"wine pairing" news and stories

I have a feeling I'm not alone in one of my Christmas-cooking traditions. As the cookies are rising in the oven -- a mix of sweet and savory recipes, some frosted, others not -- I'm sipping a glass of wine. Now, while it's true you could drink any wine with a cookie and it's all good, why not have fun with it? Here we bring you a cheat sheet with wine and Christmas-cookie pairings, designed to celebrate (and not cover up: hello, jug wine?) the nuances in each grape varietal. (Click on the cookie names to link to recipes.)

Rum (or Bourbon) Balls
If you're going to bite into a sweet that's got this much alcohol, then you need to have an equally high-alcohol beverage. A late-harvest Zinfandel or late-harvest Riesling will do the trick.

Frosted Sugar Cookies
With this type of cookie, there is so much going on (cake flavors in the cookie, sugar-shock in the frosting) that you can choose either a red or white wine as a pairing. A Riesling from Washington State or a jammy Shiraz with black-pepper notes from Australia will do just fine.

Jam-filled Cookies
The rich raspberry notes in a glass of Zinfandel would go with this type of cookie no matter if it's blueberry, blackberry, cherry, strawberry or raspberry preserves you've jammed into the dough.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

• Mind your words -- and alcohol intake -- for the best champagne toast.
• Wine expert says you don't have to know everything about vino to pair wine with food -- you just need eyes.
• Take a bite of some images from the SF Chefs tasting tents.
• A seminar on pig is the best idea for a seminar ever.
• Cook like a Roman with cacio e pepe.
• These stuffed peppers are perfect for those who don't like spicy foods.
• Play match the chef to the eatery with Chris Cosentino.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

• Save a yellow onion from the doom that is your vegetable crisper -- use a pearl.
• You don't need to travel to California to tour one of the state's oldest wineries.
• While you're at it, brushing up on your wine-pairing knowledge wouldn't hurt.
• Chimichurri and tri-trip steak -- from Argentina with love.
• Now, you, too, can grill Spanish-style sardines.
• The slow cooker -- probably the single greatest kitchen appliance invented -- is perfect for this blackberries-and-pulled pork recipe.

Wine paired with soup? Before you accuse us of culinary snobbery, think about it. At a multicourse meal, stretching from appetizer to dessert -- with a soup or salad, dessert, and an entrée in between -- a wine with each course really brings out the nuances and flavors of each dish.

Here are our suggestions for wine varietals to pair with popular hot soups, celebrating the rich, spicy or creamy flavors in each.

Unless you're hiding under a rock, you've noticed that, in the days leading up to Valentine's Day, chocolate varieties flood the market. Make your Valentine's more romantic and indulgent with these gourmet chocolate-and-wine varietal pairings.

Green & Black's Organic Chocolate Peanut Bar ($3.50, 3.5 oz)
This smooth-tasting bar is a mix of milk chocolate (37 percent, to be exact), caramelized organic peanuts and sea salt. An Aussie Shiraz – for its fruit-forward, jammy notes – would stack up well with this bar. Or, if you're a fan of whites, consider Gewürztraminer; its sweet notes will contrast nicely with the sea salt.

Harry & David Bing Cherry Chocolates ($22.95, for a 16-oz box)
Embedded inside each of these double-dipped chocolate balls is a dried (but juicy!) bing cherry. Yet when paired with a festive, sparkling Rosé – such as Cupcake Vineyards Brut Rosé, $16, which has a nose of wild strawberries – the chocolate reveals a softer finish.