Twill & Daisy Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Right, we need two bottles of wine for this recipe. One to cook with and one to drink. They say that you should only cook with what you drink but in my opinion, I defo don't use what I drink to cook. Granted, if I was in a high-end restaurant, I'd probably be refining my cooking a lot more but the truth is I ain't so let's focus on the drinking wine. 

This week I am sipping on a Semillon from First Creek in the Hunter Valley.  Semillon is a thing of beauty really.  Drunk young it's fresh with juicy acidity, apple, pear, and loads of bright citrus notes.  Kept in the cellar and it will reward you in 5, 10, and 20 years.  As it develops it gets (I think) a little grassy, the acidity is less prominent and notes of honey start to form.  Pick this up from winedirect.com.au at a bargain of $22 a bottle and the only thing you will complain about is having not bought 6-12 bottles! 

Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape gets its name from the French word sauvage ("wild") and blanc ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France. It is now planted in many of the world's wine regions, producing a crisp, dry, and refreshing white varietal wine.

In Australia

Here in Australia, particularly the Margaret River region, the grape is often blended with Sémillon. Varietal styles, made from only the Sauvignon blanc grape, from Adelaide Hills and Padthaway have a style distinctive from our New Zealand neighbours and tend to be more ripe in flavor with white peach and lime notes and slightly higher acidity.

Characteristics

Depending on the climate, the flavor can range from aggressively grassy to sweetly tropical. Wine experts have used the phrase "crisp, elegant, and fresh" as a favorable description of Sauvignon blanc from the Loire

Heading south from the well-known Margaret River area (and you should – it's a lovely drive), you'll come across Pemberton tucked into the towering trees of the neighbouring forests. Things grow well here, so why not grape vines?

History

The soil is so good, in fact, local vignerons use a lot of tough love on the vines to keep them producing. Keeping them pruned back and dry is the trick. Chardonnay is the top drop in this climate, but those cool nights and warm days are beneficial to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Keep an eye on reds from this region.

Visting

Visitors should be ready to get outdoors and enjoy the landscape and coasts. It's not every day you can climb an 80 metre tree, after all.