Five Tips for Enjoying Wine on Thanksgiving

1. RED – Find reds that support the food

I recommend Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel. Pinot Noir is the food friendliest of all red wines, so it’s one that you should be sure to have. Pinot Noirs often have aromas and flavors of cherry, strawberry, cranberry and mushroom, making it a good match for Thanksgiving. Syrah and Zinfandel are bigger reds that support the heavier dishes.

2. WHITE – Let acidity play center stage for white wines

I recommend Riesling (semi-dry to dry), Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer and Viognier. These wines have a nice acidity that marries beautifully with most of the dishes you’ll serve, especially the heavier dishes. Also, these wines do a nice job cleansing the palate.

3. SPARKLING WINES AND ROSES – Celebrate with these

Sparkling wines and dry rosés pair beautifully with just about every Thanksgiving dish, so include them and encourage people to try them. Like the acidic whites, these wines are good cleansers, seemingly giving you more room for the delicious food.

4. FAMILY STYLE – The best approach

Serve all the wines you decide will work well with your meal, and let people choose which ones they want. You can suggest pairings, but leave the pouring and drinking decisions up to your guests. They’ll be happier, and you’ll have an easier job – something to be thankful for.

5. DESSERT – Serve sweet desserts with sweeter wines

Be sure the wine you serve with dessert is sweeter than the dessert. If it’s not, both the dessert and the wine might taste a little bitter. Safe bets with sweet desserts are ports and late harvest dessert wines. These also pair well with more savory desserts such as caramelized nuts, blue cheese and figs. Fruity Cabernet Sauvignons also work well with savory desserts.

I hope you have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving. Be grateful for your family and friends. Be grateful for the food and wine you have on your table. Be grateful for all the positive things you have in your life.

Five Tips For Enjoying Wine on Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Are you trying to decide what wines to serve with your Thanksgiving dinner? Here are five tips to help you out:

1. RED – Find reds that support the food

I recommend Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel. Pinot Noir is the food friendliest of all red wines, so it’s one that you should be sure to have. Pinot Noirs often have aromas and flavors of cherry, strawberry, cranberry and mushroom, making it a good match for Thanksgiving. Syrah and Zinfandel are bigger reds that support the heavier dishes.

2. WHITE – Let acidity play center stage for white wines

I recommend Riesling (semi-dry to dry), Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer and Viognier. These wines have a nice acidity that marries beautifully with most of the dishes you’ll serve, especially the heavier dishes. Also, these wines do a nice job cleansing the palate.

3. SPARKLING WINES AND ROSES – Celebrate with these

Sparkling wines and dry rosés pair beautifully with just about every Thanksgiving dish, so include them and encourage people to try them. Like the acidic whites, these wines are good cleansers, seemingly giving you more room for the delicious food.

4. FAMILY STYLE – The best approach

Serve all the wines you decide will work well with your meal, and let people choose which ones they want. You can suggest pairings, but leave the pouring and drinking decisions up to your guests. They’ll be happier, and you’ll have an easier job – something to be thankful for.

5. DESSERT – Serve sweet desserts with sweeter wines

Be sure the wine you serve with dessert is sweeter than the dessert. If it’s not, both the dessert and the wine might taste a little bitter. Safe bets with sweet desserts are ports and late harvest dessert wines. These also pair well with more savory desserts such as caramelized nuts, blue cheese and figs. Fruity Cabernet Sauvignons also work well with savory desserts.

I hope you have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving. Be grateful for your family and friends. Be grateful for the food and wine you have on your table. Be grateful for all the positive things you have in your life.

Why I Love Leading Wine Tastings!

I love the fact that I make money doing something I love…

Some of my favorite things about leadingpersonal wine tastings:

• Lead fun, educational in-home wine tastings
• Enjoy sampling new wines
• Earn as much as 44% commission helping others drink wine
• Engage in five diverse income streams – in-home wine tastings, wine club memberships, custom-label wines, corporate gifts and team building
• Work with a successful sales team and create your own wine consultant team
• Enjoy the wine country lifestyle
• Earn luxury vacations
• Pursue an entrepreneurial opportunity backed by an established company
• Don’t incur huge startup costs
• Don’t invest any money in inventory

Host a Wine Tasting Event!

Having a birthday party! Engagement, or a fun event Let me bring the Napa wine experience to you. Cheers! 

Are you WINE'ing about the end of summer?

If you love wine and love gathering with family and friends, you will love experiencing the fun and taste of the wine country at your home or office. Host your own personal wine tasting, and taste delicious artisan wines while learning wine tastings basics and having fun…

Enjoy 2 hours of unadulterated “edu-tainment.” You provide the friends and food, and I provide the wine! What’s great about my personal wine tastings:

• Taste delicious wines in the comfort of your home or office – a truly unique experience
• Try before you buy – it takes the mystery out of wine buying
• Choose between a traditional or blind tasting
• Have your own personal wine consultant to answer your questions
• It’s affordable – For as little as $79
  
• It’s FUN!

I look forward to having the opportunity to taste with you. Cheers! Shanna

Mini Tasting

Conducting a mini tasting for a client. Selecting wines for an upcoming event. 

The Vin Note

7.22.2013, 17:29 PM

Wine linked to lower disease-related mortality risk in men: study

Mauro Pezzotta/shutterstock.com

Wine consumption among middle-aged men has been linked to lower mortality rate from heart disease and stroke.

A wide sweeping study has found a link between moderate wine consumption and a lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer among middle-aged men, lending more credence to the French paradox.

After following up with 35,292 men over about 28 years, researchers from the Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense and Bordeaux Segalen University in France found that when more than 50 percent of their alcohol consumption came from wine, subjects showed a lower risk of death from heart disease as well as lung, lip, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, bladder and rectal cancers.

RELATED: FOR PREGNANT WOMEN, ONE GLASS OF WINE A DAY IS FINE: STUDY

In numbers, moderate wine consumption was associated with a 40 percent reduced risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease, and a 20 percent reduced risk of death from cancer.

At the beginning of the study, subjects ranged in age from 40 to 65 years and hailed from Eastern France. In the end, a total of 4,035 deaths from cancer were recorded. Numbers for heart disease-related deaths were unavailable.

RELATED: EU APPROVES DRUG THAT CURBS THE URGE TO DRINK

The results of the study were presented at WineHealth in Sydney, Australia, which wrapped up over the weekend.

When it comes to the famous French paradox, however -- that long-standing belief that the health benefits of red wine negate the effects of the famously rich, high-fat diet and the risk of coronary heart disease -- the scientific community is divided.

A study printed the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health also suggested that drinking up to half a glass of wine a day can boost life expectancy in males by five years after studying the driking habits of randomly selected men over a 40-year period.

But another study out of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, for instance, found that resveratrol, the magic ingredient in red wine thought to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of heart disease, had little effect in already healthy women. Though small, the study of 29 postmenopausal women found little health improvement in those who were given 75 mg of resveratrol daily -- a large amount equal to drinking 8 liters of red wine.