Cape Jaffa Sauvignon Blanc 2022

What do you pair with a light, refreshing, Asian influenced delicious smashed cucumber salad? Riesling my friend, riesling. 

Can't have party food without something to drink - can we?? Good party food is definitely bubbles but bubbles is such a cop-out. Let's make it a little more interesting and go with a deliciously juicy Riesling. 

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