Chardonnays Sauvignon Blancs And Beyond
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From a distance, the unsuspecting wine drinker might make the mistake that people who drink only red wine have all the fun. But red wine just cant compete with the fun factor that comes with enjoying a fabulous white. What do you think theyre drinking on those multi-million dollar yachts or poolside at every Relais & Châteaux resort?;
From ever-popular chardonnay to zesty pinot gris and evergreen sauvignon blanc, the predominant flavors of great white wines are bolstered less from summers red fruits and more by the yellow fruits of autumn. Citrus pervades the palate, and even herbs make regular cameos. And of course, white wines are best served chilled, making them ideal for warmer months.
Exquisite white wines are produced worldwide, and to make the task of picking the right one easier, here are some of the best white wines to drink now.
Best Dry: Chteau Dyquem Y Ygrec Bordeaux Blanc
Its almost unbelievable but believe itthe best dry wine is made by Château d’Yquem. This is about as rare as they come, so when the opportunity comes along, dont look at the price, just dive in. It’s pronounced “EE-GREK” and culled from the same grapes used to make Château dYquem’s luscious sweet wine. However, these grapes are harvested early in the growing season when the berries retain remarkably fresh and crisp acidity.
Mostly sauvignon blanc with a bit of sémillon, this is as dry as they come, brimming with tart lemon-lime citrus peel, oyster shells, crushed stone minerality, and a chalky texture with gooseberry, kiwi, green apple, and quince. A stunner.;
Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc 2015
Probably the less famous among the white wines is the Chenin Blanc. Despite being almost unknown, this wine is one of the oldest white wines in the world and has its origins in France.
Used in the past for the production of low-quality wines, Chenin slowly starts to regain its deserved position in the category of fine wines. It has a higher acidity compared to the most famous white wines and aftertastes of various fruits.
There are many wineries producing Chenin Blanc, but in my opinion, thisDry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc 2015 is the best choice for cooking. I usually use this wine when cooking Asian dishes. This wine from Creek Vineyard California has expressive aromas of pineapple, white pear and banana, with a fresh aftertaste of tangerine.
Chenin Blanc is an excellent choice for fish dishes and also for some desserts, such as Montblanc cake.
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Wines Listed From Dry To Sweet
Any wine be it Riesling or Cabernet can be either dry or sweet. Lets explore popular wines listed from dry to sweet.
The maker of a wine determines its sweetness. Popular varietal wines and styles tend to share the same sweetness level. Wine sweetness ranges from virtually nothing to upwards of 70% sweetness .
Since wine ranges in sweetness, you have to do some research to figure out the actual residual sugar in a specific bottle. You can use wine tech sheets to find the exact number.
When reading a tech sheet:
- Below 1% sweetness, wines are considered dry.
- Above 3% sweetness, wines taste off-dry, or semi-sweet.
- Wines above 5% sweetness are noticeably sweet!
- Dessert wines start at around 79% sweetness.
- 1% sweetness is a little less than 2 carbs per 5 oz serving
By the way, the average wine drinker cant detect sweetness levels below 1.5%. Shocking right? That said, trained tasters can guesstimate sweetness within about 0.2% this is totally learnable!
Best California: 2016 Liquid Farm Golden Slope Chardonnay
James Sparks, Liquid Farms award-winning winemaker, got his start making wine for Dragonette Cellars and has made a name for himself striving for purity, typicity, and minimalist expression of his vineyards. . The 2016 Golden Slope Chardonnay is an excellent example of Sparks finest achievements in winemaking and youll want to dive in to see what all the fuss is about.
Notes of honey-drenched apples, vanilla, and salted French butter are underscored by marzipan-like nuttiness. Bold and zippy, this wine has a full-bodied minerality and nominal staying power.
Casey McClellan at Seven Hills showcases his decades-long expertise as an esteemed winemaker in this flashy sauvignon blanc. Walla Walla Valley is known for its sundry microclimates and soil types, producing distinct wines that pop right out of the glass.
The word youre looking for here is zesty: tangerine, grapefruit, pineapple, honeysuckle, and a sprinkling of jasmine and basil leaves. Dry and mildly sweet with a sturdy acidity, this bottle is best paired with baked salmon.
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Is Sauvignon Blanc A Dry White Wine
Yes! Its possibly one of the driest white wines out there alongside Albarino which we covered on the blog only a few weeks ago. Sauvy B is super crisp and refreshing. Its typically a cool climate wine which is also a factor to helps to determine dryness in a vino. I.e. the warmer the region, the more the region will thrive at making sweeter style wines. Like for instance, right here in the Swan Valley, theyre well-known for their awesome fortified wines.
I think what makes Sauvignon Blanc;really dominate in the dry white wine world is because of it being the green juice of the wine world. By this I mean, its typically described with green notes from cut grass to fresh herbs, gooseberries and also passionfruit, grapefruit, peach and sometimes even;jalapeño!
