What’s the trick to pairing wine with dessert? The wine has to be sweeter than the dessert. Why is it important to have port in the house this season? Port, the rich fortified wine from Portugal, pairs perfectly with holiday desserts like Christmas cookies and chocolate! So unless you are doing a cheese course for dessert, you’re going to have a hard time finding a wine that goes with dinner and dessert. That Napa Cab that was so good with that steak or that Chardonnay that was so tasty with the cesar salad or the lobster bisque just is not going to taste so good with that sweet dessert– the wine gets bitter or tannic or just yucky while the wine doesn’t do the dessert any favors. That’s where dessert wines like port come in. What’s also great is that because of the sugars in the wine and the process they are made many dessert wines and ports will last for a month or more and still taste great making them a worthy investment — and an investment they can be which also makes for a special holiday host gift.
If you’re new to port, and want to learn more, or if you’re looking for a unique gift for a friend or a host,
Cabernet Sauvignon from Flora Springs, Frog’s Leap, Smith-Madrone, Sequoia Grove
What’s the most well-known red grape in the world? What is the grape that’s the blessed child of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc? Why, it’s Cabernet Sauvignon of course! Originally from France, it’s now known and grown throughout the world. In the US, the most famous area, producing possibly the best and the best known wines, is northern California’s NAPA. Continue reading →
With so many holidays coming up, and with gatherings of friends and family, now is the time to splurge on special wines from around the world to enrich your holiday meals! December’s special occasions include:
Winter Solstice December 21 (and we’re celebrating my son’s 21st birthday and college graduation!)
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 →
“Pay attention. Find the blessing. It’s passing. Everything is a gift, and nothing lasts,” writes Erin Geesaman Rabke. While it feels like a dark shadow looms overhead, as Thanksgiving Day in the US draws to a close, many of us are full to the brim with food and wine and good times with friends and family. Continue reading →
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 