I love popping some pink bubbles pretty much any day, but I’ll take Valentine’s as an excuse. Sparkling rosé adds such a rich, decadent Marie Antoinette feel to your glass. And it just looks pretty too. Try these: Gratien & Meyer Crémant de Loire, $18. By now you all probably know how I feel about crémant: … Continue reading
Author Archives: grapefriend
what to drink at your oscars party
Drink like the stars at your Oscar party. The official Champagne is Piper-Heidsieck, and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Prohibition they made a limited-edition magnum with a replica of the Prohibition era label. In the 1920s, bootleggers would smuggle Piper-Heidsieck into the United States where it would be secretly served in speakeasys throughout New York City. Now, … Continue reading
the #grapefriendchallenge: february
Dry January is over so let’s get into the #grapefriendchallenge full force. Here are this month’s grape and region suggestions, and if you’ve had them before then pick your own adventure! Grape: Grenache SO much cherry and black cherry, and a great medium-bodied pick. I’m talking about the red Grenache, but I actually also … Continue reading
early spring – pop the winter rosé!
The little critter didn’t see his shadow, so we’re in for an early spring! Let’s start celebrating now with a winter rosé. I pulled this Villa Gemma Masciarelli Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo ($16.99) to try the other day and loved it. Made with 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grapes, it has lots of cherry and great minerality along with a fuller, more structured body … Continue reading
super bowl bets, and how to improve them
If we were just going by the wines they produce, obv SF would take this hands down. (Though Kansas does have 52 wineries, FYI.) The mayors of San Francisco and Kansas City have made their Super Bowl bets to each other, with the loser having to come to the winning team’s city and eat some … Continue reading
take the grapefriend challenge!
I know a lot of people are doing dry January, but here at grapefriend we’re doing TRY January. And, we’re extending it through the whole year. So every month this year, let’s pledge to try one grape or region we’ve never had before. In? Of course you are! We all have our go-to grape varietals, … Continue reading
the moët golden hour
It’s the best, booziest awards show of them all. They always have those big magnums of Moët on the tables, surely the source of some of the more entertaining speeches over the years. This year they’ll be pouring 125 cases of Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2009 and Moët Imperial Rose Magnums. But they’re also serving … Continue reading
turkey time, get the wine
Thanksgiving is a smorgasbord of events. Cooking. Company. And confusion, if you don’t know what wine to pour. So if pairing wine for the holiday has you feeling like this: Just stick with grapefriend and you’ll soon be feeling like this: My one rule: drink American, for obvious reasons. OK, let’s get started and take this course … Continue reading
cider season
It’s fall, and though I love popping open my light reds while watching football I’ve lately been cracking open some cider too. They have that touch of fruit without being sweet, give you some fizz, and are lower in alcohol so you can drink more which works well for game-watching. Ciders have been getting more … Continue reading
let the rìas run
Light and refreshing Albariño is perfect in summer. But as we approach fall’s cooler weather, I sometimes tend to gravitate away from some of my favorite wines for heavier ones. So it’s always good to know about other versions of great grapes that you can drink all year round. That’s why I was excited to explore … Continue reading