I am, as noted, a huge fan of chenin blanc (and I wish more Texas wineries would use the grape). It can produce tasty, well-made, cheap wine that isn’t chardonnay – something that is always welcome. Which is why I was so glad to find the Dry Creek on sale for $9 (it’s probably going to be closer to $11 most of the time — look for it at Whole Foods and Central Market).

It’s a little oily, which is not a bad thing for this kind of wine. The winespeak term for oily, by the way, is viscous, which sounds like a bad cough, as in, “Boy, your viscous sounds awful.” Most importantly, the Dry Creek is not sweet, which makes it a little more food friendly. This is not an indictment of sweet wine, which has its place, but a reflection of how much poorly made, sweet chenin blanc exists in the world. Also, look for some apricot fruit and a very long mineral finish. Serve this with salads, seafood or as an aperitif.

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