Tag Archives: cheese

Wines To Serve This Holiday

The holidays are a time for celebration, and celebrations are a time for drinking…and eating! If you are still trying to figure out what wines are best to serve with your holiday meals, I have some excellent suggestions that will pair beautifully with any dish you will be preparing.

Feast of the Seven Fishes (or any seafood dish)

Bodega Garzon Albarino 2018, Uruguay ($18) – I grew up in an Italian household with the prohibition against eating meat on Christmas Eve. Instead, we indulged in the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Bodega Garzon Albarino is a perfect wine to pair with any of your Christmas Eve seafood dishes. It is medium to full bodied with bright flavors of citrus, peach and pear and a slightly creamy finish. This crisp, yet luscious wine will compliment, and not overpower, any seafood dish.

Charcuterie/Cheese/Antipasto

La Battagliola Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetrano DOC 2017, Italy ($15) – I love to kick off my holiday with a glass of bubbly and appetizers. Not only is Lambrusco a perfect pairing with any meat and cheese board, that beautiful dark red color is festive and seasonal. This red sparkler is dry with beautiful aromas and flavors of strawberry, plum and cherry. It is fuller-bodied and higher in alcohol and tannins than many other Lambruscos, which is why I love it. It is big, flavorful and fresh.

Honey Baked or Glazed Ham

Champalou Vouvray La Cuvee des Fondrau 2016, France ($22) – If you are preparing a honey-baked or glazed ham, you will want a wine with just a touch of sweetness to stand up to the sweet glaze. This Vouvray (made from Chenin Blanc grapes) is only slightly off-dry with just a touch of residual sugar. The sugar is well balanced by bright acidity, and has flavors of apple, honey and pear. This wine is a fresh and fruity, easy-drinking compliment to a sweet/salty ham dinner.

Game Birds/Poultry (Duck, Turkey, etc.)

Mohua Pinot Noir 2015, New Zealand ($16) – Pinot Noir is an excellent compliment to medium weight dishes like salmon, chicken, duck, and turkey. It also works really well with roasted vegetables and mushroom dishes. This Pinot is from Central Otago, New Zealand, a region that is producing excellent cool-climate Pinots at great prices. This wine is everything a Pinot should be – medium-bodied with fresh flavors of strawberry, raspberry and red cherry with a touch of herb and spice on the finish.

Beef (Filet Mignon, Prime Rib, etc.)

Orin Swift Machete 2016, California ($48) – Not only is Orin Swift’s Machete my favorite wine label ever, it is also my favorite wine in this price range, and can easily stand up to heavier meat dishes. The Machete is a blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah and Grenache. It is inky dark in the glass with rich, jammy flavors of blackberry, blueberry, fig and boysenberry, complimented by a dash of vanilla and cinnamon. It is a big, bold and fruit-forward California wine that can just as easily be enjoyed as a meal in itself, or paired with a tasty filet mignon.

Dessert

Royal Tokaji Late Harvest 2016, Hungary ($20) – The wine enjoyment shouldn’t end after the entree! Bring out the Christmas cookies, cakes and pies, then crack open a bottle of Late Harvest Tokaji. This wine is pale gold with sweet tropical fruit flavors of mango, pineapple, citrus, peach and honey. Although it is a dessert wine, it is not cloying or syrupy sweet. It has a beautiful lightness and freshness to it that lifts the sweetness.

Cheers and Happy Holidays!!!

10 Gift Ideas for The Wine Lover

Are you looking for some unique wine-related holiday gift ideas for that wine lover in your life? Well, look no further. Here are a few of my favorite things that I’m certain you will enjoy as well!

