Just when I think I can begin to transition my palate to red wines with the coming of fall, since I am a seasonal wino, the temperature hits friggin 93 degrees. Awesome. So, instead my palate has pulled a 180 and back-tracked to summer-time foods and wine, which brings me to this week’s “Wine of the Week.”

From the Central Coast of Cali, Rock Rabbit Sauvignon Blanc has rocked my world in a few ways…

1. the label is cute.
2. it’s only $8.95 a bottle
3. screw top… yay!
4. it’s NOM NOM NOM with a very light, citrusy finish and a hint of apricot…

which is what I need in the end of summer heat. Someone grab me a fan & a bottle puhlease…

Cheers nic!

I’m truly hoping this is the LAST week of summer for us… honestly. It’s getting obnoxious. September starts Tuesday, so… Mother Nature… in all your goodness, I beg of you to rid the Maryland/DC area of this oppressive heat. The Pinot Grigio lover in me has gone all Sauvignon Blanc this summer, so I’ve got another one for ya… (You’re probably as sick and tired of Sauvignon Blanc as I am of this damn weather.)

I picked up a bottle of Barn Buster today for $11.50. This particular wine is actually a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Verdelho (don’t ask… I don’t know what that means.) It comes from South Eastern Austrailia, and is (according to the label on the back of the bottle) “thrilling in all the right ways.” Eh… I don’t know if I’d go that far… In fact, I may just bust your barn and say that it’s not quite thrilling at all. It’s tasty, don’t get me wrong, fruity almost to the point of being a Reisling (and I am NOT a Reisling fan.) With a definitive pineapple finish, I imagine drinking this wine with a delectable fruit and cheese platter. (I think I’m just plain old ready to move on with Sauvignon Blancs in general… if you have recommendations, or even want to shoot me a write up yourself, email me.)

Cheers to sweaty summers ending!

Black Swan Chardonnay 2007 This week’s wine comes from a friend of mine, Dani Webb, who can be found at http://destinationlife.typepad.com. Dani is fun, funky, fantastic, and I am so grateful for her contribution to my Wine of the Week post. “If you are looking for an inexpensive white wine that goes down easy in the summertime, Black Swan Chardonnay is for you! The wine possesses a rich golden color in the glass and a strong scent of pineapple on the nose. A very drinkable white, this wine strikes a fine balance between sweetness and dryness. It is very fruit forward (pineapple), but not too sweet, and is not as dry as your typical Chardonnay. The finish is slightly oakey. Yum! While some inexpensive Chardonnays can be too light and wimpy – the watered down version of the grape, Black Swan’s version has found that threshold where inexpensive meets flavor! And at $5-6 dollars a bottle, you can easily enjoy a bottle. Or two!”

***** sorry fellow winos… i caved.***** i’m not a beer-snob. my husband is. i stick to wine (and i’m not even a snob with that.) if beer goes better with what i’m eating, then i’ll have a beer. however, paul introduced me to Stone Imperial Russian Stout, a beer that goes with NO food because it is a meal in itself… a marriage of flavors consisting of roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, and a soft finish that makes a girl feel like a stud. cuz, ya know, she just drank a stout… and that’s hot.

Once again, the label-whore in me is showing… I am an enormous fan of Fat Bastard wines. I don’t care which one it is… Shiraz, Chardonnay, and anything in between. If your label says “Fat Bastard,” I’m buying your fat ass…

Cheers nic!