I'm opening a lot of sparkling wines these days in preparation for my exam, and a girl can only drink so much bubbly plain.
Enter the classic sparkling wine cocktail, Kir Royale. If you're not familiar with this gem, here's the short history: A guy named Canon Felix Kir, who was mayor of Dijon, France and a hero of the Burgundian resistance movement during World War II, loved to drink his Aligote, a dry, acidic white Burgundian wine, with a splash of crème de cassis, a locally produced liqueur made from blackcurrants. He served the cocktail at official town functions and it caught on.
Kir Royale is simply a Kir made with sparkling rather than still white wine. And did I mention it's gorgeous? After the jump, several versions to try and the basic recipe.
With just a week to go until Memorial Day, here are five more wine steals for party hosts and guests.
5. Mirassou Pinot Grigio 2007 ($9). Ripe with oranges, peaches, nectarines and hints of spring flowers, this deliciously inexpensive Pinot Grigio got a surprise 90 rating from Wine Enthusiast.
4. Barefoot Riesling NV ($7). Slightly sweet and tasting simply of green apples and peaches, Barefoot Riesling is a good choice if you like riper, sweeter wines.
3. Hosmer Cayuga Lake Dry Riesling 2007 ($12). Dry and mineral on the nose, the Hosmer Riesling is tart with lemons, limes, green apples and white peaches -- lovely if you like bracingly dry whites. It made Wine & Spirits magazine's "100 Top Values of the Year" list in the June 2009 issue and is one of my absolute favorite New York State Rieslings.
Two more -- including a $7 vino -- after the jump.
Attention doting husbands and children: Mother's Day is right around the corner. As the mom of two small children whose energy levels are inversely proportionate to their ages, I'm here to speak up for mothers of the world and give you a hint about proper Mother's Day celebratory etiquette.
It's simple, really. We want to observe Mother's Day by shirking our motherly duties and being bona fide adults.
Preferably with our feet up and a cocktail in hand.
This brings me to some easy sparkling wine recipes, in case you're planning to whip up a nice brunch for your lovely wife or mother. For mix-in drinks, don't bother spending megabucks on real Champagne; go with an inexpensive Prosecco from Italy (such as Fantinel) or Cava from Spain (Friexenet and Segura Viudas are good bets).
Three basic but beloved Mom-friendly elixirs after the jump.
For those who just did their taxes and are feeling a bit cash-poor, budget wines may be on the brain. Here are five wines that really deliver for the price.
1. Pacific Rim Sweet Riesling 2007 ($9). Normally I'm not a big sweet Riesling fan, but I brought this bottle to Easter dinner at a friend's house, where some of the diners prefer sweet wine. Sweet Riesling is a knockout with ham, and this Pacific Rim (at right) really delivered. My problem with most sweet Rieslings is their flabbiness, but this brand has an underlying backbone of acidity that perfectly balances the sugar. Riesling is a great spring wine with its aromatic bouquet that recalls the apple blossoms blooming in the northeast. At $9, it's a steal.
2. Graffigna Pinot Grigio 2008 ($13). Pinot Grigio has a bad rep as a wine without much character, but this Argentinian version turns that idea on its head. Its nose has a heady fragrance of flowers and peaches and the wine itself is zingy with a peachy taste. It's a dry vino, but so fruity it tastes almost sweet.
3. Korbel Brut Rose ($11): Lots of wine snobs dismiss Korbel, but I happen to think the Brut Rosé is one of the best sparkling values out there. It's a perfect aperitif, the kind of wine you hand your guests when they're walking in the door and dinner isn't quite ready -- it's like giving them a glass of strawberries to sip before dinner is served.
4. Castello Monachi Salice Salentino 2006 ($13): Hailing from Puglia in the heel of Italy's boot, this blend of 80 percent Negroamaro and 20 percent Malvasia Nero is dark, leathery and earthy with a typically slightly bitter Negroamaro finish. It's a very food-friendly red with high acidity and earthiness that seems to vanish into fruitiness when paired it with a red-sauced pasta dish or veal. Oh, and did I mention that Robert Parker gave this wine 90 points?
Ah, bottle of champagne, most delightful of ways to waste a spring's day. However, with the season just beginning and the economy showing no signs of improving, you'd best make that bottle of champagne an inexpensive one. How convenient then, that the good people of Barefoot have added a few new varieties to their line of sparkling wines.
