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Naked White Bits...

25/2/2013

 
At Purple Teeth, we can't get enough of wines that make our teeth purple, but we love white wines too - here are some we've tasted recently. These all come from Naked Wines and prices quoted include the Angel discount
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£8.99
Californian Gewurztraminer?  Yes, I was surprised too.  I love Alsace and all it's aromatic wines, and I also love California's gigantic reds...  How would they cross?  This wine was understated by Californian standards.  An amazing Grand Cru Alsace Gewurz has many layers of flavour and can punch you in the mouth almost as hard as a big Zinfandel.  Not this wine.  It's made by a chef and designed to be food friendly, it's medium bodied and with a medium lingering flavouring, but relatively simple.  It's low acidity making it easier on the teeth, and it has that hint of the exotic that means it would pair well with Asian cuisine.  The signature flavour of the Gewurztraminer grape is lychee, and that's what I found here. In Alsace, I may also find roses.  I'm looking forward to trying Naked's Alsace wines soon, as several arrived in the same shipment.  

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£9.49
Next on the list was a Vouvray.  For anyone who's less familiar with the French Appelations (and I know I was), Vouvray is part of the Loire Valley in France, and makes wines from the Chenin Blanc grape.  It's unusual in that wines can be dry, off dry, sweet, dessert wines or even sparkling and all be called Vouvray.  Some of the wines are also suitable for long bottle aging, something I wouldn't recommend for most whites.  
So back to the Naked version. This one is off dry though I didn't really notice the sweetness after the initial sip. It's got grapefruit, medium to low acidity (rather unexpectedly) and is a nice simple, easy drinking wine.  It's not wow like some Vouvrays I've tasted, but compared to some of the Chenin Blancs out there, it's pretty good.  If you fancy a change from your South African wines, give it a go, but if you're a fan of Loire Valley Sancerres, this may not be aromatic enough for you.

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£9.99
Alsace and Riesling.  Words that together set my pulse racing.  You may have gathered I'm a fan of big aromatic flavoured wines, and Alsace specialises in aromatic, noble varieties.  I took the plunge and ordered this Riesling because I find Riesling a very food friendly grape, and recent Alsace varieties I've tried have reminded me just how good this grape can be.  
I found very little Riesling character in this version. It's not billed as off-dry but it definitely doesn't taste fully dry.  There's some minerality but little peach, floral or citrus aromas and the flavour was surprisingly simple for an Alsace Riesling.  This sounds like a negative review, but the wine was very drinkable. It's just not what I was expecting from the grape and region combination.  The acidity is reasonably high, but I expected screamingly high so felt a bit disappointed. Drinking it should flood the mouth with saliva, washing away fatty foods that accompany it so well like fried fish dishes.  This was more subtle.  I saved some to drink the next day, and  it fared remarkably well.  Many whites fade after the first opening. So, I am going out on a limb here to suggest that perhaps this wine will improve with age.  Naked's recommendation is that it will last at least 5 years.  I have 3 other Alsace wines by the same winemaker in the fridge.  I hope they fare better against my expectations.

Perhaps it's because it's February but white wines aren't going down so well right now.  I'm off to Washington DC shortly for a couple of weeks, and look forward to trying some Virginian wines. Perhaps when I get back, spring will have sprung and those whites in the fridge will be regaining their pull.


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    Purple Teeth

    My name's Heather and I've been enjoying wine for over 20 years. I'm the 2013 winner of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Rhone prize for oustanding students at the advanced level.
    My mission is to share my passion for the myriad varieties of fermented grape juice, hopefully inspiring you to try something new, or to host  a Purple Teeth wine party in your own home or business.

    My blog mainly features wines you should be able to find on your local high street or online, and occasionally, I will review restaurants, travel and other forms of alcohol, since my qualification covers spirits too.  I believe it's important to enjoy the calories and the cash we spend on alcohol, and I hope my guidance can help you reduce the risk of making a bad buy.
      
    When I'm not drinking wine, you'll find me on the dance floor where West Coast Swing is my dance of choice. Socialising with the friends I've made there from all over the world has also brought me new adventures in alcohol!  And just in case you're interested, I also write a blog called Confidence Within.  You'll find it at heatherharrison.weebly.com


    Remember to enjoy wine sensibly...
    For a woman, 2-3 units per day is the recommended maximum allowance.  This equates to around one standard "pub measure" glass of wine:
    175ml of 13% alcohol wine is 2.3 units (and a scary 140 calories).  
    You'll find all the facts you need about safe, moderate drinking at the www.Drinkaware.co.uk site. 
    Purple Teeth supports safe drinking. Never drive or operate machinery after drinking alcohol.

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