Non Controversial Table Talk

Gruner goes with just about everything. The Austrians pair Gruner with sausage, 
meats and hot stuff. And Gruner is one the few wines that works with the beast: Asparagus.
Asparagus is strange even among its vegetal kin. It's tasty, true, but Asparagus
has it in for wine! The chlorophyll-driven green flavor that’s part of what makes it so tasty 
clashes with many wines. And the Asparagus contains compounds like asparagusic acid,
which is an organosulfur carboxylic acid. Basically, that translates to causing a lot of wine
to taste metallic and harsh. But don't despair. Just stay away from tannic reds
or oaky whites and go for something citrusy, herbal and unoaked. 
Critics pairing choice: Grüner Veltliner from Austria

$14.99

This bottle is the very definition of bang for the buck.
Stone fruit, melon, honey and floral tones assault the senses.
With its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, a layer of mineral and salinity
is added to this wine, making a perfect complement to fruit on the palate. 

James Suckling says 92 Points:
"Very attractive aromas of sliced peaches and melon follow through to a medium
to full body with a creamy texture and a fruity, almost savory hint at the finish,
together with lots of pineapple and melon. Drink now." 

Non Controversial Table Talk Topic

Nestled between Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay is the fourth-largest wine producer
in South America. The country's output in 2018 was 18 million liters.
Although the bonds of tango and carnival link it culturally to Argentina and Brazil, respectively, the wine production of Uruguay is unique on the continent.  Shaped by
a mild, Atlantic climate, Uruguay is more comparable to European wine regions
than its Latin American neighbors, which have continental, Pacific,
or subtropical influences. Albariño is currently a rising star in Uruguay.
Considering the country’s maritime climate, which is similar to that of Galicia
and northern Portugal, it’s no surprise that it thrives here.

$16.99 at wine.com and more everywhere else online!

*** The 2019 is $15.99 @MetroWines ***

 "Chateau du Trignon Cotes du Rhone has an intense ruby color
with nose and palate that show off strawberries, red currants and hint of garrigue.
Smooth and well-balanced on the palate. A soft, fruity wine.

*** Big Bang for the BUCK ***

$17.99 at wine.com and $19.99 at Vivino 
and, again, even more everywhere else online!

** $13.99 ** 

Wine Advocate, 90 Points
"Packaged in its distinctive light blue label, the Cordero di Montezemolo 2019 Langhe Arneis
is a brilliant and crystalline white wine that shines bright from the glass.
This refreshing Arneis offers a terrific balance between orchard fruit and nectarine,
contrasted against white mineral and wild sage. Presenting distinctive richness offered
by this grape, with softness, but the overall effect is fresh, crisp and bright. Well done."

Non Controversial Table Talk

Arneis is a white wine grape variety from Italy's much-respected. In a story shared
by several grape varieties, Arneis was rescued from extinction and is experiencing a revival.
By the 1960s, just a few hectares of Arneis vines remained, and only a handful of producers
were making the wine. There are now more than 1500 acres of Arneis vines in Piedmont. 

In the past couple of decades, Arneis has become synonymous with the wines of Roero. 
There, it produces floral-scented white wines, whose delicate aromas belie the full body 
and generous flavors of the wine, typically of pear and apricot rounded out
with a creamy hint of hazelnut. Produced just across the Tanaro River from Barolo,
these white Roero Arneis wines have earned the nickname Barolo Bianco!

Non Controversial Table Talk Topic

15 or 20 years ago, there was little buzz about the wines of Savoie, the Alpine region
hugging the Swiss and Italian borders. In fact, most wines from Savoie were some
combination of overcropped, thin, searingly acidic, and painfully rustic;
even the best examples rarely made it out of the local mountain resorts,
where they were served as an après-ski  to wash down many a croque-monsieur! 
But all that has changed, and today Savoie produces a number of top-quality from
simple thirst-quenchers to wines of substantial gravity including Apremont and Chignin. 

With vineyards at the foot of the Alps that can climb to higher elevations,
Savoie is defined by its mountain-influenced climate and extremely rocky terrain,
with abundant limestone. Thanks to a diversity of indigenous grape varieties,
quality-oriented growers with the choicest parcels can craft anything from deep reds
to crisp, low-alcohol whites including wines made from Altesse, another name for Roussanne, which the Romans planted on the slopes of Chignin around the same time
as they introduced it to the Rhône Valley!

*** $23.00 ***