I recently met 0ne of my more interesting challenges when a neighborhood friend invited me over for a post-holiday holiday party. When a friend Antonio and his lovely wife are originally from Venezuela, so the scrumptious buffet included some delectable-but-difficult pairing challenges from the south – South America.
A new year is here again, providing yet another opportunity to pledge allegiance to improving our lives and resolving to vanquish bad habits. My resolution this year is the same as it is every year; I will continue to drink more of the good stuff. After all, life is too short to drink bad wine.
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Since just about every wine-growing region on the planet produces some version of sparkling wine, there must be something to it. Here are a few sparkling wines from around the world that you should definitely consider making a resolution to enjoy this New Year’s Eve and throughout the year to come.
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The holiday season is almost here and, hopefully, most of your shopping and schlepping is done. Now it’s time to concentrate on one last detail: the wine.
Twelve days of Christmas. Twelve bottles of wine in a case. Coincidence? Maybe. But if I could unwrap just one present on Christmas morning, it would be this case of international wines selected for their remarkable value.
Whether you celebrate with carols, candles or caviar, a great bottle of wine shared with friends and loved ones can be a memorable experience. In addition, if you’re hosting a holiday party, or have been invited to one, you’ll want to provide a wine that will be delicious, impressive, easy to find and reasonably priced, particularly if you are picking up several bottles.
How do you know when you have “made it” in the wine world? Well, one indication would certainly be monetary success. But the ultimate compliment may just include being honored by the Smithsonian Institution with an exhibit featuring your wines.
Click here to listen to my wine recommendations on WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week
A friend of mine sent me an email recently, informing me that his son attended a business meeting where the following wines were served:
2005 Pichon-Lalande
1989 Chateau Margaux
1970 Chateau Margaux
and my personal favorite…
1985 Bottle of Something I Don’t Recall
Since his son did not know much about wine, my friend asked me to write up a brief review of each wine and send it to his son so that he could have a sense of the caliber of wines he was being served. I dutifully complied, but I thought I would have a little fun and share my favorite review (ala Robert Parker) with readers:
1985 Bottle of Something I Don’t Recall
This is one of my favorite wines of all time. The 1985 Bottle of Something I Don’t Recall is a youthful and unevolved wine, but does not have the tannic ferocity of the 1988 Bottle of Something I Don’t Recall, or the sheer force and intensity of the 1978 Bottle of Something I Don’t Recall, but it represents the epitome of this wine. Everything fits perfectly in this full-bodied, black/purple-colored wine that reveals no garnet or amber at the edge of its color. The nose offers up a formidable array of overripe black raspberries and cherries intertwined with scents of cedar, chocolate, olives, and toast. Extremely full-bodied, with an unctuosity and opulence that must be tasted to be believed, this velvety-textured wine’s finish lasts for over a minute. The 1985 Bottle of Something I Don’t Recall is one of the most concentrated but profoundly endowed and well-balanced wines I have ever tasted. Like so many of the wines Bottle of Something I Don’t Recall has produced from this vineyard, no matter how hard one tries to articulate its glories, words are simply inadequate. The 1985 Bottle of Something I Don’t Recall is just beginning to achieve full maturity, where it should remain for another 25 + years.
As the weather turns cooler, my wine thoughts usually turn to darker shades of red. But that is not necessarily the case in Provence, where the locals of the southern French region tend to do something that would appear unusual to American consumers; they drink Rosé wines in the summer as well as in the fall, winter and spring. The reason is versatility. Their unique characteristic allows dry Rosé wines to pair well with a wide range of cuisines, including Mexican, Middle Eastern, Thai, Spanish and Indian.
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In our household, the day after Thanksgiving can only mean one thing; trying to figure out what gift my wife is going to get the man (i.e. me) who has everything wine-related for the holiday season. Personally, I like “usable” wine gifts, something that can be helpful year after year. So, if you are scrambling for a hostess gift, Secret Santa present, stocking stuffer, or the perfect gift for your wine lover, look no further. She’s got you covered.
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