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

Paleo-Friendly Dinner with Troon Meritage

Troon Vineyard Meritage wine

Where the Heck is the Applegate Valley? There is so much to explore in Oregon wine. I love Willamette Valley, it’s the home to a variety of world class wines. I’m a fan of under-the-radar regions as well such as the Columbia Gorge AVA. There’s more! Southwest Oregon is another less known area. It has … Continue reading

Celebrate Merlot with Wine Pairing Weekend #MerlotMe #WinePW

October Is #MerlotMe Month Pumpkin spice is old news, and hopefully we haven’t seen any Christmas decorations yet.  That must mean it’s time for #MerlotMe! October 2018 marks year 4 for our Wine Pairing Weekend group collaboration with MerlotMe ! Join us in our month-long celebration of the Merlot grape. Along with the MerlotMe wineries, we’ll … Continue reading

Knudsen Vineyards Chardonnay and Farro “Risotto”

Knudsen Vineyards – Dundee Hills Pioneers I think of Knudsen Vineyards as the oldest new winery in the Willamette Valley. Way back in 1971 Cal and Julia Lee Knudsen purchased a 200 acre ex-walnut orchard and they initially planted 30 acres of their land to a vineyard of pinot noir grapes. They formed a partnership … Continue reading

Forbidden Foods and Stinky Cahors #Winophiles

The French Winophiles Tackle Cahors September is a great time for our French Winophiles group to tackle Cahors, a wine region in the Sud de France. Cahors wines are big, bold, often rustic red wines based on the Malbec grape. They’re taylor made for the cooler days of autumn. Cruise down further in this post … Continue reading

Finish Up the Rosato, It’s Barolo Time! #ItalianFWT

Seasonal Wines, Yes or No? Q: How many seasons are there in Minnesota? A: Two. Winter and road construction. Alternate A: Two. Winter and 4th of July. Minnesota is a state with four distinct seasons, and we embrace them all. In our wine groups I hear people saying “rosé is not just for the summer, … Continue reading