Did you see that bright full moon this December? It’s shining on Meunier Day aka Moon-Yay Day! To celebrate Pinot Meunier Day today, we have a Champagne from Pinot Meunier specialists Vincent d’Astrée — it’s a blend of 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay that comes from the 1er cru of Pierry. Plus pairings!
Never heard of Pinot Meunier? It’s the least well know of the three grapes most commonly found in Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. “Meunier” in French means “baker” or “miller”; the grape leaves have silver hairs that appear to be dusted in flour hence the name.
Who doesn’t love fondue? What a fun way to gather with friends on a cold wintry night– gabbing and dipping bread, potatoes, meat, and vegetables into warm gooey rich cheese?? Finger food and small bites in general lend themselves to these gatherings. And what better wine to pair with this celebratory moment than a sparkling wine? This holiday season, “Clink Different” with a sparkling wine from GERMANY! While German sparkling wine might not be on your Bingo card for 2024, it should be! Like Champagne from France and sparkling wines from around the world, bubbles from Germany are often made from Pinot Noir. This Brut style is dry and that goes well with food– and celebratory moments.
Celebrating Cabernet Franc Day with 3 Sustainable Wine from the Loire Paired with a fall harvest menu of Stuffed Squash and Smoked Ham
Are you a fan of fragrant, elegant Cabernet Franc? You know, the grape that is the parent of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere? While most people enjoy it as a grape blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot whether they know it or not, it is most well known on its own in the Loire, France where my writing partner Sue Hill and I found ourselves during harvest in 2019 on our way to the World Wine Tasting Championship at Chateau Chambord.
Chateau Yvonne winemaker Mattui Vallee and his dad during the 2019 harvest — SO CUTE!
While Sue is a huge fan of wines with a lot of the turpene or chemicals that give Cabernet Franc its distinct “green” notes of bell pepper, green bean, and jalapeño, I am not — unless those green notes are balanced with fruit and lovely tannins like we found in the biodynamic wineries we visited in the Loire: Continue reading →
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 