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 →
Napa Merlot made by women paired with gluten free, vegetarian squash dishes
Fall is prime pumpkin season, and we’re there for it with four fun holiday dishes that place pumpkin and other winter squash front and center. And we’re pairing them with three Napa Merlot wines made by women. Just what you want for your next gathering of gals or family– and just in time to celebrate Merlot Day Nov. 7!
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 