Brut Cuvee and Extra Dry have been joined by Pinot Grigio and White Zinfandel, with the Chardonnay getting pretty new blue packaging to match the others' yellow and pink. The colors go with the light, fruity flavors and the pleasant, somewhat pastel buzz you feel after a few glasses. With the bubbly running less than $10 a bottle, you can even stockpile a few for April and May.
Of course, Moet isn't a suggestion for any of the five menus Epicurious.com developed for each of the Best Picture nominees, but even if you do one of those, the Champagne will make a nice aperitif.
If you're planning to toast a special someone tonight, try adding a little chic pizzazz to the old bubbly with one of these recipes from trendy Chicago restaurant Pops for Champagne wine director Craig Cooper. The High Sage Cocktail looks delish to me.
Framboise Cocktail 1. Combine Sugar Cube, a splash of Orange Bitters (soak the sugar cube), 1 oz. of Pasquet Marie-Framboise 2. Fill Champagne flute with sparkling wine 3. Garnish with Orange twist
High Sage Cocktail 1. Combine 1.5 ounces of Hendrick's gin, 1 ounce of sage-infused simple syrup, and ice in a shaker tin 2. Shake and strain over ice in a Highball glass. 3. Fill with Prosecco, 3 to 5 ounces depending on size of glass 4. Stir gently 5. Garnish with cucumber slices and a sage sprig.
Sage-simple syrup: Combine equal parts sugar and water and bring to boil, lower heat, toss in a few sprigs of sage, then reduce by a third to a half until you get a syrup consistency. It should have a pale green-gold color.
Celestial Fizz Cocktail 1. Combine 1.5 oz. Francois Peyrot Cognac, ¼ oz. Grand Marnier and 1 oz. of fresh Cranberry Juice 2. Top with sparkling wine 3. Garnish with Lemon wheel
The Luxury Institute has released its annual Luxury Brand Status Index (did you know that even luxury brands have their own status index?) for the wine and spirits category. The index is based on surveys of the wealthy, sampling more than 1,200 American consumers with an average weighted income of $342,000 and an average weighted net worth of $2.9 million. Here are the top-rated brands in each category:
Champagne and sparkling wine: Dom Perignon Cognac: Courvoisier Gin: Hendricks Liqueur: Grand Marnier Rum: 10 Cane Scotch: Macallan Table wine: Opus One Tequila: Patron Vodka: Grey Goose Whiskey: Woodford Reserve
It used to be that a trip to wine country meant trekking from winery to winery, tasting wine, cleansing one's palate with plain crackers, and then, stomach rumbling, heading over to a restaurant to satisfy the food craving. These days, plenty of wineries are trotting out more than just 1-ounce pours: they're putting out gourmet food, special events, and even live music to lure in and entertain customers.
For serious wine geeks, this trend no doubt annoys. Geeks would rather do what they do best--taste the wine, preferably covering as much ground as possible--and not have to consider that the cost of the live band has somehow worked its way into the case of Cabernet they just bought.
But for people who view wine-tasting and a visit to wine country as a social or romantic event, the wine experience can be a lot of fun. We're talking food and wine pairing classes; sessions with the winery's private chef, who may have been lured away from a top restaurant; music and wine pairings (and there's evidence to show that music does influence what you drink and how you taste it); and more.
Tomorrow one of the most historically significant Presidential Inaugurations will be upon us. Whether you're whooping it up or crying tears of sorrow into your glass, we've got ideas for what to drink at your party (or pity party).
If you're celebrating:
The obvious drink of choice is sparkling wine--American, of course. According to Iron Horse Vineyards, their sparkling wines have been served at the White House for five consecutive Presidential administrations, and Iron Horse hopes Obama will do likewise. Their Wedding Cuvee ($38) is a popular choice and widely available, or try the Russian Cuvee ($33), which is slightly richer and sweeter than the regular Brut.
Roederer Estate sparkling wines have also been featured in White House dinners over the years. The Brut NV ($22) is affordable and widely regarded by critics as one of the top sparkling wines in the U.S.
Korbel has been the official sparkling wine for the past six inaugurations, but apparently Obama won't do sponsorship agreements this year and Korbel has to angle for honors with all the other wineries. At home, try Korbel's Brut Rose ($12) or Extra Dry ($12), which, ironically, is a little sweeter.
With any of these sparkling wines, splash in a bit of pomegranate liqueur or blue carucao (but not at the same time!) for the red, white, and blue look.
