DESCRIPTION:
Its summer in southern California, and its hot. Alejandro has the perfect antidote… a ceviche party, with very cold white wine… and he’s invited all of us to join in, and bring our own ceviche creation. He’s providing the wine….
Ceviche, Alejandro tells us, is an old tradition in South America, dating back to the earliest inhabitants. The Incas preserved their fish with fruit juice, salt and chile peppers, and later the Spanish conquerors introduced the now essential limes. It’s Latin America’s answer to sushi. Like sushi, the star ingredient in ceviche is fruto del mar (fruit of the sea) accompanied by the freshest, simplest ingredients - lime juice, with garlic, red onion, hot pepper, and cilantro as garnishes. There are endless variations but they’re pretty much all an amazing explosion of color and flavor. With fresh-from-the-sea aromas and lip-smacking textures and flavors, this Latin American dish cools down even the hottest summer day.
We are sitting around an inviting assortment of ceviche – Chilean sea bass, of course, flounder, ahi tuna, shrimp, scallops, mussels….. colorful bowls piled on ice….. sharing stories and philosophies on life as we sip a Chilean sauvignon blanc that Alejandro is pouring. He’s an agroecologist, so it’s understandable he knows a thing or two about wine, especially from his native Chile.
“Buddhists say that life is suffering,” he says. “Capitalists say that life is a struggle, a competition. Socialists, they say that life is a team effort. But Chileans, we say that life is beautiful.”
“Why? Because Chile has it all – seacoast, mountains, verdant valleys, high desert…. And it’s perhaps the only wine making country on Earth that seems to have everything exactly where it wants it. And, virtually no wine pests, so we use virtually no pesticides in our vineyards. Chile is literally a cradle for the choicest wine growing conditions on the planet.”
At that moment, drinking Alejandro’s Trile Sauvignon Blanc, eating the many refreshing variations of ceviche, and surrounded by good friends, we have to agree – life is, indeed, beautiful.
STORY:
Trile Sauvignon Blanc is a fresh, pleasant and aromatic white wine from Chile’s Central Valley. Sauvignon Blanc's home is the Loire Valley of France, where it produces the crisp, grassy mineral-tinged wines of Sancerre. Imported to Chile in the 1800’s, sauvignon blanc is now among the best white wine produced in Chile, and ranks as the number 2 exported wine, just behind cabernet sauvignon. Like most Chilean sauvignon blancs, Trile Sauvignon Blanc is made in the French style, resulting in a little more minerality than fruity character. It is fermented totally in stainless steel to retain the true fresh flavors of the grape, and bottled early to conserve its fruity and floral aromas.
Trile Sauvignon Blanc competes well with wines from Sancerre, France, and New Zealand, and is a fine example of a crisp, racy, herbal, grapefruit citrusy Chilean sauvignon blanc.
TASTE:
Light bodied and fresh, this wine will have you daydreaming of a hot summer day, napping in a shady spot on the grass. As you swirl this pale yellow white wine in your glass, you’ll find the scent is fresh - citrus, crisp green apple, and hints of green grass. Zesty and crisp with nicely balanced acidity, you’ll taste grapefruit, honeydew melon, green apple, a hint of mint and herbaceousness, and a refreshing mineral edge.
FOOD MATCHING:
Sauvignon Blanc is considered the perfect “summer sipper,” and a chilled bottle of Trile Sauvignon Blanc is certainly a delightful wine for a hot summer day or evening’s aperitif.
It’s ideal with salads, seafood, and cheeses, particularly goat cheese (chevre) and blue cheese. Try it with a salad of pears, toasted pecans, and chevre or blue cheese over mixed greens with a light, just slightly sweet and tangy dressing.
And, this Chilean sauvignon blanc is the perfect complement to ceviche, and one of the few wines that pairs well with sushi. We have friends who say it’s the perfect wine to serve with fish tacos.
Ceviche is so easy to make with fresh fish or seafood of any kind (Chilean sea bass, flounder, halibut, Patagonian toothfish, ahi tuna, shrimp, and scallops are favorites ) cut into bite-size pieces and marinated in the juice of an acidic fruit (usually lime), salt, and seasonings - usually chile peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro, and or parsley. A high-acid, fresh wine like this Trile Sauvignon Blanc matches the fresh fish and citrus flavors perfectly.