied. Baked apple. Lovely texture. Try as an un-oaked chardonnay substitute.

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