Enobytes Wine Blog

Holiday dinner pairings…if you fret the challenge of finding the perfect pairing, you’re not alone. It’s daunting to think about what goes with what; turkey is sort of like chicken, so should I serve it with a Chardonnay? Can I serve the same wine with oyster dressing as I would a sausage dressing? What about smoked meats? Sauces? Candied yams? Pumpkin pie?

These decisions would make anyone go nuts. Holiday meals are usually so varied when it comes to flavor, texture, sweetness level, acidity and oil content that it’s almost impossible to find the perfect match as the combinations are endless. If you’re looking for a few really good versatile wines that will pair with a myriad of foods, check out my recommendations from the slideshow below. There’s bound to be a few wines you’ll love and your guests will be impressed with your wine-savvy knowledge.

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Celebration dates such as anniversaries and births deserve a gift that will never be forgotten. The gift of a wine from the same vintage that commemorates either of these celebrations is enduring and thoughtful. As spring approaches, we all have commitments well into the summer that fit this description.

As most of us will agree the bubbly elixir of life, a.k.a. Champagne, usually comes to mind but as the occasion dictates this event is a celebration of commemoration. That would require a gift with a vintage that matches the date and only age worthy wine would be appropriate. Vintage Champagne of good quality and in good shape (older than 1988) might only be a fantasy. This would be ok for twenty year anniversaries, but you would have to exclude Read the rest of this entry »

I was at my local wine store when I overheard a customer berating the wine steward about why they didn’t carry the box wine which contained Champagne equipped with a drinking straw. Baffled and amazed, I had to investigate what this was all about.

Come to find out, it’s not a box wine at all; California vintner and Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola is producing a 6 ounce Blanc De Blancs named "Sofia" packaged in a raspberry-colored can with a straw attached to the side like a juice box. Unfortunately, most articles reporting on the libation grossly misrepresent the product as Champagne. I guess we can equally blame Coppola as well, for Blanc De Blancs should be made entirely out of Chardonnay grapes but his product is a blend of Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat Canelli.

Now I know I might not be as cool as I use to be, but I just don’t get it. I can’t speak for everyone, but I have no interest drinking a sparkling wine (heaven forbid if it was real champagne) through a straw; but then again, I don’t like drinking espresso out of a Styrofoam cup either. What’s disturbing me equally are those consumers that seem to care more about how cool they look drinking the product more than they do about what’s inside the can. Frank Greve from the Knight Ridder Newspaper wrote a story about the product and reported out that Washington D.C.’s restaurant Mie N Yu’s beverage manager Saeed Bennani said, "You’re drinking champagne out of a can with a straw. It’s different. So you’re different," Bennani said. "What’s in the can almost doesn’t matter." So if it doesn’t matter what’s in the can, why not simply fill the container with Budweiser? I guess this is one of those stories that I simply have to let go – to each his own, right?

~ Pamela Heiligenthal