The Secret to Holiday Entertaining – Celebrate Magnum Style

We shouldn’t need an excuse to pull out all of the stops when it comes to entertaining, but then what would the holidays really be for anyway?

Whether you’re a wine geek or not, our secret to dialing things up a notch is to Go Big – literally. A “magnum” of wine is what you call the super-sized bottle of wine you may have started to see more often since Thanksgiving. Said bottle contains the equivalent of two “normal” bottles of wine. It is a sight to behold, and certainly makes that statement we never mind to make.

No contest, magnums make for a fantastic gift for wine lovers. But how often do you have enough of a crowd to warrant actually opening a large-format bottle? Our staff relishes the chance.

Here are ten wines available in magnums we think are perfect for celebrating. Make an impression this holiday season!
 

Sparkling.

Adriano Adami Bosco di Gica Valdobiadene Superiore Prosecco| Veneto, Italy
The wonderful world of sparkling wine is global – you don’t always need to travel to Champagne, France for an enticing or satisfying selection! Here Adami over-delivers for the category, producing a lively, quaffable sparkler.
 

Billecart-Samon Brut Rosé  | Champagne, France
Behold, one of our absolute favorite producers of Champagne, let alone sparkling rosé. Seeing this wine packaged in a magnum – well, we caught our breath! Here the devil is in the details: tiny beads of joy oh-so-delicately deliver tangy red fruits first to your nose, and then to your palate. Notes of chalk-board erasers are a time machine back to less-harried, wonder-rich times.
 

Ployez-Jacquemart Extra Quality Brut | Champagne, France
Where Billecart-Samon scores high in the ‘delicious-subtlety’ category, Ployez-Jacquemart does so with equal enthusiasm in the ‘delicious-decadence’ category. Generous orchard fruits are lifted by citrus and quince – and that’s just the beginning! Toasty and lush with gratifying brioche elements, we just love how this wine wraps itself around your senses….
 

Rosé.

Bodegas Muga Rosado| Rioja, Spain
Nothing says party-perfect more effortlessly than a magnum bottle of sacred (read: somewhat scarce) rosé wine! Here the historic winery Bodegas Muga blends Grenache with white Viura grapes and a splash of Tempranillo. Aging the wine briefly in large oak vats adds body and nuance, while lees aging contributes subtle milk chocolate notes. The result is supreme – a dry but lifted, round-edged, winter-ready but refreshing style that can elevate holiday meals just as easily as it can coolly welcome friends. (Grab one if you see one – Rebecca did!)
 

White.

Chateau Montelena Winery Chardonnay | Napa Valley, California
This wine packs both a delicious and historic punch: established in 1882, Chateau Montelena is one of the oldest wineries in the United States –  and the 1973 vintage of this wine won the famous Judgement of Pairs in 1978! Is it still worth its muster? In a word, YES. The fruit for this wine was selected literally grape by grape. With only 10% new oak used and a cool growing season in play, this white is as dramatic as it is crisp!
 

Weingut Josef Leitz, Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Spätlese Riesling| Rheingau, Germany
There’s just something about colder days that beg for a glass of something decadent, something you can cozy up to, something that somehow also rouses your spirits and delivers a surprise. Here one of our absolute favorite German winemakers, Josef Leitz, delivers all of that in one uncorking. Minerality creates a snappy tension with the fruity, sappy, layered flavor profile of this wine – and it is delivered in an abundant(ly), delicious package.
 

Red.

Buena Vista Winery “The Count” | Sonoma, California
A blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon, “The Count” shows its innovative roots while showcasing the bold potential the Count himself saw in California wines. Medium bodied, this wine is as packed with purple and black fruits as it is with earth-driven nuance. Burnt caramel and cedar notes give it that touch of winter-time pizazz we all crave this time of year. Easy drinking and velvety smooth, this toothsome wine is a crowd-pleaser!
 

Burgess Cellars Library Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (2002) | Napa Valley, California
Properties like Burgess are what put the Napa Valley – and Cabernet grown here – on the map. Determined to make a style of wine expressive of terroir, Tom Burgess was wise to snap up this plot of land in the Howell Mountains. Here above the fog, vines 60+ years old have become one with the mineral-rich, volcanic soil. Opulent yet still ‘pretty’, this wine is a teenager, packed with dark berry fruit, dusty earth and just a hint of mocha.
 

Chateau de Saint Cosme Rouge | Cotes du Rhone, France
For (at least) two of us on staff, our love affair with European wine began with Syrah from the Rhone Valley, France. Wines like this iconic one are the reason why: fresh, purple-floral aromatics awaken your senses first, followed by a decadent palate rich with dark fruit, hints of spice and notes of saddle leather and bacon fat (yes.. bacon!). Welcome to the club!
 

Domaine Serene Vineyards Pinot Noir | Evenstad Reserve | Willamette Valley, Oregon
Oregon's Willamette Valley is thought “the Promised Land” for producing acclaimed, Burgundian-styled reds, aka exceptional Pinot Noir. And Domaine Serene is one of the darlings of this young yet heralded wine region. We were downright gleeful to discover their award-winning, flagship wine is available in magnums. Buyer beware: the Evenstad Reserve is a super-silky, complex wine that delivers a wallop of delight!

