Good Morning!

I received a unique email asking me about pairing fast food with wines, I think this is pretty hard for me because when I am thinking about fast food it is mostly because I have drank to much wine! But my pal was saying he is not a cook and he often grabs something on the way home and pours a glass of wine and they rarely ever work together. So, I had some questions for him like what foods are you talking about and what wines are you trying to complement the food with. He made me a list of his standby favs to grab on the way home from work.

I am going to break these meals and discuss what I think might work with these fast food meals….this might be easy or I could throw in the towel, here we go!

Subway Black Forest Ham and American cheese with tomatoes and cucumber with mayo and mustard on wheat: Dan, you are being a pretty healthy guy with this selection 6 grams of fat and all but I have to say for me pairing anything with the bright yellow, French’s style mustard is really difficult. The mustard is a really sour and vinegary punch in the mouth. Mayo is easier to work with but the ham is easy…with ham, chill a rose’…but this mustard is gonna be a challenge. Dijon mustard is much more refined and if you decided to change it up to Dijon mustard I would say, find a bottle of Rhone wine (red) and it will either be predominantly Syrah or Grenache and you have a fighting chance at finding an lovely combination.
Actually, I have had great success with pairing roast pork in a mustard sauce with Rhone wines, so maybe give that a try. Like Mark Oldham (wine geek super expert) says, pair your wine to the sauce not the meat or the preparation style, you will be much happier.

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder combo: Dan, I love you for a million reasons and I love the fact you get the large Quarter Pounder meal…you sir are a manly man and should eat like one! OK, the salty fries are the thing that keeps me heading to the golden arches when I have had too much to drink, but pairing wine with this burger will be the fun part. It has a raw onion slice, pickles, ketchup and mustard on top plus the cheese if you order it that way. The struggle here is the condiments, a cheeseburger plain is easy, grab a Cabernet or zinfandel and you will be happy. Ti pair with the almost salad action you have going on with this sandwich, I am going to go out on a limb and say grab a chilled bottle of either Vinho Verde or unoaked Chardonnay. The meat might overpower this wine alone but with the salty fries and pickles and mustard, I am thinking it could pull it all together.

Taco Bell Burrito Supreme combo: This was my go to meal after the bars closed when I was in college. All the girls would go to Taco Bell and chow down after leaving King’s Corner in Muncie, IN on our drive back to Ball State University. I personally can not think of a wine that will work with their salty seasoned beef, onions, tomatoes and the processed sour cream…at that point in my life I would have ordered a Pepsi and called it a night….but as I think about this meal is kinda reminds me of beef stroganoff, stay with me…you have beef, sour cream and the burrito wrapper is kinda like the pasta in stroganoff…so the best pairing I know for that meal would be Gigondas, the wie from Southern France in Rhone Valley made from Syrah. I am going to have to try this for myself…I love Gigondas and I remember loving Taco Bell….so that is my guess for this meal.

Arby’s Giant Roast Beef sandwich with curly fries: This whole pairing depends on if you add Horsey sauce or the Arby’s (red BBQ) sauce. If you eat this sandwich plain you can grab a wine high in acid and it will pair perfectly with the meat so grab a Pinot Noir from the US or grab a bottle of Burgundy from France. But if you are going to have the firey Horsey sauce, open some Riesling, it will calm down the fire, but I doubt the Riesling will pair too well with the fries and their seasoning. If you are using the Arby’s sauce, open up a Zinfandel…Zinfandel and tangy BBQ seem to balance each other, the sweet from the fruit, cuts the richness of the sauce and meat.

FYI, I have not ever tried any of these pairings and they could be total train wrecks or I could possibly be the most brilliant wine pairing person in the universe. I plan on trying these (after vacation, I am kinda staying away from processed food currently), but when I do try them, I will report back and let you know if this is a huge success or an EPIC fail.

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

I have been gone from blogging for about 2 weeks and I know the suspense must be killing you guys! Where have I been and what have I been drinking? After about 45 emails in my box this morning and after all my company has returned home, I can focus on blogging and answer your questions and discussing what I have been drinking.

