Good evening Wine Cousins!
It's a Wednesday night and what better way to enjoy the nice warm spring air than with a grilled bacon burger and a brilliant wine to pair with it!
At a recommendation from Cousin Lisa, I investigated and managed to find the Cupcake Vineyards wine called the Red Velvet blend (Zin, Merlot, Cab). A little creative name and surprisingly it's true! If you manage to find a bottle it's not that expensive, $9-12, depending on the source. Here's my advice to enjoy this wine at maximum benefit.
Step 1: Open the bottle early - at least 1 hour before you want drink it. Pop the cork and let it breathe... If you want to know what I'm talking about, get a good nose from it in small sip in your glass right after you open the bottle and then come back an hour later and do the same. Right????? Am I right????
Step 2: Make yourself a big, juicy bacon burger. Adding the bacon to the burger is key to compliment this wine. Chocolate and bacon are always a great combination of flavors. And Cousin Christina - no, you can't have it with a turkey or veggie burger, not even remotely the same effect. If you decide to put cheese on it, pick something mild and not a pepper-jack or something with strong kick. Pick something with a nutty note like a provalone or mild cheddar. You want the wine to do the talking.
Step 3: Drink wine with burger. Really take in the nose before you sip. You might smell cocoa/chocolate and maybe a little blackberry. That's where the famous Red Velvet Cupcake comes through.
Step 4: Once you wind down the evening (if you have some left, maybe pairing it with your chocolate and sea salt dessert of some kind) - DRINK A BIG GLASS OF WATER.
My big warning on needing the water is this, for those of you that have been to the tasting, look at the label. Not specific = California. Price point = cheap. While cheap is good for many reasons, it opens the door to have a vicious hangover. The purple tongue you have? Your mouth feel dry? Early indicators of a brutal hangover. My advice is to drink a glass of water right after you finish your wine drinking evening of the Cupcake Red Velvet.
You'll thank me for it.
Sante!
Amy
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Welcome!
To my Wine Cousins:
Welcome to the Curly Wine blog, where I will share some of my favorite wine and food tasting menus and some other great tips along the way.
For my first post, thanks to a team effort from friends, I will be sharing tonights Patio Pounder Tasting Menu. Some great wines and pairings were shared tonight and I hope you enjoy my side notes and tasting highlights.
Brut Sprakling Wine, Argyle, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2003, $25 - This Oregon sparkling wine is mostly Pinot Noir with a little Chardonnay, a veritable Blanc de Noirs if you will. :-) A great crisp Brut that's not too dry. Paired with a triple creme brie called Saint Andre. A great way to compliment the bubbly is with a full fat creamy cheese. Not a triple CREAM cheese, but a triple creme CHEESE. Big difference.
Sauvignon Blanc, Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2010, $27 - Comparing a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to a Californian Sauvignon Blanc was my objective of the next two courses. A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is much fruiter and sweeter and the epitome of NZ Sav Blanc is Cloudy Bay. A little on the expensive side for my family but a great example of the sweetness that NZ brings to this light white wine! Paired with a delicious avocado and mascarpone mousse with crab and grapefruit. Nothing better than some seafood with a great light white like Cloudy Bay.
Sauvignon Blanc, Simi, Sonoma County, California, 2009, $11 - Crisp, cheap, smooth and absolutely delicious. This will leave you in a situation on the patio. Trust me. It will go down faster than you can say patio pounder. Paired with some fresh Feta cheese. Muah! (as my brother Mark says) "Fantastic!"
Rose, Domaine Houchart, Cote de Provence, France, A.O.C., 2010, $11 - In anticipation of my trip to the French Rivieria next weekend, I decided to feature the highlight of Provence - Rose! The only thing that pairs well with spicy food is riesling and rose. This was paired with some cream cheese stuffed jalepenos and wrapped in bacon along with some prosciutto and provolone stuffed peppers. A little on the very spicy side, be sure to cook your jalepenos and remove the seeds to cut down on the hottness. A delicious pair. Have a napkin handy for the people who sweat.
