If someone says Rombauer Vineyards to you, what is the first thought that comes to mind? I’d be willing to bet it’s: Chardonnay. Even Rombauer Vineyards’ winemaker, Richie Allen, jokes that some people think Chardonnay is all that Rombauer produces.
It’s February so, of course, the Wine Pairing Weekend group has collected some sweet, romantic and otherwise interesting food and wine pairings to share with you for your Valentine’s Day celebration. Christy, who blogs at Confessions of a Culinary Diva, sent out this month’s invitation. My goal for our Valentine’s Day pairing was to create a pairing that was special, but one that would leave me time to spend with my valentine.
We recently had the opportunity to taste a range of wines produced by Brian and Stephy Terrizzi under their label Broadside. The couple participated in an online tasting during which they answered our questions and tasted four of their wines with us. The wine was provided to us as tasting samples. The tasting, among other things, highlighted the variety of wine styles being produced in the Paso Robles AVA.
Do you look down when you travel? Sounds like a silly question on the face of it, of course you do, you’re probably even more deliberate about doing so when you travel than when you’re at home on familiar territory. Aside from making sure you don’t trip or step in doggie doo doo, the colors, textures and patterns you will see beneath you […]
On a recent weeknight I came home to the most delightful surprise. The aromas were the first thing I noticed — sautéed onion and Italian sausage along with the spiciness of andouille. Our large dutch on the cooktop was the only other clue dinner was imminent. The kitchen was completely clean otherwise. There was no evidence of the preparation that had taken place. Clearly, Pete had been busy while I was out.
The second thing I noticed was a glass of red wine on the kitchen counter. I looked at Pete and asked, “Is that for me?” “Yes,” he replied, “what is it?” He loves to test me, so I played along.
I pulled the bottle of Peter Zemmer Pinot Grigio from the refrigerator and grabbed my favorite wine glass, a Zalto Denk’Art Universal glass. It required a firm grip and a bit of muscle to remove the screw cap from the bottle of wine. I poured an ounce or so into my glass, put the screw cap back on the wine bottle and placed it in the refrigerator.
As I turned my attention to the glass of Pinot Grigio, the most amazing aromas greeted me — even before I lifted the glass to my nose. This was my first hint that this Pinot Grigio, grown in Alto Adige (and sent to us as a tasting sample), was no ordinary Pinot Grigio.
Paul Cullen, former Bad Company bassist, has turned his attention from rock music to Italian food and wine with music to accompany both. Through his enterprise, Tune Your Palate, he will arrange to cook delicious authentic Italian dishes for you and your friends in your own kitchen. He creates wine pairings to match and then plays music while you enjoy both. Sounds like a delicious idea doesn’t it?
Our first Wine Pairing Weekend for 2016 has us “Celebrating Something New in the New Year.” This month’s host, Camilla Mann, who blogs at Culinary Adventures with Camilla, extended the challenge to all of us. It’s the perfect theme for the first month of a new year.
The bottle came wrapped in tissue paper. A little package to unwrap, adding to the anticipation of finally tasting the wine. Pete pulled the cork and we gave it a quick sniff. We looked at each other and smiled. He poured a small glass for us to sample before pouring the remainder of the bottle into a decanter. It would be an hour before our friends arrived for dinner.
November was the most enjoyable month of wine tastings I have experienced in some time. I spent Tuesday evenings participating in Protocol Wine Studio’s #winestudio Twitter chats and sampling extraordinary sparkling wine made in the mountains of northeastern Italy. In all, we received four sparkling wines as tasting samples produced by Cantine Ferrari. Each Tuesday evening special guests joined the conversation to explain Ferrari’s history, farming practices, production methods and we sipped a different Ferrari wine as we learned about Ferrari. It’s a genius way to learn about wine.
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.