So, as I am on my whirlwind tour of North Florida in my new role as Wine Supervisor, I have been thinking about what my first “real” blog should be about.  After looking at the past two wine tastings in two nights, I decided to look more in depth at two white wines that would be great for Florida spring.  I brought back to my room the Jules Taylor whites that are available at ABC, Gruner Veltliner and her Pinot Gris.  Both grapes are a bit different than what we usually see from New Zealand, and here is what I think: I am very happy ABC picked up these wines.

I began with Gruner Veltliner, as it was the wine I knew the least about, so I read a little about it and found out the nickname is Gru Vee, which I found very entertaining so that is what I will call it from here on out. Gru Vee starts off with the smell of limes, if green had a smell this would be it! Not like grass green, but more like spring blossom green. The taste begins with the limey-citrus just as it smells, but then it follows with a great stone fruit center that is just refreshing.  The finish is crisp and I really enjoyed the taste. Just think—you can be Gru Vee all spring cooking out on the grill.

The second wine I tried was the Pinot Gris (no nickname could I find).  The nose of this wine was peaches, oranges and honeysuckle.  Talk about a Florida friendly wine! The taste is so clean and light; you could drink it with just about anything, think chicken, seafood, or pasta with white sauces. The stone fruit fills your mouth with that crisp finish that makes you want to take another sip.

All in all I think anyone looking for a food friendly Florida wine will appreciate both of these. So throw a couple cedar plank salmons on the grill and open either of these, or both of these (depending on the kind of night you want to have). 

Kathleen Anderson, North/West Wine Supervisor. Follow Kathleen on Twitter: @ABCwinekat