"white wine" news and stories

Sauvignon Blanc is one of those white-wine grapes that folks either love or hate. It's not far off from other gourmet liquids that include Sumatra coffee or Guinness beer in that the flavor profile is bold and aggressive. Yet in the case of Sauvignon Blanc, the wine is also acidic and bright.

Find our seven favorites after the jump. When pairing with food, splurge on oysters or mussels, a great complement to these wines, which are fermented in stainless steel. As far as cheese, select varieties like aged cheddar, muenster, goat cheese, aged Asiago or aged Parmesan. You want a cheese that is going to give equal weight to the wine for a powerful match.

Don't be tempted to age these in your cellar. These wines should ideally be drunk within six to nine months of their purchase.

In anticipation of spring, we've been tasting more whites and have stumbled upon a few interesting blends. If you're looking for something more complex than a straight varietal, try to the following. We've hand-picked six of our recent favorites.

2007 Champalou Vouvray Chenin Blanc, Loire, France ($20)
With citrus fruits on the nose, a sweet – but not overwhelming -- mid-palate, and a sweeping floral finish, this is a delightful and elegant wine made of Vouvray and Chenin Blanc grapes.

2007 Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit De Beaucastel Blanc, Paso Robles ($30)
A honeysuckle nose is followed by a palate with very nice, approachable mineralities and a very balanced structure. Grape composition is as follows: Roussanne (68%), Grenache Blanc (22%) and Picpoul Blanc (10%).

Find four more interesting white blends after the jump...

Soave is a deeply complex white wine. Its rich, mineral flavors make it a really refreshing alternative to two common (and trite) styles of white wine: an oak-y Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc with tropical-fruit notes. Very clean and approachable, the light-bodied Soave is good to have on-hand when entertaining many different palates.

All Soave is made in Italy's Veneto region (in northeast Italy, near Verona). There are actually three Soave classifications: Soave DOC, Soave Classico DOC (made from grapes vinified in Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone) and Recioto di Soave Superiore DOCG (strict regulations for planting, and limited to specific hillside sites; you might see these referred to as "Riserva").

After the jump, see our Soave picks.

Roussanne is a fairly modern grape – to the United States at least. It wasn't until the 1990s that central coast producers in California jumped on the bandwagon and began growing Roussanne, a rich and luscious white grape tracing back to the Rhône region of France. Today, 80 percent of France's Roussanne is grown in Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon and Vaucluse.

The grape's first introduction to America, during the 1870s in Northern California, failed miserably and those vines were all pulled out by 1927. Undeterred, several producers along the Central Coast took new cuttings and planted them in more Southern soil. The results have been phenomenal.

A glass of Roussanne has wonderful floral, herbal and honey notes, much of them clothed in spices. It's a great white wine for the winter months, as its full body and intense flavor can stack up nicely against heavier comfort foods. Here are two California Roussannes that we highly recommend. You can pair either of these – or any Roussanne – with rich cheeses, lobster, grilled fish, mildly spicy foods or creamy sauces, and just about any dish containing rosemary.

Torrontés is a white-wine grape with a very aromatic nose (think floral and tropical-fruit notes, not too far off from a Gewurtztraminer or Viognier). The grape is grown throughout several provinces in Argentina and is the country's only indigenous white-grape variety. While this wine is more commonly sipped during summer, a glass or two when it's cold out can whisk you away on a mental tropical vacation.

Although each producer's Torrontés will vary, common characteristics are tropical-fruit notes, high acidity and -- as mentioned above -- a lovely nose. If you like Sauvignon Blanc but are in search of something different, this is your wine.

Drink these whites while they're young -- you'll notice the majority of those I've tasted below are from 2009 -- and don't be tempted to age them in your cellar. Because of their high acidity, consider pairing with goat cheese, whether spread on a crusty baguette, subbed in for mozzarella on a homemade pizza or crumbled on a salad. If goat cheese doesn't thrill you, a spicy Thai or Indian dish would hold up to the wine.