South African Sauvignon Blanc

What a day. I noticed this morning that our freezer, a small floor model, had a puddle of ice near the door. Not good. I closed the door, made coffee, and waited for the caffiene to kick in. Cautiously I opened the door and looked at the freezer again - the ice puddle was still there. Worse, everything inside the freezer was covered in rime ice, fuzzy crystals of ice obscuring the post-it notes with the contents listed. I was afraid that another cup of coffee wasn't going to be the ultimate solution, but on the other hand it certainly couldn't hurt.

In the process of defrosting the freezer I discovered some lost items - some soup, Caldo Verde, that I love when it gets cold, and a small piece of salmon. I chose the salmon for the evening dinner. My usual cooking method is grilling, but tonight I decided to poach the salmon, and the recipe that google provided included 1/2 cup of sauvignon blanc. I got a bottle out of the cellar and poached the salmon, made Basmati rice, and a fresh (local Bowdoinham) spinach and tomato and mushroom salad.

Now, I always prefer reds to whites, and I didn't think too much about what wine I had chosen. But when I tasted it, wow! Rich, complex, long lasting, complementary to the meal, it was great. The wine was a South African Sauvignon Blanc, 2007, from Graham Beck. I don't remember where I got it or how much it cost, but it wouldn't have been a terribly expensive bottle. A perfect complement to my 6 month old frozen salmon ( a good wine can really make a meal come together, like the right rug in a room).

South Africa has been producing some very distinctive and quite drinkable wines, at reasonable prices. I'm particularly fond of the Cabernet Sauvignon wines, and now I'm keen on the Sauvignon Blancs.

Tomorrow I'll see how it goes with Caldo Verde soup.