That’s right! The GPS is the key to successful holiday food and wine pairings.
Nooo, not THAT kind of GPS! … Unless of course you are using THAT kind of GPS to navigate yourself to our wine shop :P
The GPS that I am talking about is an acronym for Gamay, Pinot, and Sparkling. If you can remember those names long enough to get to our wine shop (or another if you absolutely have to :P) than you are well on your way to having the perfect wines to gulp down with the foods at all those holiday parties, gatherings, and meals you have planned this season :) Let me explain why.
Remembering GPS will keep you clear of any holiday food and wine pairing dilemmas!
Let’s start with “G”. The “G” stands for Gamay (gam-may). Gamay is a grape variety that is used in the production of wines from the southern Burgundy wine region known as Beaujolais. It is a light, fruity red wine that’s a nice middle ground for expert wine drinkers and newbies, alike. Gamay is as close to a white wine as a red wine can get, making it a great catch all pairing for all that variety of holiday foods you will find. It can stand up to meats, but balance out with veggies and herbs. It can pair with many different cheeses and can even stick around for the sweet desserts. You can go for the lightest of the Beaujolais wines by asking for Beaujolais Nouveau, or if you want to move up in quality level than ask for a Beaujolais Villages or one of the ten Beaujolais Crus. Gamay wines are also nice because both red, white, and sweet wine drinkers can find a middle ground and will all enjoy this wines from the Gamay grape.
Moving along to “P”, which is anything with pinot in front of it, i.e. Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio/Gris, Pinot Bianco/Blanc, The red pinot, aka Pinot Noir is like the vinous version of cranberry sauce for your holiday meal. It is great with the turkey, the ham, and the stuffing. It also is a great pairing for earthy dishes with mushrooms and/or various dried herbs. The white pinots, aka Pinot Bianco/Blanc and Pinot Grigio/Gris, with their fresh acidity are fantastic pairings for all the seafood dishes, veggie dishes, creamy dishes, fresh herb dishes, and salads.
Lastly is the “S”, which stands for sparkling. This can be Champagne if you are feeling fancy pants, or a Spanish Cava, French Cremant, or an Italian Prosecco if you are wanting an inexpensive value sparkling wine. Sparkling wines can go with just about anything from start to finish on our holiday menu, and you know the sound of the bursting cork is always the beginning of a party! Sparkling wines are especially great with odd texture foods like smoked salmon, oysters, artichoke cream dishes, sushi, etc. If you really want to impress your guests, set up a few fruity liqueurs that you guests can add a splash of to their sparkling wines for a European treat known as a “Kir Royal“. And any sparkling wine leftovers make a great mimosa for the late morning-afters! (My secret to a killer mimosa is an almond infused sparkling wine, which we carry in our shop!).
The above GPS can fit any budget, wine drinking personalities, and holiday festivities! You are now a holiday food and wine pairing pro, not to mention you will be THE hit at all those holiday parties!
The magical Beaujolais Days (aka Beaujolais Daze) have arrived! Join us in celebrating and exploring the wine from Burgundy’s southern most wine appellation, Beaujolais!
We will be holding a wine tasting event at our shop, featuring a variety of Beaujolais wines of all quality levels and pairing them with delicious cheeses and charcuterie! We will be holding the tasting over the course of three days, so join us during any of the times listed below and rekindle or discover your love for the wines of Beaujolais!
So why celebrate Beaujolais? Well, ever since 1985, the third Thursday of November has become a day where cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and bistros all over the world celebrate the official release day of the very young wine known as Beaujolais Nouveau (from 1951 – 1984, the release day was set as Nov 15th). Beaujolais Nouveau is a type of wine made from the infamous Beaujolais grape, Gamay, which has just been harvested and fermented for only a few short weeks. That being said, most Beaujolais Nouveau wine is very tart and acidic and is essentially as close to a white wine that a red wine can get :P But at out event, we will be showcasing all quality levels of Beaujolais wines from the light and fruity to intense and robust! So join us and the rest of the world in celebrating this fun and joyful vinous celebration! :)
For those of you who want to know more about this vinous celebration, check out the links below:
Ok, vinous readers. Get ready to explore two more obscure wines. In this post, I’ll have you venturing off to France and Spain. Get your passports ready for your palate.
