#ChampagneDay 2013

We have fun celebrating these internet based theme days for various wines.  One of our favorites is #ChampagneDay because it’s a great excuse to make the day an occasion.  It appears that #ChampagneDay is the last Friday in October, because it was also on a Friday last year.  Wow, just like Thanksgiving and Easter!  Anyway, … Continue reading

Oops!

Make Sure You Have Plenty of OOPS! OK, you spill an expensive bottle of wine, you break glasses.  Those “oops” moments are no fun at all.  The OOPS moments I’m talking about are failures, but they show you are still trying new things, experimenting, learning. FoodBeerClick Chili (original post here) I wanted to modify a … Continue reading

Kermit Lynch Wine Dinner at Pairings

Wine dinners at Pairings Food & Wine in Minnetonka are always a treat.  Tonight, we had the pleasure of an all Kermit Lynch wine selection paired with special dishes by Chef Mike.  Anissa, the manager at Pairings and Eric from New France Wine Company were our hosts to this special evening. (click on any photo … Continue reading

Salmon, Risotto & Gevrey-Chambertin: A Meal to Remember

We’ve come to the end of our virtual tour of Burgundy, with a nice finish.  I’ve been working on my risotto skills this winter, and  I think I finally figured it out with this dinner; still a bit chewy but not too much.   In fact, it felt like a very nice restaurant meal.  Not bad … Continue reading

Steak & Vosne-Romanée

Working our way north, we have exited the Côte de Beaune and have entered the Côte de Nuits.  While the  Côte de Beaune produces both white (Chardonnay) and red (Pinot Noir) wines, the Côte de Nuits produces almost exclusively red wines. The top Grand Cru wines can cost >$500 per bottle, a little out of our price range!  … Continue reading

Meatless Monday: Shiitake Tacos & Two Shepherds Pastoral Blanc

We’re taking a quick break from our virtual Burgundy tour for Meatless Monday. Today we’re trying Shiitake Tacos from the Herbivoracious cookbook by Michael Natkin.  We tried pairing the tacos with a Two Shepherds Pastoral Blanc white blend from one of our recent discoveries in Sonoma.  We loved the tacos, and we loved the wine, … Continue reading

A Cautious “Yes” for Burgundy and Mussels

Today on our tour, we’re at the northern end of the Coté de Beaune, in the town of Chorey Lès Beaune.  On hearing of our virtual Burgundy tour, a friend suggested we try pairing the wine with clams or mussels.  What an interesting suggestion!  We have always chosen a white wine with shellfish.  I have … Continue reading

Nebbiolo Finale: Pio Cesare Barbaresco & Lasagna

The Christmas gift that keeps on giving…. A pasta making class For Christmas, our son Peter gave Julie a “Mom & Son” pasta making class at Kitchen Window.  They came home raving about the lasagna and we have quickly incorporated homemade pasta into our regular mealmaking.   Actually,  Peter didn’t know it but he gave both … Continue reading

Wines for Spicy Fish Tacos

Spicy Goes with Sweet I had a recent experience with Moscato d’Asti and raw jalapeno slices – it was such a taste surprise!  I wanted to explore a little further, so I decided to try it with some spicy fish tacos.  I stopped at our corner wine shop on the way home and there was … Continue reading

Surprising Pairings with Bill Summerville

Bill Summerville + Kitchen in the Market = whirlwind evening full of food & wine pairings, laughter and learning.  Bill will be back for another twist on wine & food pairing in January, hopefully I’ll see you there! Bill is a managing partner and the sommelier at La Belle Vie, generally considered the finest dining … Continue reading