Unique white wine of the week: Moldovan Blanc de Cabernet

Albastrele Blanc de Cabernet 2015 is my pick for a unique white wine of the week. It's from Moldova and it is one of my favorites from the past year- one of the most unique and notable in my book! This is a white wine made with red grapes! How is this possible?

Red wines get their color from letting the dark grape skins sit with the juice of the grapes, which is white. If the grape skins are removed after being gently pressed, almost immediately, the resulting color is that of a white wine, not a red.

This wine is medium bodied and has notes of passion fruit and pineapple, and lemon, and on the nose, blades of grass. It is different than any wine I have ever tried and I love it.

Moldova has been making wine for the last 2,000 years and the climate is influenced by the Black Sea and its hilly landscape. Wine was a key export of Moldova during the 15th century, under Stephen the Great, who helped the country develop better quality wines. The wines here were also thought to be influenced by the Greeks and Romans, as were the wines in much of Europe.

You can find this wine at Whole Foods in Arlington, Screwtop Wine Bar and Northside Social. It's about $13 a bottle.

Did you know two of the main grapes used to make Champagne, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir are also red grapes?! Cheers!

Unique white wine of the week: Grillo

My pick for a unique white wine of the week is made from Grillo, a Sicilian white wine grape. It's one of over 377 indigienous grape varietals in Italy!

Italy's white wines are so much more than Pinot Grigio, so if you have written them off before, I would suggest giving it another shot! I tried this one a few months ago through the awesome wine club at Screwtop Wine Bar, but it is available online also.

The Grillo grape is thought to be a cross between Moscato and Catarratto grapes.

Grillo is also known as Riddu, or Rossese bianco, and is used mainly to make Marsala, a sweet fortified wine.

The Tasca d'Almerita Cavallo delle Fate Grillo 2014 comes from Palermo, Sicily and is aromatic, fresh and crisp. Notes of pineapple, lemon and apple, medium bodied and dry with some minerality, but structured with a smooth finish.

This wine goes very well with seafood, but is also excellent on its own.

Fun fact courtesy of Wine Folly. Cheers!

Valentine's Day Wines

Whether you are celebrating with friends, or a significant other, or it's just a normal night with food and wine...happy Valentine's day!

Dinner pairings

White- if you're looking for a versatile pairing, Albarino is a white that will go with many different dishes, and retain its character throughout dinner. Since it is a medium bodied white with acidity, it will pair very nicely with seafood dishes, as well as some soft cheeses. Albarino comes from a region in Galicia, Spain, known as Rias Baixas, and it is also the main grape in Vino Verde, from neighboring Portugal.

Riesling is also an option, but stay away from the sweet ones, as well as an off-dry Vouvray, a Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley. Another good choice is a Gewürztraminer and I would recommend one from Alsace!

Rose- I know I've said this before, but I will stick to it. Rose should be enjoyed year round, and they generally pair very well with most dishes. Roses have characteristics of white wines but many can also stand up well to some red meat dishes, too.

Red- Gamay, from the Beaujolais region of France, south of Burgundy. One of my favorite grapes, wines from this region are usually low in tannin, light to medium bodied and can have notes of cherry and cranberry and violet.

Most wine lovers are familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau, but I would go more for the Beaujolais Villages or Beaujolais Supérieur wines. There are 10 Beaujolais Cru's producing wine. Wine Folly has some great info on these wines.

A medium-bodied to heavier red I would recommend would be Zinfandel. This wine will pair nicely with pork, or gamey meats, or anything with a heavier sauce.

Sparkling- You can't go wrong with Champagnes or sparkling wines. See my previous post for all of the reasons.

Dessert pairings

I have to be honest, I have never been much of a dessert wine drinker. However, I had an interesting experience recently that changed my mind.

Based on a tip I heard, I tried a little experiment. I took a bite of my dessert, a dark chocolate covered pretzel, then took a sip of the dessert wine, a Zinfandel, and suddenly the wine, which had been way too sweet for my taste by itself, did not taste as sweet. It was an excellent pairing.

