Thursday, June 30, 2016

2014 Fior d'Arancio Colli Euganei DOCG


This sparkling wine is made from 100% Moscato Giallo (Yellow Muscat). Moscato Giallo is grown mainly in northern Italy where it is mostly used to produce sweet wines. This grape variety is indigenous to northern Italy.

This is a bubbly with creamy softness. It is sweet with 110 g/l of residual sugars but with a high level of acidity at 6.8 g/l. So easy to drink. It pairs with the appetizers as well as the desserts.
Maybe even white sturgeon caviar?

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Croation Wines from Badel 1862 Paired with Croatian Food from Dubrovnik Restaurant

Italian wines are known to be food wines. Italy's neighbor of Croatia across the Adriatic Sea also produces great food friendly wines. The range of Croatian wines from Badel 1862, whether it was an indigenous varietal or an international varietal, were all delicious with  the Croatian food at Dubrovnik Restaurant.
Here are some great wine and food pairings

 2015 Grasevina Daruvar paired with Mussels Buzara

 
















 2015 Sauvignon Daruvar paired with None's Style Octopus Salad

 























Pork Chop Samobor Style Paired with
2012 Korlat Merlot and 2013 Plavac Pelijesac



Tuesday, June 21, 2016

2014 Korlat Rose Wine from Croatia

Here is a Rosé wine from Croatia.

2014 Korlat Rosé 

The vineyards are located in the sub region of Dalmatia inland in the region of Coastal Croatia. This is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Syrah. There is just enough remaining in the bottle to see its exciting color. The wine starts off with light candied fruit. On the palate their are red berry fruits with a fair amount of tannins but with a balance of acidity. Refreshing by the glass alone and a good Rosé with some beef.

When you read the back label you realize that we all speak Croatian. We can all pronounce Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Government Warning.


Saturday, June 18, 2016

Wine from Croatia-Sauvignon Blanc-White Sturgeon Caviar

Our next stop in the search for value wines that pair with caviar brings us to Croatia.

We had the opportunity to taste the Croatian wines of Badel 1862 with their Oenologist Tina Klepac. All the wines were delicious and represent good value.

We inquired as to which wines she thought would pair with caviar. We tasted the white wines with White Sturgeon caviar.
The best pairing was with the 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Daruvar
.
Daruvar is the vineyard located in the growing region of Continental Croatia in the sub growing region of Slovenia. This wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc but is a blend of two different clones. Each clone is hand harvested separately and then blended.

Wine Notes: The wine has a pale gold color with green tints. There are refined aromas of tropical fruits with some underlying minerally which carried through onto the palate. The finish has a nice freshness with some mineral softness.

Lady Elena Caviar and Wine Pairing: The caviar lifts the sweetness of the fruit of the wine and is followed by the soft salty minerality of both the wine and the caviar. A great Lady ElenaCaviar and wine pairing.


Friday, June 17, 2016

Croatia and Badel 1862 Grasevina Daruvar Wine

Have you ever had a white wine from Croatia?

Croatia is the country that is located to the east of Italy with the Adriatic Sea in between them at the 45° northern latitude.



If you have, it was most likely a wine made form the Grasevina grape varietal. Outside of Croatia this grape is also known as Riesling italico.

Here the 2015 Badel 1862 Grasevina Daruvar is a 100% Grasevina and fermented in all stainless steel. The grapes are from the Daruvar vineyard. The vineyard is part of Continental Croatia vs Coastal Croatia in the sub region of Slovonia. This is a fresh wine with aromas of pears with a little spice. In the mouth there is salty minerality giving the wine a nice round feel without the heaviness of oak. The finish is filled with the minerality and delicate fruit. A great wine to pair with Dubrovnik Restaurant's None's Style Octopus Salad.    Easy drinking and a great value wine.


Friday, June 10, 2016

Pala Vermentino i Fiori from Sardinia with Osetra Caviar

2013 Pala Vermentino i Fiori is DOC wine from Sardegna (Sardinia) and is made from 100% Vermentino grapes. This is a good example of a Vermentino from Sardegna. This wine shows its terroir.


It has a straw gold color with green tints. Salty mineral peachy orange with some mint hover in the glass.

On the palate it is medium bodied with such softness. It feels a little creamy and there is some biting acidity to be found. The finish is slightly flowery with mineral coated peach flavors.

Lady Elena Caviar Pairing

O My Setra Caviar (Osetra):The flowery citrus peach floats on top of the minerally creaminess of both the wine and the caviar. A great Lady Elena Caviar and wine pairing.