2009 S.A. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett

S.A. Prüm is based in the town of Wehlen in the Mosel region of Germany. The Prüm family has been producing wine in the region since 1156. The winery’s primary focus is the production of Riesling wines. They participate in the German VDP classification system.

The 2009 S.A. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett was 100% Riesling. The label listed ABV was 7.5% (whoa, if I have a beer it is usually higher than that.).

I am always on the lookout for wine holidays (we need more wine holidays). Thankfully, Talk-A-Vino, a fellow wine blogger, in one of his Wednesday Meritage posts brought to my attention that July 2012 was the 31 days of German Riesling. One week later, Molly at Paprika & Pinot, delivered an excellent post titled “Still Searching for a Bone Dry Riesling”. In the comments section of her post, The Winegetter, another wine blogger (he’s knows German wines extremely well), posted some tips on identifying a dry Riesling.

Armed with The Winegetter’s advice, I set out in search of a dry Riesling.

2011 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Cloudy Bay Vineyards is located in the town of Blenheim in the Marlborough section of New Zealand. The winery produces two Sauvignon Blancs, a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, and a sparkling wine.

The 2011 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc was 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was aged in stainless steel tanks for 3 to 5 months. The label listed ABV was 13.5%.

The 21st of June 2012 was International Sauvignon Blanc day. For the occasion, I set out to find a suitable bottle for consumption. I couldn’t recall drinking a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, so I decided to give the Cloudy Bay a try.

We really do need more wine holidays.

2010 Domaine de Nizas Coteaux du Languedoc Rose

Domaine de Nizas is located in the village of Caux in the Languedoc area of Southern France.

The winery produces several red wines, one white wine, and one rose wine.

The 2010 Nizas Rose was a blend made up of 40% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 20% Mourvedre. The wine was aged for 3 months in stainless steel tanks. It carried an ABV of 13.5% and an AOC classification.

In honor of Languedoc Day on the 3rd of May 2012 (expertly pointed out to us by a fellow blogger. Thank you, Ernest!), I set out in search of a wine from that region. This rose was the only wine I could locate nearby.

In general, I am not a very, big fan of rose wines.

That said, this bottle was a pleasant surprise.

2007 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino

Catena Zapata, based in Mendoza, Argentina, is one of that country’s most well-known wineries. They produce a number of red and white wines, utilizing Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec varietals.

I previously tasted their 2007 Catena Alta Malbec. The Catena Alta was produced using grapes from four of the winery’s vineyards. The Argentino product utilized grapes from the best lots of two of their vineyards (the Adrianna and Nicasia vineyards).

The 2007 Malbec Argentino was 100% Malbec. The wine was aged for 24 months in new French oak. The label listed ABV was 14%.

Similar to my experience with the Catena Alta, the Argentino was a very, nice bottle of wine.