Author Archives: Dina Given

5 Wine Pairings for any Charcuterie & Cheese Board

Tis the season for parties with families, friends, neighbors and co-workers! There is no better and more festive time to gather together those closest to you to celebrate, unwind and be merry. Yet to truly throw the perfect party, there must be outstanding food and beverage offerings.

Arguably, one of the easiest, most eye-catching and crowd-pleasing party food around is a beautiful, international charcuterie and cheese board. Every board is unique and reflects a variety of different flavors and textures sure to please even the pickiest party guest.

The staple of any charcuterie board is an array of salted, cured and smoked meats. This often includes selections such as prosciutto, jamón, salami, chorizo and pâté. A combination of hard and soft cheeses, ranging from mild to robust, will offer something for every palate. The board can be rounded out with sweet and sour flavors from olives, pickled vegetables, cornichons (those adorable tiny pickles), mustards and jams.

With such an array of flavors and textures, the idea of pairing such a curated charcuterie board with one or two appropriate wine selections can be daunting. Fortunately, it is much easier than you would imagine.

The primary flavor components of a charcuterie board are salty, spicy/smoky and fatty. Any wine selection should pair well with each of these elements. There may be a temptation to pair a big, bold red wine with a charcuterie board because of the meats, however, this would not be the ideal choice. The complex flavors in a big, red wine from tannins, oak and high alcohol will have negative interactions with the variety of flavors on a charcuterie board, making the wine taste more bitter and astringent.

The ideal pairing for charcuterie would be wines with high acidity to cut through the creamy fats, as well as fruity flavors that can stand up to the bitter salt and spice. Here are a selection of five can’t miss pairings for even the most diverse charcuterie and cheese boards.

 

#1. Reyneke Chenin Blanc 2017, $25

This wine is bright and fresh with a nice streak of acidity to cut through fatty meats and creamy cheeses, while ripe fruit flavors of apple, citrus and peach add a striking balance to smoky meats.

 

 

 

#2. Charles Smith Kung Foo Girl Riesling Evergreen 2017, $12

Riesling’s naturally high acidity is the perfect compliment to balance decadent creamy and salty cheeses. The cheeses also tone down the sweetness of the wine, bringing this pairing into perfect balance. Kung Foo Girl is brimming with lively acidity, and peach, apricot and citrus flavors.

 

 

 

#3. Medici Ermete Concerto Lambrusco Reggiano 2018, $20

This light, fizzy Italian red that is slightly off-dry is perfect for smoothing out those spicy and smokey charcuterie flavors. The high acidity and delicate bubbles keep the palate fresh after creamy, heavy cheeses, and the berry and bubblegum flavors make this a fun and lively wine for any party.

 

#4. Erath Pinot Noir 2016, $14

The best way to successfully pair red wine with charcuterie is to select a light-bodied, fruity pinot noir from a cooler climate, like this Erath from Oregon. This wine has mellow tannins that are smoothly integrated with tart cherry and raspberry flavors and high acidity that will compliment and not fight with the flavors on your charcuterie board.

 

#5. Tio Pepe En Rama Fino Sherry 2015, $15

If you want to wow your guests with an unexpected pairing, consider serving this Fino Sherry. Sherry is a fortified, dry white wine with aromas of bread, almonds and citrus. Legend has it that tapas was invented by a Spanish king after he drank sherry while eating cured ham, so charcuterie was made for this wine!

 

Differences Between Red and White Wine

It may seem somewhat obvious that the difference between red and white wine is the color. Although that is true to some extent, the differences go much deeper, both in the vineyard and during wine production.

Grape skins contain high concentrations of flavor and tannin compounds, which give wines their signature varietal flavors. Red wines will develop flavors and aromas of red, black and blue fruit – cherry, raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, etc. White wines will develop flavors and aromas of green, citrus and stone fruit – apple, lemon, peach, pear, etc.

The skins also contain color compounds – red wines are produced from black-skinned grapes and white wines are produced from white-skinned grapes. The pulp on the inside of most grapes is colorless and made up mostly of water, sugar and acids. Regardless of skin color, when you crush most grapes, the juice will run clear.

Beyond color and flavor, the biggest difference between red and white wines is how they are made. Although winemakers may choose to use different production methods, white wine production is generally about retaining the more delicate flavors and aromas found in white grapes. Red wine making is focused on extracting color, richer flavors and tannins. These objectives are achieved in the winery through critical variations in the production process:

Skin Contact

Typically, after the grapes are harvested and brought into the winery, they are immediately crushed to release the juices. The juice used for white wine spends very little time in contact with the grape skins. It is quickly separated from the grape pulp and stored in sealed, stainless steel tanks. Limiting skin contact ensures the bitter tannins in the skins won’t overwhelm the fruit, and sealed tanks help reduce oxygen contact that can destroy delicate fruit flavors and aromas.

When making red wine, the skins may soak (or “macerate”) in the grape juice for a period of time before alcoholic fermentation is started, allowing the color and flavor compounds in the skins to bleed into the juice.

Fermentation

White wine is often fermented in sealed, stainless steel tanks under cooler temperatures to protect delicate fruit characteristics that can be lost at higher temperatures.

Red wine is fermented at higher temperatures, which is necessary to extract color, flavors and tannins from the skins. The skins and pulp that remain in the juice is called the “cap”. Red wine fermentation often occurs in open-top vats allowing winemakers easy access so they can agitate the cap regularly to further extract color, flavors and tannins into the juice.

