BOTTOM OF THE BOTTLE (BOTTOM LINE):
It took me awhile to understand this wine but I'm finally getting an idea of its character. It doesn't taste of fruits at all, it tastes of the peels and skins and rinds of fruits mixed with grassy and herbaceous elements. I like the idea of this wine. I do. It has unfathomable potential in today's cuisine world geared towards the exotic of eastern spices and lighter components. This wine posses the exotic. Many say that wine was not meant to pair with eastern dishes and spice. But an exotic dish needs an exotic wine. This isn't a wine for lovers of the fruit flavours of wine. This is for those who seek something else. I saw a review for the 2011 white beach house blend and in this review by the Good Wine Guru it was said best with "the best description of the 2011 Beach House White is “green”. There’s plenty of citrus on the nose and in the mouth, but a hint of herbaceous notes comes through on the finish, and while that’s certainly not a bad thing, I also know it’s not for everybody. "
For a more in depth Account of this wine, click "read more"
It took me awhile to understand this wine but I'm finally getting an idea of its character. It doesn't taste of fruits at all, it tastes of the peels and skins and rinds of fruits mixed with grassy and herbaceous elements. I like the idea of this wine. I do. It has unfathomable potential in today's cuisine world geared towards the exotic of eastern spices and lighter components. This wine posses the exotic. Many say that wine was not meant to pair with eastern dishes and spice. But an exotic dish needs an exotic wine. This isn't a wine for lovers of the fruit flavours of wine. This is for those who seek something else. I saw a review for the 2011 white beach house blend and in this review by the Good Wine Guru it was said best with "the best description of the 2011 Beach House White is “green”. There’s plenty of citrus on the nose and in the mouth, but a hint of herbaceous notes comes through on the finish, and while that’s certainly not a bad thing, I also know it’s not for everybody. "
For a more in depth Account of this wine, click "read more"
BACKGROUND:
I was feeling upbeat, sun-loving and beachy today. So I went to the wine racks of the local BCL and took a gander. I was thinking light, crisp, relaxing. I walked by the South African corridor and saw this guy on the top shelf, starfish and all. I turned it around to read the description and saw the words lemongrass and gooseberry. A much different contrast to the what i am use to seeing as highlighted flavours, i had to uncork this bottle.
BASICS:
Simply called the Beach House White, this is a 2012 white blend straight out of the Cape Coast, South Africa from the wine titan "Douglas Green." It weighs in at 12% alc/vol with an 80% share of Sauvignon Blanc and a 20% share of Semillon. It comes to you for a decent price of $11.99 at the local BCL but even more decent on sale for under 10$.
THE PRODUCERS PIECE:
words straight from the beach house homepage:"a glassful of gooseberries and lemongrass with a zesty twang of tangerine against a lemon drop background. Playful and fresh and very very more-ish"
The bottle itself plays a similar note, describing itself as "lemongrass and gooseberries in a glass. This is a stunning, fresh and delicious white wine perfect for sitting out in the sun, on the porch or even better...on the beach." it even tells us what it goes well with.
REVIEWERS RECOLLECTION:
The BC Liquor patrons rate this a 4/5. It is described from here as "Crisp notes of guava, lemongrass, key lime and gooseberries abound, with a bit of lanolin, mineral and grapefruit undertones mixed in for a lively white perfect for any time"
Richard DiGiacomo from Coral Gables Wine Examiner says of this bottle " A refreshing wine to relax with. Pale yellow in appearance with tropical aromas of pineapple and melon with lemon peel and minerals in the background. The palate is filled with bright lemon with lime peel and a well-balanced acidic finish. A platter of chilled seafood while watching the waves lap at the shoreline is a great way to enjoy this blend."
Dennis Sodomka over at the Augusta Chronicles says "The colorful label makes you think you’re at the beach, and inside is a beautiful straw-colored wine that opens with mellow citrus aromas. The taste is bold, but not overpowering. There are plenty of citrus flavors, especially lime and grapefruit.The mouthfeel is lively and refreshing, with lots of bracing acidity."
THE AMATEUR'S ACCOUNT:
APPEARANCE:
I feel like there may be an optical illusion at play here. The bottle might actually be tinged with the slightest of green. This works in beautifully with the blue torquoise colours of the label and cap but it hides the true appearance of the wine. I pour it into my glass and it looks clearer and lighter in colour than it had in the bottle. It comes across as a pale and soft yellow. I believe they call it "pale straw." The legs coat the inside of the glass well and return to the body of wine with slight hesitation.
