Is there a Marrow Doctor in the House? Bordeaux #Winophiles

Doomed Preparing for our November French #Winophiles blogging group journey into all things Bordeaux, I was excited to feature both an entrée (1st course) and a plat (2nd course, usually main course). I featured a Bordeaux Blanc with mussels for the entrée, and the plan was to follow with a pan seared steak, aka entrecôte … Continue reading

Happy Carménère Day!

November 23rd is #CarmenereDay Carménère – The Lost Grape Ever hear of Carménère? It’s a bit like one of those “Switched at Birth” mysteries with a happy ending.  Carménère was originally one of 6 allowed blending grapes for use in Bordeaux red wines, but it was particularly hard hit during the 1800’s Phylloxera epidemic in … Continue reading

Bordeaux Entrée: Mouclade de Moules & Chateau Les Bertrands #winophiles

French #Winophiles Take on Bordeaux Our November meeting of the French #Winophiles sends us to the famous and highly regarded wine region of Bordeaux.  The Bordeaux wine region is defined by the banks of the Gironde with the two rivers feeding it, the Dordogne and the Garonne. In the far west of France, Bordeaux is … Continue reading

They Sure Love Fontina in Valle d’Aosta! #ItalianFWT

Italian Food Wine & Travel Visits Valle d’Aosta Where in the world is Valle d’Aosta?  It’s a very small region tucked into the far northwestern corner of Italy, bordering both Switzerland and France.  As you might imagine, food and wine from Valle d’Aosta share characteristics with products from the mountain cultures of those two countries. … Continue reading

Montefalco Sagrantino Passito & Cheesecake

Montefalco Sagrantino Passito – An Umbrian Dessert Wine The Sagrantino grape is native to the Umbria region in Italy, and it is only rarely seen anywhere else in the rest of the world.  It is at once intensely acidic and tannic, so it poses challenges for the winegrower and for the the wine drinker! Historically, … Continue reading

Take a Look at Chilean Pinot Noir

Should You Give Chilean Pinot Noir a Try? I was approached recently by the Wines of Chile marketing agency with an offer to sample a couple of Chilean Pinot Noirs.  I have limited experience with Chilean wines and have had mixed results with the wines I have previously purchased.  I was intrigued to give the … Continue reading

Rôti de Cochon Tout Simplement et Hermitage #Winophiles

#Winophiles Tour the Rhone Our October meeting of the French #Winophiles sends us to the Rhone.  The wine region is entirely defined by the Rhone river, as it is the center and the main geographic influence in both soil and weather. We’ll be chatting about the Rhone on Saturday October 17 at 10am CDT. Join … Continue reading

Tuna and Merlot? Yes! #MerlotMe

#MerlotMe and #WinePW Collaboration Continues Thanks to the generosity of the #MerlotMe participating wineries, each of the bloggers in our Wine Pairing Weekend group received several bottles of wine. My first pairing was Pork with Duckhorn Merlot from Napa Valley, a good choice although a pretty safe one. Yes, Virginia, Red Wine with Fish In … Continue reading

Which Languedoc Wine with Cassoulet? #Winophiles

French #Winophiles Visit Languedoc-Roussillon This month, our French #Winophiles group visits the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Where is it? It’s in the south of France, west of Provence, along the coast all the way to the Spanish border. As a wine region, it has long been in the shadow of the Southern Rhone and Provence and only … Continue reading

Goats and Volcanoes are an Earthly Match #WinePW

Volcanic Wines for October Wine Pairing Weekend The theme for our October Wine Pairing Weekend group is: Volcanic Wines. When I think of volcanoes and wine, I can only think of Sicily and Mount Etna.  There are lots of places in the world where grapevines grow in volcanic soil, but I can only think of … Continue reading