Wine Reviews

These wine reviews were written by Charity Akers Greathouse, of Akers’ Assistants. I am not  a sommelier or even a wine connoisseur, but I am a very well educated wine lover and wine blogger. I hope that the reviews will help you as you decide what to drink and enjoy it more thoroughly. Cheers!

Jim and Mary’s White, 2006- Although this is a white wine, and traditionally whites are served chilled, it is my recommendation that this white only be chilled for 15-20 minutes prior to service. “What?,” you say. See, over chilling the wine masks the flavors. In a delicate sweet wine like this one, in order to really taste it and enjoy everything it has to offer, warmer is better than cooler.

Jim and Mary’s white is white table wine, crafted in a style that is easy drinking. This is a very sweet white, which sometimes people under think. By that, I mean we take sip and say to ourselves, “Oh, this is sweet!” But we don’t investigate the taste any further than that. On the nose, there is a very fresh scent of honey, apple and pear; which may make the sweet taste a surprise. The palate of the wine may seem very simple if it is over chilled. When it is only slightly chilled, it is easy to taste the hint of pineapple, lemon, and a distinct steel or slate. The white wine has a lingering sweet finish, as is the over all flavor, with a slight acidity.

This wine is by far, a summer time wine. I think it would be quite enjoyable on a warm summer day.  I recommend this wine with lighter salads, fruit kabobs with a yogurt dip, or if you’re daring enough to pair it for brunch it would be lovely with croissants with honey butter. I would not pair this wine with spicy food or anything with a heavy sauce (think eggs benedict or barbecue), as it would overwhelm the wine.

Varner Winery, Strawberry White Zinfandel, 2010 – White Zinfandel. It brings many images to mind for many different people. One thing is for sure, it is looked down upon by many people in the wine community. But here’s the thing, no one can tell you what good wine is. We are each designed differently to like different things.  And to be honest, this Strawberry White Zin, surprised me from the beginning, so that is where we will start.

The color of the wine is the traditional blush color of white zinfandel and on the nose the berry was slightly out-weighted by the scent of sweetness. But here’s the kicker–I expected a syrupy sweet strawberry wine, and what I got was a slightly sweet, berry rich wine! The wine is very light on the palate and  uncomplicated with a hint of refreshing lemon, and has a light acidity that leads to a lasting finish.

In my mind, this is a ladies who lunch wine. What I mean by that is, I can see four lovely ladies, enjoying a beautiful lunch on the veranda, of lightly dressed salad, cheese and crackers, quiche and some strawberry shortcake with the Varner Winery, Strawberry White Zinfandel and having a lovely day.