Another all-American wine is Zinfandel, a big, bold, fruity wine also ideal for celebrating. Try one from Lodi or Paso Robles for even bigger-than-normal flavor (Seven Deadly Zins ($17) is a good example) or a classic from Sonoma like Seghesio ($36).
What to drink if you're not celebrating--after the jump.
If you've ever tried to toast with one of those wide-mouthed coupe-style Champagne glasses, you know how woefully inefficient they are for actually drinking bubbly. Legend has it that that particular shape of glass was modeled after Marie Antoinette's breasts, and now Karl Lagerfeld has designed an updated version for Dom Perignon based on Claudia Schiffer's decolletage.
Why is this ironic? First, the shape is terrible for Champagne because, as already mentioned, it's too wide and sloshy, and the Champagne goes flat fast because the surface area is so big. That's why those tall, thin glasses work better--they keep the bubbles in the wine. Second, Dom Perignon? The Champagne brand named after a monk? Releasing breast-shaped paraphernalia?
The word "septicemia" probably won't figure into the next Moët & Chandon ad campaign, but for my money, the passage that follows would be a sure-fire sell (as if I need any more reason to buy champagne). Forget Granny Clampett's medicinal moonshine, i.e., the Hollywood version of alcohol as folk curative, and raise a glass to this well-told true story from One Writer's Beginnings, the elegant memoir of a true grande dame of Southern lettres, Eurora Welty:
"What had struck her was septicemia, in those days nearly always fatal. What my father did was to try champagne."
Confession time: what's the wine you buy on autopilot, the wine you know inside and out like a wife of many years, the one that's reliable, trustworthy, and has stood by you through thick and thin?
A recent Nielsen survey commissioned by Constellation Brands divides wine consumers into six broad categories. Fourteen percent are Satisfied Sippers, who tend to always buy the same brand, and twenty-three percent (the largest category) are Overwhelmed, staring down the endless wine aisles and not knowing what to get. It's easy to draw the next conclusion--these buyers end up getting the tried and true as well.
I don't advocate tossing the wife, but this month what about banning the house wine? (If you drink beer or cocktails or even soda, read on--you can do this, too.)
At restaurants, house wine tastes somewhere between boring and wretched. At home, house wine is good for many things--you already know you like it and can serve a bottle to unexpected guests, or just when you yourself are tired and don't have the energy to try anything new.
But January is the time for new beginnings. Instead of buying the same-old wine, fill a case with 12 wines you've never seen in your life (you'll get a 10-20 percent discount on a case, so there's even more incentive). There may be some duds in the dozen, but life is short, and wine is fun, when you're willing to branch out a bit.
Do me a favor and skip the annual "I will work out more this year" resolution that's practically designed to make you feel like a failure, and make a resolution that you can really get into this year. Of course I'm speaking of wine resolutions, the kind that are easy to make and hard to break. Here are mine:
1. Travel the world through wine. I actually get to travel quite a bit, considering that I have two young kids at home. Last year I went to California twice, to Washington, to Texas, to South Dakota, and to New York. Everywhere I go, I try to taste and experience as many new wines as possible. But you can taste the whole world through wine right at home by branching out beyond the same old bottle of California Chardonnay that you pop open twice a week for dinner. Try a Tempranillo from Spain, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, a Riesling from Germany, a Vouvray from France, a Malbec or Torrontes from Argentina, a Barbara from Italy. I want to taste more around the world, and learn about the cuisines to match.
2. Get certified. I've been writing about wine for several years now, and it's time to take some classes beyond my own self-study. Many wine writers don't, and it's certainly not a requirement, but one of the reasons I love the world of wine is its infinite possibility for education (as well as entertainment!). I'm looking into certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2009.
We can change the way we make eggs -- scrambled, poached, fried -- but what about changing the eggs themselves? Mix up your scrambling routine with quail eggs.
For those who just did their taxes and are feeling a bit cash-poor, budget wines may be on the brain. Here are five wines that really deliver for the price.
If you've ever tried to toast with one of those wide-mouthed coupe-style Champagne glasses, you know how woefully inefficient they are for actually drinking bubbly. Legend has it that that particular shape of glass was modeled after Marie Antoinette's breasts, and now Karl Lagerfeld has designed an updated version for Dom Perignon based on Claudia Schiffer's decolletage. 
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