Sanguineti Vermentino

 Vermentino

 
A classic Vermentino from Sardinia is straw colored (sometimes slightly green), light bodied, has zingy acidity, and a hint of minerality.  It reminds us of Sancerre, which is not our favorite expression of sauvignon blanc. Our favorite is Canayli, which is a perfect Sardinian expression of the grape, providing an alluring mixed sweet/savory aroma. The palate is rich, slightly sweet, with pineapples, sweet pear flavors.  It has a nice finish, with some aromatic spice and green pepper.
On the other hand, we are finding the Vermentino wines from Tuscany, Piedmont, and Umbria are even more exciting.  Our favorites are Antonio Sanguineti (Tuscany), Collemassari, Colle Solato (a Grechetto/Vermentino combination from Umbria), Poggioargentiera (Maremma region of Tuscany), and Poggio al Tesoro Solosole (Bolgheri region of Tuscany).  The flavors tend to be a bit bolder, the wine has a bit more body, and the acidity is balanced to make these wines very food friendly – but the wine is also delightful on its own.
We called Vermentino “Mr. Versatile” in a previous posting, since it works with some mild flavored dishes as well as some strong flavors. We’ve used Vermentino with grilled oysters with spicy vinaigrette, Sicilian-styled Spanish mackerel and eggplant, seafood stew (cioppino), and  mussels with a white wine garlic sauce.  It might even work with other ethnic foods, such as Mexican.