 The Jibe Sauvignon Blanc 2004 Marlborough, New Zealand
Moderate
Here’s a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc capturing Marlborough’s crisp, tangy, passionfruit and citrusy version of the variety. Marlborough is on average a colder growing region than Champagne in France, but unlike northern France, Marlborough has the benefit of bright sunshine throughout the growing season. So grapes ripen but maintain the bracing acidity and low pH which makes the wine vivid and bright. The bouquet is fresh with hints of rosemary accenting the passion fruit aromas. On the palate, the wine is crisp and juicy with tangy grapefruit in addition to passion fruit and herbs.
Interestingly, all of Jibe’s Marlborough vineyards are accredited by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, founded in 1995, and which seeks to minimize the input of agro-chemicals in the vineyard and develop environmentally sensitive ways of dealing with winery wastes and water use.
 Santa Margherita Prosecco Di Valdobbiadene Brut Italy
Premium
Any traveler to Venice will remember the traditional glasses of fizz which seem to flow through the city in nearly equal quantities as the Grand Canal. Prosecco is the name of this locally grown sparkler, whose dry, low-keyed apple-like flavors are a subtle match with the city’s seafood and risottos, and of course prosecco is indispensable as the base for any Bellini.
Famed Pinot Grigio producer Santa Margherita’s version of Prosecco is mouthwateringly dry and savory, with a gentle fizz that seems to emphasize the wine’s piquant, appetite-stimulating qualities. This version seems to capture Prosecco’s tender, gentle flavors perfectly.
By the way, Prosecco is the grape used for this sparkler, grown in the eastern Veneto, about sixty miles due north of Venice, around the village of Valdobbiadene.
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 Palacio de Menade Cuvée Richard Sanz 2003 Rueda, Spain
Value
Rueda in northwest-central Spain (northwest of Madrid and due west of Ribera del Duero), is increasingly the source of some of Spain’s best modern, dry, mineral dominated white wines. The main grape grown here on this high plateau is Verdejo (reputedly dating back to the eleventh century), which gives wine with a savory, almond, mineral aroma and flavor. Recently there’s been a move in Rueda to add some Sauvignon Blanc, with which Verdejo blends well, but the most interesting examples are predominately Verdejo. There’s no oak in this stainless steel fermented cuvée named after the wine maker, Richard Sanz, whose family owns the winery Cuevas de Castilla. Medium-bodied, fragrant with touches of flowers and herbs, with firm and bracing minerality, this is an ideal summer white wine to match with almonds and olives as an aperitif to open a meal. Follow with sautéed or grilled shrimp. This is another one of specialist importer Eric Soloman’s super finds from that treasure house of wine, Spain.
 Spadina Nero d’Avola 2002 Sicily
Moderate
Nero d’Avola is considered by many Sicily’s best indigenous red grape variety. The name means “black grape from Avola,” the village in the southeast of the island where the grape originated. The wine it gives is dark ruby in color, with spicy, floral berry notes to bouquet and flavor. Recently, DNA analysis has shown that Nero d’Avola is related to Syrah, which can account for the wine’s rich spicy character as well as its dark color and full but soft texture.
On the palate this 2002 is full bodied, supple with a typically Italian “dry bite” or firmness at the back of the palate. This makes it very suitable for the table where it is ready to match your best home made piazza, or grilled sausages and, of course, any pasta in a tomato sauce. The 2002 is completely ready to enjoy now for its rose-scented bouquet and supple, rich flavors.
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