No. 1
I recently purchased a Cremant de Limoux for a friend. If you like Champagne, you’ll love this Cremant from the Languedoc region in Southern France. It provides great value and legend has it, the monks there shared their secret with Mr. Dom Perignon himself. (We’ll keep this our little secret, as some wine experts say this sparkler will stand up to Veuve Clicquot). Shhhhh…..
No. 2
Now I take you to Jumilla, Spain. Here we find the Monastrell varietal that is expressed as a fruit-forward wine. It is delightful and should not be overlooked.
Check out this Bodegas Hijos de Juan Gil
This is a great value at only $17 retail.
I encourage you to explore these wines and take your palate on the ultimate road trip. Why not use the Cremant de Limoux as an aperitif and use the Jumilla wine to accompany a great meal!
I would like to tell you about a wine that I consider an old friend: Muscadet. This old friend of mine is very often looked down on, or even unknown :(. And I feel like it’s my mission to set the record straight.
First, let me tell you what Muscadet is. The grape used to make Muscadet is Melon de Bourgogne (Melon of Burgundy in French), it is called that because Burgundian monks brought it to the Nantes region back in 1709 when Louis XIV realized that it could sustain extreme cold temperature. So please do me a favor, remember … Muscadet is the type of wine, the grape it is made from is Melon de Bourgogne, and don’t let anyone tell you different :)
So where did my good friend Muscadet grow up? Muscadet is made in the green area on the map below which shows all the wine regions around the Loire River :
Muscadet is definitely the friend you want to have at your table and will be happy to be there as long as his best friends oysters, any member of the fish family, or a Selles-Sur-Cher goat cheese, are invited as well.
Muscadet is not high maintenance, he doesn’t need to sit forever (decant), before you can enjoy his company. Some say he is always the same, I say he is consistently great, bringing joyous hints of citrus, and flirtations of acidity … he even sometimes has almond or creamy notes! (depending on if you let him sit on his yeasts while he is aging in the barrel).
If you VS readers have a chance to come across my old friend Muscadet, please invite him to your table and you won’t regret it. I have word from The Ceci Sipper that there is a great Muscadet (inexpensive too) at the SandBar in the Quarry, and it can be paired with their delicious oyster sampler. Also, I have strong reason to believe that The Ceci Sipper and Vinously Chic’s Melissa Unsell will soon be carrying a few Muscadets at their new San Antonio wine shop (Vinously Speaking – An Eclectic Wine Shop ) as they are also fans of this vinous Nantais delight!
And remember, help me spread the word about my good friend Muscadet. Ask for him at restaurants and wine shops, and if they don’t offer him … tell them they should!
Last week I had the ‘wine’derful opportunity to attend a Greek wine tasting at Joe Saglimbeni’s wine shop. I have had the opportunity to taste Greek wines before, but I am by no means an expert. So, when Joe Saglimbeni said he was hosting a Greek wine tasting last Tuesday, you better believe I got my little spanakopita over there to discover and ultimately enjoy these hard-to-find wines. So if you are one of the 99.7% people out there who don’t know your Xynomavro from your Agiorgitiko, then this post is for you!
Before I start spouting off greek grape varietals that are harder than a national spelling bee word to pronounce, let’s go over a little Greek Wine 101.
A Bit of Greek Vinous History:
Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world, dating back about 6,500 years ago! Evidence also suggests that Greece is home to the second oldest known grape wine remnants in the world, number one being Iran with the discovery of a residue-covered wine jug dating back a bit earlier than the crushed grape skins and grape seeds found in Greece.
The ancient Greeks are responsible for introducing many of the grape varietals and early winemaking techniques to Italy, Southern France,and Spain.
A Bit about Greek Wine Classifications:
Like most wine producing regions in the world, there exists a wine classification system in Greece to assure wine consumers the origins of their wine purchases. The most widely known of these is the French wine classification system which is broken down into AOC, VDQS, Vin de Pays, and Vin de Table (listed from the most restrictive to the least). In Greece they are broken down into the following(again from most restrictive to the least):
Greece is home to more than 300 indigenous grape varieties, some of which have been cultivated since ancient times. Greek wines carry with them distinct flavors that come from these native grape varieties. This is going to prove to be a strong marketing advantage for the Greek wine industry in years to come. In addition to these indigenous varieties, many wineries also opt to use well-known international grape varieties in blends or on their own. Below are the indigenous Greek grape varietals you are most likely to come across:
White Varietals
Assyrtiko
Athiri
Aidani
Lagorthi
Malagousia
Robola
Moschofilero
Tsaoussi
Roditis
Savatiano
Red Varietals
Agiorghitiko
Mandelaria
Xinomavro
Mavrodaphne
To learn more about the above varietals and how to pronounce them check out this page from the All About Greek Wine website. This website seems to do a great job at explaining the basics of Greek wine. You should check it out and then at the next wine tasting function you are at you can wow all your vinous friends by busting out some Greek wine knowledge. “Hey Joe, don’t you think this Spanish wine is reminiscent of the Assyrtiko wine from Santorini?”
