Pairing Friends, Ribs & Wine
Wine Dinner Group Time The four-mutual-schedule gods finally approved and we had a date for our semi-regular wine dinner group. Summertime calls for the grill, and Bruce offered to make his favorite ribs from an Emeril Approved recipe. Sounded great! As the wine guy for our group, I have the challenge of finding a selection … Continue reading
#NWTW: Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
Try Something New! #NWTW will definitely force you out of your rut, whatever it might be. I had pretty much given up on Australian wines, feeling they were all too ripe and too oaky. Just not my style. Wrong! This week’s assignment was to find a Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra (Australia). Wine from Coonawarra seems … Continue reading
Super Bowl Duel: Barolo vs. Napa Cab w/Steak
For Super Bowl Sunday, we’re running a head-to-head wine duel with a steak dinner. Who will win: Barolo or Napa Cabernet? In the pre-game matchup, we compare the wine stats. The Oddero Barolo is lighter in color. However, it reports 14.5% alcohol vs. the 13.9% for the Frog’s Leap Cab. Which one is more intense? … Continue reading
#CabernetDay
OK, so all these goofy celebration days have started showing up. They don’t always make sense. Enjoy Cabernet based wines in August?? Whose idea was that? Once you decide to just go with it, you can have a lot of fun! Nicholas Kolnik organized a #CabernetDay event at Sunfish Cellars, a favorite Twin Cities wine … Continue reading
Do Big Rich Cabs Really Go With Steak?
A wine dinner is a great opportunity to challenge your assumptions. With an open mind, you might be surprised! My confession? I thought I would hate all the big, rich cabs. To my surprise, several were very nice. Now I just need to figure out how to ferret them out. After juggling multiple work schedules, … Continue reading
Tweet Your Recipe
Tweet Your Recipe Imagine squeezing a recipe with local ingredients into a single 140 character tweet. Recently, Rick Bakas challenged his readers to tweet food pairing submissions in a competition featuring a different Washington State wine every day. Sponsored by @2DaysinSeattle, the wine assignment for Wednesday was Andrew Will Sorella 2004, a bordeaux style blend … Continue reading
Stuffed Squash – round two & Peterson Cabernet Sauvignon
I think I have my next pairing challenge: find an all vegetarian meal that really needs a Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah as a partner at the table. This post is a step in that direction, although it’s a step sideways as well. The Rulo Cab was interesting with the stuffed squash on Meatless Monday. We … Continue reading
Stuffed Squash & Rulo Wines
A confirmed meat and potatoes guy, I have been working to deepen my appreciation for vegetables in general and vegetarian meals in particular. Meatless Monday is an opportunity to give a new vegetarian meal a try, always with an eye to what wine will match the meal. As a member of “Fortify!” a group of Minnesota … Continue reading
“Our Grand Meander” Walla Walla – Rulo Winery
We met Kurt and Vicki Schlicker last year on our trip to Walla Walla and were intrigued by their journey into winemaking as well as their incredible wines. Typically a white wine drinker, Julie has become a fan of these restrained, old-world reds thanks to RULO wines! Kurt got a microbiology degree from Stanford and worked … Continue reading
“Our Grand Meander” Walla Walla – Gramercy Cellars
This was our second visit to Gramercy Cellars and they hold a special place in our heart. Last year, when our son turned twenty-one in Walla Walla, we called Gramercy and had their L’idiot du Village (modeled after a Cotes du Rhone) delivered to Peter. Funny…he hasn’t had it yet as he’s saving it for … Continue reading
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