LCBO Food & Drink Winter 2017

SOUTH INDIAN FISH CURRY recipe on page 96

WHITE: aromatic & flavourful

Pondview Lot 74 Chardonnay Riesling Gewurz- traminer VQA ( LCBO 308718, $14.95) is just as weighty but it’s off-dry, a rich blend of Niagara Chardonnay, Riesling and Gewürztraminer that tastes like canteloupe and poached pears. This fragrant combination of grapes is popular with Ontario wineries but the trick is to capture enough acidity to balance the inherent sweet- ness. Lot 74 achieves that nicely.    Acidity is never going to be an issue with Fielding Riesling VQA ( LCBO 146761, $15.95). It too is off-dry but there’s a zingy tang to bal- ance orange blossom aromatics and a swish

of sweet fruitiness on the palate—ripe apple, juicy peach, all kinds of citrus. A long finish is a sign of quality in a wine and is definitely part of this Riesling’s DNA. And just to show how dif- ferent two wines can be while still belonging in the same general style category, here’s a fresh New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc from Nobilo’s Regional Collection ( LCBO 415745, $16.95). Ele­ gant, herbaceous, floral, with notes of lemon and grapefruit, it comes at the dish from a dif- ferent direction, cutting through the rich spices of the curry with a lemon-grass blade of citrus and herbs.

What do these whites have in common? Some are dry, others aren’t; some are delicate but many are robust. What they all offer are big, often exotic aromas and flavours of fruits and flowers that will fill your senses. Let’s start with Laroche Viognier de la Chevalière ( LCBO 377622, $12.95), made from fruit sourced across France’s Languedoc region. It’s powerful, in- tense and full-bodied but intriguingly dry with a sophisticated bouquet that reminds me of starfruit, melon rind, lanolin and green tea. There’s so much going on it almost feels like an- other pungent side dish next to the curried fish.

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