CorkPopper

Having just barely recovered from the world’s worst cold, I’m off to the airport yet again today, this time headed for Walla Walla, Washington for the 2010 Wine Blogger Conference.  I’ll be rubbing elbows and sipping wine with professional wine journalists and citizen bloggers like myself and, hopefully, learning how to make this here blog even better and more interesting for all of you.  First, however, I’ve got to post about this week’s wines!

This week is, of course, the week of South African Sauvignon Blanc.  I found three solid wines from three different areas  – a 2009 Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc from the Overberg WO (Wine of Origin) region (and, more specifically, the Walker Bay area), a 2008 Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc from the Stellenbosch WO, and a 2008 Neil Ellis Groenekloof Sauvignon Blanc from the Overberg WO (from the Elgin area).  Both WO regions are located in South Africa’s Western Cape, surrounding the city of Cape Town.  Because I’ve been sick all week and will be out of town this weekend, I decided to prepare a meal likely to pair well with Sauvignon Blanc generally (it’s not a true CorkPopper Dinner since that requires tasting the wine first and then coming up with a recipe specifically designed to pair with the wine) and taste all three in one night.  In some ways, this is a superior way to do things, as it allows me to compare the three wines under the same conditions and with the same food.  J’s got three open bottles of wine to polish off while I’m gone, but something tells me he can handle it.

Next, we moved on to the 2008 Neil Ellis Groenekloof, which had a much different, almost salty aroma that neither of us cared much for. The palate is full of citrus (lemon and tangerine) as well as fresh herbs and minerality, but that salty/savory aroma carried through in a way that kind of threw me off a bit. Though it’s not entirely unpleasant, this wine just doesn’t taste as fresh and crisp as the Southern Right. You can try it yourself for $17.29/bottle at wine.com. 3 corks popped!

Finally, we tasted the 2008 Mulderbosch, which we’ve actually had before at the bar at the Casa del Mar hotel in Santa Monica. Because of our prior experience with it, both of us expected it to be the best of the three. Interestingly, when compared directly with the Southern Right, we were both surprised to find that it wasn’t quite as amazing as we remembered. It has a nice aroma of tropical fruit and minerals and a nicely acidic palate with lots of lime, some tropical fruit and fresh cut grass. Though this is definitely a South African wine to try (it did, after all, put South African Sauvignon Blanc on the map), at $19.99/bottle from wine.com it’s not quite the stellar value that the Southern Right is. 3.5 corks popped!!

So, what does one eat with this fantastic array of South African Sauvignon Blanc?  That’s easy – Grilled Lobster Tails with White Wine, Butter and Shallot Sauce.

Recipe serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 large lobster tails
• 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Dry white wine (South African Sauvignon Blanc, perhaps?)
• Fresh ground pepper
• Sea salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter

Preparation

Preheat your grill to medium heat.

Lay the lobster tails on a cutting board, belly side down.  Using a large, sharp knife, slice them in half lengthwise.  Drizzle the exposed meat with olive oil and a bit of white wine.  Season generously with salt and pepper and then sprinkle with a small amount of chopped shallot.

Place the lobster tails, shell side down onto the grill and cover.  Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the meat is just white instead of translucent.  You don’t want to overcook lobster, as it will get tough, so be sure to keep a good eye on it.  Once the meat has turned white, remove the tails from the grill and set aside.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt a couple of tablespoons of butter.  Add the remaining shallots and saute until translucent.  Add the remaining butter and melt.  Once the butter is melted, add about 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup white wine and stir to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn the heat down and allow to simmer until the alcohol has cooked off.  Season to taste with sea salt and pour the sauce into two small bowls for dipping.

Arrange the tails on two plates and sprinkle with parsley.  Add a lemon wedge for more color and some additional flavor, and serve with a simple green salad with a white wine vinaigrette and crusty grilled bread, of course.  YUM!

Cheers!  Check back throughout the weekend for updates on the 2010 Wine Blogger Conference!!