A Few of My Favorite Things

I have three of my favorite wines to share with you today.  As I've mentioned before, you don't need to spend a fortune to find a fabulous wine.

#3 - Michael David Winery - Petite Petit (2009) $18: This wine comes from Lodi, California, and is 85% Petite Syrah and 15% Verdot.(https://store.michaeldavidwinery.com/SHOP.AMS?LEVEL=BOT&PART=PPPSS09). It has a beautiful dark red appearance to it, and an earthy bouquet. It is rich and full bodied, and very balanced. I loved the dark berry taste with a hint of grass and earth. This is a wonderful wine, and can be found in almost every liquor store. It goes great with spicy foods, such as Jambalaya.

#2 - Root:1 - Cabernet Sauvignon (2009) $10: This is a wonderful Cab that comes from Colchagua Valley, Chile (http://www.root1wine.com/#cabernetSauvignon). It has a deep, dark purple color, and a sweet but bold vanilla bouquet. It is smooth, rich, and very balanced, with tastes of vanilla and raspberry. This is a lovely wine, and goes great with a beef roast. (Side note: Chilean red wines are supposed to be the healthiest wines for you to drink!)

#1 - Rancho Zabaco - Zinfandel (2008 Reserved) $23.99: This is another California wine that comes from the Sonoma Valley (http://www.ranchozabaco.com/wines/zinfandel/index.html). I love this wine! It will go with everything. This wine has a dark plum color, and is very fruity on the nose. It has a dark berry taste with a hint of spice. It is a dry, full bodied, balanced wine. Make sure you buy the Reserved and not the "regular" Zinfandel. The reserved is miles better! It's listed for $23.99, but I've seen it for under $20 at many liquor stores and online.

A Valentine's Day Shout Out

Valentine's Day is very special to me, because it is also the day I married my husband of three years. Every year, we do a fondue dinner paired with of course, wine. Fondue is a fun way to play with your food, and I've shared with you some tips on how to prepare the perfect Valentine's day dinner for your sweetie. Recipes for Fondue can be found everywhere online for free, or if you feel like splurging, pick up a book of fondue recipes. I recommend the book Fondue, by Bob and Coleen Simmons.

Course One - Swiss Fondue with a Sauvignon Blanc: The bitey, tangy, but oh so good Swiss fondue pairs nicely with the crisp melon/grapefruit and citrus flavors of a Sauvignon Blanc. Toast some French bread, and cut up some carrots, apples, and celery to accompany this dish.

Course Two - Spiced Broth Fondue with a Merlot: I suggest using beef broth with scallions, ginger, pepper, and garlic. Pretty much any type of meat from beef tenderloin, teriyaki chicken, and shrimp will go nicely with this broth. In addition, chop up some zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, and red skin potatoes to accompany this dish. This second course will go nicely with a medium bodied Merlot that is not too fruit forward. A Merlot will balance out the heartiness of the beef broth and will give the wine a creamier finish.

In addition: There are many different sauces you can make to accompany your meats and vegetables. This just kicks up the second course another notch.

Course Three - Dark Chocolate Fondue with a Port: Chocolate fondue is very easy to make and goes great with strawberries, pound cake, cheesecake, and marshmallows. Pair this dessert with a Port. The sweetness of the Port pairs very well with the bitterness of the dark chocolate.

Hopefully this has given you some good ideas for your Valentine's Day dinner!

What Does Tannic Mean?

Probably the most confusing description of red wine is the word tannic. Many people throw this word around to describe what they are tasting. But in actuality, many of us have no clue what tannic means.

A tannin is part of the skin, stem, and seeds of grapes. To get red wine, the skins of the grape are soaked with the juice to get their beautiful color. But with that, the juice also gets the tannins from the skin. Many people think that if a wine is tannic,  they are describing a certain flavor or even acidity. However, tannic is the texture you feel in red wine. Does your mouth sometimes get dry after drinking a few sips of red wine? Or does it feel a little bitter? Well, that means that your wine is very tannic.

Not all red wines will have high amounts of tannin, and the perfect wine will have a nice balance of that dryness to it. A good way to get a good balance of tannins is to let your new bottles of wine sit for at least six months. As the wine ages, the amount of tannins will soften, and the wine will be more pleasant to drink.

