My next group of grape varieties were all white grapes that began with the letter "F"....Falanghina, Fiano, Folle Blanc , Friulano and Furmint. I tasted the Falanghina(FA-lan-GHEE-nah) grape in a 2008 Terredora Dipaolo from Jimmy's Italian market http://www.jimmysfoodstore.com/. A really nice summer wine with flavors of citrus fruits and a hint of minerals and a great bargain at only $16.99.
Next was another Italian grape Fiano (fee-AH-no). This medium bodied wine, Cantele Alticelli Fiano 2007 was pretty heavy on the grassy and herbal notes, almost like a really overpowering Sauvignon Blanc.
Moving on to the Folle Blanc grape. I found this grape at the Highland Park cheese store, Molto Formaggio (http://www.moltoformaggio.com) in a 2008 Berroia Bizkaiko Txakolina from Spain. It was a blend of 90% Hondarrabi Zuri, 6% Folle Blanc and 4% Riesling. I may not be able to pronounce the wine, but I can certainly recommend it! Fresh and crip with more mineral aromas and flavors than fruit. A great "sipping by the pool" wine on a hot Texas day.
Friulano, a popular grape from the northern Italian region of Friuli was another wonderful discovery...very aromatic! The wine, di Lenardo Vineyards TOH da uve Friulano 2008 had more notes of fruit (pears) than the others which when I paired it with a homeade gazpacho....home run! The fruitness in the wine balanced with the acidity of the tomatoes in the gazpacho.
Finally we come to the Hungarian grape variety Furmint (FOOR-mint). This grape made up 70% of a 2005 Kiralyudvar Tokaji dry white Hungarian wine. The other grape in the blend was a Harsleveli. I served it with a butternut squash risotto and was very pleased with the combination. Who would have thought that there were so many great, off-beat, random "F" wines!
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