Epcot Food & Wine Festival is a great opportunity to discover new wines. Among the 28 wines and champagnes I sampled last week, here are three new interesting discoveries from Germany, China and Portugal.

Germany’s Kloster Pinot Grigio

You don’t see many Pinot Grigio’s from Germany. This one was served at Epcot’s Germany Weinkeller and comes from the Rheinhessen, the largest of Germany’s 13 wine producing regions. It’s 100% Pinot Grigio grapes fermented in stainless steel and stored in stainless.

• Aroma: Clean and fruity.
• Taste: Crisp citrus with hint of nut. Soft yet medium bodied (more so than your usual Italian Pinot Grigio).
• My thoughts: I really enjoyed this wine. I’m a Pinot Grigio fan so was fun to find one from Germany.

China’s Dragon Hollow Chardonnay

We’re hearing a lot these days about China’s growing consumption of wine. Well here’s a wine made in China. This was the wine served at the China International Marketplace. Their website says they are the first premium wines produced in China. No pesticides, clean water and modern winemaking technology are used. And the Ningxia Helan Mountain Eastern region where the wine comes from is same parallel as Napa and Bordeaux.

• Aroma: Granny Smith apple and alchol.
• Taste: Clean tart apple with hint of almond.
• My thoughts: It was exciting to try this wine and while it has potential, particularly as an un-0aked Chardonnay, it doesn’t yet fully live up the the websites description. I found it overall flat after the first sip and pretty high in alcohol yet its only 12.9%.

Portugal’s Croft Pink Porto

This is a fun one! Port is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Duoro Valley in northern Portugal. Croft has been making Port for four centuries and now created something totally new..a rose style. Typically Port is thought of as a heavy after dinner drink. Croft Pink is best served chilled or over ice AND perfect for cocktails. This was served at the Intermission Café hosted by Kobrand.

• Aroma: Berry and floral.
• Taste:  Raspberry and cherry with some heat, due to the almost 20% alcohol content.
• My thoughts: WOW! This a great new spin on the classic Port which I don’t usually drink. I preferred Croft Pink with bubbles…soda water or Prosecco. Try adding a lime too.

 More to come on Champagne and additional Italian wine discoveries. Cheers!

 

So why not serve the same at your Oscar Party!

For the 6th year the Academy Awards will pour Sterling Vineyards’ specially created wines at the after gala ball with Wolfgang Puck’s menu for 1,500 guests and at the evening’s pre show reception.

VP of winemaking Mike Westrick describes the special line up, “The 2005 Red Carpet Reserve Cabernet shows notes of cassis, plum, blackberry and Asian spices. The Gold Standard Reserve Chardonnay offers aromas and flavors of toffee, vanilla, gala apples and Bosc pear. The Muscat Canelli is just luscious, with generous elements of apricot, honeysuckle, ginger and clove.” The Muscat is a new addition to the Oscar line up this year.

Only a few hundred cases of each vintage of Gold Standard Reserve Chardonnay and Red Carpet Reserve Cabernet are produced each year to celebrate the special night. Each bottle bears the winemakers’ signatures and this year is embossed with a stylized bronze cherry blossom to complement the Governors Ball’s Asian theme.

Check out their website for all the different options you can bring home.

Founded in 1964 by Peter Newton, Sterling Vineyards sits 300 feet above Calistoga and offers sweeping views over Napa Valley. Take the aerial tram up to the winery modeled after Greek Island Mykonos, where Peter once lived, for a tour and tastings in their upscale facilities.