10. 30. 2012

Trick or Treat-Worthy Wines

Four dry wines to pair with your sweet treats.
While sweet wines are usually paired with dessert- why not mix it up and try a dry treat pairing.

1. The 2008 Lini Labrusca Rosso, is a delicious little artisanal red sparkler. From Emilia-Romagna in Italy, this is not your mother’s Riunite- though it can be enjoyed on ice. Much like the California Chablis of the 70s, the Lambrusco has gotten a bad rap. This little diddy puts that notion to rest. Bright berries and a subtle earthiness with light tannins round out the wine, and its fizzy bubbles- the piece de resistance. The effervescence of the Lini pairs beautifully with the air-filled texture of a milk-chocolatey Whopper as well as with a simple Cacio e Pepe pasta dish. A good any-night-of-the-week libation, but definitely not your normal sparkler- this one’s got jazz hands. $16

2. A personal favorite, from the Land of Enchanment, the NV Gruet Brut, is a delicate and delicious sparkling wine. Made by French hands in New Mexico, its fizzy bubbles, crisp green apple and soft brioche notes are a perfect pairing for your kettle corn. Inexpensive but refined, this is a great wine to pull out at dinner parties- sure to impress- it also goes great with hot dogs and sushi. $13.99

3. How to properly savor those tiny corn confections? Gewurztraminer, of course. The lush citrus and delicately spiced white pepper notes combined with the fine minerality and acidity of the 2009 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer makes it the perfect pairing for your candy corn. The Gewurtz is sure to bring out the, well… sugar in the candy without being too cloying itself. Also great with a spicy fried rice. $21.99

4. Orin Swift’s 2010 The Prisoner packs a punch, a plum punch. Tough enough to meet a mouthful of peanut butter and chocolate square on, this Napa zinfandel blend sings with big and bold flavor. Licorice, plums, pepper and vanilla will Abracadabra- reach out and grab ya. A bit much without a proper pairing for this wine drinker, but great with your Reese’s or BBQ. $37.99

What the Weekend Looked Like

Happy Weekend!

Have a wonderful fall weekend. Unless Frankenstorm shows up early, this weekend we are off to trick or treat in town and attend the annual Del Ray Halloween Parade- should be fun to see all the kiddos dressed up.

Hope you have a beautiful weekend! Go Tigers!

20 Minutes In…

Lately, I’ve been challenging myself to 20 minute photo shoots. I pick a spot and spend 20 minutes taking photos with my iPhone and when time’s up, see what I’ve got. Sometimes they’re kind of cool and sometimes not so much, but nevertheless, it’s an amusing little way of cramming some creativity into my time-challenged day.

Blueprint del Bialetti: the perfect little espresso maker

Thank you, Italy! I realize I am a little late to the game on this one, but my brother in law recently turned me on to a more respectable way to have my morning coffee. I am a sucker for espresso but don’t own an espresso maker and always thought it was a bit too much fuss to make in my own kitchen. Lazy? Maybe, but with all the steaming and the frothing and the banging… Oy, gevalt. Then, Presto- I had a cup from his stovetop Bialetti. Serious near perfection.

There is something so satisfying about this industrial, simple and perfectly Italian little piece of machinery. Manually putting together the pieces of my cup of joe each morning makes me feel like a part of the design and gives me a sense of territory over my cup, like I’ve earned it. Not that it’s difficult, al contrario, it is simple (unscrew, add water and espresso, screw, place on stovetop, pour coffee, drink), relatively inexpensive, and the taste of freshly brewed espresso with a bit of milk is quite like heaven, I imagine. Ahh, those Italians- when it comes to the good stuff (design, art, style, food, wine… coffee)- they really do know what they’re doing.

Stovetop happiness- Grazie Mille.