2009 Acacia Pinot Noir Review Score

Acacia has been making affordable quality pinot noirs for many years and I have enjoyed them the last 5 years or so. Acacia is pretty widely available and normally sells for around $15 or less. That is a very low price for what I would call "drinkable" pinot noir and this is more than drinkable. A review of this wine has to factor much of the price/availability factor.

2009 Brancott Sauvignon Blanc

One of the best value (and best tasting) regions of the world is in Marlborough region of New Zealand. Always consistent and of great value - including the 2009 Brancott Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand is incredibly consistant with their Sauvignon Blanc offerings. Whether it's Brancott, Kim Crawford, Nobilo, Cloudy Bay or a 1/2 dozen other top quality producers. 2009 looks like a solid vintage for Sauvignon Blanc in the Marlborough region of New Zealand.

2009 Brancott

An easy wine to like from the start. Very nice tart fruit, peaches and green apple on the nose. Tastes of lime and tropical zesty fruit. The 2009 Brancott Sauvignon Blanc is right in the wheelhouse of people looking for that under $15 white wine tasty treat! The finish is good and leaves you wanting more of this tasty NZ wine.

Always plenty on the shelves. Stock up! :)

All the best

Nick

Wine and Cheese - Pairing Wines and Cheese

One of the great combinations is good wine and good cheese. The pairing is subjective of course. Both in wines and the cheeses we like. I'd like to focus more on the cheese pairings for now. I personally like flavorfull but not overly sharp cheese when having it with red or white wine. In my opinion when the cheese is too strong, it really overpowers the wine you are drinking. Now if the wine you happen to be having is not that great - then by all means... :)

Chedder Cheese - while not "sophisticated" for some (whatever that means) really works great with red wine. Actually [don't laugh] but even good chedder snacks and crackers like Cheese-itz will hit the spot! Hey - when u got kids, you grab lol. On a more serious note, there are many quality and taste variances with cheeder. There's white chedder, traditional yellow, sharp, very sharp etc. But all in all, I think chedder cheese really pairs solidly with most wines.

Fiore Di Sardegna Cheese - A personal favorite of mine that many people are not aware of. It is condsidered a medium hard cheese in texture but has great creamy flavors. It is a wonderful Italian cheese - with or without wine. But why have it without wine? :)

Provolone Cheese - Ok, don't get all flamey on me, but I am not a big fan of hard provolone cheeses. Just not my thing. It's a little strong, the flavors don't really work for me straight up and it has an aftertaste. I love grating it over cooked food and I really love sliced provolone (as a cold cut), but for a hunk of nibble with wines - it doesn't work for me. For most it does. Again - like wine, it is subjective!

Parmesan Cheeses - Like chedder, there are many types but when I'm in the mood for a good hard salty cheese, I love them!

Ok folks - feel free to chime in. Wine and food bring great debates! Share your favorite combinations and pairings ;)

Nick