August 25, 2009
Wine is a permanent fixture in our home and we enjoy it daily. Our wine cellar is for the most part, my husband’s domain. An avid wine enthusiast, he has spent the past twenty years building a collection of wines from all over the world. Picking wine from an inventoried source can be complicated and overly involved. After pulling the wrong bottle more than once, we devised a section of bins we dubbed “house wines.” These are a collection of well stocked, well chosen, delicious wines that are relatively inexpensive.
It is always a treat when I get to plan a menu around a particular bottle from our collection and have a special meal that showcases the beauty of the chosen bottle. However, most nights we drink our “house wines.” There are many wonderful everyday wines, made from small production wineries that are simply delicious, fresh and deserve a place at your table.
Here are a handful of our current favorites. Resourced from The Rare Wine Co., Woodland Hills Wine Company, and locally at The Wine Hound:
Philipponnat Brut Royale Reserve NV
New find and so reasonable and delicious.
2008 Sauvignon Blanc Matua Paretai from Marlborough, New Zealand
We love Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. Known as “fine chugging wines” or “picnic wines” in our household. They taste bright and fresh with great acidity and fruitiness. The ones we drink have a screw cap so they last a little longer in the refrigerator without loosing too much of their flavor. I often start every dinner recipe by first pouring a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
2005 Jean Philippe Fichet Meursault Les Gruyaches, France
Chardonnay fans will love this one. Any of the Meursaults are good from ’05, ’06, and ’07.
2005 Vosne-Romanee from Hudelot-Noellat, France
Good price point for an enjoyable Burgundy. Easy to pair with a lot of different types of entrees.
2005 Nuits-Saint-Georges from Domaine Forey Pere & Fils, France
2003 Barolo “Piè Rupestris” from Cappellano