Post-Fermentation & Maturation

After alcoholic fermentation is complete, white wines that are intended to have a light, fruity, aromatic style (e.g., Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling) are bottled as soon as possible with no further winemaking processes occurring. Other white wines that are less fruity and meant to be fuller bodied (e.g., Chardonnay) may undergo techniques such as malolactic fermentation (MLF), lees stirring, and oak maturation, depending on the style of wine the winemaker is trying to achieve.

MLF uses bacteria to convert tart malic acid (think green apples) into soft lactic acid (think milk), giving wines like Chardonnay that buttery, creamy texture. Lees are dead yeast cells leftover after alcoholic fermentation. Rather than filtering out the lees immediately, winemakers may keep them in contact with the wine for a period of time to create a richer texture and add yeasty, bread-like flavors. Maturing the wine in oak barrels for a short time will impart some tannins and flavors such as toast, vanilla, cinnamon and smoke into the wine.

For red wines that have completed alcoholic fermentation, the winemaker may choose to further macerate the skins with the wine depending on the ultimate style the winemaker wants to achieve – the longer the post-fermentation maceration, the more tannins will be extracted and the smoother (less bitter and astringent) those tannins will become.

Most red wines undergo MLF, but they don’t typically spend time on their lees because the delicate lees characteristics would be lost in the bolder flavors of red wine. Red wine is then often stored and aged in oak barrels anywhere from 6 months to four years, with typical aging duration between 12-18 months. The longer the amount of time spent in barrels, the greater the concentration of oak characteristics imparted into the wine.

Blending

Fruity, aromatic white wines are usually bottled as single varietals to let the purity of the fruit, with their more delicate flavors and aromas, shine through.

Red wines are more often blended. Blends can be made from different grape varieties, the same varieties grown in different sites, or the same grapes that have undergone different winemaking processes (e.g., aged longer, use of more or less oak, etc.). Blending can add complexity to a finished wine, or balance out certain aspects of a wine, such as color, body, tannin or flavor.

Ageability

The factors that help wines age are acidity, tannins, alcohol and sugar. In general, full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Barolo and Bordeaux can age for a longer period time (some for decades) because they contain high levels of tannin from skin contact and oak aging, along with having higher alcohol levels.

Certain full-bodied whites, such as high quality Chardonnay, can be cellared for 7-10 years due high acidity and tannins imparted by oak aging. However, most white wines are meant to be drunk young, usually within 1-3 years. Light and fruity white wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio will lose their delicate aromas and flavors very quickly in the bottle. Similarly, lighter red wines, such as Pinot Noir, that don’t have the same high tannins and alcohol as bigger red wines should be drunk young.

Decanting

Older red wines that have been resting in a bottle for many years can throw off sediment that looks ugly in the glass, leaves an unpleasant gritty texture in the mouth if drunk, and can make a wine taste more astringent. Decanting will gently separate out the sediment, leaving it behind in the bottle, so you can enjoy a beautiful glass of aged red wine poured from a decanter.

Decanting can also aerate a wine that might be young and tight. As the wine is poured into a decanter, it comes into contact with oxygen that helps smooth out rough tannins and open up aromas and flavors. Aeration particularly benefits full-bodied, highly tannic red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, and Syrah.

Young, fresh white wines are unlikely to require decanting. However, fuller-bodied, more complex white wines can benefit from decanting in the same way as red wines. White wines like Chardonnay may open up, developing more nuanced flavors and aromas with decanting. There is even a new trend in decanting older vintage Champagnes to soften the bubbles and reveal more complex flavors.

The differences between red and white wine are more than skin deep. The skins help determine color and some flavors, but winemaking practices significantly influence the final style of wine that ends up in your glass. What’s your favorite color and style of wine?

 

 

Best Wine Pairings for Thanksgiving

The holiday season is a time of revelry, celebration and most of all, gluttony! There is nothing more heart-warming than gathering around the holiday table with family and friends to enjoy an enormous meal prepared with love, except when that meal is also paired with the best wines for the holidays.

However, it is particularly difficult to pair wines with holiday meals because no two tables are the same, and no two meals are prepared the same way. The main course could be turkey, ham, lamb or prime rib. Side dishes can span a huge range of flavors, like sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing and cranberry sauce. There can be international dishes from regions like Asia and Mexico. Not to mention the endless variety of spices to flavor everything.

Food should take center stage on the holidays, which means any wine pairing should compliment the meal and not fight for all of the attention. The best approach to selecting a wine for your holiday table is to choose a versatile, food-friendly wine that pairs well with many different dishes, and to select wines that most of your guests will enjoy. Here are some excellent holiday wine pairings.

The Chook Sparkling Shiraz NV, $15

The Chook Sparkling Shiraz

Before you reach for that bottle of champagne, consider surprising your guests with a glass of bubbly they have probably never tasted before, and may not even know exists! The Chook Sparkling Shiraz is a red sparkling wine from Australia. It is dry, medium-bodied and bubbling over with juicy plum, blueberry and chocolate flavors. It is both soft and refreshing with velvety bubbles, and pairs astonishingly well with holiday meals, especially roasted poultry and meats. This is a fresh and vibrant wine to kick off your holiday celebration, and should be enjoyed well-chilled and served in champagne flutes.

Famille Hugel Classic Riesling 2017, $20

Image result for Famille Hugel Classic Riesling 2017

When most people think of Riesling, they think of sweet white wines. However, Rieslings are made with a range of sugar levels from completely dry to lusciously sweet. This Famille Hugel Classic Riesling from Alsace, France is a dry, light-bodied wine with ripe fruit flavors and aromas of pear, apricot, green apple and lemon. The refreshingly high levels of mouth-watering acidity in this wine make it an excellent pairing option with lighter foods such as fish and turkey. It also beautifully compliments spicier dishes, like curries, as well as hard-to-pair vegetables including mushrooms and asparagus.

