Wine Review: The Messenger Telegram 2010 Sauvignon Blanc

This is the 2010 vintage. The label is reminiscent of the past with the feather pen, scroll and the wax mark, but the wine is very much the present style of Sauvignon Blanc that we have come to love. This wine has a bit of Riesling that adds that fruit intensity you get on the nose and the palate. 

The wine has a very pale straw color. The nose is very fruit forward with aromas of fresh fruit, like citrus and apricots.  The palate has flavors of grapefruit, lemon zest and apricots.  This wine has a wonderful flavor. It would pair well with seafood, fresh goat cheese, pork or chicken with fresh thyme as one of the ingredients in it's preparation. This wine is also great to sip alone.  I paired it with a grilled shrimp recipe I created to go with the wine's flavor profile.  Note:  This wine was a sample provided by Art & Farm Wine    http://www.themessengerwines.com SRP  $14.00

Try this recipe that I created for this wine. If you can get Gulf Coast shrimp the shrimp will have a better texture; but most shrimp will do fine or try chicken or pork with this marinade!

Lorrie's Apricot Ginger Citrus Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients

• 16 medium to large shrimp (devained, peeled with tails intact)
• 1/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive oil ( I used Ecco by Rutherford Ranch) http://www.rutherfordwine.com/products/product.php?productid=16154&cat=258&page=11
• I teaspoon of Balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup of orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke *(if doing indoor grilling)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of Victoria Taylor's Ginger Citrus Seasoning http://www.vgourmet.com
• 2 Tablespoons of Apricot Preserves ( I used sucker's)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or a pinch more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
• 4 bamboo skewers (soaked in water for at least 30 minutes)

Preparation

Peel and devain shrimp, but leave the tails intact (some stores have the shrimp already devained).  Then whisk all the above ingredients together, except for the bamboo skewers (smile). Coat the shrimp by tossing them gently with your clean hands. Let them marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator, a little longer is better. Put four shrimp on each skewer, and then grill on a clean, lightly greased indoor grill pan or an outdoor grill. Baste with the leftover marinade. Cook until the shrimp are pink, (about 6 minutes or so) , the shrimp will turn pink, when done when turned on both sides. If you are using an indoor stove grill pan, coat it with oil, I used olive oil, or you could use canola oil. The slight sweet and spicy flavor went well with the wine.

I had to grill inside, it was too hot outside in Little Rock!  But you really need a good ventilation system. In New Orleans some people suck the crayfish heads; I could never bring myself to do it, and I am from New Orleans! I think you will enjoy sucking the tails of this shrimp recipe, because the sweetness is adhered to the tails. Note:You can double this recipe.

Try this recipe with this wine and send a comment!

Cheers,

Lorrie

Note: The olive oil and ginger citrus seasonings were samples provided for review. See links.