You can’t say I don’t teach you how to be vinously obnoxious here on Vinously Speaking :P
And there you have it, a lil Greek Wine 101. If you are wanting to know more and perhaps even add a little visual flare to your new Greek wine knowledge, check out this neat YouTube video that introduces their series on New Wines of Greece. Their YouTube channel had loads of Greek wine videos to take you on a virtual Greek wine trip :) Take some time and check it out.
Now on to the Greek wines I tasted at Joe’s last week.
Wine #1 was the 2009 “14-18h” made from the Agiorghitiko grape from Nemea in the Peloponnese region of Greece. This was a delightful and dry rose with fresh, crisp acidity and aromas of red fruits, hints of spice and some other aroma I couldn’t quite put my nose on … maybe a Greek fruit or spice I have never had the opportunity to try? This wine came home with us that evening, still must figure out that smell I don’t know :)
Wine #2 was the 2010 Atlantis made from the Assyrtiko, Aidani, and Athiri grapes from the island of Santorini. This white wine was delicious! It had aromas of almonds, flowers, lime-ish hints, a kiss of sweetness at the end, and a flirtatious acidity. This wine came home with us that evening :)
Wine #3 was the 2009 Thema White made from the Assyrtiko and Sauvignon Blanc grapes from Drama, Greece. This was quite the drama-tic wine, haha. It had heavy yet entrancing herbaceous aromas, probably some sort of Greek herbs/grass I have never heard of or smelled? It also had hints of licorice and white pepper. Very intriguing little white wine here :) Again, these aromas I am not sure of. Oh Greece, you so mysterious :)
Wine # 4 was the 2009 Domaine Spiropoulos made from the Moschofilero grape from the Mantinia area. This white wine was light and had a crisp acidity with citrus and lemon blossom aromas. The back label said it smelled like bergamot … had no idea what this was, so I looked it up, here is the link to what it is … crazy huh? Did you know what a bergamot is? Learn something new every day huh? Now you can go to your next wine tasting and use that as an aroma you smell … be vinously obnoxious … you know you want to, lol.
Wine # 5 was the 2007 Red Stag Spiropoulos made from the Agiorghitiko grape from the Nemea region. This wine had aromas of ripe red fruits, spices, wood and something like tea leaves. Again, certain aromas that I couldn’t quite put my nose on … must travel to Greece and learn what all these foreign smells are!
Wine #6 was the 2005 Thema Red made from the Syrah and Agiorghitiko grapes from the Drama region. (I am loving this name, lol. Must remember to pair this wine with a good Drama movie! lol) This wine had notes of chocolate covered red fruits,my dad even picked up on some grilled pepper aromas too, pretty cool huh? :) This was a delicious wine, I loved it!
The last wine was the 2008 Uranos made from the Xynomavro grape from the Naoussa region in Macedonia. The name of the wine was pretty hilarious to my wine tasting group … so what if that means we are immature … how can you not laugh when the name Uranos is sooooo close to … Uranus, hahaha :) In any case, funny name, seriously delicious wine! The aromas were of cherries, plums, spice cake, and even hints of green peppercorn. Yumm!
I hope you enjoyed this neat discovery of Greek wines :) If you are wanting to taste these for yourself, do head over to Joe Saglimbeni’s wine shop or your local watering hole and ask if they have any of these or other Greek wines to try. I think you will be awesomely surprised!
BTW, if you want to check out a fabulous wine blog devoted only to Greek wines and learn soooo much more about Greek wines and the wine industry there, please visit my fellow wine blogger Markus Stolz on his Greek wine blog www.elloinos.com – you will love it! He even appeared on an episode of Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine Library TV!! Check it out here.