The Hilt Chardonnay Santa Barbara 2015, $27

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Chardonnay is an excellent choice for your holiday table, but it must be the right style of Chardonnay. Many Chardonnays, especially those from California, tend to be overly oaky and buttery. This style can easily overwhelm the delicate flavors of turkey, white potatoes and other fixings. The better choice is a more restrained style of Chardonnay like The Hilt Chardonnay 2015 from the cooler central coast of Santa Barbara, CA. This wine has a bright, flinty minerality with rich flavors of lemon, pineapple and peach rounded out by delicate floral notes and aromas of honey and nuts. It has a touch of light oak to give it structure, but the oak is well-integrated and does not overwhelm the fruity, floral characters of this gorgeous wine.

The Four Graces Pinot Noir 2017, $20

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Pinot Noir is much like Chardonnay in that the style of wine will determine whether or not it’s a good pairing for your holiday meal. Some Pinot Noirs can be big, rich and jammy with higher levels of mouth-drying tannins that can overpower your taste buds and reduce your ability to fully enjoy the variety of flavors on the table. Medium-bodied Pinot Noirs from cooler regions like Oregon and Burgundy will better pair with a wider variety of foods. The Four Graces Pinot Noir 2017 is from the cool Willamette Valley in Oregon. The wine has bright red fruit flavors of cherry, raspberry and cranberry with just enough pepper and smokey notes to balance the fruit. Its bright acidity cuts through richer dishes, while the smooth tannins don’t overwhelm dishes with more subtle flavors.

Carlisle Zinfandel Papera Ranch Russian River Valley 2016, $50

Image result for Carlisle Zinfandel Papera Ranch

Zinfandel is the perfect crowd-pleaser – both fruity and spicy, and balanced by soft tannins. It is supremely tasty without being overbearing. The richer, fruit-forward nature of Zinfandel pairs well with anything from turkey to beef, white potatoes to sweet potatoes, stuffing to cranberry sauce, and it accentuates sweet spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Wow your guests with a truly outstanding bottle of Carlisle Papera Ranch Russian River Valley Zinfandel 2016. This wine is elegant, yet powerful, with complex flavors of blueberry, cherry, chocolate, tobacco and pepper. The refined fruit and silky tannins make this a stand-out wine that your guests will notice, but it won’t take all of the spotlight away from that delicious holiday meal.

Fonseca 20 Year Tawny Port, $40

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No holiday meal is complete without a sinfully delectable dessert, or three. Hold off on pouring the coffee until after dessert. Instead, pair those pies, cakes and pastries with a Fronseca 20 Year Tawny Port. After aging in oak barrels for 20 years, this port has developed a rich amber color with complex flavors of dried cherries, fig, raisins, caramel, cinnamon, honey and sweet tobacco. All of those rich flavors accentuate a variety of sweet and nutty holiday desserts like pecan pie, almond cake, caramel cheesecake, creme brulee, cherry pie, chocolate mousse, dark chocolate layer cake and more!

Happy holidays!

5 Ways to Use Old Wine

As much as we might try, it’s not always possible to finish an entire bottle of wine in one sitting, or even over the course of a few days. Maybe you opened a bottle the night before a business trip or vacation, or perhaps the week is filled with kids activities and it’s going to be take-out and late nights for the next several days, or maybe you opened a bottle and it just didn’t taste very good.

Whatever the reason, there will come a time when you have leftover wine that is no longer drinkable, but that you also don’t want to dump down the drain. There is no need to waste that wine. Here are a few things you can do with it instead.

1. Cooking

There are lots of recipes out there that call for wine as an ingredient. Wine adds acidity, sweetness and flavor to a dish. Homemade pasta sauce is a perfect use for old wine, and I add it to my family’s generational bolognese sauce recipe. However, one of my other favorite wine recipes is a Red Wine Risotto:

  • 3 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup arborio rice, or medium-grain white rice
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1/3 cup frozen peas, defrosted, optional
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the broth and keep it warm over very low heat.
  2. Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is toasted. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Repeat, adding 3/4 cup of hot broth 2 more times, stirring often, about 12 minutes longer. At this point, the risotto can be made 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate the risotto (the rice will still be firm) and remaining broth, uncovered, until cool, then cover and keep them refrigerated until ready to proceed.
  3. Bring the remaining broth to a simmer, then cover and keep it warm over very low heat. Stir 3/4 cup of hot broth into the partially cooked risotto over medium heat until the broth is absorbed and the risotto is hot, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining broth and simmer until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the peas and parsley. Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into bowls. Sprinkle additional cheese over and serve.

(Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis)

2. Marinade

Make a wine marinade for steak or chicken.

  • 1 cup wine (red wine for steak, white wine for chicken)
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour over meat/poultry and marinate in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours before cooking.

3. Homemade Vinegar

Wine will naturally turn to vinegar over time, so why not help the process along so you can put that vinegar to good use? For a constant supply of vinegar…

  1. Pour your leftover wine into a wide-mouthed jar or other container.
  2. Add a “mother of vinegar” to the wine (which can be purchased online), or add live, organic vinegar, such as Braggs Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, to the wine in a 2:1 ratio of wine to vinegar. This will provide the necessary bacteria culture to start fermentation.
  3. Cover the container with a cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Set it aside in a warm location out of direct sunlight. Give it a stir or shake every few days.
  4. Start tasting it after a week to see how it’s coming along. In a few weeks the “mother” will settle on the bottom of the jar and the vinegar above it will be ready for use.
  5. Keep adding more leftover wine to the jar as you use the vinegar.

