Archive for November, 2009
Varietal: Carmenere
Region: Chile
Cost: $14
Deep ruby red in color with black cherry, plum, and sweet herbs. Mocha, dates, dark chocolate, leather on the palate with rounded tannins. Pair with lamb chops, green peppers.
Recommendations: About three weeks ago I participated in an online blogger tasting hosted by Wines of Chile. They sent us eight bottles to sample during while giving us access to the representatives from each vineyard via webcams and a live chat forum.
My wife and I sampled all of the wines, and while there certainly wasn’t a single one we didn’t enjoy, the Viu Manent was far and away our favorite. A lot of pepper on the nose, and by pepper I mean green pepper, where different, but enjoyable, and went well with the leather and rounded tannins on the palate, especially as the wine had time to open up.
While we didn’t really pair it with anything beyond something to much on (cheese and crackers), the thought of pairing this with lamb chops or stuffed green peppers is enticing enough to make me want to try my hand at making them.
Whether you’re already a fan of Carmenere or are just getting into it, I would highly recommend the Viu Manent, especially at this price point. It’s a great wine with a great nose and lots of great flavors.
As people all over the country finish up their shopping for one of the great food holidays of the year, many are worried about what wine to serve with their Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t worry – I’m here for you.
While the obvious choice for pairing a wine with turkey would be a white wine, and indeed there are several white wines you can enjoy with your Thanksgiving dinner (Pinot Gris is a good one, as it Gewurtztraminer), Pinot Noir is actually the go-to wine for pairing with Turkey.
Now I know what you’re saying: ”But George, Pinot Noir is a red wine, and turkey is poultry.” Both of these things are in fact true, but what you’re forgetting is that A) Pinot Noir is awesome and should be enjoyed at all times, and B) turkey is poultry, but tends towards the darker side of the “white meat” scale.
Pairing Pinot Noir with your Thanksgiving dinner works because the flavor profiles work together so well. The light, complex flavors of Pinot Noir work well with the variety of flavors you’ll have in front of you next Thursday.
While there’s really no wrong way to enjoy or pair your wine, I absolutely recommend grabbing at least one bottle of Pinot Noir to enjoy with your dinner.
Here are some Pinot Noir reviews to help you on your way.
By: Sara Kahn, Founder of The Cheese Ambassador.
Whether you are hosting a soiree or a casual get-together this holiday, your mission is to provide your guests with warm hospitality, lively conversation and a delectable spread of food and drink. Whether the menu is complicated or simple it better be delicious. Serving a sumptuous gourmet cheese course is perfect as a starter or centerpiece of the meal. Not only is the preparation simple (no cooking!) but more importantly, your guests will enjoy discovering and savoring new favorites. As a wine lover, you want to impress with the right pairings but the overwhelming selections of wine and cheese can make your head spin. Relax. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing the right combinations of cheese and wine. Just keep in mind a few simple considerations.
A cheese course is about observing and enjoying contrasting and complementary flavors. For a foolproof gourmet cheese course, select 3 – 5 cheeses that vary in texture and flavor. Add some crusty bread, fresh or dried fruit, olives and nuts and voila!
Remember, wines are meant to cleanse the palate, wash away the tongue-coating richness of the cheese and prepare your mouth for the next delicious bite. It’s important that your selections don’t overwhelm the cheese and vice versa. Essentially, you’ll want to match wine and cheese of the same intensity level. Just remember “like for like”.
Take a look at the gourmet cheese categories and wine recommendations below for guidance. You’ll see how easy it is to serve an elegant wine and cheese course. For best results, just add friends and family.
Read the rest of this entry »
So, it’s been a couple of weeks since I returned from my trip to California, and I realized that I haven’t talked about our second day in wine country, when we visited Sonoma. I’ve been busy. We drove out to Sonoma, passing over the Golden Gate Bridge (which we had originally planned to bike over at some point, but were suddenly very glad we hadn’t).
Our first stop was at Viansa Winery & Marketplace. The tasting room and grounds at Viansa are nothing short of spectacular, and I recommend stopping in there just for the view. We tried several of their wines, including their Senza Chardonnay, an unoaked Chardonnay that was light and crisp, the Reserve Chardonnay, featuring lots of butter on the nose, and a Pinot Noir that was velvety right up to the end where it showed a bit of bite.
We also tried a Zinfandel with that was jammy, with lots of cherry flavors but very little pepper and spice on the finish, much different than the Prindelo, which was very full-bodied and not at all jammy. The Sangiovese offered a spicy nose with fruit and tannins on the palate.
We finished up at Viansa with two Cabernet Francs. The 2004 Cab Franc was dark with with a fruity, jammy nose, and was the closest to a Virginia Cab Franc I had experienced on my trip. The 2005 Samuele Cabernet Franc was more robust, with a peppery nose and a dry, tannic finish.
Our next stop, right down the road, was Jacuzzi Family Vineyards. If you’re a fan of olive oil, I would recommend a stop to Jacuzzi for that alone. They have a great selection of flavored and unflavored olive oils that are worth the drive. But let’s be honest – that’s not the only reason I went there. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Pinot Bianco
Region: California – Los Carneros – USA
Cost: $24
A light to medium-bodied wine with flavors of apple and grapefruit. Pair this wine with seafood, especially shellfish, Chinese food, picnic food, or just by itself.
Recommendations: Another gift from my parents, my wife and I enjoyed this after pairing a bottle of their Pinot Grigio with salmon. My first impressions of this wine were that it was a lighter version of the Pinot Grigio we had just enjoyed. That’s not to say that it didn’t have its own unique flavors, only that it was very reminiscent of the other wine.
While I didn’t get the grapefruit that Castello di Amorosa claims to be there, I certainly got the apple, and would agree that this wine would pair very well with seafood or just by itself on a warm day. I’m always in the market for wine that I can enjoy by itself, especially a white for hot Spring and Summer days, but for the price I feel like I could do better.
A good wine that’s worth it if you’re planning to pair it with something, but a bit pricey to be just a patio wine.
Varietal: Bordeaux (60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc)
Region: France
Cost: $20.50
Ruby red in color with soft aromas with flavors to match. Crushed berries and cedar on the nose are a lead into a smooth, slightly fruity medium-bodied red. Pairs well with chicken, pork, and veal.
Recommendations: My first impression of this wine was that it wasn’t what I was expecting. When I first got the bottle, I was excited about a bit, bold Bordeaux to pair with a steak or some pasta (which is what I did pair it with). That is not the wine I drank.
Smooth and subtle is probably the best way to describe this wine, and whereas I had thought I was going to get large, full-bodied wine, instead I got a medium-bodied wine that wasn’t disappointing in and of itself, but certainly was a let-down compared to what I thought I would be drinking.
Now, that being said, this is still a very good wine. However, if you’re expecting a full-bodied wine, you may want to look elsewhere, as this certainly isn’t it.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine for this review.