Christy Frank Frankly Wines In Nyc
Located in the southern part of Tribeca, Christy Frank’s first little shop opened eight years ago. The motto: “Fine wine. No attitude.” It’s a neighborhood wine store that’s worth traveling to even if Tribeca isn’t your neighborhood. As Frank puts it, at Frankly Wines, “everyday values sit proudly next to obscure geek-bait selections.” Up in the Hudson Valley, Frank opened Copake Wine Works with her husband, Yanai Frank, last summer, and since the second shop has a bit more space, they’re able to offer a mix of classics plus “cool-kid bottlings” in addition to a large selection of wine and spirits from New York.
I make no assumptions when someone asks for a crisp, dry white, and will try to draw out some more information. I’ll ask, are there grapes you like? Or a region you’re thinking about? “Dry” is an especially loaded word, so sometimes I’ll ask, “Dry like a Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre? Or dry like a creamy Chardonnay?” If the answer is “creamy Chardonnay,” I’ll go down a completely different path, but if it seems like we’re both talking about “crisp and dry” in the same way, I’ll point out a classic, like a Sancerre.
But then I’ll really try to lead you to someplace more adventurous. Greece is a great place to find crisp whites that warrant a $20+ price tag. The Hatzidakis Assyrtiko is one of my favorites. Crisp, racy acidity, but balanced by enough texture to make it interesting. And it’s always fun to assure people that, yes, there is great wine from Greece.
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List Of White Wines By Dryness
What is the driest white wine? Here is a list of some of the top dry white wines. When looking for a dry white wine make sure it does not say late harvest, dessert, fortified, sec, demi-sec on a bottle of wine or champagne as this would indicate that the wine is most likely sweet. The sweetness of white wines:
- Muscadet
What Is Residual Sugar
As its name suggest, residual sugar is natural sugar that is leftover when fermentation has ended. The amount of residual sugar will determine how dry or sweet a wine is. A wine with little or no residual sugar is a dry white wine. A wine with some to ample residual sugar will be sweet. All wines have some residual sugar. Dry wines have less than 1 gram per glass . Sweet wines can have as many as 20 grams of sugar per glass. Our palate begins to perceive sweetness at about 5 or 6 grams of sugar per glass. The driest white wine will have the least amount of residual sugar.
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Dry White Wines For Cooking
To buy a bottle intended for cooking, head down the wine aisle of your local store and select a crisp, dry white wine. There are a myriad of great choices but we tend to favor pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. These lighter-style wines will bring out the flavor of your dish without overwhelming it. Avoid robust and oaky white wines like chardonnay. Once the food is cooked, the oak-influence may cause your dish to taste bitter.
Make sure you aren’t spending too much! When choosing a bottle of white wine to cook with, it should be between $4 and $10 a bottle. There’s really no reason to spend more, especially because once you open it, you have about 48 hours before it expires due to oxidation.
If you cook with wine often, don’t be afraid to purchase something boxed. We like Black Box Pinot Grigio . It’s shaped conveniently to store in your pantry and lasts about six weeks because of the airtight wine-bladder. The wine is neutral in flavor and low in alcohol, making it the ideal cooking wine. You may be surprised to know that many great restaurants and chefs use Black Box as their cooking wine. It’s neutral, economical , and leads to delicious results.
Now that you know what type of wine to cook with, what dish will you make? Will it be Roasted Salmon with White-Wine Sauce or Linguine with Clams in Pepper Broth? Perhaps you will braise chicken thighs in white wine. There are so many delicious options just waiting for the right bottle of wine.
Is Chardonnay A Dry White Wine
The short answer is, yes Chardonnay is typically a dry wine. Typically, Chardonnay is a dry to medium-full-bodied white wine with moderate acidity and alcohol. Chardonnay wine can be oaked or unoaked and flavours will range from apple and lemon to tropical fruit such as mango and pineapple. It can also show notes and flavours of cream and vanilla if aged in oak barrels.
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How Can You Tell If A White Wine Is Dry
At the simplest level, dry wine is one that contains no residual sugar or sweetness.
Below 1% sweetness, wines are considered dry.Above 3% sweetness, wines taste off-dry, or semi-sweet.Wines above 5% sweetness are noticeably sweet!Dessert wines start at around 79% sweetness.By the way, 1% sweetness is equal to 10 g/L residual sugar .1% sweetness is a little less than 2 carbs per 5 oz serving
Ravines Dry Riesling 2014
Mainly used for the finest dishes, Riesling is more versatile than one might think. Riesling has its origins in Germany, being a wine with a strong character and a delicious flavor of citrus and fruits.
Nowadays, Riesling is produced worldwide and the final character of the wine is influenced by the geographic area where it is made.
If I like to drink German or Italian Riesling, when it comes to cooking I recommend this Ravines Dry Riesling 2014 produced in New York. This wine is characterized by a delicate bouquet with intricate aromas of citrus, pear, apple, and flowers, being an excellent choice for the preparation of meat dishes, such as pork with Riesling sauce, veal scallop, or chicken with sour cream and Riesling.
