More Mourvèdre Please

Say that three times fast! We usually try to match the wine with the food pretty carefully, but sometimes “Eat what you like with what you like to drink” is what happens.  On this particular Sunday afternoon, I was knee-deep in my Mourvèdre investigation, and we decided we wanted to try a couple of recipes … Continue reading

Idiot’s Grace Vineyard Walk

Last week (May 15), I had the opportunity to take a walk in the Idiot’s Grace Vineyard in Mosier, OR.  Memaloose Wines has two properties: Mistral Ranch and Idiot’s Grace.  All their wines come from one of these two estate vineyards,  both located in the tiny Columbia Gorge AVA.  I love the opportunity to see … Continue reading

#ChardonnayDay

We interrupt our Mourvedre investigation for Chardonnay Day.  Who decides these things?  May 23 is officially “ChardonnayDay”. We’re encouraged to open a Chardonnay and share our experience.  These twitter celebrations are kind of goofy, but they are kind of fun, too! We got a late start this evening, this is our Chardonnay Day choice.  A … Continue reading

Mourvèdre: Unpronounceable

So you want to buy some Mourvèdre, but how in the world do you pronounce it? “Move Over Dear?”  You’re in luck, just click here.  It’s kind of fun!  Of course, the French ones will be Bandol, which is easier but less fun to pronounce. Today we’re trying another Bandol classic with an American Mourvèdre … Continue reading

What’s Mourvèdre?

The Mourvèdre grape is widely used as one of the blending grapes in Southern Rhone wines such as Côtes du Rhone and Châteauneuf du Pape; wines we enjoy.  To get a sense of Mourvèdre at center stage however, we need to look beyond the Rhone. Bandol is a town in Provence and its red wines must … Continue reading

Meatless Monday Chili & FoodBeerClick?

True Confession Honesty is the best policy: drink beer with your chili. When I set out on this Meatless Monday, I knew I wanted to try a chili.  I modified the recipe to use wine for the liquid instead of beer.  I kept the spices on the tame side. I tried a lean red low … Continue reading

Whatever’s in the ‘Fridge Flatbread

We love flatbreads and pizza for weekend lunches.  Sometimes we have a plan and sometimes we just root around in the refrigerator and see what we have.  You might like trying your own version with whatever you have in your ‘fridge.  Flatbreads seem to taste great with a wide variety of wines, we usually just … Continue reading