Gypsy White Blend 2009, Kacaba Winery

Tonight was another odd house night of dinners. None of us ate the same thing, and the wine didn’t go with any of it, but both were good, and that is really all that matters! Tonight’s wine was the Gypsy White blend, a blend of unoaked chardonnay and Gewürztraminer from Kacaba Winery, a small lots winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. At $11.95 a bottle, it is widely available through the LCBO. It was an easy drinking sipping wine, but we all got something else out of it!

A – I had balsamic mushroom glazed pork with a side of mushrooms and potatoes for dinner. Unfortunately, I found this wine too fruity for the dinner I was having. This bright, easy drinking, summer wine was completely overwhelmed by the strength of the glaze. However, when drinking it on its own, I found that the wine tasted like lighter citrus fruits like clementine and lemons. I got a hint of apricots as well, because the wine tasted juicy but not as sweet or juicy as a peach. It had a definite dried fruit taste to it on the end, which I quite liked. I only want to know why more wines don’t taste like coconut?

L – I ate this wine with a dinner of Dijon lamb sausage quesadillas. Again, this wine was overpowered by what I ate. I did like the label though, which was a nice nod to the art nouveau. It has a crisp, fruity, and mild taste to it, like green apples and chamomile. I would enjoy this on its own, and if I were to eat something, I would make sure it was something mild or summery, like salads or BBQ food.

K – I found that this wine smelt like Honeysuckle, a blend previously available from Waupoos Winery in Prince Edward County. It was good for someone who likes sweet wine with a bit of a dry note. It also had a syrupy texture.

M – I had this with Greek salad and beef stroganoff. It did not pair well with the beef stroganoff, though as L suggests it went better with the Greek salad. All I can say is that it is no Baco Noir. While it was fruity, it was ultimately not for me. There was too much brightness. Even though it wasn't horrible I wouldn’t drink it again. I found it too limited, especially for a white. My years of drinking white wine on Easter tell me that a solid white wine should pair with many kinds of food.

This wine was revisited on our girls night by L’s friend M. She thought it was good and that it was a good choice for drinking alone on a girl’s night (vindicating A’s previous statement). L's M found it dry and a little fruity, since she doesn’t usually like dry wines, she thought a fruitier dry wine like this was a good way to try something less sweet.