Drinking Stones

If there's one thing you need to know about me (like it's not obvious), it is that I'm always looking for ways to enhance my eating/drinking enjoyment, and hopefully yours. In that selfless vein, I've stumbled across some great vin blancs from the Savoie region of France that are fabulous values, and things you all should be checking out for your summer drinking. This particular obscure French white produced by the small family estate of Eugéne Carell, tucked away in the Savoie region (near Grenoble in the foothills of the Alps) is a classic example. It's made entirely of some grape called Jacquère, and no, I haven't heard of it either, but that's part of the fun. This is packed with character, you can taste the way the vines suck up aromas and flavors from these mountain vineyards. All stones and minerals, aromatic wildflowers, hints of citrus backed with bracing acidity with great texture. It's begging for fresh shucked oysters or grilled fish. The fun of wines like this is that they truly can be made nowhere else. That whole sense of place thing, or as the geeks like to say, it has "terroir" up the ass (okay, that last part is what I'd say, but you get my drift). Fantastic juice!! And these wines usually run around ten bucks a pop, making them some of the best drinking deals to be had. I've been blowing through cases of it at the wine shack, and the public is raving. Bring one of these to the table and your friends will be impressed with your Euro style, I promise!