Two Whites Equals Nothing Wrong

Recently went to Press 626 Cafe & Wine Bar in Norfolk, VA and was able to taste about 10 wines over an hour long tasting and have many to share.  First is the story of two white wines.  Since I don't often talk about whites, here are two great choices.

Tenuta del Cavaliere by Marchetti is an Italian and also knows as Marchetti Tenuta del Cavaliere Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi.  This is a Verdicchio that is is a yellow-green grape variety from central Italy responsible for making dry wines of the same color. The variety has been used here for many centuries, and its use has been documented in the Marche region since the 14th Century.

The dry white wines sold under this label are made from the acient Verdicchio grape.
Legend has it that when the troops of the king of the Visigoths, Alarich (370-410), marched on Rome, they were provided with barrels of Verdicchio to maintain their strength.

I enjoyed this white wine with its smoky white pepper notes that mark the very finest Verdicchios. The wine’s rich, mouth-filling pear and melon fruit is backed by intense currents of smoky minerals, riveting acidity, and exotic suggestions of genmaicha tea, chamomile, lemon zest and star fruit. Marchetti’s Verdicchio begs for hearty, rich food. We ate it with seared Ahi Tuna and it was wonderful.  I would also consinder pairing it with other fish or white pizza.  It is an impressive wine from Italy.

The other white wine of the evening was a 2011 Roussanne Tolosa.  It is from a winery in San Louis Obispo, California and they have a solar powered winery.  Their website is here:  www.tolosawinery.com.  The wine is 100% Roussanne which is a grape that most people are not familiar with.  It is usually grown in the Rhone region of France and is often blended with Marsanne.  This is not often found in California

The wine has floral and tropical layers of banana and pineapple with a rich and creamy full bodied finish.  This is a wine I had not tried before and really loved it.  This is a great wine on a summery day and pairs nicely with any seafood or a summer picnic.  Try it, you'll love it.