4. Vinaigrette

Don’t have the time or patience to turn your wine into vinegar, but still want to make a delicious vinaigrette? You’re in luck. Here’s a recipe for using wine in place of vinegar to make a nice dressing.

  • 1/3 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
  • 1 teaspoon honey if the wine is dry. If using a sweet wine, omit the honey.
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 cup olive oil

Blend or whisk the wine, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking/blending.

5. Wine reduction

This red wine reduction enhances the flavor your dish when spooned over beef or pork.

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 shallots, diced
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 cup beef or chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Coat a pan with olive oil.
  2. Add the shallots and cook for 3-5 minutes.
  3. Add the red wine, stock and tomato paste and reduce by half (10-15 minutes).
  4. Add the butter, salt and chopped rosemary.

Bonus: Freeze it

When in doubt, freeze the wine for use at a later time. The best way to freeze wine is to pour it into an ice cube tray. When frozen, pop out the cubes into a plastic freezer bag and store them in your freezer. When an opportunity arises, just toss a few cubes into any recipe that calls for wine.

5 Boozy Hallow-wine Brews

We’re only a few short days away from my favorite Fall holiday! Halloween holds a special place in my heart because my birthday is only two days before, and I grew up throwing epic Halloween/Birthday parties every year. Even as an adult, I love having an excuse to wear a costume outside of Disney World and Comicons without getting sideways glances.

To celebrate this upcoming Halloween, I wanted to share some boozy brews that, of course, all have wine as a key ingredient. As a bonus, if you invite me to your Halloween party, I promise to pour all of these for your guests!

Pumpkin Spice Wine Spritzer

Pumpkin Spice Wine Spritzer | Halloween Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

    1. Add ice to a low ball glass.
    2. Pour in the pumpkin spice liquor and the wine.
    3. Stir then top off the glass with seltzer.
    4. Garnish with cinnamon stick

Recipe and photo courtesy of www.mantitlement.com

Red Wine Margarita with Black Lava Salt

Red Wine Margarita, Black Lava Salt

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Pour red wine into an ice cube tray and let freeze overnight
  • Remove ice cube tray from freezer and add all the wine ice cubes into a blender
  • Pour the tequila, margarita mix, lime juice over the frozen wine cubes
  • Blend just for a second or two
  • Slice limes and rub around the rim of a margarita glass, dip the top of the glass into the black salt
  • Fill with the wine margarita mixture

Recipe and photo courtesy of www.myturnforus.com

Halloween Sangria

Halloween Sangria. Blood red sangria with frozen grape eyeballs. Perfect Halloween drink for a party!

Ingredients

  •  1 cup whole black grapes
  •  1 cup whole green grapes
  •  2 oranges — sliced into rounds
  •  1 lemon — sliced into rounds
  •  1 lime — sliced into rounds
  •  1 cinnamon stick
  •  1/4 cup brandy
  •  1 bottle red wine
  •  1 can ginger ale — (12 ounces)
  •  Colored sugar — for rimming glasses

Instructions

    1. Rinse and de-stem grapes, then pat dry. Spread in a single layer a baking sheet, then place in the freezer at least 2 hours before you plan to serve
    2. In a large glass pitcher, combine 1/2 of the orange slices (reserve the second half for serving), lime, and lemon slices. Add the brandy and cinnamon stick and stir gently to combine. Slowly pour in the wine. Refrigerate sangria for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight (a longer chill time will increase the flavor).
    3. When ready to serve, add the ginger ale to the pitcher and stir gently with spoon. To sugar the glass rims, place the colored sugar on a plate, then rub an orange slice around the glass rim. Dip the rim of each glass into the sugar, coating well. Fill glasses with frozen grapes and reserved orange slices, then slowly pour in the sangria. Sip immediately and enjoy.

Recipe and photo courtesy of www.wellplated.com

Bloody Rum Punch

Donq bloody rum punch recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 (750 mL) bottle rum
  • 1/2 (750 mL) bottle ​red wine​
  • 6 oz ​lime juice (fresh)
  • 6 oz ​triple sec
  • 6 oz​ simple syrup
  • 2 ​limes (sliced into thin wheels)
  • 2 red ​oranges (sliced into thin wheels)

Steps to Make It

  1. In a large punch bowl or pitcher, combine the rum, red wine, lime juice, triple sec, simple syrup, and lime and orange slices.
  2. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving (overnight is better).
  3. Serve over ice in punch glasses and enjoy!
Recipe and photo courtesy of www.thespruceeats.com

Ghouls Night In

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Rim a chilled cocktail glass with caramel syrup, then dip into chopped peanuts. Set aside.
  2. Pour Barefoot Pinot Grigio, vodka, liqueur and chocolate syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled.
  3. Strain into prepared cocktail glass.

Recipe and photo courtesy of www.barefootwine.co.uk

10 Spooky Wines for Hallo-wine!

Halloween is right around the corner and I have the perfect spooky wine recommendations for that creep-tastic costume party, trick-or-treating with the neighborhood parents, or just relaxing like the dead at home.

 

#1. Shinas Estate, $18

Shinas Estate in Victoria, Australia, makes a series of wines with spine-tingling labels, including The Verdict (Cabernet Sauvignon), The Guilty (Shiraz), The Innocent (Viognier), The Executioner (Shiraz, Cabernet, Viognier blend), and Sweet Justice (sparkling Moscato). These are all plump, fruit-forward wines, with The Guilty and Sweet Justice pairing particularly well with Halloween candy.

