Feeling Wine & Food - El ABC del Vino in English

From argentine producer Santa Julia arrives in the Quebec market a new wine that fortunately in my opinion helps to open the door for discovering new flavors and varieties of Mendoza. The grape Chardonnay, the star of the whites in the world, also has a very special terroir in the Uco Valley. This mineral and refreshing white wine, pleasantly surprised me by its delicate aromas of apple, jasmine and peach, and a slight but consistent structure in the mouth. With only 6 months in oak barrels, the wine preserves its fruity character and some flavors that remind me of the stony and alluvial soil so characteristic of the region. A delicious wine perfect for uncorking any of these summer evenings while it rests in the SAQ stores!  (Marina La Forgia)

Conde Valdemar White 2017 Bodegas Valdemar DOC Rioja (Alavesa) - Spain SAQ price: $ 15.10 (By Marina La Forgia) Much is said about Rioja's classic reds, but whites are also great wines to discover. Such is the case of Valdemar Blanco, a winery that keeps the elegance of traditional wines but is also one of the most innovative of the region. One of its modern style wines is this excellent fresh and unctuous white made from 4 grape varieties: 70% of the native Viura, 15% of Verdejo, 10% of Sauvignon Blanc and 5% of Tempranillo Blanco. This interesting blend can only give a wine overflowing plenty of very nice aromas but the tropical fruits notes stand out. On the palate, however, I liked it for its mineral character and its refreshing acidity. A great and affordable wine, it is an excellent option to marry the delicious Spanish food. I have paired it with a homemade seafood paella and together they have expressed wonderfully!

Pouilly-Fumé 2016 J. de Villebois - Grands Vins de Val de Loire AOC Pouilly-Fumé - France 100% Sauvignon Blanc SAQ price: $ 25.00 (By Marina La Forgia) Today, let's unveiled this  refreshing and elegant classic Pouilly-Fumé. The white wines coming from this prestigious Loire Valley appellation are particularly attractive and delicate. It is in this French wine region where the Sauvignon Blanc variety keeps its pure and genuine essence, but with a subtlety of aromas and flavors that make it one of the best exponents of the typicity in the world. Thanks to its excellence and quality, the Pouilly Fumé 2016 by J. de Villebois stands out for its pleasant and accentuated herbaceous and citrus aromas. In the mouth, it surprised me by the smoothness and roundness. While still fresh and fruity, it has a good body and structure,  which makes it a great white wine to accompany plenty of seafood dishes and grilled fish. A real delight that gives value to the offer of exce...

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio 2016 Valdadige DOC - Trentino Alto-Adige - Italy SAQ price: 17.95 (By Marina La Forgia) The arrival of spring and the warmer temperatures is the ideal occasion to get seduced by the white wines from all over the world. The chosen one today is this Pinot Grigio from the prestigious Santa Margherita winery, a classic of the SAQ gondolas! Coming from the north of Italy, the region of Trentino Alto-Adige is the cradle of great white wines and the Pinot Grigio grape reaches its best expression in this area. This fresh and lively wine gives us perfumed aromas of peach, pear, melon and some mineral characteristic notes that   make it very refreshing, especially in the mouth. An authentic Italian Pinot Grigio, simple and delicious, very easy drinking and absolutely enjoyable. Give it a try!

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Cru Clisson 2014 AOC Muscadet - France 100% Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet) SAQ Price: $ 23.90 The Muscadet gives us endless and different sensations than perhaps other French white wines. They have a strong personality, well defined notes and very particular flavors. They are generally very elegant wines, but they can also awaken our senses of smell and taste very intensely. This is what has happened to me tasting the 2014 Clisson. Made by the Lieubeau family, from the Loire Valley, which for two years has been making its wines under organic agriculture, this Muscadet is a very delicate white wine, but with pleasant and marked smoky, floral and mineral notes. The nose is clean, fresh, friendly. In the mouth, its subtle acidity and its smoky character make it an unctuous and enveloping wine, with such good presence. The almost 4 years in the bottle have helped in defining and rounding it, for sure. The Clisson has a long final, with a definite charac...

Dominio de Fontana Blanco 2015 Finca Wine - Bodegas Fontana DO Uclés - Castilla La Mancha - Spain Sauvignon Blanc 80% - Verdejo 20% Price: $ 14.50 (IP) My two favorite grape varieties are together in this Spanish white wine very original, refreshing, young and super friendly. In the nose, it offers all fresh citrus, lime and herbs notes very characteristic of the Sauvignon Blanc. Once in the mouth, it is more unctuous and enveloping, since it has matured a few months on the lees. This white has an interesting body that will captivate all palates. I like this winery from Castilla La Mancha because it produces wines with a modern character but that respect very well the Spanish identity. Such is the case of this delicious wine that has the innovation of an international grape like Sauvignon Blanc but well blended to the delicious and unique Verdejo. The ideal white wine for sunny and hot evenings outside in the terrace, sharing with friends some funny moments. I could ...

Planalto Reserva 2015 Casa Ferreirinha - Sogrape DO Douro - Portugal SAQ Price: 11.55 $ Planalto is one of those white wines that we should always have available in our refrigerators. From the wonderful wine region of Douro, where the reds are mostly the "vedettes", I would like to present you this delicious and particular white wine. It reminds me of the freshness of an Albariño, the elegance of a Viognier, the aromatic character of a Chardonnay. But no. This is a blend of native Portuguese grapes such as Viosinho, Codega, Gouveio and Malvasia Fina. Native grapes that are not very well known to my palate, but which have captivated me and that are inciting me to go discover much more about the particularities of the varieties of this such beautiful country, Portugal. On the nose, it overflows its bouquet with notes of tropical fruits such as banana, pineapple and melon. In the mouth it is unctuous, abundant, generous and with lots of fruit. With a balanced, rou...

Cavit Pinot Grigio 2016 Cavit Collection IGT delle Venezie SAQ Price: $ 11.75 One of the emblematic varities of the Italian whites, the Pinot Grigio is probably the favourite one for the Quebec's consummers thanks to its simple character, its pleasant perfume, its soft tasting notes and its refreshing acidity. Cavit, recognized wine house of Trento, offers to us this wine coming from the beautiful region of Venice at an affordable price as a delicious and attractive appetizer for the sunny evenings to come. Served between 7 and 10 degrees, it expresses the maximum potential: fresh, dry, floral and seductive. A well-done white wine with no greater pretension than to taste well and enjoy, just like that. Undoubtedly, this Pinot Grigio is one of my favorite whites in the price range of 10-12 dollars. (MLF)