Get Savvy with Sauvignon Blanc

As I mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of white wines. However, I will continue to test them out to help all of you. For the past couple of weeks I have been focusing on the Sauvignon Blanc wine, since it's a wine I never really drink. But, I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised.

This grape grows all around the world, but the French are the ones who stake their claim for this grape's origin. It grows in mild and somewhat cool climates, so it's no surprise that we see many Sauvignon Blanc wines come from California. What I like about this wine is that it plays to the dryer side, and it is not over-bearing in sweetness like many other whites. In fact, it is very tropical in flavor, but has an earthy side to it, which balances out the sweetness of the grape.

Many wine critics will say that you get an over-powering grapefruit flavor with this wine. While I do agree with them, I received more lemon notes with this wine than any other fruit. However, each person's palate is different, so I encourage all of you to pick up a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc tonight and let your taste buds decide. With that, I've highlighted a great one to share with you.

Santa Barbara Winery, Sauvignon Blanc (2010) - $15: This wine comes from the Santa Ynez Valley of California, (http://sbwinery.com/index.html). I love to visit Santa Barbara, because not only do I have family out there, I also love the wine! This wine has a yellow and light green clear color to it. It has smells of grapefruit, green apple, and lemon. There is a tartness and bite when you first taste it, with flavors of grapefruit and lemon that pop in your mouth. But after a few sips, the tartness goes down and hints of pineapple appear. It is very light in body, and I would recommend that this wine be paired with spicy foods to complement the flavors of the wine.

Do You Know the Way to Santa Fe?

My husband and I love to travel and find unique places to go to in each city. And of course, no trip is complete without stopping by a winery or wine shop. A couple of years ago, we made a trip to Santa Fe to see what the city was all about. We knew there would be great Southwestern food and art, but we weren't expecting to find a great winery.

In downtown Santa Fe there is a tasting room for the winery, Vino Del Corezon, (http://vinodelcorazon.com/Home_Page.html). It is run by a husband and wife team who make you feel like you have already been life-long friends. They have about ten wines in production, each of them with a unique taste. Their Chardonnay was oaky and smooth, while their Santa Fe Siesta Red was a little tart and sweet. All had welcoming colors, smells, and flavors. The wines range from about $15-$30 per bottle which is right on par with many other small batch wineries. And, if you can't make it to Santa Fe anytime soon, I suggest ordering a bottle from their website.

I'll be highlighting more trips like these in future posts. I'd also love to hear about your travel and winery experiences as well!

Super Bowl... Not Just for Beer Anymore!

I thought about doing something clever and fancy for this post, but the more I thought about it, the more it sounded silly. The Super Bowl isn't about being fancy... It's about hanging out with friends, eating junk food, and enjoying a beverage or three. Beer is the Super Bowl's best friend, and understandably so. It's inexpensive, comes individually wrapped, and people can pick and choose from a variety of flavors. It's also understandable that people don't want to break out the bottle of wine for the big game for fear that they will seem snobbish. Well, fear no more! Wine can now be the perfect beverage for the Super Bowl thanks to the box.

Boxed Wine? YES!!!!

Now, I'm not saying to go really cheap and get the spritzers and Franzia, but there are inexpensive, good quality boxed wines out there. Not only are boxed wines inexpensive, they are environmentally friendly, and can be saved for a month after opening. My favorite is the Bota Box (http://www.botabox.com/). Each box is equivalent to about four bottles of wine, so it is the perfect accompaniment for your Super Bowl party. There are many different varieties, both red and white. My choice would be the 2009 Malbec. It's full bodied, but not overwhelming. It has rich blackberry and plum tastes, and will go well with that hearty chili you are serving. Each box goes for about $19! That's around $4.75 a bottle! But, don't let the price fool you. This is a good, solid wine!

So go ahead...Put the beer aside and open up that box of wine!

I'm here to help

Have a question about wine and food pairings? Want suggestions on what wine to serve at your next get together? Need help planning your next wine party? I want to be your one stop shop for all things wine related.
Please feel free to email, Facebook, Tweet, or Google+ me anytime. I'm here to help!