Neat Thoughts About Food, Wine, Travel & More
Hadn’t enjoyed an Emilio Moro wine is some time and need to more often! This is a classic Spanish Tempranillo that I served with roasted pork for a great pairing.
👁️ Inky purple
👃 Blackberry/ripe raspberry
👅 Juicy cherry, little mocha on the finish
💲 $25
🍇 100% Tempranillo
🗺 Ribera del Duero, Spain
Cheers, Veronique
Friends brought this lovely, well-priced, crisp Crémant de Bourgogne to our home for a wine-filled weekend and we really enjoyed it as one of the afternoon sippers with munchies.
For fans of Cava and Prosecco, Crémant de Bourgogne is a great option, at a similar price point. I enjoy the warm biscuit and lemony flavors, typical of Chardonnay, this Crémant showcased. Lovely acidity also. Nice find for under $25.
In the glass: Pale straw yellow
Aromas (nose): Ripe pear and Meyer lemon aromas with baked bread notes.
Flavors (palate): Juicy green apply with citrus and nutty notes.
Texture/finish: Creamy mouthfeel, fine mousse with a medium finish
Pairings: Seafood, fish, grilled chicken
Wine type: Sparkling wine
Grape: Chardonnay
Region: Burgundy, France
Cost: $25
Adding the Cave de Lugny Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs to my repertoire.
Cheers, Veronique
Had this lovely Barolo at a dinner party I hosted at my home and boy did it deliver. Paired great with the beef I served, but also held up to the secondary meat, pork belly. Pretty traditional, classic version of Barolo.
In the glass: Dark ruby red
Aromas (nose): Leather, mocha aromas with some earthy notes
Flavors (palate): Chocolate-coated cherries flavor with some dried fruit notes
Texture/finish: Medium body, velvety medium finish
Pairing: Grilled or roasted meats (beef, lamb, duck), charcuterie
Wine type: Red wine
Grape: Nebbiolo
Region: Piedmont, Italy
Cost: $75 – $90
Adding the 2013 Giacomo Grimaldi Barolo to my repertoire.
Cheers, Veronique
I don’t drink a lot of South Africa wines but I should!
Very crisp and fruit forward. This 2022 Stellenrust Heritage Collection Bush Vine Chenin Blanc was perfect with scallops and risotto.
Adding the 2022 Stellenrust Heritage Collection Bush Vine Chenin Blanc to my repertoire.
👃Citus and ripe peach
👄 Medium body, bright, great minerality, rich pear and nectarine flavors, bit Meyer lemon tart on the finish
💲17.99
📍Stellenbosch, South Africa
Very food friendly and also lovely as a porch sipper!
Cheers, Veronique
I’ve been a huge fan of Martin Codax wines for 15+ years. Love Albarino for its food friendliness, big flavors, great minerality and fantastic value.
This 2021 Bodega Martin Codax Albarino was great paired with seafood for on a warm Sunday evening.
👃Citus and ripe melon
👄 Medium body, bright, great minerality, citrus, touch of oak
💲14.99
📍Rias Baixas, Spain
Buy a case of this for the summer, it’s ideal!
Cheers, Veronique
I don’t typically go in this direction for white wine, but on a hot summer day, this 2021 Il Pino Pinot Grigio at a $15 price point did the trick.
Classic Pinot Grigio – light, clean, crisp with refreshing citrus notes.
👃Light, faint lemony aromas
👄 Citrusy/grassy palate
👅 Dry, crisp with nice acidity
Nice Summer porch sipper.
Cheers, Veronique
We ordered this Tuscan wine at a dinner where our party was divided foodwise and it worked well with all our dishes. This Italian wine was smooth and rounder than I thought it would be, which was great to pair with our various meals.
This Tuscan blend is a great value!
Look/in the glass: Medium purplish red
Nose/aroma: Floral aromas with a note of tobacco/leather
Palate/taste: Juicy cherry and dark berries with a touch of spice
Texture/finish: Medium body, fresh, crisp, great acidity, medium finish
Pairing: Pasta with red sauce, meats, charcuterie, even grilled salmon would work
Wine type: Red wine
Grape: 33% Syrah, 33% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot
Origin: Tuscany, Italy
Price: $37
Cheers, Veronique
You have just over a week to get to the wine store to find the ‘perfect’ bottle for Thanksgiving. In the USA, more wine is sold around Thanksgiving than any other holiday. Choices can be overwhelming with so many wines at various prices and for bottles that need to please people with very different palates.
One additional challenge I often hear from my wine drinker friends is that wine compilations are often for wines that aren’t easy to find or for wines that are available on limited bases. The following recommendations are for easy-to-find American wines for Thanksgiving at various price points.
Sparkling Wines for Thanksgiving
Sparkling wine should be on hand for any celebration and Thanksgiving is no exception. Bubbly is food-friendly and it’s simply festive! Whether you pour a glass as an aperitif or pop open a bottle to pair with richer foods, don’t leave sparkling wine off your holiday table.