NOSE:
I submerge my nose into the glass and breathe in deep. There is a zestiness there, fresh lemons. There is something else playing around a tropical note of some kind. I take a deeper breathe fixating on this tropical feature. I can pick up on perhaps a ripe grapefruit undertone, or perhaps more oranges. I definitely smell beautiful ripe pear mingling with those citrus notes. There is something on the edge of last inhale, a hint of acidic mineral perhaps. The smell hints towards crisp and clear, light and fresh.
PALATE:
The body is slightly heavier in the mouth than I would have expected with the appearance and nose. Though, now that i reminisce on it, those legs did take a slight bit of time sliding down the glass, foreshadowing a fuller wine. I would go with light-medium body on this one. The flavour is also strikingly different to the aromas. There is a muddle at first. Almost as if the initial taste and middle taste don't exist until the swish. A second attempt has me looking harder. It takes some time before a flavour is formed. I wasn't sure I would call it lemon grass, so, having no fresh lemongrass I went to my fridge for a tube of lemongrass paste. I can see where they get the idea of lemon grass. There is an almost herb or grassy like quality alongside a citrus character, specifically a citrus zest. For this reason lemongrass works. There are other flavours lurking beneath the "lemongrass." The gooseberry tartness kicks in with the swish. Other hints almost pass on the idea of an under-ripe grapefruit but there was something less fruity about it. There is also the minerals. You can gather them especially on the after taste. The gooseberry tartness also lingers on the finish but what is everlasting on the finish is an herb quality.
WINE FOOD PAIRING:
The bottle says to try this wine with "cracked crab claws, shucked oysters, sushi rolls, shrimp or simply on its own." I tried this wine on its own and later with a salad that had a bit of smoked salmon in it. It came across nicely but this wine might be best served with a lighter flavoured fish. I can see its potential with lighter Asian and Indian cuisine that contains lemongrass and herb elements. It may even pair well with sushi, which many wines do difficultly.
BOTTOM OF THE BOTTLE (BOTTOM LINE):
It took me awhile to understand this wine but I'm finally getting an idea of its character. It doesn't taste of fruits at all, it tastes of the peels and skins and rinds of fruits mixed with grassy and herbaceous elements. I like the idea of this wine. I do. It has unfathomable potential in today's cuisine world geared towards the exotic of eastern spices and lighter components. This wine posses the exotic. Many say that wine was not meant to pair with eastern dishes and spice. But an exotic dish needs an exotic wine. This isn't a wine for lovers of the fruit flavours of wine. This is for those who seek something else. I saw a review for the 2011 white beach house blend and in this review by the Good Wine Guru it was said best with "the best description of the 2011 Beach House White is “green”. There’s plenty of citrus on the nose and in the mouth, but a hint of herbaceous notes comes through on the finish, and while that’s certainly not a bad thing, I also know it’s not for everybody. "
I was feeling upbeat, sun-loving and beachy today. So I went to the wine racks of the local BCL and took a gander. I was thinking light, crisp, relaxing. I walked by the South African corridor and saw this guy on the top shelf, starfish and all. I turned it around to read the description and saw the words lemongrass and gooseberry. A much different contrast to the what i am use to seeing as highlighted flavours, i had to uncork this bottle.
BASICS:
Simply called the Beach House White, this is a 2012 white blend straight out of the Cape Coast, South Africa from the wine titan "Douglas Green." It weighs in at 12% alc/vol with an 80% share of Sauvignon Blanc and a 20% share of Semillon. It comes to you for a decent price of $11.99 at the local BCL but even more decent on sale for under 10$.
THE PRODUCERS PIECE:
words straight from the beach house homepage:"a glassful of gooseberries and lemongrass with a zesty twang of tangerine against a lemon drop background. Playful and fresh and very very more-ish"
The bottle itself plays a similar note, describing itself as "lemongrass and gooseberries in a glass. This is a stunning, fresh and delicious white wine perfect for sitting out in the sun, on the porch or even better...on the beach." it even tells us what it goes well with.
