Pasta with Kale Pesto and Oven dried tomatoes paired with a 2011 Sonoma County Chalk Hill Estates Sauvignon Blanc
Yes indeed, what’s up is I am celebrating a BIG BLOGGOVERSARY!
That would be the anniversary of this blog in November 2008! Which means I’ve been blogging for 10 years!
And this is post #636!
After attending my first Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Rosa in 2008 with my Art Predator blog whic I started Nov. 4, 2007,, I decided to add another blog to my life, “Wine Predator” where I would focus on wine, food, and adventure!
In November 2009, I attended the European Wine Bloggers Conference and traveling in Portugal
In November 2010 I spoke at the California Women’s Governors Conference
In November 2011 I spoke at the International Food Bloggers Conference.
So November is a big month for me! (Other November highlights: in 2001 I bought my house! and in 2003 my son was born!)
After a long week of record breaking heat, high winds, and even a fire that threatened the homes of friends in nearby Casitas Springs, a group of us gathered after work on a warm Friday evening under the waxing full moon for an Italian dinner and a World Series baseball game.
“When we do wine pairing at your house, Sue, it is always so much more of a party,” I pointed out with a laugh as we began on our evening’s adventure.
we love these Halloween themed wines form Flora Springs — but I wouldn’t ruin my palate with Halloween candy pairings with them! I bet you could do a dark chocolate bar or dessert, however!
This is where I am supposed to write a post about Halloween candy and wine pairings.
It is National Chocolate Day after all.
And it is the time for all of those Halloween parties.
And yep, it is hard not to tuck into that big bowl of candy while waiting for trick or treaters to stop by.
But this is where I just say NO.
That’s right, folks wanted to send me wine to pair with Halloween candy and that’s what I said: NO. No, I won’t. I won’t do it I tell you! I even emailed Sue and said hey they want to send us wine to pair with Halloween candy and I said no. Send us the wine if you want but I’m not doing a Halloween wine and candy post.
NO NO NO.
Helen the birthday girl: she put the coo in cougar…
I don’t know about you but Halloween is one of my favorite holidays — and I know I am not alone.
In fact, almost 200 million people are expected to celebrate Halloween in 2017 and Halloween retail spending is projected to be a record breaking $9.1 billion, nearly $90 each! (Source).
While much of this spending is on outfits to wear to parties and for trick or treating, for readers of this blog, WINE might be a popular expenditure!
What’s better on an autumn midweek evening than grilled cheese, roasted pumpkin soup, and a green salad chock full of fall fruit? Pairing it with cheese and wine made in France along with two good fun friends!
This month host Jill Barth leads the French Winophiles in an investigation of the French region of Occitanie. Previously known as Languedoc-Roussillon, an area of southern France well-known for producing wine that doesn’t break the bank, the newly re-named region encompasses both as well as other areas in the Southeast of France going all the way to Spain and the Atlantic coast:
That’s what FrenchBenedictinemonkDom Pierre Pérignon reportedly said when he tasted the first sparkling wine he made in Champagne, France, commonly known now as simply “Champagne.” (Sparkling wine made elsewhere is NOT Champagne BTW!)
However, according to Wikipedia, this quote first appeared as part of an advertising campaign in the late 19th century!
Regardless of the truth of the source of this quote, drinking Champagne is like drinking stars — there’s no denying how delightful the experience is of drinking real, quality bubbles from Champagne.
Even if Dom Pérignon spent most of his career trying to get the bubbles OUT of Champagne!
This year, here’s a brief primer about Champagne and a history of DomPérignon, the granddaddy of them all, plus some notes on a few prestige cuvees I had the opportunity to taste as well as two that are a bit more down to earth and easy to find wines: Veuve Clique and Jacques Bardelot – Brut which we paired with appetizers including the French triple cream brie cheese St Angel, oysters, and caviar as well as a meal of caesar salad, pesto pasta, and chicken.
And what, if anything, have all the fires, floods, and hurricanes taught us? That our special occasion is now. Don’t wait.
If someone gives you a bottle of champagne, don’t keep it in the cellar, the closet or on or in the refridgerator for the next five years. Drink it! And what better day than today?
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 