- Silverstone's previous recommendations

Brancott Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2000

Best of the cheese

September 2000

- to accompany this month's white wine.

Pierre Robert

Imported from France, this triple creme, soft-ripening cheese has 75% butterfat. Beneath the Brie-like crust, the buttery cheese ripens from the outside in. The name is derived from "Brie-Comte-Robert" the name once given to the area where this cheese is produced.

Note: Be sure to buy your cheese from the "fresh cheese" counter, and have it cut fresh in the store. Also avoid buying more than you need for a couple of days, since the freshness deteriorates after long term storage in the fridge.

Cheese research and selection by Phillip Silverstone and Scott Selkowitz of International Food Distributors Inc.

Cheese questions?: ifd@netcarrier.com

I am often asked: "which is your favourite wine?" and I always respond "the one I am presently swirling in my glass". An old joke but it still plays well in the suburbs.

However, if I were to have my arm pulled behind my back and twisted anti clockwise in an effort to inflict serious discomfort, I might be inclined to fess up and divulge the fact that I absolutely adore the Sauvignon Blanc grape when it produces wines made in Marlborough, New Zealand. There now, I've spilled the beans on my wining weakness. I feel better already. The stress of concealing that nugget of information has been tormenting me longer than any mother-in-law induced punishment could ever hope to achieve.

Brancott, is a real beauty, a summer afternoon captured in a bottle. Every glass liberates the lazy, hazy days of summer slumbers. The faint smell of freshly mown grass, the perfume of melons and tropical fruits, and the taste of a fruit salad filled with chunks of melons, citrus, and a sweet, juicy, peach.

If I were a poet in the 19th century this wine would have inspired the sentiment: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." Being neither a poet, nor of that era, I can only impart the modern idiom: "Wazzzzzzup dude - this is one awesome wine!".

Cheers!

Region Marlborough, New Zealand

Grapes Sauvignon Blanc

Technical Crushed and left in contact with skins overnight to maximise flavour. Fermented cool.

Price in USA $15.99 (approx)

Best of the White Bunch