Shared bottles are the best bottles.
Sally and I have just returned from Napa.
The trip was originally supposed to happen in March, but California's shelter-in-place order went into effect the day we were scheduled to leave. So we cancelled and spent the past few months monitoring the situation to decide when to return.
Things finally felt right and a few weeks ago we re-booked our stay for September 1-5. It was definitely a different experience compared to past trips, but we learned that Napa is still a great place to visit.
Are you firing up the BBQ this weekend to celebrate the 4th of July? Wondering what to enjoy along with your grilled feast? Here are suggested Red, White, and Brew pairings for traditional Independence Day grub, and throughout the summer!
It’s recycling day, and I’m embarrassed.
My blue bin is being dumped and it sounds like closing time in the back alley of a dive bar. Our neighbors know we haven’t thrown any parties lately, so it’s just us.
All this extra wine consumption can put a serious dent in your budget if you aren’t careful. Fortunately, there are many affordable everyday wines that taste great and are easy to source.
Here are some of our go-to selections. All of these wines retail for under $20, and are distributed nationally to Total Wine, BevMo, Specs, and most national grocery stores.
Herman Story wines are impossibly huge, with well-integrated flavors. So you might be surprised to learn that Russell From, Herman Story’s winemaker and owner, is a huge Coors Light fan. Herman Story wine and Coors Light beer couldn’t be farther apart on the taste spectrum.
This got us thinking about what other winemakers drink. Is it wine or nothing? Or do other winemakers also enjoy the occasional break from fermented grape juice?
So we posed the question to other winemakers whose wines we really like: What do you drink when you’re not drinking wine?
Lots of questions swirl around wine aeration. What is it? Should you do it? Do you need a fancy gadget?
We’ll answer all of your questions with the results of our own at-home taste test. We subjected wine from the same bottle to three aeration techniques, and compared notes to the taste of the wine right out of the freshly opened bottle.
Sharing wine with friends requires a little more creativity during this time when we are asked to limit social engagement. We did some research, and found a way to put together a fun, engaging virtual wine tasting that doesn’t require much effort.
Sally and I dined at a winery, in a beautiful room with 30 guests seated at a long table. An award-winning chef prepared a delicious six course meal. Each course was expertly paired with a different wine, and the winemaker talked about her wines as they were served. An opera singer entertained us throughout the evening.
It was hard to believe we were in Escondido.
It's always fun to experiment with wine pairings. There are equally endless pairing opportunities with beer, too!
So we decided to take things up a notch and host a pairing party. We gave it a "Better Together" theme to acknowledge both the pairings and the friends we were bringing together.
Here's our step-by-step guide so you can host your own wine and beer shindig.
It started with a quest for barbecue.
Our friends told us about a great place in Fallbrook called The Rib Shack. Another couple went there too and confirmed it was legit. So Sally and I decided to take a Sunday drive to Fallbrook for some barbecue.
And hey, while we were up there, why not check out a few wineries?
