I love the idea behind Thanksgiving– the idea that we as families and friends, that we as a nation, that we as individuals pause, even during a pandemic, to give thanks, to be grateful for what we have, for the bountiful harvest the earth provides for us year after year. The actual holiday of Thanksgiving and what it represents? Not so much.
Turkey
The Thanksgiving story we grew up with is largely a myth that erases the people who lived here for millennia before the Pilgrims and the Puritans made their way to these shores. The first Thanksgiving celebration didn’t even take place in Plymouth, Continue reading →
Carménère is the red Bordeaux grape famous for going extinct — and then found flourishing in Chile under the pseudonym of Merlot! It’s hard to imagine how the two could be confused: if you taste Carménère from Chile, you’d never guess it was Merlot. While both have cherry fruit and herbal notes, Merlot is much more mellow, mild, and smooth while Carménère is more wild and crazy with notes like jalapeño jelly. But everyone figured that was just the influence of the terroir in Chile until Continue reading →
Looking for affordable Bordeaux wines to share with friends and family for the holidays? How about an affordable sparkling wine from Bordeaux? Sparkling wine is made all over France in the Traditional Method, not just in the northern region of Champagne. Made anywhere else but Champagne, sparkling wine from France is called Crémant (French for creamy referencing the creamy bubbles), and while the Southeast has several well known examples, Bordeaux wineries make Crémant also– and it’s surprisingly affordable!
For your next gathering, consider clinking different by pairing bubbles from Bordeaux with a she crab bisque, a green salad, and a selection of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. These two Crémant would also be wonderful wines for brunch.
What wine do I recommend for holiday meals? All hail the mighty California ZINFANDEL! That’s right, zinfandel is my go to Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Easter Wine because it works with turkey, ham, and prime rib as well as all those rich crazy side dishes.
From our filling breakfast at the bustling Cow Girl Cafe in downtown Paso Robles, we weren’t sure which route to take in our VW van to get to Villa Creek and MAHA Estate on Peachy Canyon, and our trusty GPS didn’t make it all too clear either. Continue reading →
With a name like Castoro, you’d think this Paso Robles, California winery would have deep roots in Italian soil. After all, many Italians settled in the region, planting home vineyards so they could make the family wine. But not so with Castoro. While the winery offers numerous unusual grapes including Italian varietals like Falanghina and Primitivo, and the name Castoro is indeed Italian Continue reading →
With its inherent complexity and warm tones, sherry is an ideal pairing with fall festive flavors that run rich and sweet. Try recipes that call for dry sherry — and then pair a dry sherry like an Oloroso with the dish. Dessert pairings can challenge most wines but not so with a sweet sherry which can summon up enough gusto to go with very sweet desserts including pecan pie and offer enough spice to work with pumpkin or apple. Continue reading →
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 