Pinot Noir, A to Z, Oregon, 2009, $20 - What pairs better with the grilled food of summer than pinot noir? A to Z is featured in many bars and restaurants and typically served by the glass. A traditional BBQ or house marinade is perfect for some turkey tips. A great pairing for all your upcoming summer BBQs when you don't have any beer handy. Leave the bottle in the fridge for 30 min, especially if it's on a hot day.
Vidal Icewine, Jackson-Triggs, Reserve, Niagara Peninsula, Canada, 2007, $20 - Icewine. Need I say more. Perfect for those non-chocolate desserts especially when you have some fresh rhubarb growing in the backyard. While there may be only a few recipes to make with rhubarb this was a great wine to pair with strawberry rhubarb crisp from FoodandWine.com. The perfect finish to a great evening. FYI - if you're revisiting wines from earlier, the only one that will pair "ok" with this dessert is the sparkling. Don't bother trying it with the others.
Sante! To a fabulous summer!!!!
Amy
Welcome to the Curly Wine blog, where I will share some of my favorite wine and food tasting menus and some other great tips along the way.
For my first post, thanks to a team effort from friends, I will be sharing tonights Patio Pounder Tasting Menu. Some great wines and pairings were shared tonight and I hope you enjoy my side notes and tasting highlights.
Brut Sprakling Wine, Argyle, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2003, $25 - This Oregon sparkling wine is mostly Pinot Noir with a little Chardonnay, a veritable Blanc de Noirs if you will. :-) A great crisp Brut that's not too dry. Paired with a triple creme brie called Saint Andre. A great way to compliment the bubbly is with a full fat creamy cheese. Not a triple CREAM cheese, but a triple creme CHEESE. Big difference.
Sauvignon Blanc, Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2010, $27 - Comparing a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to a Californian Sauvignon Blanc was my objective of the next two courses. A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is much fruiter and sweeter and the epitome of NZ Sav Blanc is Cloudy Bay. A little on the expensive side for my family but a great example of the sweetness that NZ brings to this light white wine! Paired with a delicious avocado and mascarpone mousse with crab and grapefruit. Nothing better than some seafood with a great light white like Cloudy Bay.
Sauvignon Blanc, Simi, Sonoma County, California, 2009, $11 - Crisp, cheap, smooth and absolutely delicious. This will leave you in a situation on the patio. Trust me. It will go down faster than you can say patio pounder. Paired with some fresh Feta cheese. Muah! (as my brother Mark says) "Fantastic!"
Rose, Domaine Houchart, Cote de Provence, France, A.O.C., 2010, $11 - In anticipation of my trip to the French Rivieria next weekend, I decided to feature the highlight of Provence - Rose! The only thing that pairs well with spicy food is riesling and rose. This was paired with some cream cheese stuffed jalepenos and wrapped in bacon along with some prosciutto and provolone stuffed peppers. A little on the very spicy side, be sure to cook your jalepenos and remove the seeds to cut down on the hottness. A delicious pair. Have a napkin handy for the people who sweat.
Pinot Noir, A to Z, Oregon, 2009, $20 - What pairs better with the grilled food of summer than pinot noir? A to Z is featured in many bars and restaurants and typically served by the glass. A traditional BBQ or house marinade is perfect for some turkey tips. A great pairing for all your upcoming summer BBQs when you don't have any beer handy. Leave the bottle in the fridge for 30 min, especially if it's on a hot day.
Vidal Icewine, Jackson-Triggs, Reserve, Niagara Peninsula, Canada, 2007, $20 - Icewine. Need I say more. Perfect for those non-chocolate desserts especially when you have some fresh rhubarb growing in the backyard. While there may be only a few recipes to make with rhubarb this was a great wine to pair with strawberry rhubarb crisp from FoodandWine.com. The perfect finish to a great evening. FYI - if you're revisiting wines from earlier, the only one that will pair "ok" with this dessert is the sparkling. Don't bother trying it with the others.
Sante! To a fabulous summer!!!!
Amy
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