Mai Tai is not the only option with Hawaiian food

What do you drink with Hawaiian food? Usually tropical drinks and beer. At least, that's what is typically served with traditional Hawaiian food. But my friend Laurence had prepared an Hawaiian luau menu of Lomi-Lomi Salmon and Kalua Pig and I was supposed to bring a wine that would work well with the food.

I happily found a 2006 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon, a wine from the Margaret River appellation in Western Australia. Surrounded by water on three sides, the region enjoys a maritime climate and is therefore much cooler than some other notable wine regions in South Australia and New South Wales. It is also home to some of my favorite Australian wines. The producer is Cape Mentelle, one of the first wineries to be established in the Margaret River region in the 70s. It is now owned by the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group.

The wine had a light straw color and a zesty nose of citrus and tropical fruit. The palate was medium-bodied, aromatic, and refreshing, with a nice and crisp finish.

Much better than a Mai Tai, in my opinion.


Lomi-Lomi Salmon


Kalua Pig, baked in the oven

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