If you’ve had the chance to frequent one of the discount ALDI grocery stores, you might have cruised by the wine as you entered and wondered,  “Just how good could any of these wines be?”  After all, the sampled bottle of Kelly’s Crossing was just $8.99.

On the Kim Crawford side, I’ve seen it anywhere from $11.99 on sale at the grocery store or at Costco while also priced as high as $32 at the grocery store and then typically discounted to somewhere in the $16-21 range. It’s a popular wine with a large distribution and it is consistently true to what you expect of a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough wine country.

I proposed a blind taste test to a number of guests and by and large they picked the Kelly’s Crossing over the other KC. The tasters were male and female, young twenties to early forties. So it was a small but broad sampling of palates.

While both wines are characteristically Marlborough SB, the Kelly’s Crossing had more of a whole mouth feel and had a less acidic finish than the Kim Crawford. They are both great for pairing with seafood and lighter fare. It’s a great go-to for Thai and Indian food. The Kelly’s Crossing was really good with strawberries and a spicy watermelon gazpacho.

Both are 100% Sauvignon Blanc (100%)

Appellation: New Zealand, Marlborough

 

Kim Crawford (http://www.kimcrawfordwines.com)

Appearance:   Pale, almost opaque, straw

Aroma: I typically pick up notes of pear and lemmon grass.

Taste: Notes of peach and apricot with pineapple and grapefruity citrus along with nice acid on the finish.

 

Kelly’s Crossing (Wineworks Marlborough Ltd. – http://www.wineworks.co.nz)

Appearance: Pale ecru, almost clear

Aroma: Bit of cucumber and green apple

Taste: Tropical fruit, pineapple and green apple. Solid acidity.