I am not here to force you to try sweet wines if you hate them, but, minus a few exceptions, I've found that dry wines do not go well with dessert.

One stop dessert wine recommendation- A Demi-Sec Champagne or sparkling wine. Demi-Sec translates from French as "half dry." These have enough sugar, also known as "dosage" to pair well with dessert. On the sweetness scale, Demi-Sec is one of the sweetest.

I have also heard that Syrah pairs well with chocolate cake, but I have not tested this myself. 

Info gathered from Wine Folly, Wine for Normal People, Winerist and myself! Cheers and happy Valentine's Day!

The Super Bowl is for wine lovers, too!

Superbowl Sunday can be a fun day for wine lovers, too! If you're looking for vino for the big game that will taste good with all of the delicious Super Bowl grub, look no further.

A general rule of thumb I have learned for food and wine pairing is to pair the intensity of the food with the intensity of the wine. However, that can be difficult with so many food options to snack on, all at once! 

Recommendations 

White wines: Verdejo from Rueda, Spain, Albariño from Rias Baixas, Spain, or Torrontés from Argentina. These wines are aromatic, zesty, citrusy, crisp and refreshing. All of these white wines have high levels of acidity, which match well with salty and fatty food, balancing out the richness. They are also nice and light and very wallet friendly.
If you're feeling bold, try a sweeter white, such as a Riesling, with either spicy food, like buffalo wings, for contrast, or to pair with dessert. If you decide to pair with dessert, take a sip of the wine first, then a bite of the dessert- suddenly the wine does not taste as sweet! 
Look for: Torrontés from the Salta region of Argentina. These wines tend to be drier than those from Mendoza, which tend to be sweeter. Also look for Vino Verde, a wine from Portugal made mostly with Albariño grapes. The Italian Vermentino is also an excellent choice and highly under-rated!

Sparkling wines: Sparkling wine is very food friendly all around, and great to drink by itself too! Dry sparkling goes great with salty food and the bubbles cleanse the palate, similar to the way that beer does. I would suggest Champagne from the region in France, or for real bang for your buck, Cremant (sparkling wines made like Champagne but technically from other French regions) or Cava, a sparkling wine from Spain, made with native Spanish grapes, also in the same method. 
Look for: Brut, Extra Brut or Brut Nature (the driest) on the label. I would go with a Blanc de blancs, because those are made only from Chardonnay grapes and tend to be lighter. With Cava, look for 'Reserva' on the label, and a green sticker on the bottle. The aging requirements are similar to Champagne, producing a higher quality wine. Also, as always, a rose sparkling is a great choice!

Red wines: A great pairing for red wines is beef based dishes like burgers, or they also pair well with barbecue. Reds go great with pizza, too!
Look for: A Garnacha, from Spain, or a Grenache, the same grape varietal, from France. A Syrah would also work well. All of these reds have smokey undertones making this a perfect pairing. Barbera d’Alba is a great red choice from Italy, which would pair perfectly with pizza. 

Rosé wines: In the same way that Champagne is not just for special occasions, rosé is not just for summer! Salty dishes and almost all kind of cheeses pair well with a dry rosé, which makes this wine a great go-to choice. Since rosé is made using red wine grapes (and less skin contact than red wine), the grape varietal does matter when it comes to the body of the wine, among other things. 
Look for: For a lighter choice, look at those made from Pinot Noir, the Provence region of France. Light to medium bodied, I'd go with an Italian rose made from Sangiovese grapes. Medium bodied Rosados from Spain, made with Garnacha are also excellent, as is Tempranillo rose or rose of Malbec from Argentina. Heavier roses tend to be made with Cabernet Sauvignon, or Syrah grapes. 

Keep in mind, these are just a few suggestions...there is a much bigger world of wine out there- so start drinking. Cheers!

Tips sourced from Vivino, VinePair, Wine for Normal People, Wine Folly and myself. Cheers!