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!

France: Three Incredible Wines, Part Two (Red)

Mas Laval, les Pampres, 2014

Mas Laval Vin de Pays de l'Hérault Les Pampres (France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Vin
de Pays de l'Hérault)

This red blend hails from nearby Montpellier and is the best red we had while in France, hands down. This was also a discovery at the wine bar L'Atelier de las Canourgues (what a gem)! The other two wines we loved have been impossible to find here (or even have shipped to us)*, so imagine my surprise when I received one of the newsletters from Arrowine with a picture and description of this exact wine for sale there!

My husband Anthony and I went and picked up a few bottles and while we were there, inquired about some other French wines we had while in France. We mentioned we had the Mas Laval in Montpellier and he told us it was one of his selections, and showed us some really cool pictures of a previous visit he had taken to the vineyard (hopefully that will be my next job :)

Tasting notes: Full bodied red, intense, rich and slightly fruity, but on the darker side, black cheery and violet and hints of mocha.
Grape Varietals: Red blend, 60% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre 15%, Grenache 15%, Carignan 10%
Where to find in the U.S.: Arrowine, Arlington, VA
Price: Around $22

Fun fact: Two of the grapes in this wine, Mouvedre and Grenache go by different names in Spanish wines, Monastrell and Garnacha.

Cheers!

Visit the wine importer's website.

France: Three incredible wines, Part One

We took the most amazing trip to France for our friend Julia and Peter's wedding. It was our first time in Europe and we stopped in Italy, too (a post on Italian wines to come soon)!

We stayed one more day after the wedding and did some exploring in Montpellier, France which (surprise!) took us to an amazing little wine bar in the heart of the city, L'Atelier de la Canourgue. They were so nice and conversational, asking us about wine bars in the U.S. (they thought it was funny that a place we frequent is called "Grand Cru") and were happy to give us their recommendations... and we are so happy we asked.

This is the first of three incredible wines, we had there.

 

Champagne Feneuil-Coppee Brut Tradition, Premier Cru

€18

This is, to date, one of the best, if not the best, Champagnes I have ever had. It's made mainly with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, two of the "big three" grapes used in Champagne; the other is Chardonnay. It comes from a small producer located in Chamery, a brother and a sister, fourth generation vinegrowers. It is slightly fruity on the nose, full and flavoral on the palette with notes of toast and almond with a crisp finish.

This wine is known as a grower champagne, which can be identified by a marking on the label, R.M., Récoltant-Manipulant, or R.C., Récoltant-Coopérateur. This type of Champagne is considered more artisanal and the grapes are typically sourced from a single vineyard. Larger Champagne houses can source their grapes from many vineyards all over the region.

This Brut Tradition is an R.C., and the grapes are sourced from their vineyard and made into wine entirely by a cooperative winemaking facility. 

I learned to look for this on the label when it was pointed out to me by one of the co-owners of Arrowine, who was nice enough to help me figure out if I could get this wine in the U.S. (after I returned).

Fun Fact: The Champagne region has a rich history that is incredibly fascinating, but for the sake of brevity, I will share just one fun fact this time. 

The term "Brut" comes from the French word for raw and refers to the sugar level added to the wine, called "dosage." Brut is very dry, but not as dry as Extra Brut, or Brut Nature. The widow, or Veuve, Clicquot, who took over her husband's wine business after he passed away, was the first to adjust sugar levels in champagne.

Unfortunately, after several attempts at locating this wine for purchase in the U.S., I was not having any luck so I reached out to the winery, who said they do not sell here because they are such a small producer. Who knows, maybe someday that will change! If you are ever in France or Europe, I would definitely seek this one out, it is truly special.

Visit their Facebook page here. And visit Southern France. It's an incredible experience! 

And for all of the super wine nerds out there like myself: if you would like to learn more about Champagne, there is a free game app I would recommend called Champagne Campus.

Part two and three, on a red, and a white wine, to come soon. Cheers!

State of the Vine recommendation: Crémant du Jura Rosé

Domaine André & Mireille Tissot Crémant du Jura Extra Brut Rosé: This rosé is on the fuller side. Red berry notes, with a crisp and creamy finish. A sparkling wine from the Jura region of France, made in the traditional method, the same process used to make Champagne, but since it is not from that region, it's called a Crémant and labeled with the region it's from (in this case Jura). This sparkling is Extra Brut, almost the driest a sparkling can be- very little sugar was added (also called the dosage). Available at Arrowine Arrowine & Spirits and MacArthur Beverage in DC. Cheers! 

Fun fact: This vineyard is Biodynamic, which means it follows the phases of the moon, and the wine and the vineyard is viewed as a living organism, so as little human intervention as possible is used. 

Learn more about Biodynamic wine here!

Flight Wine Bar

There are so many new wine bars popping up in DC that it's hard to keep up. This one, Flight, is located right near the Verizon Center! And they specialize in...wine flights!

The Wine

We ordered the Macedonian wine flight and the Rosé flight. Unfortunately, they were out of 2 of the 3 wines in the Macedonian flight and one of the wines in the Rosé flight, due what we were told was a "menu change over" in process. I'm not going to lie, it was a little frustrating but the hostess, who was very knowledgable about wines helped us select replacements based on our tastes. C'est la vie!

Rose Flight (modified)

Macedonian Flight (modified)

My favorite: The Château Prieuré-Lichine

Verdict: The wines were good, even the replacements, but only really stood out to me...and I'm still thinking about it. 

It came from their "Higher Altitude" portion of the menu, which generally has pricier wines that typically in the past have only been available by the bottle.

The 2005 Château Prieuré-Lichine Bordeaux is $12 for a one ounce pour, $60 for a glass and $200 for the bottle. This wine is so smooth and wonderful. Its a blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cab Franc. It is complex with notes of blackberry and cocoa on the nose and a smooth and silky finish. 

The best part? I found it for about $70 retail!

The charcuterie and cheese was also excellent, and trust me, I try it at every wine bar.

Cheeses and Charcuterie

I hope the next time we pop in they have all of the wines in the Macedonian flight, but bottom line is this wine bar is definitely worth a visit. Cheers!