wine and food

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Winter whites. I wish I could wear them, but with me being generally accident-prone year-round, and with the dirty, wintry conditions of city-living,  they don’t make it to my wardrobe. Winter white wines, however, are more than welcome in our home, and I love to have a chilled, hearty white wine with a roasted chicken or other cozy meal. For recipes, please visit my recipe post page.  Today’s wine of the week, like last week’s was enjoyed at my favorite Galway wine bar, Sheridan’s. If you ever visit Galway, definitely give it a try!

Domaine de Coussergues Chardonnay Viognier

Tasting notes for this Domaine de Coussergues Chardonnay Viognier blend actually call it a summer wine, and while I can see that, I think it’s perfect for colder weather. The Chardonnay gives it a crisp acidity and citrusy notes, but it’s the Viognier that makes it stand up, giving it that weighty mouth feel that I love most about Viognier. Baked apricot and mango, big, forward, ripe fruit make this wine pack a flavor punch with a lingering finish. I loved it and loved that, when in Europe, I am better at trying European wines, where at home we tend to drink a lot of wines from the US. One of my favorite parts of tasting wine is discovery of a new favorite in my glass or a new place I want to visit.

Don’t limit your wine pairings to what other people  might find seasonally appropriate; enjoy what you like year-round!

Tags: chardonnay, Viognier, wine, wine and food, wine bar, wine of the week, wine tasting, Wine Wednesday, winter whites

Champagne. It’s one of the loveliest words and loveliest drinks out there, so when we can get a bargain on a new bottle, I am always for it. Since we moved further south, we have been taking advantage of our proximity to Bin Ends in Braintree. Bin Ends has SO many good deals, and this past weekend they had a sale on their bargain bins. We stocked up on every day wine; bottles that are $15 and under are very easy to find at Bin Ends Their fine wine flea market each month is also a great place for wine bargains and for expanding your knowledge of wine. I blogged about the fine wine flea market many moons ago when I first started getting into wine. Really, worst pictures ever. Ritz Brut Champagne Anyway, as I mentioned, we found some great bargains and decided a split of Ritz Brut Champagne would be worth a try for $12. The weather on Memorial Day was pretty disappointing and meant we couldn’t take the boat out, so we consoled ourselves with Champagne and some snacks, including a delightfully nutty, salty Dubliner cheese from Kerrygold. This Champagne embodies all I love about this special beverage, full body, notes of warm brioche and vanilla with perfect acidity to make it refreshing and food friendly. Champagne, as you have read here and in other places, is an excellent food wine, and this paired very well with simple snacks like chips and cheese. I am a salt-aholic, and Champagne always seems to pair with my favorite foods. I’ll keep looking for Champagne in those bargain bins. I love trying new ones and love pairing them with food even more.

Tags: boating, champagne, Kerrygold, wine, wine and cheese, wine and food, wine of the week, Wine Wednesday

What a heavy week. The anniversary of the Boston Marathon brought a lot of heavy heartedness to the city, and another suspicious backpack brought flashbacks and nerves. I hope the rest of the week brings peace and cheers and at worst sore muscles as we look forward to welcoming the Boston Marathon back.

Before the week began, I got away to enjoy some seriously warm temperatures (80 degrees!) and belated birthday celebrations with my family in NJ. Originally we planned on going out to dinner, but when the weather turned out to be perfect, we decided to grill at my sister’s.

I knew I wanted a luscious white for sipping on the backyard swing while my brother-in-law kindly cooked dinner, and I was pretty sure it had to be a Viognier. Luckily the Wine Chateau, a store near my mom, offered a good selection, including my choice, this 2010 Fess Parker Viognier from Santa Barbara County.

Fess Parker Viognier

Just as you would expect from a Viognier, this wine was full of stone fruit flavor like ripe peaches. The mouth feel on a Viognier is such a huge part of its beauty, and this one certainly had weight, along with slight oak and vanilla notes. This Viognier goes perfectly with sunshine. I also highly recommend pairing it with a grilled dinner.  We had a serious feast of grilled shrimp, chicken sausage, lobster, mushrooms, asparagus, corn, and salad, followed by homemade chocolate ice cream. It was pretty much the best birthday dinner I could have asked for, and it was a nice preview of summer.

grilled lobster

Tags: Summer wine, Viognier, wine, wine and food, wine and food pairings, wine of the week, wine pairing, wine tasting

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