WineLife365 » Wine and Food Pairings http://www.winelife365.com Enjoying Life with Wine 365 Days a Year Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:43:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Thanksgiving Calls for an American Made Wine http://www.winelife365.com/thanksgiving-calls-for-an-american-made-wine/ http://www.winelife365.com/thanksgiving-calls-for-an-american-made-wine/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:00:37 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=5504 With Thanksgiving only days away, you might be wondering what wine to serve with your traditional turkey and side dishes.  Here’s a hint – Something American!

 

Thanksgiving is an American holiday that, in my opinion, deserves an American-made wine.  There are many types of wines to choose from, whether white or red, or sweet or dry, but my personal favorite with this holiday meal is a good old-fashion American Cabernet Sauvignon.  It’s big and bold flavors are brawny enough to stand up to just about any traditional side dish that you throw at it as well as any herbs and spices that you decide to use on your Thanksgiving turkey.

 

Here are a few very reliable American Cabernet Sauvignon names that you may want to consider shopping for:

 

·         Beringer Vineyards – Whether it’s their inexpensive Cab or higher priced Reserve Cabs, Beringer Vineyards Cabs are pretty darn reliable and tasty year in and year out.

 

·         Columbia Crest Winery – Like Beringer Vineyards, Columbia Crest fires on all cylinders at any price point in their line-up of Cabernet Sauvignon offerings.

 

·         Rodney Strong Vineyards – Good, solid, and reliable – for under $15 bucks, this Cab really tunes in the dial with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

 

·         Chalk Hill – For some reason, these guys are under the radar of a lot of California Cab lovers.  Take the discount and this hidden Sonoma County gem to the bank and buy yourself and your guests 2 bottles for the price of 1 big Napa Valley Cab with the same headiness.

 

·         St. Supery – If you’ve got $30 or more in your wallet, this California Cab will certainly blow you and your guests away.

 

·        If the sky’s the limit in your budget, you may want to try one of these ginormous tasting American Cabernet Sauvignons:  Fife Vineyards Reserve or Cornerstone Cellars.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!  

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/thanksgiving-calls-for-an-american-made-wine/feed/ 8 Wine Dictionary – Viognier http://www.winelife365.com/wine-dictionary-viognier/ http://www.winelife365.com/wine-dictionary-viognier/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:00:00 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=3282 viognierMany guides differ slightly when giving the pronunciation of this native Rhone Valley white grape.  Some say vee-own-yay, while others say vee-on-yay.  Vee-on-yay with a short o is actually the correct way to pronounce it.  But hey, it’s all good no matter how you say it.

 

 

This awesome white grape that was originally born in the Rhone Valley of France is now being planted all over the globe.  In it’s native France, the majority of Viogniers are sold as  “Vin de Pays“, or “country wine” in the Languedoc wine region of France.  In the Rhone wine region, the Viognier grape is often blended with other native French white wine grapes like Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache blanc, and Rolle.  Finally, in Northern Rhone, Viognier is sometimes blended with the Chardonnay grape.

 

Most Viogniers exhibit a rich, flower shop aroma that is similar to the Torrontes white grape from Argentina.  Most also have an apricot and citrusy flavor.  They’re usually made in a dry style with a hint of sweetness, and leave the oak in the woods where it belongs.

Viognier is a great summer sipping wine.  It partners very nicely with a variety of different foods and I really think it goes great with spicy ethnic dishes, too.  In addition, this white wine is also pretty darn good with soft French cheeses, such as Brie.

One piece of advice to remember when considering purchasing a bottle of Viognier – buy the youngest ones that you can find.  Most Viogniers don’t typically age very well.  

