Wine Debunk | ...refuse to be intimidated

Egg Salad Sandwiches Go Beaujolais

Who says red wine can’t be paired with an egg salad sandwich? Not us. We recommend a Beaujolais to go with the humble egg salad sandwich. It’s fruity and light with low acid. That’s important because the sulfur from the eggs can become overwhelming if paired with a wine that’s too acidic. Beaujolais is light bodied. It’s not uncommon to chill a Beaujolais, even though it’s a red wine. Surprised? Stick with us, we’ll help you navigate the unexpected and the curve balls this crazy, nutty, fancy-pants wine world can throw at you.

Beaujolais

Beaujolais Nouveaux

Easter Dinner Deserves Meritage

If you’ve decided to have lamb for Easter dinner, whether you’re preparing a rack of lamb or the leg, this rich meat deserves the best - try a red Meritage. When you see that a wine is listed as a Meritage, you know two things about it. First, it’s a blend. Second, it’s going to be delicious. How can we be so certain? It’s all in the name. Meritage is a term coined by Napa Valley Vintners in the 80s as a marriage between the words merit and heritage.

Meritage

Pinot Grigio Makes Nice with Melon and Prosciutto

Nothing makes a nice plate of melon and prosciutto better than a crisp cold glass of Pinot Grigio. Melon and prosciutto are already a natural pair, balancing salty and sweet against one another. The crisp short finish of this wine with a bright, floral aroma and just the right amount of acidity makes this an absolute trifecta of winning flavors.

pinot grigio

Pinot Gris

White House Corks Wine Lists

Will we never know which wines our President serves at state dinners? According to Bloomberg after the press got a hold of Obama serving a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, from Quilceda Creek vineyard from Washington State that retailed for up to $399, the White house stopped making its wine list public. "The offending wine has a rare 100-point rating from critic Robert Parker's Wine Advocate".

Tasting wine in Baja California, Mexico

Have you been to the Baja California wine region in Mexico? Rick Bayless has. The region was destroyed by plague at the same time as California but has been coming back, just like California. It just took the Mexicans a bit more time. Beautiful!

Baja California

Mexico

The Mystery of Blackcurrant Flavor

It’s not uncommon to hear wine experts say that a particular wine has blackcurrant flavor but if you’re in the US this might be somewhat a mystery to your palate. As it turns out, this once popular fruit was banned in the US while its cultivation flourished in Europe. How is an American to know what blackcurrant flavor in their wine should taste?

blackcurrant

flavor

Beware the Ides of March?

Shakespeare’s soothsayer warned Cesar, “Be ware the Ides of March!” He didn’t and things didn’t turn out very good for him. But we’ve got news for you -- every month has an ides! Not just March! The ides of any month is an arcane way to say the 15th. We say, celebrate the ides of each month by opening a nice Gamay Beaujolais. There’s nothing to worry about. So relax and enjoy. Maybe even watch a movie. (Wink) We think that’s a pretty good reason to drink.

Gamay Beaujolais

Winemaking Off the Map: Old Word Style and New World Style

There’s more to winemaking style than simply pointing on a map and declaring that’s where Old World wines are made and there’s where New World wines are made. The truth is any region is capable of making either style of wine. The decision of what to make and how is really a matter of taste. It would be simplistic to say that winemaking techniques differ according to region, terrain and cultural traditions when there’s a quite a bit more too it than that.

New World

Old World

winemaking