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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!

Apply the Rule of 3 to discover Food/Wine Pairings you will relish

We recently taught a wine seminar at Harvard University celebrating the Art of Food/Wine Pairings. Our muse? West Coast Wines! California, Washington and Oregon were all gainfully represented.

The red wines we shared we shared with Harvard students during a recent Wine Seminar we taught.

It was not lost on us that the underlying vinous theme focused on wines from a part of the world that is quite large and quite diverse; it's a culinary Choose Your Own Adventure. And so the food pairing principle "if it grows together it goes together" is, quite simply, harder to exemplify. Not to worry!

If you cannot at least start out PAIRING BY PLACE and, therefore, tapping into the local cuisine which blossoms naturally with wines grown in a particular region, then you must make a go of it by applying one of these principles to achieve a balanced, complementary, aw-eliciting experience:

PAIR TO COMPARE.

Consider the Weight of the dish* (usually taking into consideration how it is prepared (e.g. steamed vs. grilled vs. roasted) and if it is dressed in a rich sauce or just a squeeze of lemon). You'll want the weight of the wine to match the weight of the dish.

Consider also the Acidity in the dish. Is the dish bright? Does your mouth water at the thought of it (like the thought of grapefruit, tomato sauce or dill pickles)? If it is a high acid dish, you'll want a high acid wine.

Next, consider the 'Meatiness' of it. Is the bold factor dialed all the way up? Whether it is a hearty vegetarian dish like sauteed portabellas and eggplant, or roast lamb and potatoes, the more savory the dish the more tannin-loving (aka how dry your tongue feels after you swallow) it will be. High tannin/very dry wines marry perfectly with hearty, "meaty" fare.

Last, what about Sweetness? BBQ sauce is Zinfandel-loving because Zin tends to be bold, bursting with ripe and/or dried fruits. While the wine may be vinified dry, the flavor experience from all that fruit complements the sweetness of the BBQ sauce.

PAIR TO CONTRAST.

Alternatively you'll want to create balance by contrasting what's on your plate - and nothing is truer than when you are faced with a particularly Salty dish! Fried foods, often Chinese fare and meats like Ham or charcuterie tend to be saltier and require a wine with a sweeter or more fruit-forward composition to create a harmonious palate experience.

While these principles are sure to get you started, there's something awesome to be said for the exploration itself, for figuring out how flavors jive - for finding out the hard way, and if you're lucky, for finding out the optimal way. Each revelation is a win in itself - inspiration promotes celebration (and keeping at it)! So most important, HAVE FUN on the journey.

 *   By "dish" we don't just mean the protein on the plate! Consider the sides as well (sometimes they are more interesting and fun to pair off of), or what components you want on your fork - the 'bite' in its entirety.

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)!

Inspiration Found

A man walks into a fine wine shop, takes ten minutes to peruse the shelves, scratches his head, furrows his brow and then says, "Madam? Inspire me." While I find pleasure and comfort in routine, I find in my "old" age equal pleasure in stepping outside of the box. Enter Anne Amie and their special Pinot Noir Blanc wine. And, no, that's not an oxymoron. Pinot Noir, like any red grape, can take the form of "blanc" just so long as the winemaker presses the juice from the skins so quickly after harvest that the pigment of the skin doesn't impact the color of the wine - creating a white vin from red fruit.

Whilst frolicking, tasting and learning at Pinot Camp last July, I had the rare opportunity to taste Anne Amie's "Prisme" Pinot Noir Blanc for the first time. Winemaker Tom Houseman was running around the giant tent at dinner, trying to find me to taste this 2008 vintage elixir of life. It is named after the word prism, which means the splitting of white light into its various colors - or essentially what Tom does with Pinot Noir grapes from their finest Pinot Noir vineyards to create this special wine. I had to know what this Anne Amie treasure was like, and Tom was on the task.

Prisme tastes like Burgundy - on both the white (Chardonnay) and red (Pinot Noir) sides of the spectrum. (It is the perfect convergence of my favorite wine experiences, offering a taste of Burgundy at the roots of Oregon soil.) The nose is pretty, warming and childhood-memory inspiring: for me that translates to a bouquet of white and yellow flowers (honeysuckle, dandelions and gerber daisies), creamsicles and nutmeg.  The palate offers not only ripe pear, savory yellow and tart granny smith apple, and meyer lemon citrus fruits, but also a toasty/creamy, cheese rind and ginger spice essence comes to bear due to 18 months of aging on the lees in French barrels. A helping of ripe raspberries and just a teaspoon of blueberry flavors dance along the finish, a flavor profile I am not unhappy to experience when tasting great Champagne made with an extra helping of Pinot Noir, actually.

Thankfully, Prisme has officially landed on our Massachusetts shores, just in time for the holidays.

"Sir? I have just the thing...."