 

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/wine-dictionary-viognier/feed/ 0 Wine Review – Pacific Rim Dry Riesling http://www.winelife365.com/pacific-rim-dry-riesling/ http://www.winelife365.com/pacific-rim-dry-riesling/#comments Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:00:01 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=3123 pacific-rim-dry-riesling-nvFrom: Washington

Price: $10.99

 

How often is the BS on the back of a wine bottle right on the money!?  More importantly, how often in life do you get entirely what you pay for and more?  The Pacific Rim Dry Riesling (a mix of 20% German Riesling, 80% Washington Riesling) is quite possibly the greatest BFF that a grilled piece of tuna or sushi boat could ever have!  It has a terrific apricot and citrus flavor that really matches up well with any grilled fish, sushi, or vegetarian dish – especially the spicy stuff.  And the folks at Pacific Rim also seem to think so, based on the back of the bottle description.  Try it for yourself!

 

If you really enjoy this wine, you may want to request a copy of the “Riesling Rules” book.  Just click onto this link and follow the directions to get a free copy.

 

WineLife365 Rating: 4-Star

 

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/pacific-rim-dry-riesling/feed/ 2 Wine Dictionary – Torrontes http://www.winelife365.com/wine-dictionary-torrontes/ http://www.winelife365.com/wine-dictionary-torrontes/#comments Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:00:36 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=3261 torrontesTorrontes is the most popular and widely grown white grape in Argentina. This native Argentinean white grape is grown mainly in the provinces of Catamarca, La Rioja, Mendoza, Salta, San Juan and Rio Negro.  The Torrontes grape produces wine with a very strong floral scent to it – and I’m not joking when I say a strong floral scent!  It hits you like you’ve just walked into a flower shop.  The Torrontes wine shares many similar attributes to a Viognier wine:  Torrontes wines exhibit a floral scent and generally have a powerful punch of peach and citrus flavors, similar to Viogniers.

Torrontes is a great sipping or “stand-alone” wine.  It’s terrific with salads, cheeses and grilled/smoked meats.  It’s really awesome with spicy dishes as well!

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/wine-dictionary-torrontes/feed/ 0 Wine and Food Pairings – Cabernet Sauvignon http://www.winelife365.com/cabernet-sauvignon-wine-and-food-pairings/ http://www.winelife365.com/cabernet-sauvignon-wine-and-food-pairings/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:00:07 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=1462 I’ve received a few questions regarding what to eat with particular wines.   I decided to first start with the world’s king of white wines, Chardonnay.  So in this installment, I thought that it was only fitting to share some of our food and wine marriages with the vastly popular red wine grape, Cabernet Sauvignon.  This powerhouse red grape is made for brawny foods.  The king Cab is not one for flaky fishes or garden salads.  It’s all about the red meat.

 

Here are some foods that I think you’ll love with your Cab:

 

1.      Grilled BBQ meats – the heavier the better. Steaks, hamburgers, lamb, ribs, chicken, sausages… you get the point.    Cabernet Sauvignon is pretty awesome with any grilled meats.

2.      **Red** Sauce with Pasta and MEATS.  The white cream stuff is not so good.

3.      Beef Casseroles, Sloppy Joe’s, Beef Stew

4.      Take-out and Fast Food:  Cheese Steaks, Pepperoni/Sausage/Mushroom Pizza, Whopper w/Cheese, Big Mac.

5.      Tex-Mex, Spanish foods

6.      Here’s something interesting—Mushrooms and onions seem to love to be with Cabernet Sauvignon.

7.      These cheeses are great with Cabernet Sauvignon:  Dry Jack, Spanish Manchego, Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano and Cheddar Cheese.  A very interesting cheese that works well with a Cab is Blue cheese and any other moldy cheeses.

8.      Nuts that work especially well with Cabernet Sauvignon are cashews, pecans, and walnuts.

9.      For the dessert lovers:  Chocolate and Cabernet Sauvignon are like peanut and jelly…they just go together!

 

Unlike Chardonnay, I really can’t think of any particular foods that when mixed with a Cab would taste bad – although, lighter foods may not be ideal.  The only thing that I can think of that can ruin or alter a Cab’s taste is anything comprised of vinegar, such as: Dressings, sauces, and vinaigrettes.  In my opinion vinegar is Cabernet Sauvignon’s worst enemy.  As a rule of thumb, I usually steer clear of the vinegar just to be safe.

 

This is what I like with Cabernet Sauvignon.  How about you?

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