3 Reasons Why We Drink White Wine – in Winter

Few think of white wines as a winning choice any time of year, let alone now in the heart of winter here in New England. Red wine somehow seems the natural way to soothe the impact of the cold, dark days we experience.

In fact, once we shed our own similar inclinations, we discovered a surprisingly wonderful coping mechanism.

Here’s why adding white wine to your repertoire right now will help assuage your winter woes:
 

1.   Dry Air Begs for a Palate Pick-Me-Up

If you’re like us, you’re heading for the water cooler on the regular. Nothing seems to quench your thirst. Guess what? Many white wines can. Add a little zip to your regularly scheduled wine-down and you can refresh your taste buds (and your spirits) with the natural burst of mouthwatering acidity whites are best known.

2.    Hearty Fare Hearts Robust Wines

The importance of texture should not be underestimated either. Just as you reach for that soft, cozy blanket to wrap yourself up in, many white wine styles offer the same satisfaction. Here we're talking about wines that have a touch of heft, and can be deemed oily, or fleshy.

Why?

Robust whites complement the weight of heartier fare. Think Chowder or thicker soups like pumpkin, cauliflower, butternut squash, etc. Gratin potatoes. A tangy, goat-cheese quiche. Monkfish or Swordfish. Chicken casserole. Even an old-school (or re-imagined, newer school) Mac & Cheese.

You get the idea. Just be sure the weightier wine you select also has that essential acidity we talked about above, too. You’ll need that element to cut through the fat of such bold dishes.

3.   Winter Helps Ensure Whites are Enjoyed at the Right Temp

One guest at an event we hosted said oh-so-sagely, he feels “whites have to work harder to woo” him. When he tasted the white wine flight we had curated, he mused at how much more depth the wines had – he could taste their nuance.

So often whites are served way too cold. Whites show more layers of aromas and flavors when they are served at the ideal 50ish degrees Fahrenheit. And in New England many of us are blessed with enclosed vestibules or unfinished cellars that naturally ensure wines are stored, and then easily served, at the right temp. You don’t have to fuss with the fridge. Nature works to your logistical advantage. Meanwhile you’re able to discover what so many whites really have to offer.

Certainly white wine is a huge category, just as red wine is. The winter simply proves an unsuspecting time to explore the possibilities.

Satiate your cravings for comfort food, resuscitate your senses and otherwise bring life back to your body and soul by giving whites the chance they deserve this winter!

Girl Scout Cookies Pair Just Fine With Domestic Wine

Girl Scout Cookies are a distinctly, happy, American phenomenon - one of those great traditions from everyone's youth you get excited about all over again each year. If your community is predisposed to the door-to-door Saleschild, first you order them. Then you wait. Sometimes a couple of months as the orders get processed. Then, finally, said child returns bearing gifts at your door. This happened to us last week. And it was a wondrous moment!

But as it was late on a Friday afternoon, we thought why not enhance said tradition with something other than a glass of milk, that also further celebrates their All American-ness?

Today we offer findings from our taste-enhancing research, to further your own on-going enjoyment of this sacred tradition and this Classic line-up of Girl Scout Cookies. Cheers!

thin mints® |  Cabernet Sauvignon.  This grape is predisposed to notes of eucalyptus and mint, particularly when made in Lodi, California+ the dark chocolate on these cookies is ever-more Cab-loving!  (Of course an old vine Zinfandel, Petite Sirah or Syrah won’t disappoint either.)

shortbreads|  Chardonnay.  This grape is a no-brainer for these buttery cookies! Try a classic California style like Chateau St. Jean, or experiment with some great Chards coming out of lesser-known states, like Ravines Wine Cellars (Finger Lakes, NY) or Westport Rivers Winery (Cape Cod, MA). Domestic sparklers made from the Chardonnay grape are also a great match! J Vineyards (California) or Gruet (New Mexico) have Brut (dry) selections that would be decadent with these cookies.

samoas|   Roussanne orViognier. These cookies have evolved since the '80s, now incorporating caramel and coconut, but we didn't hold it against the Girl Scouts of America; some change is good! Here try something a little bit more “exotic” like the Stolpman Family Roussanne or White Knight Viognier. Whoop!

peanut butter sandwiches|  dry Gewürztraminer or dry Riesling. In the right hands and even more so when vinified dry, these grapes are a terrific match for these delightfully cloying, lingering, slightly salty cookies. The wines will meet their match, delivering a touch of unctuousness met with a wonderful, mouthwatering pop of acidity to cut through the ‘fat’ of these cookies. Seek out memorable, dry Gewürztraminer from either Gundlach Bundschu  or Navarro Vineyards. Dry Riesling from Dr. Frank (New York) will do the trick, too.

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Thanksgiving Wine Selection - made easy!

Thanksgiving Day is the ONLY holiday every single American celebrates.  It is a day observed ladling up traditions at every opportunity; even if you're not doing what historically you have done, admit it - you're thinking or reminiscing about those things! But when it comes to wine selection there tends to be less tradition in play. For some that is the best part of the holiday - the vinous world is your playground! For others, what to serve or what to bring can overwhelm. We get it.

As part of our "made easy" series, we are offering up a few suggestions for going home with a winner or two.

If we can help with your specific feast or preferences, whether a consultation or shopping or both, don't hesitate to Click 2 Inquire. We relish overturning every rock (no minerality pun intended) to find stellar wines perfect for this time of year. And our holiday special is in play NOW through December 31, 2014!