If you wish to cook something more special, you could try a Riesling pudding with pumpkin mousse, grilled octopus with shrimp carpaccio and melon or stuffed seabass with mushrooms and shrimps served with beet hummus and stuffed pumpkin flowers.
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Attems Cupra Ramato Pinot Grigio
As I already mentioned, Pinot Grigio is one of the most versatile white wines when it comes to cooking, so it is pretty obvious that I had a favorite one. I really enjoy cooking with theAttemsCupraRamato Pinot Grigio2014, this wine being perfect for fish and seafood, red meat or risotto dishes.
This wine, produced in Italy, is made according to a traditional recipe dating from the Republic of Venice. According to this practice, the skin of the grapes remains in contact with the must for 24 hours, giving the wine a distinctive coppery hue and a rich fruity flavor.
One of my favorite recipes is chicken with honey citrus glaze and pinot grigio. However, you could cook some spaghetti with seafood and pinot grigio too.
Can You Use White Cooking Wine For Risotto
The best wine for risotto would be a dry, crisp white wine. Choose a moderately priced white wine, such as a Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, or a good Marsala wine. Depending on the other ingredients you are adding into your risotto, these will work to improve the overall depth of the dish.
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Can You Use Regular White Wine For Cooking
No, you cant just go for any white wine to cook with. Dont pour any white wine into any dish. The best dry white wine for cooking must be dry and should be matched to some lighter food e.g., Soup, Seafood, and vegetables. If your white wine has a sweet taste, it may have a higher alcohol level. Avoid white wine that is labeled as cooking wine, it may ruin the taste of your meal with so many chemicals present in it.
Dry white wines cooking white meat and gravies: It must be thicker to get a more noticeable taste that is required for cooking white meat. For gravies and cream sauces, bake them with rich dry white wine. They are already liquid so take care of the wines quantity. Use sherry wine for a great depth of flavors to the gravy. It can be easily available anywhere; use it with tomato-based dishes.
Dry Crisp White Wines For Cooking
I have already explained that dry crisp white wines are the best choice if you’re using it to cook but which dry crisp white wines are best? The first choice of white wine I would buy for cooking are Pinot Grigio, unoaked Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Another thing to note when choosing which dry white wine to buy is the alcohol percentage because you don’t want anything too strong. Go for dry crisp white wines that have an alcohol percentage of 10 to 13%. The higher the alcohol percentage, the longer it will take to reduce and the less acidity it will add to the meal which is one of the main reasons why people cook with white wine.
Out of the three types of dry crisp white wines, Pinot Grigio is the most sought after for cooking as it is highly versatile. However the other two certainly have their advantages with the Sauvignon Blanc being first choice if cooking seafood dishes and unoaked Chardonnay being first choice if you’re looking to add richness to your recipes.
This may sound odd but I would avoid buying white wines that are specifically labelled cooking wines because they actually contain additives and high salt levels.
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Wine Questions Answered: The Crisp Dry White You’re Looking For
There are a few words many American wine sellers hear more than any others: “I’m looking for a white winesomething crisp and dry.”
Sound familiar? Maybe you loved a French wine you had at a local café, or you’re looking for a bright Italian white that’ll be refreshing at a picnic on a hot afternoon. Perhaps you want something light and easy-drinking, or maybe you just want something cheap .
When I’m looking for this kind of advice, I like to pick the brain of my neighborhood wine shop owner, who has tasted a vast range of options before stocking her shelves, and who’s seen which wines her regulars come back for again and again. She’s also got her eye on underrated regions that offer the best bang for my buckso I decided to gather some of that great advice here, as well as picks from a few of my other favorite wine shop owners around the country. Looking for a crisp, dry, and affordable white wine? Here are the bottles these pros are most excited about.
Peter Zemmer Pinot Grigio Riserva Giatl 2017 145% 75cl
Best: Overall
Pinot grigio has suffered from its own success. The UK discovered this Italian white wine in the 1990s and took to it like a duck takes to water. Soon, industrial quantities were being produced and consumed, and, almost inevitably, the quality began to deteriorate. So, its good to be able to report that great pinot grigio wine is still being produced.
This award-winning example from winemaker Peter Zemmer is made from grapes hand-picked from the Giatl vineyard around the village of Cortina in northern Italy. Aromatic, with notes of passion fruit and elderflower, it bursts on to the tongue with a textured fruitiness balanced by a measured acidity. Pinot grigio has never tasted so good.
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What Is The Driest White Wine
- Assyrtiko
- Assyrtiko is one of the driest white wine you can find. Assyrtiko comes from Greece, mainly from the island of Santorini. It has searing acidity and an interesting saline quality. Assyrtiko is also used to make Vin Santo, a very sweet dessert wine which it is why it appears on both sides of the White Wine Dryness Chart.