Coravin Wine Preservation System, $285

The Coravin is a top-of-the-line wine preservation system for anyone who hates to waste really good wine. Queue the jokes about never leaving an unfinished bottle behind, but there are many circumstances when you may not finish an entire bottle in one sitting. For me, my husband doesn’t drink any white wine, so when I want to enjoy a single beautiful glass of Puligny-Montrachet white Burgundy, I will use my Coravin. I also like to sample lots of different wines as part of my profession, or sample wines in my cellar to see how they are progressing, and the Coravin makes that all possible without having to open lot of bottles or open something that would benefit from more cellar time. The Coravin inserts a slim needle through the cork, pumping inert argon gas into the bottle while wine is poured into your glass. The gas keeps oxygen from negatively impacting the wine, and the cork re-seals itself after the needle is removed, so you can enjoy the same bottle of wine for weeks, months or even years! (Buy on Amazon)

Zalto Denk-Art Universal Glasses, $69

Once you drink from a Zalto wine glass you will never be able to drink from anything else. They are a piece of art in the form of a wine glass, designed to reflect the same tilt angles as the Earth. The thinness of the glass enhances the flavors of the wine rather than overpowers it with glass taste that you get from thicker glasses. Zaltos are lead-free, dishwasher safe and made in Austria. If you are opening an special bottle of wine this holiday, it deserves to be experienced in amazing glassware. (Buy on Amazon)

Le Nez du Vin, $40-$399

If you are amazed by how wine professionals can take one whiff of a wine and describe dozens of different aromas, now you can learn how to do the same. The Le Nez du Vin is an aroma kit that comes in a variety of sizes, and contains viles of common wine scents. You can hone you wine aroma recognition skills so you can take your wine enjoyment to the next level. (Buy on winearomas.com)

Vino Chapeau Wine Tasting Covers, $7.99

Vino Chapeau discs enhance your wine tasting experience. They cling to the rim of your wineglass and remain secure as you swirl your wine, concentrating aromas under the cover. Put your nose to the glass, remove the disc and enjoy the flood of aromas that fill your nose and allow you to more easily identify scents. They are also fantastic for outdoor use in warmer months as they keep insects out of your glass! (Buy on vinochapeau.com)

Cheese Grotto, $85-$350

Wine and cheese go together like peanut butter and jelly, and if you are serious about your cheese, you need an equally serious cheese preservation system. The Cheese Grotto is a climate controlled system that will extend the shelf life of your gourmet cheeses while allowing you to store them unwrapped and outside of your refrigerator. (Buy on cheesegrotto.com)

Wine Infused Salts, $35

Not only do I love wine, but I am absolutely addicted to salt. Thankfully I have uncommonly low blood pressure, so I can add as much salt as I want to my food. In addition, salt is one of those magical flavors that brings out the absolute best in wine. Salt in food will make your wine taste less bitter and astringent, and more fruity and soft. Now imagine what wine infused salt could do! They are made with Pacific sea salt, complementary herbs, and wine reduced to a very concentrated syrup.

Wine Tasting Kit, $27-$275

If you want to get more experience tasting a variety of wines, but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars purchasing a wide variety of bottles that you may only drink one glass of, consider an e-Tasting Kit. This French company has bottled dozens of different wines into small, single-serving portions, so you can taste up to 72 different wines from a single tasting kit! (Buy on etasting.com)

Grapevine Cuff Bracelet, $29

One of my favorite merchants is Wine Country Craftsman based out of Paso Robles, CA. They make a wide variety of beautiful, hand-crafted and custom items from retired grape vines and wine barrels. This Grapevine Cuff Bracelet is just one example of their exquisite work. It is crafted from reclaimed Napa Valley grapevines that were making wine during prohibition. The grape vines are dried for up to 2 years then kiln fired, hand cut, sanded and sealed to preserve this beautiful piece of jewelry for generations to come. (Buy on winecountrycraftsman.com)

Blitzen & Friends Wine Bottle Stoppers, $59

These wine bottle stoppers are just so much fun and will be the center of attention at your holiday gathering! (Buy on wineenthusiast.com)

The Wine Diva Private Tasting Experience, $300 for up to 10ppl

Last, but most certainly not least, I will host a fun and educational private wine tasting for you and your guests in my NJ home wine cellar, your home, your office or any other space. I supply the bottles, wine glasses and expert knowledge, and you sit back, relax and enjoy the wine! These tastings are perfect for birthday parties, corporate events, bachelorette parties, bridal showers, girls nights, or just a great excuse to get together with friends. I can customize a package to fit your needs. No size party is too large or too small! Don’t live anywhere near NJ? Not a problem! I can also do Skype/FaceTime tasting sessions where I will purchase the wine and have it shipped to your house, then host a live e-tasting with you and your guests. (Contact me at [email protected])

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!

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