Since moving last summer my Costco visits have been more and more infrequent. This weekend we are travelling to Kauai and plan to load up on some wine at the Lihue Costco. We’ll be eating a lot of fresh fish, poke, sushi, etc. in our condo in Princeville and would like to pick up some appropriate wines for pairing. Any recommendations for decent whites/pinot/sparkling that are carried by many Costco branches these days ?
thanks
Most have the Kim Crawford Sav. Blanc - always a value to me
Wow, a trip to Hawaii couldn’t come after a more severe winter, eh Jan??
Costco always carries Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, which is spot on with much of the great fresh white fishes you can get there. I’d see if they have some Falanghina there also - they’ve often carried Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina, and we’ve found it to be very food friendly, as it is just packed with an acidic edge.
The Frenchies at UGC were saying that shellfish and Sauternes kicks all kinds of ass, so you might try that as well, and get back to me. Most Costcos have at least 2 types of recent release Sauternes, and I think chilled Sauternes with some Scallops or shrimp sounds REALLY good…
I don’t know what specific brands Costco carries, but I’d say any good Pouilly-Fumé or Sancerre blanc would be great. A good, young vintage for Sancerre in particular is 2006, in my experience.
And, as far as Sauternes with shellfish go, with all due respect to Todd, I’ve tried it and, personally, wouldn’t again unless it is very quickly deep fried just enough to barely cook the shellfish inside and crisp a light batter outside. Even then, Sauternes wouldn’t be my first choice.
But that’s just me.
Best,
N
Noel - keep in mind, the Frenchie pourers were talking about recent vintage, bright and young Sauternes - not that nice aged vintage stuff you drink! They were talking about cracking open an '05 with the meal - perhaps that might be more fitting?
Dr. Loosen/Ch. Ste Michelle Eroica.
Oh, well, yes. Young, fresh, bright Sauternes would definitely be much more fitting. I’m surprised they didn’t try pushing some white Bdx as well to pair with fish and shellfish. White Bdx is not the best white one could have (though there are a few notable exceptions of course), some I’ve tried are pretty nice.
Tangentially, re: pairings in Bdx, I never really quite get their pairing reds with lamproie/lamprey (and all kinds of cheeses). Not bad, and I understand that is what they are used to and, naturally, they (or anyone else for that matter) will tend to pair as many things as possible with hometown reds - but they do produce whites as well. I also notice most non-Sauternes Bdx denizens pair foie gras with reds - I never got that either.
Thanks for the help guys. Sounds like the Costco tried and true whites that I enjoyed in Phoenix. I don’t think I’ve tried the Falanghina - have to give that one a try. Sipping Sauternes by itself in Kauai is the definition of a vacation !
Todd, when we made the Wisconsin move I thought that taking a Hawaii trip during the middle of winter would be a healthy thing for the marriage. Needless to say, that wasn’t a bad decision (although today it’s around 60 degrees here). Looking forward to some warm weather, sand between the toes and good fresh fish.
A friend of mine, who is a large supplier for Costco, told me that the Maui Costco has the second largest wine selection for Costco in the world. Don’t know if you plan to venture there. He’s going to call me with a current selection and I’ll let you know if I hear back before your trip.
Thanks Shawnda,
We’ll be staying on Kauai for the week - no Maui trips this time. When I last visited the Kauai Costco the wine selection was fairly small, but they did have the usual (Kim Crawford, etc.).
I’ll post no further. Have a beautiful trip and let us know how it went!