Gruet Winery Blanc de Noirs NV, New Mexico, $16.99
Chandon California Brut Sparkling Wine NV, $17.99
Mumm Napa Brut Rosé NV, $17.99
Decoy by Duckhorn Brut Cuvee Sparkling NV, $19.99
Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose NV, $32.99
Sparkling Pointe Brut Seduction NV, $52.99
2010 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Cuvée, $88.99
Thanksgiving White Wines
Riesling, Viognier, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer are always top picks for Turkey Day with big flavors and great acidity that are a great match for white or dark meat and for the bold flavors of candied yams and spiced dressing. Here are 10 American white wines for Thanksgiving:
2015 Ravines Wine Cellars Dry Riesling, $19.99
2015 Red Newt Riesling Tango Oaks, $19.99
2016 Lenz Gewurztraminer, $20.99
2019 Stags Leap Viognier, $24.99
2020 Trisaetum Riesling Dry Coast Range, $26.99
2021 Pedernales Cellars Viognier Reserve, $42.99
2016 Grgich Hills Chardonnay, $43.99
2016 K Vintners Viognier Powerline, $49.99
2018 Ramey Chardonnay Rochioli Vineyard, $78.99
2018 Domaine Serene Chardonnay Evenstad Reserve, $64.99
Thanksgiving Red Wines
While Pinot Noir is THE go-to red varietal for Thanksgiving as it pairs well with most foods, the mighty Zinfandel with a touch of smokiness is also a great option especially for dark meat and meat stuffing. Here are 10 American red wines for Thanksgiving:
2019 Evolution Pinot Noir, $19.99
2019 Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma, $19.99
2019 Turley Zinfandel Juvenile, $29.99
2019 Enroute Les Pommiers Pinot Noir, $32.99
2016 Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir, 2016, $38.99
2015 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Russian River, $39.99
2017 Limerick Lane Zinfandel Russian River Valley, $39.99
2018 Penner Ash Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, $44.99
2019 Ridge Zinfandel Geyserville, $45.99
2017 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, $49.99
When you head off to the wine shop, plan on one bottle of wine per adult, with more just in case.
Cheers,
Veronique
Earlier in the season, I bought several of these food friendly Chablis in anticipation of warmer weather. This 2020 Chablis is great to have on hand for outdoor sipping and served as an aperitif.
This affordable French wine would be perfect paired with oysters on the half shell then with lighter fish or summer salads.
Look/in the glass: Medium yellow
Nose/aroma: Floral, citrus rind
Palate/taste: Juicy pear/Fiji apple
Texture/finish: Medium-light body, fresh, crisp, great acidity, long finish
Pairing: Grilled/sautéed fish or chicken, pasta with light sauce, seafood, caprese salad
Wine type: White wine
Grape: Chardonnay
Origin: Chablis, Burgundy, France
Price: $27
Cheers, Veronique
A couple months ago, I was contacted by Kopke Port Wine about a tasting kit the Portuguese winery was offering some wine writers, and, as a novice to port tasting, I jumped on the opportunity to secure a samples kit.
When the kit arrived in its handsome wooden box, I wrapped it in bubble wrap and stuck it in my suitcase for a Greece trip I was leaving on the following day. I thought it’d be great to share the samples with my hubby and the friends we were traveling with.
This was the spot on our suite’s patio in Santorini where we did our wine sampling every evening. It was such a great place to enjoy some wines with our friends.
The samples kit offered the following ports and boy did they run the gamut from light and perfect as an apéritif to sweet, caramelly and perfect as after-dinner drinks.
2003 White Colheita: Golden in color. Faint and delicate aromas of dried fig. More dried fruit on the palate with layers of caramel/molasses. Rich mouthfeel and long finish. Serve as an after-dinner drink or with dessert.
20-Year-Old White Port: Golden amber in color. Dried fruit aromas with nutty notes on the nose. Mouth-coating richness with dried fruit flavors. Kopke suggests this be served as an aperitif, but I think it’d be great with dessert or a rich dish like seared foie gras.
2002 Tawny Colheita: Deep ruby in color. Big dried fruit/raisin aromas. Great acidity and long finish and I can understand why the winemaker suggests serving this port chilled with dessert.
10-Year-Old Tawny: Golden in the glass. Fantastic pour with dried fruit and honey on the nose and intense dried fruit flavors. It’d be great to sip out of a snifter in front of a fire.
20-Year-Old Tawny: Orange-amber in the glass. Dried fruit, little pumpkin pie spice on the nose and in the mouth with a rich, smooth, round, silky finish.
About Kopke Port Wine:
Kopke Port Wine (Portugal), est. 1638, is the oldest Port wine house. Located in the upper Douro DOC, a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage site since 2001, Kopke benefits from the imposing geography of the Douro Valley: the plunging valleys al low vines to be planted from altitudes of 1,900 feet on the upper ridges, down to 230 feet alongside the river, with immensely diverse terroirs. Kopke wines are sourced and produced in Quinta São Luiz, one of the most important estates in Douro region.
I didn’t realize before this tasting how much I really love and appreciate Port. These were incredible pours, served in the most amazing setting, with dear friends. A great combination.
Cheers,
Veronique
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