White in Winter

I don't usually drink white wine in the winter.

I know the "rule" of not wearing white after Labor Day and usually drinking white follows suit; however, sometimes I just have that urge for a white wine. Often, when the weather changes and there's a chill in the air, I lean more toward reds but sometimes it depends on what food I'm enjoying.

Some people don't mind having a Cabernet with scallops and some don't mind drinking a Chardonnay with steak. I am not one of those people though. I want the absolute best possible pairing.  

Food and wine collaborations can definitely make or break each other.

 

I love a California Chardonnay and I am fond of wines from Paso Robles, but I don't recall ever trying a Paso white.  I just so happened to have received one for Christmas and what better time to try it than on a frigid, blustery winter day!

 

 

This 2013 Crossridge Peak Chardonnay from Paso Robles, California is a pale yellow color and has a beautiful aroma of butterscotch and vanilla. On the palette are similar flavors with an addition of flower and banana. It's perfectly balanced and has a lovely lingering finish with a hint of almond.



 

It serves as a good wine with which to cook. I didn't add it to my food.  I drank it as I was preparing my food. Yeah, there are different connotations to cooking with wine, aren't there?

 

I tried it with my favorite Irish whiskey cheddar cheese and the cheese instantly took the acidity out of the wine.  I also found that this Chardonnay needs to be extremely cold or it has a distinctly

less-than-desirable aftertaste.

 



 

On the back label of this bottle of wine, I found the following inspirational words:

 

"When we founded Crossridge Peak we were not looking for scenic, but a quiet soulful place to hike and enjoy the outdoors.  What we found was a way of life that leads us to a bottle of wine.  We strive to bring you the best wine we can; to give you our peak performance. We hope that this bottle will help you find your perfect peak."

 

As I was enjoying this easily-drinkable white in winter, I started to ponder why I was longing for a white when I haven't in quite a while.  Was I longing to find my perfect peak? Was it because I was longing for happier days?  Was I longing for spring and summer to get here quicker? Was I longing to be taken to a place of calm and contentment, even if just for an evening, after being lost in a frustrating and contemplative day? Was I longing to stop analyzing every aspect of my life and just embrace the good? Was I longing to be able to accept things as they are and just "be"?



 

Then, as if I needed the universe to send me a sign of understanding, the perfect sounds of
Keith Urban suddenly filled up my living room. Even though it is one of my favorite songs, the lyrics resonated with me like they never have before:

 

Alone in this house again tonight

I got the TV on, the sound turned down and a bottle of wine.......

 

I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show

And I thought that being strong meant never losing your self-control.

But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain

To hell with my pride, let it fall like rain

From my eyes, tonight I wanna cry.

 

Thanks to my favorite guy, I not only found a lovely new Chard to enjoy but I also am hopeful that this year I could be led toward my "perfect peak".