#2. The Walking Dead, $15

“An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled; there is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Luckily there is wine…”

There are four The Walking Dead wines – Cabernet Sauvignon, Blood Red Blend (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec), Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Each of these wines features an augmented reality label that comes alive with the Living Wines Label app. I won’t give away what happens in the labels, but if you’re a fan of The Walking Dead TV show, these wines are a must-buy!

#3. Apothic Dark and Apothic Inferno, $15

Apothic Dark is a dangerous romance of Zinfandel, Syrah and Merlot, creating a smooth wine with blueberry, blackberry, coffee and dark chocolate flavors. Apothic Inferno has emerged from the flames with a whiskey soul, having been aged for 60 months in whiskey barrels. The red fruit contains touches of maple and spice.

#4. The Velvet Devil, $12

This deep, dark wine is devilishly good with flavors of red and blue fruit and a silky smooth texture that makes Merlot sexy again.

#5. 19 Crimes The Banished, $10

19 Crimes makes a series of infamous wines featuring labels with British criminals who will tell you their stories in augmented reality label using the Living Wines Label app. These stories are about the 19 Crimes that were punishable by banishing convicts to the Australian penal colony. The Banished Dark Red wine is dominated by Shiraz and supported by Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. “Like the wine rations served on convict ships, every sip deserves to be savored.”

#6. The Culprit, $15

The Culprit is a monster red blend from Sonoma County, CA, that includes 9 different grape varieties! The primary varietals are Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, making this a scary big, bold and complex wine.

#7. Phantom, $20

Bogle Vineyards’ Phantom Red is a hauntingly delicious blend of Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvedre. The spectre of this rich, jammy wine with dark fruit, black pepper, spice and vanilla will haunt you long after the last sip.

#8. Orin Swift Palermo, $45

The haunting label that graces Palermo, a Napa Valley red blend (Cabernet, Merlot and Malbec), is a chilling photo of an actual mummified priest wearing a red cape and a black hat, taken by a National Geographic photographer in a 16th century catacomb in Palermo, Sicily, after which the wine is named. The wine is rich, fruit-driven and approachable, with just a touch of oak.

#9. Eternally Silenced, $45

Eternally Silenced, a Pinot Noir from The Prisoner Wine Company in St. Helena, CA, will leave you speechless. This wine has dark red fruit flavors of cranberry and cherry along with herbaceous characters of pine needles and cedar, reminiscent of being chased through a dark forest by who-knows-what in the deepest of night.

#10. Derange, $80

Derange, produced by The Prisoner Wine Company, was made by hand-selecting their most insanely concentrated and intense wines to blend under this label. It is a terrifyingly tasty blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel is filled rich black fruit, vanilla and sweet spice flavors.

 

5 Seasonal Wines for Fall

The air is crisp, the leaves are turning to blazing oranges and reds, and the scent of pumpkin spice latte is on the air. It can only mean one thing. It’s time to put away the light and refreshing, strawberry scented rosés in favor of fuller-bodied, more seasonally appropriate wines.

Before you crack open that big, rich Cabernet Sauvignon, there are quite a few other wines out there that pair particularly well with autumn. Think about wines that have characters of sweet baking spices – cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves – and wines that have flavors of honey, vanilla and apples. Here are a few recommendations that are as spicy and warm as that Starbucks PSL, but with a bit more of a kick.

1. 2015 Hugel Classic Gewurztraminer (Alsace, France), $20

Gewurztraminer is a gorgeous white wine that can be made dry, off dry or sweet. It is famous for its intense aromatics of rose, lychee and sweet spices, like ginger, cinnamon, allspice and honey. The 2014 Hugel Classic is a dry wine with just a touch of sweetness. It is rich and medium-bodied with ripe fruit flavors of pineapple, pear and apples, alongside aromas of smoked nuts and spice.

 

2. 2017 Siduri Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (Sonoma, CA), $30

Although well-known for having bright, red fruit flavors and a lighter body, Pinot Noir also has sweet spice aromas of cloves, as well as characters of earth and damp leaves, reminiscent of a forest after an autumn rain. The Siduri Pinot Noir is a fuller-bodied style with flavors of cherry compote and cranberries, and notes of cinnamon, allspice and smoke.

 

3. 2017 Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz (Barossa Valley, Australia), $20

Shiraz from the Barossa Valley are some of the most powerful red wines in the world. The full-bodied yet smooth Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz lives up to this reputation with flavors of spicy dark cherry, blackberry, vanilla and dark chocolate, like drinking from a bag of Halloween candy.

 

4. 2009 La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Reserva (Rioja, Spain), $30

This powerful and elegant wine is made of 80% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache, with autumn flavors of fig, dark cherry and walnuts. As a “Reserva” wine, it spent a significant amount of time aging in oak barrels (36 months for the Tempranillo and 30 months for the Grenache). The oak influence left its mark, imparting aromas of vanilla, leather, tobacco and cedar.

 

5. 2015 Doisy-Vedrines Sauternes, 315ml (Bordeaux, France), $35

Sauternes are arguably the best dessert wines in the world. They are made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes affected by Noble Rot, a fungus that weakens the grape skins and causes the water inside the grapes to dehydrate, intensely concentrating sugars and flavors. This Doisy-Vedrines Sauternes has rich, sweet flavors of citrus, marmalade, ginger, honey and marzipan, perfect for pairing with an apple or pumpkin pie.

