(Bob Gregg, 10:15 pm) (Posted to: Main, Wine)
2007-10-15: Jacquère
My wife was in the middle of a quick saute of shrimp with leftover pesto sauce, and she needed a white wine to add to the mix, pronto. I grabbed the first remotely accessible thing, which was a Vin de Savoie, a wine from the Savoie region of France, just south of Alsace. Apparently most of the wines from Savoie, a mountainous region on the border with Switzerland, are made with an obscure (everywhere but there) autochthonous grape named Jacquère.
I think my wife and I would both describe this as bone-dry with powerful acidity, and about as neutral a wine as we’ve tried. The classic food pairing with this grape (considering where it comes from) is supposed to be cheese fondue. Certainly the acidity would help with that, slicing through the fat in a refreshing way, and there would be nothing to overwhelm the taste of even mild fondue cheese like Gruyère. The last grape I had that was this neutral was Erbaluce, which while interesting was also boring. This is kind of in the same category, but if you have a cheese plate, it could be a good choice.
The wine: 2005 Domaine Portaz Vin de Savoie “Apremont”
What I paid last time: $12
What I would pay next time: $8
It’s another one for the life list, if you’ve never had a wine from Savoie before.