Petite Arvine, Petit Manseng, Piedrosso, Pinot Blanc and Pinto Noir

I love exploring the "P" grapes and have discovered some incredible wines! "Petite and Petit" are French words for "little" but there is nothing little about the two wines that I tasted with the white grapes Petite Arvine and Petit Manseng. The first wine that featured the Petite Arvine grape was a 2006 Les Criles Vale d'Aoste that I found at the La Case Sena wine shop in Sante Fe, New Mexico. This wine with its light, cream body and flavors of apples and peaches was a wonderful addition to my entree of grilled salmon. The wine shop was a great find next to the La Casa Sena Restaurant. (http://www.lacasasena.com) Now to see if I can find this wine in Dallas as I definitely would like a couple of bottles and might share one or two!

The second petit "little" grape was Petite Manseng, a white grape variety from the southwest French region of Jurancon and the wine that I explored this grape was a bottle of 1997 Domaine Capdevielle Noblesse d 'Automne . Wow! This sweet wine with aromas of honey, peach, caramel and candied fruit was a magical dessert!

I tasted the grape, Piedrosso in a bottle of Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Mastroberarndino 2008. "Lacryma Christi" can be translated as the 'tear of Christ'. These grapes are grown on the volcanic, ashy, rich soil around Mt. Vesuvius. "The name Lacryma Christi comes from an old myth that Christ, crying over Lucifer's fall from heaven, cried his tears on the land and gave divine inspiration to the vines that grew there." (Wikipedia). This big, bold red wine is definitely not a sipping wine however I may try it this winter with nice plate of lasagna.

Pinot Blanc was my next "P" grape. This white grape makes some dynamite wines in the Alsace region of France. Where can you experience these grapes? Try a bottle of Barth Rene Pinot Blanc Vignoble de Bennwihr 2008 from Alsace. With high acidity, flavors of apples and spice, this well balanced wine was an incredibly delicious pairing with hatch chili crab cakes from Central Market. Fabuloso!

My final "P" grape was the red grape Pinot Noir. I had the great pleasure of tasting this grape in a bottle of Lynmar Estate Pinot Noir 2006. Unbelievable! This wine can be enjoyed by itself or paired with a bowl of homemade French onion soup topped with gruyere cheese and brie cheese spread on a baguette. Bon Appetite!

Melon de Bourgogne and Muller Thurgau

Two white grapes, Melon de Bourgogne and Muller Thurgau round out my "M" grapes. Melon de Bourgogne (meh-lohn du boor-GAWN-yuh) ( I love saying this grape) is widely planted in the Pays Nantais region of France's Loire Valley where it is also known as Muscadet. I sipped this grape in a bottle of Chateau l'Oiselinere de la Ramee 2009 which I found at La Cave in Dallas. Its creamy, soft flavors with a hint of citrus made this the perfect picnic wine for an evening of jazz in the park.

Muller Thurgau (MEW-luhr TOOR-gow) is one of the most widely cultivated grapes in Germany and also enjoys popularity in Austria, Switzerland, England, New Zealand and the northern mountain regions of Italy. I enjoyed the grape in a bottle of Ritratti Muller Thurgau 2007 that I found at Central Market. The wine had a light minerality with notes of apples and lemons and is another great patio wine.