 

 

Celebrity Wine Throwdown: Vol. 1

My first CELEBRITY WINE THROWDOWN was a rousing success!!! I hosted the event in my wine cellar, serving eight curated celebrity wines. I paired the wines (2 rosés, 2 sauvignon blancs, 2 cabernet sauvignons, and two red blends) and competed them head-to-head in a tournament-style bracket, until we determined a single winning wine. There were plenty of fun and games along the way with points scored on celebrity trivia, picking out specific flavors and aromas in the wines, and coming up with the most unique tasting notes.

Although all of wines were enjoyable and we had a lot of fun tasting them, in life there are winners and losers. In reverse order, the results were…

8. InvivoX SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker, $15, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

  • Sarah Jessica Parker partnered with Invivo, a wine producer in New Zealand, to select the blend for this wine
  • Intense flavors and aromas of honey and peach
  • Very fruity, bordering on sweet, but with a tart finish
  • Unfiltered guest feedback: “A sorority girl wine”

7. Fergilicious by Fergie, $35, Syrah Blend, Santa Ynez CA

  • Fergie is part-owner of Ferguson Vineyards with her father, who makes the wine and created this blend in her honor
  • Favors of blackberry, black currant, pepper, and cloves
  • Needs more tannin to balance out the almost too-sweet fruitiness
  • One guest described this wine as a red version of the InvivoX SJP
  • Unfiltered guest feedback: “A crazy one-night-stand that you regret in the morning, but was still satisfying.”

6. Miraval by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, $20, Rosé, Provence (France)

  • Branjelina co-own this label with the Perrin family, who are winemakers. The grapes are grown on the Pitt-Jolie estate and Brad in particular is very involved in the vineyard and winemaking process.
  • Aromas and flavors of pear, grapefruit, flowers and strawberry
  • A very nice example of a classic Provence rosé, with bright fruit and aromatics
  • Unfiltered guest feedback: “I don’t like rosé, but this I could drink, although the fruit was a bit sharp.”

5. Dive Into Hampton Water by Jon Bon Jovi, $20, Rosé, Languedoc (France)

  • This wine was the brainchild of Jon Bon Jovi’s son, Jesse, who convinced his dad to partner with him in this venture. Their vision was to create a super premium rosé, not a celebrity wine, which is why you won’t see Jon Bon Jovi’s name on the bottle.
  • Aromas and flavors of apple, peach, melon, cream, brioche
  • Since this wine is 25% aged in new French oak, it has a roundness and richer texture that softens the fruitiness
  • Unfiltered guest feedback: “This doesn’t taste like rosé…in a good way.”

My guests had a hard time deciding between the Hampton Water and the Miraval. It came down to personal preference as to who liked the oak influence and who preferred the bright fruit. However, the edge ended up going to Hampton Water.

4. Message in a Bottle by Sting, $18, Sangiovese blend, Tuscany

  • This wine is made from grapes grown on Sting’s Il Palagio estate and is produced by a winemaker he partnered with. His wife, Trudy, is very involved in the business side of the wine operation while Sting admits his role is only to sing to the wine to make it better.
  • Pepper, black currant, blackberry, cloves
  • Everyone enjoyed this wine and agreed it was a good value
  • However, one guest met Sting in person years ago and said he wasn’t very nice (although she used different words)
  • Unfiltered guest feedback: “The wine is more approachable than Sting.”

3. Graham Norton’s Own by Graham Norton, $15, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

  • Graham Norton partnered with Invivo (same producer as Sarah Jessica Parker), and is heavily involved in the process of determining the style of wine he wants and leading the blending efforts to achieve his vision. He is so passionate about it that he even invested in the Invivo business.
  • Grapefruit, lemon, mango, pineapple and grass balanced by nice acidity
  • This award-winning wine greatly impressed everyone with how much they enjoyed it
  • A phenomenal value that is highly recommended by all of my guests
  • Unfiltered guest feedback: “Wow, this is really good.”

2. LVE by John Legend, $60, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

  • As a lover of wine, John Legend had been looking to create a wine label where he could be heavily involved in the process. He partnered with Raymond Vineyards and defines the vision for the style of wine he wants, and blends alongside the winemaking team.
  • Chocolate, cherry, pepper and tobacco
  • Intense, full bodied and fruit forward, like one would expect from a Napa Cabernet
  • Unfiltered feedback: “If you put your nose deep into the glass, you could almost get high.”

1. Pursued by Bear by Kyle MacLachlan, $56, Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley WA

  • Kyle MacLachlan, originally from Washington state, had a lifelong love of wine and was involved in the wine world for a long time before starting his own label. His mentors were Ann Colgin and Marc Aubert, prestigious Napa Valley winemakers. For his label, he hired a winemaker, but is heavily involved in the process from sourcing the grapes to making the blends, and he even has a serious passion for oak barrels.
  • Intense aromas of blackberry, smoke, fig, mushroom, plum and bramble, with a smooth palate that strikes a graceful balance between fruit, oak and tannins.
  • Absolutely delicious, refined and very well balanced. An excellent value, worth every penny.
  • Unfiltered guest feedback: “It’s like sitting in a soft leather chair by a fire after eating an amazing porterhouse steak.”

Ultimately, it came down to a Cabernet face-off between John Legend’s LVE and Kyle MacLachlan’s Pursued by Bear. My guests flipped their votes back and forth for a while before settling on a winner. Both wines are in the $55-60 price range with celebrity owners that are passionate and involved in their wine projects. The LVE is a full-bodied, bold and intense Napa Valley Cab, but it was beaten out by MacLachlan’s big, yet more refined, Columbia Valley, WA Cabernet. Pursued by Bear was described as smooth and easy to polish off an entire bottle in one sitting, whereas my guests felt the LVE was delicious, but needed to be paired with food to balance some of its intensity.

