Wines, 1st Friday Tasting, July 2, 2010 Sauvignon Blanc 2009, The Infamous Goose, Wild Rock. New Zealand Generous aromas of lime, grapefruit, and herbs. Bright flavors of citrus, gooseberry and fresh herbs. Medium light body. Long finish. Delicious. With salads, seafood, or as an aperitif.   [The bird on the label is not a goose at all but a Moa, the extinct, flightless bird once native to New Zealand, about 12 feet tall and 500 pounds.] July White Wine Selection Gros Manseng 2009, Haut Marin. Gascogne, France At last, we have found another Gros Manseng for your pleasure!  This terrific white wine from Gascony (SW France) is crisp & bright, with flowery and slightly lemony  aromas, nice hint of minerality. Pear and apple flavors with hints of pineapple. Medium body. Lingering finish. Very food friendly. Sautéed sea s callops in a white sauce. Fish fillets cooked in foil packets with Cajun succotash. Spicy Asian. Salads. Aperitif, “a super summer sipper”! Riesling 2009, Clean Slate. Mosel, Germany A fresh, balanced, lightly sweet wine from the Mosel River Valley.  Ripe peach flavors balance lively acidity, hints of lime and characteristic minerality. Complements a wide variety of food from grilled scallops and poached fish to poultry, ham and roast pork. The refreshing balance of acidity and fruit makes Clean Slate particularly well-suited to pair with intensely-flavored Asian dishes such as spicy noodles, sushi, curry, spring rolls and lettuce wraps.  Chicken with fresh peach salsa. July Red Wine Selection  Wildflower (Valdiguié) 2009, J. Lohr Estates. Monterey, California Wildflower is a vibrant, red-purple in color with bright aromas.  Very appealing, up-front fruity flavors of boysenberry, Bing cherry, and raspberry.  Wildflower is exuberantly fruity due to high quality, ripe grapes, no oak treatment, and partial carbonic maceration (13%) as a fermentation technique. The luscious fruit and fruity acidity make this wine ideal as an aperitif. Serve slightly chilled. Pair with grilled salmon. Pork loin in a Teriyaki style marinade.   [Wildflower is made from Valdiguié, a grape originally from the southwest of France.  J Lohr’s cool climate Arroyo Seco estates, in Monterey County is one of the few places where it is still grown and where it produces wine which many find reminiscent of the higher level wines of Beaujolais. Marselan 2009, Val de Salis. Pay d'Oc, France Here’s an exciting grape which is new to most of us. Marselan, which has small grapes, gives a deep purple-colored wine with the flavors of black fruits, figs, plums and hints of cocoa. This wine gives us delightfully rich dark fruit with full texture, a hint of spice and mild, tasty tannins.  Fine value! Versatile food companion. Have it with grilled spicy sausage or steaks. Flavorful cheeses.   [Marselan is 1961 cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache Noir and named after Marseillan, the small town on France's Mediterranean coast where it was first grown. In the vineyards of Val de Salis, the vines are grown on their own rootstock and not attached to American root stock as most French vines are in order to avoid phylloxera, thus giving, they believe, greater intensity and authenticity to their wines.  (Flooding the vineyards at the end of each winter, a traditional practice at this property,  prevents the root louse which carries phylloxera.)] Shiraz 2008, Razor's Edge. South Australia A great value Aussie Shiraz. Big dark berry aromas with earthy, mushroom hints.  Generous flavors of ripe blackberry, plum with spice notes. Nice structure, yet relatively soft, long finish.   Robust cheeses.  Eggplant parmesan. Stuffed mushrooms. Medium rare lamb chops or grilled venison steaks. Burgers, beef steaks.     Cheers,  Wine World Taste through the wines at your own pace. We are pleased to talk with you about the wines.