For the most part, I’m a red wine drinker.  It’s not that I don’t like white wines, I do.  Maybe this started because reds don’t have to be chilled, so I didn’t have to plan ahead as much.  Maybe it was because it took me longer to find flavorful whites that appealed to me than was the case with reds.  Regardless, the bulk of the wines we buy and drink are red.  That said, one of my favorite wines – the “if you had to be stuck on a desert island with only 1 type f white wine and 1 type of red wine to drink, what would it be” type – is sauvignon blanc.  The crisp, refreshing acidity of a good sauv blanc just makes me happy.

Another thing that makes me incredibly happy are scallops.  Given the expense associated with high quality scallops, they’re not something we buy a whole lot of, but Grape Envy Guy knows how much I love them, so he gets them into our menu plan ever now and then.  Scallops invariably make me want a crisp refreshing white wine to have with dinner, and often, the wine that gets tapped for a pairing is a sauv blanc.

To be perfectly honest, much as I love sauv blanc and VA wine, this isn’t a grape that shines in many parts of VA.  That said, we have been fortunate enough to have some great local sauv blancs from vineyards that clearly have the right micro-climates to get the most from this grape.  My favorites typically come from Jeff White, owner/winemaker at Glen Manor Vineyards, and we recently decided to pair a bottle of his ’07 sauv blanc with some grilled scallops, grilled smashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus all topped with a basil vinaigrette.

So, the wine… The nose was mostly tropical fruit, but there was also a hint of green grassyness in there as well.  On the palate, I note lime, tropical fruit, a hint of grass, some light minerality, and some bracing acidity.  The wine worked really well with the meal – including the asparagus, which is typically seen as a vegetable that doesn’t always pair well with wine.  When tasted with dinner, the fruit flavors were tamed a bit and the minerality became more dominant.

All in all, the evening made for one happy Diva: great wine, great food, and Grape Envy Guy mastered scallop grilling (thanks to a great recipe from Cooks Illustrated)!