Oh yes, my grapefriends, it’s finally here! Today is officially spring, so let’s get some lively, fresh wines in your glass to celebrate. Viña Bujanda Viura 2019: This may be one of the most enjoyable Spanish whites I’ve ever had. Super lovely white florals and honeydew with a smooth finish, I was completely shocked it … Continue reading
This is still happening because we need to still remember to celebrate the small things – like getting through another pandemic week! This month I concentrated on ones made by women, because the number of female chef de caves are also still tragically low, but the ones in place are incredible and rising: Perrier-Jouët: The 8th cellarmaster — … Continue reading
I researched stats of how many female winemakers there were and didn’t unearth anything specific. The number has historically been very low but by all counts is now rising. Anecdotally, people say that female winemakers tend to produce more elegant and perhaps even more balanced wines. On March 6-8, see what you think with these: Las Moradas de San … Continue reading
Made with real cheese, Wine Chips are really cheesy. It’s almost like eating a slice of cheese on a potato chip – so basically, better than eating cheese! They’re specifically created to pair with wine, so great fun for happy hour. Here’s what they recommend to go with each variety: Asiago: They say this pairs well … Continue reading
Forget about getting through this pandemic winter, it’s an accomplishment just to get through a week. In the spirit of finding small ways to celebrate, I’ve been opening a bottle of Champagne every Friday night. We all deserve it, so try these: Pommery Brut rosé: This is all cheerful lightness, as Madame Pommery herself described … Continue reading
Many people pop pink for Valentine’s Day, and this is where I’ll do my annual appeal for drinking rosé in the winter. While many people drink the light pinks made from Pinot Noir and Provencal grapes in summer, switch it up to heavier grapes in winter time. Muri-Gries Lagrein rosato: From an old monastery in … Continue reading
It’s been a weird year. Pop something weirder. The usual mix of grapes found in Champagne is Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, but in other parts of the world you can find sparkling wine made out of some really interesting grapes. The trick is that they all have lots of acidity, which is necessary for sparkling wines complexity and aging. … Continue reading
On the Eve, we always do the Feast of the Seven Fishes. A few of the fish choices vary, but the star is always lobster and an octopus salad with lemon, green olives, and celery. You can go a couple ways with lobster, but we’ve always done white Burgundy which has a light touch on the fruit … Continue reading
There may be fewer people at your table this year, but that doesn’t mean you need to limit your wine choices! Either way, let’s support American winemakers with whatever type of wine you choose. Bubbly: Domaine Carneros winemaker Eileen Crane is leaving after 33 years. I recently tasted through a few of her wines, including … Continue reading
It’ll be a month. You need quick, affordable wine. We also need to remember to celebrate. Grapefriend’s got it all. values Ritual Sauvignon Blanc 2018: Chile is a fantastic source of value wines – packed with flavor and so affordable. Love the piquant lemon on this organic Ritual (and btw, this pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe recipe was … Continue reading
