Yes, you can find vegan wines if you look for them

I hope all who went shopping for staples, water and canned goods remembered to stock up on wine as well. The supply chain may become problematic. Although I’m still sanguine concerning C-19 relative to the flu, it is probably prudent to avoid crowds. l also can see no downside to stocking up. Wine, paper goods, pasta and other dried or canned and frozen food goods I enjoy have great shelf life. The talking heads are sounding the klaxon and besmirching the reputations of the CDC experts. To those who are feeling a bit panicky, please take a look at Dr, Deborah Birx’s credentials. She is a longtime expert in global pandemics, a prime member of VP Pence’s panel of experts and not a political pawn.

Making lemonade of lemons, or in this case chocolate, clever French chocolatier Jean-François Fre from Finistere, France, produced a wildly successful chocolate shell with red almonds that depicts the Corona pix we see all over the news. The best comments from Frenchmen I read, "In these times of worry – of depression – or even of psychosis, it is important to calm things down and lead from the front because a smile is often a way to overcome our fears – it's perhaps the best antidote to fear." Another wrote, “It's more original than what we hear constantly in our heads."

I found two Chardonnays from Pence Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County. Pence Chardonnay Rosa 2015 is $23 and rates 93 McD points. Greenish-golden, it opens to lemon, apple, and pear notes; Tanzer said 92. A buttery, complex, delicious wine. Whitcraft Pence Ranch Chardonnay 2016 is another well-made lovely sourced from Pence Vineyard. Opens to lemon blossoms and green apples. On the palate, look for lemon and sea breeze minerality riding proper acidity frame. Finishes cleanly with butter notes. I like this style but I had a problem by comparison at $48, 90 McD.

Astoria Prosecco DOC Treviso is extra dry. Remember, for sparklers, extra dry has more residual sugar than Brut. Green-tinged, straw-colored with tiny, persistent perlage. The nose, aside from being tickled by the effervescence, shows floral aromas. On the palate, pear and gold apple flavors, 87 points under $14. I was surprised to read this label: Perlage Prosecco Biologico Vegan Sgajo DOC Treviso. The producer recommends for use with vegan dishes. It’s $14, 89 McD. Pale straw-colored, the nose fooled me on this enjoyable sparkler with apples, white flowers, apricot, vanilla and a hint of cayenne. The vintner suggested banana but I did not detect it. Anyhow, I’m unsure what vegan means when it comes to wine. That is an undefined term. The best I could do came from Waitrose & Partners’ Matt Johnson, “Vegan wines are made without animal products, so winemakers either leave the particles to sink naturally to the bottom of the wine, or use non-animal fining products, usually bentonite, a form of clay or pea protein.” Waitrose is known for its ability to find and deliver vegan products, according to my pals who are very thin with drawn faces. I have not sampled their wares. (BTW, that’s a joke from a fat guy.) 

Somehow the folks at Mt. Beautiful in North Canterbury, NZ, read my review of one of their lovely wines. They supplied me with a new release for review. RRs know I enjoy Pinot Gris. I rarely review them because top quality is difficult to find in our area. Their 2017 rates 89 McD under $18. Young, straw-colored with a subtle nose, Barbara and I decided it was slightly closed due to being a bit cold. We let it stand and warm. We keep the house around 68 degrees F. As it warmed, the nose blossomed with floral notes, honeysuckle, peach blossom and pear. On the dry, medium palate the aromas repeat as flavors which flow through a clean, long finish. I read a review in WE, won’t name the reviewer. She used the descriptors banana, watermelon and red apple, candied and fruity. I tried brushing my teeth but still came up with my original profile. Give this a try and confirm or deny. Thank you!