REVIEWERS RECOLLECTION:
The BC Liquor patrons rate this a 4/5. It is described from here as "Crisp notes of guava, lemongrass, key lime and gooseberries abound, with a bit of lanolin, mineral and grapefruit undertones mixed in for a lively white perfect for any time"
Richard DiGiacomo from Coral Gables Wine Examiner says of this bottle " A refreshing wine to relax with. Pale yellow in appearance with tropical aromas of pineapple and melon with lemon peel and minerals in the background. The palate is filled with bright lemon with lime peel and a well-balanced acidic finish. A platter of chilled seafood while watching the waves lap at the shoreline is a great way to enjoy this blend."
Dennis Sodomka over at the Augusta Chronicles says "The colorful label makes you think you’re at the beach, and inside is a beautiful straw-colored wine that opens with mellow citrus aromas. The taste is bold, but not overpowering. There are plenty of citrus flavors, especially lime and grapefruit.The mouthfeel is lively and refreshing, with lots of bracing acidity."
THE AMATEUR'S ACCOUNT:
APPEARANCE:
I feel like there may be an optical illusion at play here. The bottle might actually be tinged with the slightest of green. This works in beautifully with the blue torquoise colours of the label and cap but it hides the true appearance of the wine. I pour it into my glass and it looks clearer and lighter in colour than it had in the bottle. It comes across as a pale and soft yellow. I believe they call it "pale straw." The legs coat the inside of the glass well and return to the body of wine with slight hesitation.
NOSE:
I submerge my nose into the glass and breathe in deep. There is a zestiness there, fresh lemons. There is something else playing around a tropical note of some kind. I take a deeper breathe fixating on this tropical feature. I can pick up on perhaps a ripe grapefruit undertone, or perhaps more oranges. I definitely smell beautiful ripe pear mingling with those citrus notes. There is something on the edge of last inhale, a hint of acidic mineral perhaps. The smell hints towards crisp and clear, light and fresh.
PALATE:
The body is slightly heavier in the mouth than I would have expected with the appearance and nose. Though, now that i reminisce on it, those legs did take a slight bit of time sliding down the glass, foreshadowing a fuller wine. I would go with light-medium body on this one. The flavour is also strikingly different to the aromas. There is a muddle at first. Almost as if the initial taste and middle taste don't exist until the swish. A second attempt has me looking harder. It takes some time before a flavour is formed. I wasn't sure I would call it lemon grass, so, having no fresh lemongrass I went to my fridge for a tube of lemongrass paste. I can see where they get the idea of lemon grass. There is an almost herb or grassy like quality alongside a citrus character, specifically a citrus zest. For this reason lemongrass works. There are other flavours lurking beneath the "lemongrass." The gooseberry tartness kicks in with the swish. Other hints almost pass on the idea of an under-ripe grapefruit but there was something less fruity about it. There is also the minerals. You can gather them especially on the after taste. The gooseberry tartness also lingers on the finish but what is everlasting on the finish is an herb quality.
WINE FOOD PAIRING:
The bottle says to try this wine with "cracked crab claws, shucked oysters, sushi rolls, shrimp or simply on its own." I tried this wine on its own and later with a salad that had a bit of smoked salmon in it. It came across nicely but this wine might be best served with a lighter flavoured fish. I can see its potential with lighter Asian and Indian cuisine that contains lemongrass and herb elements. It may even pair well with sushi, which many wines do difficultly.
BOTTOM OF THE BOTTLE (BOTTOM LINE):
It took me awhile to understand this wine but I'm finally getting an idea of its character. It doesn't taste of fruits at all, it tastes of the peels and skins and rinds of fruits mixed with grassy and herbaceous elements. I like the idea of this wine. I do. It has unfathomable potential in today's cuisine world geared towards the exotic of eastern spices and lighter components. This wine posses the exotic. Many say that wine was not meant to pair with eastern dishes and spice. But an exotic dish needs an exotic wine. This isn't a wine for lovers of the fruit flavours of wine. This is for those who seek something else. I saw a review for the 2011 white beach house blend and in this review by the Good Wine Guru it was said best with "the best description of the 2011 Beach House White is “green”. There’s plenty of citrus on the nose and in the mouth, but a hint of herbaceous notes comes through on the finish, and while that’s certainly not a bad thing, I also know it’s not for everybody. "
RSS Feed