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

Orange is the New Red: Paolo Bea Santa Chiara & Umbrian Steak #ItalianFWT

#ItalianFWT Visits Umbria Umbria is one of the few landlocked regions in Italy. Situated in between Tuscany to the west, Le Marche to the east, and Lazio to the southwest, Umbria is known as the “Green Heart of Italy”.  Winewise, it’s best known for the white wine Orvieto, and for red wines made from Sangiovese … 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

#TempranilloDay

#TempranilloDay Oh No!  Another wine day.  I don’t know why, but I just can’t resist.  November 14 is Tempranillo Day, and we’re encouraged to open a bottle of wine made from the Tempranillo grape, then share the experience on social media. If you’re curious, just enter #TempranilloDay on Twitter.  We don’t drink Tempranillo all that … 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

What’s Mourvèdre?

The Mourvèdre grape is widely used as one of the blending grapes in Southern Rhone wines such as Côtes du Rhone and Châteauneuf du Pape; wines we enjoy.  To get a sense of Mourvèdre at center stage however, we need to look beyond the Rhone. Bandol is a town in Provence and its red wines must … 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