As the weather cools and the time for campfires and backyard grilling returns, choosing the right wine to pair with your outdoor feasts becomes essential. Consider key wine characteristics like acidity, flavor intensity, fruitiness, body weight, and alcohol content when making your selections. High-acid wines, such as Sauvignon Blanc, can cleanse the palate, while fuller-bodied reds, like Zinfandel or Malbec, stand up to bold grilling rubs and sauces. Because wine can often play the dominant role in pairings, balance its flavors against the richness of grilled dishes. This way, each sip and bite enhances the other, making for a perfect evening around the fire.
With the holidays just around the corner, literally, are you ready with dinner party wines? Do you still need a unique gift for that wine lover, and want something with some character? Do you struggle with the imminent small talk that accompanies holiday gatherings? To help, here are some wines to consider, and a little conversation to go with them. There are wines that not only inspire sonnets on what is going on in the glass, and then there are those that encourage more in-depth conversations on the history and the story of the how, and who, of that wine.
With Thanksgiving upon us, the rest of the holidays will be here in the blink of an eye. With impending gatherings, holiday meals, celebrations, and gift-giving opportunities, you are going to want a good inventory of “something special” to grab and go. Whether it’s for enjoying with food, or a gift for the host, secret Santa, or a loved one to enjoy later, a major element in your decision making will be the food being served, the theme, or the reason. You might want to select something to complement the holiday dinner, a special bottle for a celebratory toast, or a bottle for a special someone to enjoy later (hopefully with you, right?!).
Among the rolling hills and tiny villages just south of Burgundy and north of Lyon, France, lies Beaujolais. The region is synonymous with Gamay, the area’s most-planted grape. Beaujolais is 34 miles long from north to south, and seven to nine miles wide. There are nearly 4,000 grape growers who make their living in this picturesque region just north of France's third-largest city, Lyon. Today is Beaujolais Nouveau Day and at the crack of 12:01 AM this morning, City Vino and retails shops around the world are now legally allowed to sell this young wine to the public. It is commonly, in the US, thought of as synonymous with Thanksgiving, but how did it get that way?
Would you rather have a bouquet of Rosés than Roses? The benefits to having the Rosés are: enjoying rosé from all around the world, they will not turn brown or wilt; they smell just as lovely as a rose, and at times have the same aroma; and you do not have to remember, or want, to add water! With summer in full swing, with porch and poolside sitting, picnics and outside dining, here is a half-dozen bouquets of Rosé’s for you to enjoy.
