Charles Krug Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay…So Crisp and Refreshing!

White wines, so crisp, tart and refreshing, how can one simply ignore you…not me, not my friend Lori Miller, not millions of wine lovers.   And these wines, from Lori’s discriminating taste buds, “I like it white, it just matches perfectly with steak, with seafoods, with pasta, oh dear, with just about anything.”  Charles Krug wines are bursting with subtle aromas and flavors, an explosion of tropical fruits and citrus, not heavy, I’d say full yet silky smooth.  I love it.  Sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, perfect table companion indeed.  They definitely gonna be present at my holiday feasts, I already told my friends I insist on Charles Krug white wines only.  That includes my friend Lori, she’s bringing her mom’s lasagna and her “moist through and through” roast chicken.   Thanks Charles Krug and Christine Piccin for introducing me to this easy-drinking, palate-pleasing and so super-affordable wines.

Here’s the press release shared to me….

How to Weather the Changing Seasons with White Wine with Peter Mondavi Jr. of Napa Valley’s Charles Krug Winery

While the old saying goes, “Never wear white after Labor Day,” there’s no such rule when it comes to serving white wine.  And Peter Mondavi Jr. of Charles Krug Winery will be the first to tell you that his Charles Krug Winery Napa Valley Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are more than warm weather sippers.  “They can easily hold their own alongside the foods we enjoy with the arrival of cooler weather,” he says.

Peter has “cred”: he is a wine industry insider, since birth, in fact–his grandparents purchased Charles Krug in 1943 and Pete grew up washing glasses and scrubbing tanks.  The winery, Napa Valley’s oldest, recently celebrated its 150th anniversary and is considered the birthplace of the Napa wine industry.

While picking exactly the right wine may seem daunting to some, Peter is completely realistic.  “Not everyone has the palate of a wine critic and, most of the time, it really doesn’t matter if a wine tastes more like Meyer lemon or Eureka lemon, or whether it might go best with King salmon or Coho. Too often, we tend to over-think this kind of thing,” he says. “Never feel you can’t drink what you like.”

To find out where to start, he suggests talking with a wine-knowledgeable friend or wine salesperson, then open a couple of different bottles to see what tastes best with your dish. Often there is no one “perfect” match, and several different wines will work just fine.

Sidebar Insider tips:
What’s the best wine to bring to a potluck, where you don’t know what food will be served? Peter Mondavi Jr. says, “Charles Krug Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc–it’s easy to sip as an aperitif before dinner, but it’s not a pushover wine.  It has enough acidity to flatter flavors and enough texture to stand up to many different kinds of foods. Try it!”

Spicy foods are tough on wines, in general, so it’s nice to have trick in your back pocket.  For Peter Mondavi Jr. the trick to taming spice is to pour a fruit-forward white wine, such as pairing Tangy Thai Grilled Shrimp (recipe below) with Charles Krug Sauvignon Blanc.

Bright, fresh ingredients like thyme and lemon are rich in essential oils that are perfect with crisp white wines, including Charles Krug Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.   Try a sprinkling of chopped fresh herbs and some grated lemon zest over chicken or fish, or a squeeze of lemon and a generous sprinkling of sea salt on a steak.  “Surprisingly,” says Peter Mondavi Jr., “that trick will coax even something as meaty as steak into pairing nicely with white wine.” For more info, visit website: http://www.charleskrug.com/