In a very close third place was Graham Norton’s Sauvignon Blanc. All of my guests had a personal preference for big reds, but if they were white wine drinkers, Graham Norton’s wine may very well have carried the day. It is an excellent example of a quintessential New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, with tropical fruit flavors that are balanced by bright acidity and a grassy character. This is an unbeatable value at $15.

Stay tuned for Volume 2 of the CELEBRITY WINE THROWDOWN. I have more celebrity bottles that will be tasted soon!!!

How to Taste Wine in 3 Steps

Tasting wine was a mystery to me for a very long time. I was in awe of people who could take a quick sniff and pick out dozens of aromas, or take a tiny sip and know exactly what wine was in their glass. It seemed like a magician’s trick, some sort of sleight of hand that I just couldn’t grasp.

However, I now know that wine tasting is a very methodical process that anyone can learn. The only “trick” is that you have to drink a heck of a lot of wine to build up your internal database of wines for identification. That said, you can definitely learn enough in a short time to impress your friends. So let’s get started!

1. Appearance

Wine tasting begins well before any wine reaches your lips. The appearance of a wine can tell you a few things about it, but don’t spend more than a minute or so on this step. A quick visual assessment is sufficient. Pour yourself a glass about 1/3 full and take a good look.

  • Clarity: Most wines should be clear. There are some wines that are purposefully made unfiltered and cloudy, but apart from that, any haziness or particles floating in a wine may signal a fault.
  • Color: The great majority of white wines are lemon in color. If a white wine is more gold, that generally means it is older. Many red wines are ruby in color. If your red wine has more purple in it, it is very young, and if it is turning garnet to brown, it is likely older.
  • Intensity: This is the depth of color and can help you narrow down (or eliminate) grape varieties. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah produce very deep-colored wines while Pinot Noir and Beaujolais are much lighter colored. Deeper red wines tend to be richer, oaked and more concentrated than lighter red wines. For white wines, if the color is deeper, it can indicate oak aging, such as with a Chardonnay. Stainless steel aged wines, like Sauvignon Blanc, tend to be paler.

     

  • Legs or Tears: Swirl the wine and hold up your glass. Take a look at the “legs” or “tears” as the wine runs down the inside of the glass. Thick, slow legs could be an indication that your wine has a higher alcohol percentage or residual sugar in it. However, legs aren’t always the best indicator of a wine, so take them with a grain of salt.

2. Nose

  • Condition: Before you swirl your glass, take a quick sniff. Does it smell fresh or musty? If you’re smelling wet cardboard, your grandmother’s basement, rotten eggs or nail polish remover, the wine likely has some kind of fault.
  • Aromas: Swirl your glass to release those aromatic compounds, stick your nose in and take a whiff. The most important thing to remember is that whatever you are smelling is correct. Wine tasting is very subjective, so don’t be afraid that you’ll be “wrong” – there is no such thing. It is helpful to start with the most obvious aromas first, focusing on each of the categories below individually. If you try to pick out every aroma all at once, it is much harder.
      • Primary aromas are those that come from the grapes and vineyard. Think 1) fruits, 2) herbs and 3) flowers. White wine will often have aromas of green, citrus, stone and/or tropical fruits (apples, lemon, lime, peach, pineapple, pear, etc.). Red wines will often have aromas of red, black and blue fruits (blackberry, blueberry, cherry, strawberry, etc.). You may get a whiff of herbal/spicy aromas like bell pepper, rosemary or black pepper. Floral aromas, such as violets, chamomile or roses, can be harder to detect.

 

      • Secondary aromas are those that come from the winemaking process. In red wines this often means aromas from oak aging, such as toast, cedar, smoke, vanilla and/or coconut. In white wines, this may be aromas from yeast (pastry, bread, stale beer) or malolactic fermentation (butter and cream) like you get in Chardonnay, for example.

 

 

      • Tertiary aromas are those that result from aged wine, such as mushroom, earth, tobacco, leather and nuts.

 

 

Picking out subtle aromas in wine is not easy. The best way to train for it is to smell everything – go to the produce section of your grocery store and sniff every fruit, herb and vegetable available. You may get some odd glances, but this helps build a library of aromas in your brain that you can call on when tasting wine. Another option that won’t get quite so may sideways looks is to purchase a wine aroma kit. These kits come in a variety of sizes and contain vials of common wine aromas that you can use to test your aroma recall in the privacy of your own home.

3. Palate

It’s finally time to taste the wine – my favorite part! Take a good mouthful and swish it around your mouth like mouthwash, coating every part of your pallet. Then spit or swallow the wine –  repeat as many times as needed – and think about the following (and write down your conclusions so you don’t forget them):

  • Sweetness: Is the wine dry or does it have any residual sugar in it? Remember, fruity does not mean sweet. Sweetness is from remaining sugar that hasn’t been converted into alcohol.
  • Tannin: Especially with many red wines, you’ll notice tannins as a mouth-drying sensation, which is most obvious on the gums above your front teeth. Tannins give a wine body and structure.
  • Alcohol: Does the wine burn a little when you swallow it? If so, it probably has a higher level of alcohol. Alcohol also contributes to the body of a wine.
  • Acidity: The acids in a wine will cause your mouth to water. The more and longer you salivate, the higher the acidity in the wine. Acidity gives a wine freshness and balances out tannins and residual sugar, if any.
  • Body: How heavy does the wine feel in your mouth? A full-bodied wine will have a consistency reminiscent of whole milk while a light-bodied wine will be more like water or skim milk.
  • Flavors: What are you tasting and how intense are those flavors? Flavors follow the same primary, secondary and tertiary characteristics as aromas, and consider whether what you smelled you also taste.
  • Finish: How long do those delicious flavors linger on your palette after you swallow your wine? Higher quality, more complex wines will likely have a longer finish than simpler, less expensive wines.

