Sparkling Wine Wednesday

Sparkling on this Spooky Halloween!!!!!

Pairing Music and Wine... Happy Wine Wednesday

We love trying different foods with different wines to figure out which pairings work best. How about doing the same with music and wine?
winepugnyc.com claims that “it’s all about the mood the music and the wine puts you in.” They provide some great wine-and-music pairing suggestions, including Toto’s Africa paired with Sauvignon Blanc — “an uplifting song full of brightness…matched with a zesty, crisp, and bright white wine!” They also pair anything Frank Sinatra sings with Barolo – “Classy, elegant, and GOOD! The ‘King Of Wines’ meets the ‘King of Big Band/Jazz.’”
My quick googling of the topic definitely put me in the mood to host a wine and music pairing event. Here are three different approaches I’m considering taking. With all of them, I will provide the guests with a glass for each wine so they can go back and forth trying the different wines with the different musical numbers. I will also give each guest a voting sheet, and I will make sure to set aside a lot of time to talk about the results.

Approach 1: Host Provides the Music and the Wine

All you need is a variety of music and a variety of wines. I recommend that you have four to six varieties of wine that are really different. Perhaps start with a sparkling wine. Follow that up with a crisp white such as a Sauvignon Blanc and then a buttery, oaky Chardonnay. On the red side, perhaps start with a Tempranillo followed by a Zinfandel followed by a Cabernet. The possible combinations are endless!
Have everybody try each of the wines and write notes about their experiences.
On the music front, choose 10 to 12 musical pieces. Have people take notes about what wines they think would go well with each piece.
Play the music repeatedly as people try the actual pairs to see what they like best.
Ask your guests to give a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for their favorite three musical numbers for each wine. Add things up to see if there’s any consistency, and have fun discussing the results.

Approach 2: Guests Bring the Music

Before the get together, tell your guests to bring three of their favorite songs or pieces of music. You could say anything goes, or require only certain kinds of music, say instrumental or jazz. Then line up your bottles and play the music, about a minute or so of each. The guests then sip the various wines, nibble the food and choose which song they think pairs best. The fun part about this is that no one knows the wines you’ll be serving, so you could end up with some very interesting music combinations, and everyone gets exposed to new music!

Approach 3: Everybody Brings Wine and Music

Ask each of your guests to bring a wine and three musical numbers they think are interesting pairs. As the host, you do the same, plus you provide the light appetizers. Make sure no one knows who brought what music or wine (except for the host). At the end, the guest with the most votes for Best Pair wins a prize.
What’s the most fun about a music and wine pairing? The wine, of course! Well, it’s also fun to be exposed to new music artists, and food is always a great draw.
If you have a music and wine pairing event, I’d love to hear about it, and I’m sure others would do. So please share your experiences here.
Cheers!

Monday Merlot!

What Merlot will you be sipping on this Monday? May I suggest? 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Pairings for Vegetarians

Many of us were taught that white wine goes with fish, and red wine with meat. But what if you are a vegetarian? Does that mean there is no wine pairing for you? Absolutely not! I am a long-time “pescetarian” who eats dairy products, eggs and fish, and I have some great wine pairings to recommend based on my experience.

The goal for pairing vegetarian dishes with wine is the same as pairing non-vegetarian dishes with wine. The wine and the dish should complement each other. Ideally, each should accentuate the other.

It’s a Matter of Strength
For a good pairing, you want to make sure that the food and wine have roughly the same strength of flavor. A big, full-bodied red wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon would probably be much too powerful for a light salad. The salad would get lost.

Complement or Contrast
For a good pairing, you want to complement or contrast the flavors and textures in the food and wine. An example of a complementary pairing is an earthy Pinot Noir with a wild mushroom risotto. The food and the wine exude earthy, mushroom notes. An example of a contrasting pairing is a crisp, acidic Sauvignon Blanc with a buttery, creamy fish dish. The crisp acidity of the wine cuts through the creaminess of the sauce.
Until the 1980s, the complementary strategy prevailed. In the last 30 years, as people have become more experimental in the kitchen, the contrasting strategy has gained more favor (and flavor).

Dish	Recommended Wines
Mushroom dishes (e.g., vegetarian mushroom stroganoff, mushroom bisque, mushroom risotto)	Pinot Noir
Pizza	Zinfandel, Sangiovese or Cabernet Sauvignon
Tomato-based pasta dishes	Sangiovese
Other pasta dishes (e.g., eggplant lasagna, cheese tortellini with pesto)	Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay
Vegetable stir fry	Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir
Spicy Asian dishes (including Thai, Indian and Chinese)	Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc or Rosé
Garlic-heavy dishes	Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah/Shiraz
Barbecue dishes (e.g., tofu, fish, vegetables)	Syrah or Merlot
Sushi	Sparkling Wine/Champagne
Nachos and other Mexican dishes	Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc or Tempranillo
Dishes with almonds or walnuts	Chardonnay
Macaroni and cheese	Chardonnay
Roasted potatoes	Tempranillo or Pinot Noir
Salads	Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Rosé

Wine Wednesday! #WW

Happy #WineWednesday! Get those corkscrews ready. It's going to be a wine filled day! #ww

After Work Snack!

Kakadu Ridge-Cabernet/ Merlot blend w/ Cheetos! Yummy! Cheers

Wine Wednesday

Happy hump day my fellow winos!! Tell me what was in your glass this evening?