The French #Winophiles are Off to Lirac in the Côtes du Rhône
It’s October and We’re Exploring Lirac in the Côtes du Rhône Our French Winophiles are exploring (virtually) the Lirac appellation, the southernmost named village in the Côtes du Rhône this month. While it is located just across the Rhône river from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it remains one of the lesser known “under-the-radar” Côtes du Rhône Villages. Let’s change … Continue reading
Perfect Fall Pairing with Dow’s LBV Porto 2012
Welcome Fall with a Campfire and Porto As summer comes to a close, sunset is earlier, evenings are cooler, and a campfire is most welcome. It’s still nice enough to spend time outdoors in the evening, perhaps with a sweater by the fire. Perfect pairing? A glass of Port. There are two main styles of … Continue reading
Merlot for Every Day of the Week #MerlotMe #WinePW
Annual Month-long Celebration of the Merlot Grape Our Wine Pairing Weekend blogging group has collaborated with the #MerlotMe group of wineries for the last 4 years. This extended annual event gives us the opportunity to really dive into a variety of Merlot based wines. Even though our group name implies weekend time and a special … Continue reading
Merlot and Meatless Monday #MerlotMe #WinePW
Merlot and Meatless Monday We’re not sticklers for Meatless Monday at our house. It’s often “leftovers from Sunday on Monday”. Still, we enjoy a regular meatless meal. Merlot is a good red wine choice for meatless meals as it offers moderate tannins and is pretty relaxed for pairing. Disclosure: Our Wine Pairing Weekend blogging group … Continue reading
Takeout Dinners Deserve Good Wine #MerlotMe #WinePW
Some nights there’s no time to cook. For us, Wednesday evenings are Triathlon swim lessons, so we come home tired and hungry. We stopped at the grocery store deli for some chicken thighs, mashed potatoes and “superfood” salad. I say takeout deserves a nice wine, don’t you think? Decoy Merlot, a Duckhorn portfolio wine fills … Continue reading
Humble Hamburger with L’Ecole 41 Merlot #MerlotMe #WinePW
Merlot = Great Hamburger Wine Over-the-top hamburgers seem to be all the rage. Multiple patties, smothered in cheese, bacon and who know what else make for great food porn, but do you want to actually eat one? Not me. Give me a pasture raised local beef patty dressed with a few veggies and I’m a … Continue reading
Materra “Right Bank” Merlot with Shrimp Risotto #MerlotMe #WinePW
Friday Night Risotto Friday night is risotto night at our house. I make chicken stock whenever we roast a chicken, and we keep Vialone Nano, Carnaroli, or Arborio rice in the pantry at all times. With shrimp in the freezer, I just pick up some mushrooms and a vegetable on the way home. Risotto takes … Continue reading
Duckhorn 3 Palms Merlot with Seoul-ful Chicken for a Romantic Dinner in Sweatshirts #MerlotMe #WinePW
Stretching Merlot Wine Pairing in October With our annual month-long focus on Merlot we love to test the limits of red wine pairing. At the cabin for the weekend, Julie had planned a Korean-inspired dinner (think kimchi) so I decided to test out Merlot in that context. Knowing the dinner would feature spicy flavors, I … Continue reading
Serrano Peppers and Krug Merlot? #MerlotMe #WinePW
Keep a Light Hand With the Serrano Peppers As long as you don’t go crazy, Merlot can pair nicely with dishes with a bit of heat and spice. In our month-long celebration of Merlot, we try standard pairings and we try to stretch the boundaries a bit. Flank steak is a normal pairing with the … Continue reading
It’s #MerlotMe Month with Wine Pairing Weekend! #WinePW
October is Merlot Season Merlot is one of the true noble grapes, capable of reaching greatness in many regions worldwide. October has become our opportunity to celebrate this recently overlooked grape. So let’s do it, October is #MerlotMe month! In October, our Wine Pairing Weekend Group will be celebrating Merlot at the dinner table, paired … Continue reading
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