Winning Whites

Noble white varietals are thought the darlings of Thanksgiving. The best hail from cooler climates, offer mesmerizing aromatics which lure you in, are lower in alcohol, a tiny bit "fleshy," yet deliver a crisp, mouthwatering brightness.

- Et Fille "Deux Vert Vineyard" Viognier ~ Willamette Valley, OR

- Szoke "Mantra" Pinot Gris ~ Hungary

- Weinguut Jurgen Leiner "Handwerk" Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) ~ Pfalz, Germany

- Gundlach Bundschu DRY Gewurtztraminer ~ Sonoma, California

Rabble-Rousing Reds

We hang our hat on discovering earthy, lightER bodied reds - with backbone. Beware of selecting a wine that's too big, which will just weigh you down given all of the food before you.

- Ravines Pinot Noir ~ Fingerlakes, NY

- Dominique Piron Coteaux Bourguignons ~ Burgundy, France

- Elena Walch Schiava ~ Alto Adige, Italy

- Ameztoi "Stimatum" Txakolina ~ Getariako Txakolina, Spain

Remember, with such a big, intense meal with so many different parts and varied traditions, there are countless wines to choose from. When it come to Food & Wine Pairing, the endgame is BALANCE!

Foolproof Thanksgiving Wines to WOW Your Guests

When we received the call to help with a private wine tasting to be held in November, naturally an Autumnal theme came to mind. But with Thanksgiving not so far off, the event also provided the perfect opportunity to introduce guests to some stellar wines they could keep in mind for their own festivities - and would be sure to WOW their own friends and family come Turkey Time.

In classic form, we started the event with a sparkling wine to set the tone for the evening and whet everyone's whistles.

Off to a festive start, thereafter the focus was on wines that:

>  Pair naturally with traditional fare &

>  Are predisposed to keeping you from feeling weighed down.

A big feast is best mitigated by lifting, lower-alcohol, less-robust wines which, in their own right, never compromise on flavor or nuance. Meanwhile, there's no need to have 101 different wines on offer. We reigned in the options and focused on wines that were sure to be hits, no matter the palate in the room:

WHITE.    We chose a DRY Riesling from the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Surprised? Most are, but Riesling can be vinified dry (like any wine!) for a stellar experience. The Riesling grape itself is actually low in sugar and high in acidity, and plays nicely in the salty/rich foods sandbox. These attributes predispose the varietal to Thanksgiving food-friendliness. Without use of oak during fermentation, the wine is 'leaner', preventing you from feeling so full, too.

Offering a DRY style also solves the Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay 'crisis' you may feel you face - it offers a clean, tart zip over a fleshier-textured wine satiating both preferences among guests. And everyone enjoys a pleasant surprise that the wine in their glass is actually... Riesling!

Ravines Wine Cellars' Dry Riesling adorned the tasting table during the event because it packs such power without giving up finesse - but we also chose this one over others the worldwide because it is produced domestically - and there's nothing more appropriate at Thanksgiving than to enjoy a stellar, American-made wine. (In preparing this post we discovered Eric Asimov quite agreed with our specific choice, too!)

RED.      The best domestic Pinot Noir arguably comes from the Willamette Valley, Oregon. The natural cornucopia of flavors that this red grape offers especially when grown in the Willamette Valley are bar-none optimal for a classic Thanksgiving meal: cranberry, red apple skin, dried leaves and a gentle kick of spice are tasting notes we shared during the event; no doubt these are aromas and flavors predisposed to a Thanksgiving spread!

Seeking out your local fine wine shop and soliciting a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir recommendation will certainly add The WOW Factor to your table. There are both known, artisanal favorites and hidden gems among more usual suspects depending on what's available in your market. Use the holiday as an excuse to try a new to you or lesser known producer.

With these foolproof tips we know we've set your table for success! But most important, we wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday!

the leaves are falling and whites are calling!

WhiteHarvest

White wines, in general, are an under-appreciated wine "category". They offer so much diversity and provide such a nice backdrop to so many a dish it's a wonder they aren't ALL we drink. Imagine our delight then when a recent client opted for a White Wine Only theme. Their trajectory was more practical given the scale of their event (200+ people): to keep the carpets clean. But nottaone guest "complained" reds weren't being served, and in fact, the lack of red "distraction" wholly encouraged everyone to just dive in and embrace what was before them. Each of the wines were held in esteem and impressed a certain 'ah-ha' moment for the depth of interest they imparted. Let's just say, guests kept coming back to see what was next in the lineup.

With the smell of autumn clearly in the air these days and especially with a warming sun still abounding, don't hesitate to saddle up to your fine wine shop's white wine cooler. Harvest fare is an excuse in and of itself to open that door!

Pumpkin Soup with a(n aged) Jura white? ROCKSTAR COMBO. A lush and lively White Burgundy would be a delight, too.

Need something to get the party started first? Westport Rivers RJR Brut (specifically) offers a cornucopia of autumnal flavors, plus an authentic toastiness and a killer mousse.

Especially as Thanksgiving beckons, don't underestimate the power of the Finger Lakes region of New York, or the Willamette Valley, Oregon, too. These regions produce killer white wines that are destined for greatness on your dining room table(and will give your carpets a break, even if your guests don't)!