Wine Pairs with Pop Tarts - and 6 other "cool" Back 2 School foods

Why should kids get to enjoy all the fun and excitement of back-2-school?!

Quite certainly, adults need a playground, too - one where play leads to innovation and reward.... If you are an event planner, conference/meeting "junkie", or just OITW (out in the world) you know that from cronuts to gourmet grilled cheese and everything in between, Chefs are having a blast in the ever-evolving, no-holds-barred 20Teens playground. The more kooky or 'old school classic', the greater the delighting riff for foodies and the casual consumer alike.

Whether an individual trend is coming (donuts, cronuts and Pop Tarts) or going (cupcakes!), wine has been around for 12 THOUSAND years. It has outlived every up and down - and it continues to find its place in our hearts.

Here are 7 Worthy Wine Pairings not only to get you through the first full week back to school, but that give you key street cred as you and your tastebuds get throttled into Hipdom!

Monday

Classic Peanut Butter & Grape Jelly: Festive and fruity Lambrusco

Gourmet Peanut Butter & Apricot Jam: Exotic and spiced Gewurtztraminer

Tuesday

Ants on a Log: Sassy, grassy Gruner Veltliner

Wednesday

Apple Cider Donuts: Appley, Pear-y, bright and lactic White Burgundy

Thursday

Sarma Pistachio Pop Tarts: Fleshy and zippy Spanish Albarino

Friday

Poutine: Gamey yet silky Cotes du Rhone Rouge

Saturday

Gourmet "Spanish Fig & Olive" Grilled Cheese, w/ grated Manchego cheese: bold yet refined Priorat or Montsant red

Sunday

Reinvented "BLT", aka zucchini latke, heirloom tomato and sweet corn custard w/bacon vinaigrette ~ Rustic and charming Nebbiolo

And, guess what?! These suggested wine pairings are just a starting point. There are many other fun directions to take, too. With wine, the options can be endless. So get out on the playground and start swinging!

Spain is on my table: Montsant's Magic

We're having schizophrenic weather (again) here in Beantown this late fall/early winter. Monday it was 53 degrees. Today we're capping out at 25, and it was bitterly cold last night. Someone said they heard it was "March weather" because it is all over the map. Whatever. It's Boston. It's always all over the map. But this year I can't complain, since we've had an absolutely ridiculously terrific weather year. Besides, I'm happy shopping at Wilson Farm for all the gourds and root vegetables that are prolific this time of year. Stuffed squash? Check. Pork tenderloin with Port-glazed brussel sprouts? Check. Hearty chicken soup? Check. In the wine scheme of things accordingly, it's true, I've had a good run in the Languedoc finding wines for "warmer" Fall days and that go easy on the wallet. But with the smell of winter in the air, I'm thinking more and more about Spain. It's a winemaking nation that’s impossible to synopsize because it is a country that has a great history in wine production, but today is one that looks to modern times (and palates) for guidance. As a result, it is arguably the Old World Mecca for innovation.

Ever heard of Samso? That’s ok, it’s just an alternate, local name for Carignan, which comprises the full 100% of fermented juice in a wine made by Clos de Noi. These folks are based in Montsant, one of my favorite nooks in Spain (and one I plan to visit next year). Carles Escolarhas is the winemaker behind this floral, intensely concentrated, fruit forward, teeth-sinking red. Ripe blackberry, black raspberry and bramble fruits, are accented with a touch of spice and Montsant’s increasingly sought, slatey minerality. Personally, I love the Clos de Noi all the more for its long, seductive finish.

There are plenty of places in Spain (Rioja, for example) that will warm you up this winter. But if you are a particular fan of big, bold reds with plenty of nuance - or even Priorat, Montsant's better known (pricier) neighbor - than this is an area for you to explore this winter.

What wines are you enjoying as our temps drop and we head into winter?