Wine Madness Elite 8

Our Sweet 16 match-ups are completed, and while the Whites fell as expected, we had some bracket-busters in the Reds!

Whites: No surprises in the white wine match ups, although Gewurtztraminer really gave the favorite, Chardonnay, a run for its money. I think a lot of people are going to be keeping their eye on the Gewurtztraminer from now on! Riesling won BIG over Pinot Blanc, even bigger than we expected.

Reds: Top-seed Pinot Noir advanced, as did number-2 Merlot. Syrah edged out Zinfandel, perhaps due to Zin's association with White Zinfandel. However, the big news is Malbec upset #3 Cabernet Sauvignon! The Florida Gulf Coast of wines now moves on to face Merlot in the next round.

Here are the Elite Eight matchups:

Whites

Chardonnay (1) vs. Pinot Grigio (4)

Before the first round, I would have said that Chardonnay had this in the bag. But after seeing how well Pinot Grigio performed in the first round, I think this is going to be a close matchup. Chardonnay has been a big winner in the past but Pinot Grigio is going to be exciting to watch.

Riesling (3) vs. Moscato (2)

If the first round is any indication, Riesling has a great chance of upsetting Moscato in this round. Riesling does have more universal appeal when paired with food. Plus, it can be sweet or dry. The sweetness of Moscato might be its downfall in this round.

Reds

Pinot Noir(1) vs. Syrah (5)

Pinot Noir is marching along, with Syrah next in their way. I don't see any problem with Pinot Noir moving into the Final Four.

Malbec (6) vs. Merlot (2)

Malbec surprised Cab Sav in the first round, and is facing Merlot in round 2. Typically blended with and relying on other reds, we'll see if Merlot can stop the high that Malbec is riding.