The Fuss About Fuzion

Our next wine on The List could easily have been brought to our Wine Boyz night that provided the very first posting here - it was a night of wines no one had tried or heard of before. Just how many of us would put up their hands for having tried a chenin blanc/torrontes blend? You'd likely win if you bet that very few people would even know that torrontes is anything but a poorly spelled "something-or-other" from Toronto. Chances are that torrontes is going to become far more common - whether its drinkers realize it or not.

#23. 2008 Zuccardi Family Fuzion (White) (Argentina)

It was The Guru (from my sister, Vixen's, tasting last weekend) that recommended this wine. Not because it's incredibly complex or superior, but because it's a great bang for your buck. There aren't many wines available for under a ten-spot in the BC liquor stores - and even fewer that are good drinking. But this one is both and who doesn't look for a good sipper at an even better price. Recession or not, a wine that delivers more than its price point is a good wine. This bottle will likely grace a good number of summer patios.

For most of us, if Argentina means anything at all in the world of wine, it means malbec - and, as a matter of fact, there is a red Fuzion that is a malbec/syrah blend. But, torrontes is apparently far and away the most highly planted white wine grape in the country. It's also the known as the only grape that is indigenous to Argentina. Known for its aromatics and fruitiness, it's sometimes compared to viognier (which has been an "It" grape on the white scene for some time now). Blending it with chenin blanc worked nicely here since the chenin is better known for its body and acidity, but also its neutrality on the palate.

Fuzion, both white and red, are new additions to the BC liquor stores and I did a quick Google on them. I was surprised to read that the red version has become the number one selling wine in both Quebec and Ontario. Move over critter wines; there's a new kid on the block.