WORLDLY WHITE WINES

’20 DROUHIN-VAUDON CHABLIS, $26.99

In the extravagantly high-priced world of white Burgundy, this Chablis from Joseph Drouhin is quite the deal. The purity of fruit in this 100 percent unoaked chardonnay from northern Burgundy in France is what makes this wine so special. This is how Chablis should be, elegant with citrus, pear and white flower aromas. The crushed stone mineral finish is brilliant. I can’t think of a better pairing than a simple herb crusted chicken with crusty bread.

’20 SCANTIANUM VERMENTINO, $18.99

The dry Italian grape vermentino has rapidly increased in popularity and has a lot of similarities to sauvignon blanc. This lively white wine has hints of white flowers, lemon rind and great acidity making you want another glass. The Scantianum vermentino is from Scansano, Italy, with a maritime influence that gives the wine its distinct minerality and saline note. A perfect foil for oysters, light flaky fish or linguine.

’20 LEFT COAST WHITE PINOT NOIR, $20.49

This wine always gets a lot of attention as there are not many white wines made from red wine grapes. The Left Coast White Pinot Noir is made with pinot noir grapes that have no skin contact during fermentation, leaving the wine a nice golden color. From Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley, this is a richer style of white wine with hints of honey and apple streusel. This would be ideal with grilled salmon and tarragon sauce.

WHERE TO SHOP: SEVILLE WINE AND GIFT SHOPPE, 130 E. GOVERNMENT ST., PENSACOLA

BROADBENT VINHO VERDE, $8.99

This may be one of the best value wines in the world! Vinho verde (green or young wine) has loads of lemon lime zest, lower alcohol and a slight spritz to it. If there ever was a wine made for the beach, this is it! The Broadbent Vinho Verde is a blend of three rather obscure grapes blended from different vintages. A great wine to show off your latest charcuterie board creation.

’21 SENDA VERDE ALBARIÑO, $15.99

Albariño just might be the perfect white wine to enjoy along the Gulf Coast when the weather heats up. From a beautifully rugged coast in northeastern Spain, Senda Verde Albariño is a thirst-quenching wine with zesty tropical fruit, stone fruit, sea salt and crushed sea shells. Perfect with mahi-mahi fish tacos or a Caprese salad.

Move over pinot grigio, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, there are some new white wines in town.

Remember those big jugs of Chablis that your parents used to drink? They gave Chablis a bad reputation – but it is making a comeback. Chablis is the northernmost wine district of the Burgundy region of France. Its cool climate produces wines with more acidity and less fruitiness than chardonnay wines produced in warmer climates.

According to Bill Carlson, purchasing manager for Seville Quarter in downtown Pensacola, although Chablis and white Burgundies are both made from chardonnay grapes, they are crisper and less oaky than California chardonnays.

“Think of these typically unoaked wines like biting into a green apple while the oaky and buttery chardonnays from California like eating apple pie,” Carlson explained.

Wines referred to as white Burgundies are chardonnay-based wines from France’s easterly Burgundy region. However, a Bordeaux blanc comes from the Bordeaux region of France and is produced from grapes such as sauvignon blanc and semillon. White Bordeaux tends to be more citrus and floral as opposed to grassy and herbal. The flavor is not as tropical or peachy as California sauvignon blanc.

Don’t let a fancy grape intimidate you. Lisa Merritt works at the Seville Wine and Gift Shoppe daily and can answer all your questions and direct you to the wine you are looking for. Or start with one of these worldly whites recommended by Bill Carlson, all under $30!