Cru Beaujolais at the Grill #Winophiles

French Winophiles Celebrate Cru Beaujolais This month, our French Winophiles group is diving into the ten Crus of Beaujolais. Many people only know Beaujolais Nouveau, the brand new baby wine rushed to market as a celebration of the just concluded vintage. It’s fun, but it isn’t intended to be a reflection of what’s possible from … Continue reading

Wine 201: Orange Wine Primer with Food Pairings to Try #WinePW

Wine Pairing Weekend Group Tackles Foods with Orange Wine April showers bring May orange wines? Put simply, orange wines are white wines fermented in contact with their skins. Our Wine Pairing Weekend group is tackling orange wines this month, crafting some great ideas for food pairings with this genre of wines which many are discovering. … Continue reading

Pot Roast Soup and Bold Bordeaux by Women (Pot Roast part 2)

Turn Leftover Pot Roast into Soup A few weeks ago my mother-in-law, Joyce, shared her pot roast recipe. We paired it with some delicious red wines made by bold women winemakers in Bordeaux. Today we’re finishing the pot roast saga with Joyce sharing her leftover pot roast soup recipe. Bordeaux Wines for All Many Americans … Continue reading

Vini Alois: Champions of Campania’s Native Grapes #ItalianFWT

Italian Food, Wine & Travel Bloggers Explore Campania This month, our blogging group filled with Italy fans is virtually exploring the Campania region of southern Italy. Take a look further down in this post for a whole host of great ideas! (click on any photo to view full size slide show) Vini Alois: Committed to … Continue reading

Burgers and Côtes du Rhône

Perfect Burger Pairing? Is there a perfect wine pairing for the classic American hamburger? I think not, which is good given the frequency of burgers on our dinner tables. I look for easygoing reds with a nice, plush texture and enough body to pair with the meaty flavor and fat in the burger. It helps … Continue reading

A View of Northern Rhone’s Saint-Joseph through Three Wines #Winophiles

French Winophiles Explore Wines of the Northern Rhone This month, our Winophiles group is traveling (virtually of course) to the Northern Rhone. Less than an hour south of Lyon by car or train, the vineyards hug the Rhone river as it travels south to the Mediterranean. The chief grapes in the North are Syrah for … Continue reading

Primo Pizza Night with Trediberri Barbera d’Alba

Pizza Night on the Primo Ceramic Grill I don’t know about your kitchen, but my oven does NOT like 500° F for any period of time. That fact plus my love for fire has cemented my ceramic grill as my favorite way to cook pizza. No matter how many people are involved, pizza night is … Continue reading

Bold Women from Bordeaux….and Minnesota!

Bold Bordeaux Women and Bold Minnesota Women Wrapping up Women’s History Month this year is a complicated affair. The month started with a big promotion in New York City: “Strong Women Make Big Bordeaux Bottles”. A group of women winemakers and winery owners came to New York to promote a fun side of Bordeaux by … Continue reading

Pantry/Freezer Spaghetti with Unti Sangiovese

Pantry/Freezer Spaghetti with Unti Vineyards Sangiovese In keeping with the spirit of #stayhome, I’m sharing some easy recipes which hopefully won’t require a separate trip to the grocery, or at least can be accommodated in your once a week trip. In cooler weather, spaghetti is one of our easy weeknight meals. Julie is especially fond … Continue reading

Blogging through the Corona Virus Pandemic

Covid-19, Stay at Home, and Extra Free Time The situation with the Covid-19 outbreak is a serious one, indeed. Like many around the world, we are staying home and doing our best to be safe and keep others safe as well. One unexpected outcome is that people seem to have a renewed interest in cooking. … Continue reading