All of these considerations will help you deduce the wine in your glass, but you need to drink a lot of wine to do this. For example, in order to identify Cabernet Sauvignon correctly, you would need to know that it is deeply colored, dry, full-bodied, with high alcohol and aromas and flavors of blackberry, black cherry, pepper and cedar.

So the moral of the story is keep drinking! And drink lots of different types of wine. Follow the above steps and take notes on what you notice about the wine. Before you know it, you’ll be impressing everyone with your wine expertise.

Cheers!

10 Common Wine Terms De-coded

It’s easy to find yourself lost, confused or intimidated by all of the lingo in the wine world. Tasting notes can sometimes feel impossible to decipher, and use descriptions that make it difficult to really understand the wine, like this one: “Well seasoned oak supports the floral scent of musky black roses and a savory thorny understory like a briar growing through straw mulch after a recent rain” (yes, that is an actual tasting note).

Let’s start to deconstruct and untangle some of the most common wine lingo, so the next time you hear these descriptors you will know exactly what they mean.

1. Acidity

It’s the acidity in wine that causes a sharp sensation in your mouth and triggers your salivation reflex. The more you salivate and the longer you salivate, the higher the acidity level in the wine. Wines that have low acidity are often described as “round” and “soft”, while wines that have high acidity are sometimes described as “vibrant” and “fresh”. You will often find higher acidity in wines from cooler regions.

  • Examples of high acidity wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Champagne, Pinot Noir
  • Examples of low acidity wines: Chardonnay, Viognier, Grenache, Merlot, Gewurtztraminer

2. Balance

In every wine a battle is waged between fruit and sugar on one side, and acidity and tannins on the other side. Balance between these sides is achieved when all of these elements are well integrated so none stands out too much over the other. Too much fruit and sugar can make a wine taste cloying, while too little makes a wine taste austere and thin. Too much acidity and tannins can make a wine harsh or aggressive, while too little makes it unstructured and flabby.

3. Body

Body is the mouthfeel of a wine, or the weight of it on your tongue. Sugar, tannins and alcohol contribute to a fuller bodied wine, while acidity makes a wine feel lighter. Many wine professionals use the following comparison to determine the body of a wine: light body = skim milk, medium body = 2% milk, full body = whole milk.

  • Examples of full-bodied wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah/Shiraz, Malbec, California Chardonnay
  • Examples of light-bodied wines: Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Grenache, Barolo, Prosecco, Riesling, Rosé

4. Complexity

Complexity refers to the number of different flavors and aromas that can be identified in a wine. A wine that only shows a few similar fruit flavors (e.g., lemon, lime, green apple) would be considered simple. A wine that shows a multitude of different characteristics across a variety of flavor/aromas categories (e.g., red cherry, blackberry, raspberry, pepper, toast, mushroom, vanilla) would be considered complex.

5. Dry

Dry wines are those that have no residual sugar left in them after fermentation. During fermentation, yeasts consume sugars in the grapes and convert them into alcohol. In a dry wine, all of the grapes sugars are fully converted into alcohol. A dry wine can still be fruity (see #7) if it contains flavors and aromas of fruits, but there is no actual sugar in the wine.

6. Finish

Finish, also referred to as length, measures how long the pleasant flavors remain on your tongue after you take a swallow of wine. Typically, a higher quality, more intense wine will have a longer finish.

7. Fruit-Forward

Fruit-forward, or fruity, is not used to described the sweetness or sugar content in a wine. A wine can be dry and still fruit-forward. This term is used to describe wines that are packed with primary fruit flavors (e.g., apple, peach, pear, lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc.) that stand out as the defining characteristic of the wine.

  • Examples of fruit-forward wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Vinho Verde, Zinfandel, Grenache, Shiraz
  • Examples of non-fruity wines (earthy, herbaceous): Many French wines, such as those from Bandol (Mourvedre) and Cahors (Malbec)

8. Oaky

An oaky wine is one that has picked up flavors and aromas from being fermented and/or aged in oak barrels. Oak will impart different flavors and aromas based on the type of wood, the barrel size, degree of charring on the inside of the barrels, and time spent in barrel. Characteristics imparted by oak include toast, cedar, smoke, vanilla, coconut and sweet baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.).

9. Tannins

Tannins are found on grape skins, so grapes that have spent more time macerating (or soaking in) a vat with their skins will produce more tannic wines. Tannins cause your mouth to dry up. The easiest place to notice this is the gums above your front teeth. Tannins can also leave a slightly bitter taste at the back of the mouth. Tannins are important to the structure of a wine, giving wines texture and body.

  • Examples of high tannin wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Barolo
  • Examples of low tannin wines: Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Tempranillo

10. Terroir

Terroir is a French word that is used to describe a wine’s “sense of place”. It encompasses the idea that wine should be an expression of the environmental factors where the grapes are grown and the wine is produced, inclusive of the soil, climate, farming, elevation, slopes, direction of sunlight, etc. In France, every vineyard is seen as having its own unique terroir. The value the French put on terroir is why French wines are labeled by region or chateau rather than grape variety.

Are there other wine terms that you would like to better understand? If so, comment on this post or contact me to have your term added to the next list!