I have had a line of company all summer long. It started in the early part of May and with a 2 week break another wave of visitors for Memorial weekend and then came 2 weeks of visitors in June and the last weekend of June my pal from DC was here and by the 4th of July, I was tired of cooking and BBQing so I took a break and now I am almost ready for 10 days in DC and NYC. This summer is Epic for myself and my family and friends.

The greatest thing in the world is to surround yourself with the people you love and that is what I have been doing. We have grilled, chilled and spent hours in the pool. I am tan, relaxed and probably a little visit to Jenny Craig might be in order this fall. We have been enjoying some great wines in the past few weeks and really we are trying to stay on the no carb diet minus the booze and chips with salsa. We have been on a margarita binge and as well as grilling shrimp, salmon and sea bass and having rose’ with the seafood. I find that rose’ works with pork, hot dogs and seafood…honestly the rule of thumb around here this summer is if it is pink before you cook it, drink rose’ with it. This little law has never let me down!

Chill a few bottles of the rose and grill up a pork loin and or shrimp, if you grill with a light hand (not over cooking the heck out of the protein), the chilled wine will go down as refreshing as a white wine will have enough structure from the red grapes who gave up it’s juice to pair perfectly with the meat!

Rose’ with cheese? Yes! some of my pals love rose with brie, I am not sold on that being a perfect pairing (it’s ok, but not perfect) but if I have my fav rose’ made from Grenache made in Tavel, France…the perfect cheese pairing for me is Mt Tam cow’s cheese, it is organic, triple cream and it is hand made. You might not be able to find this cheese locally but you can look for triple cream cheese from your area’s producers.

While I am on the subject of wine pairing and cheese…I found a combination you might fall in love with as much as I have. take blue cheese and stuff a date with the cheese, then go open a bottle of Gigondas (from France, Rhone Valley, Syrah) and pair them together…The combination of fruit, salty, creamy, sour, bitter about blew my head off…yes it was that good! Also, we took some of the dates that were stuffed and wrapped them in bacon and cooked them until the bacon was cooked….it was still good with the Gigondas wine, but we tried the bacon wrapped dates with a big Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa and those two paired like Fred and Ginger…freaking fantastic!

Now you know I have been playing, visiting, pairing, grilling and trying every wine I can…tell me what have you been eating and drinking and what is rocking your taste buds?

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

I am in Texas for the next couple of weeks and it is mid June and it is hotter than hell here…seriously. San Antonio = Hell with humidity. I really enjoy the sun and the people here but to escape the heat you can stay indoors or you can brave it outdoors. If you are going to have some refreshments you have to be strategic and smart. If You are a guzzler in the heat, stick with the water do not make the EPIC failure of chugging margaritas or beers or super chilled white wines…you will not feel how quickly they sneak up on you!

I like chilled white wines by the pool or on the back porch and another one of my favorites is an easy to find Italian white wine called Soave. Soave is an area west of Veneto. Most Soaves are made with at least 70% Garganega grapes and normally they blend in Trebbiano or Chardonnay grapes to create a dry white wine.

This wine kinda had a bad reputation, like the girl who dated too many guys in High School, because it was used in much of the jug wines and it was never aged. But there are different levels of Soaves and each level will reflect different standards and different winemaking styles. Some will have a label that says Soave which is young and never aged…this is what I drink chilled by the pool. The other levels of Soaves will be labeled by saying Soave Classico which means it is from a smaller growing area on the hillside above the towns of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone. The highest level of quality is Soave Classico Superiore which must be aged at least 8 months before release.

There is a sweet Soave made each year and it is made by the recioto method. Recioto method is just like Amarone, they take the super ripe grapes and dry them out in drying rooms to concentrate the sugar. Fermentation is stopped before the sugars can turn into alcohol so the wine is wonderfully sweet if you find the sweet Soave…I LOVE it with French Vanilla ice cream, I am not kidding, it is awesome.

Just thought I would let you know of another great white wine that you can find under $11.00 a bottle that might help you expand your taste buds.

Try it and tell me all about your experience!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning,

Happy Monday! I received an email last week asking me if I ever get bored drinking the same wines. The answer is Yes if I drank the same thing all the time, I’d get bored. But I rarely drink the same wine over and over. I thought I would share some wine varietals with you , and you can pick a few to try. They are easy to find and maybe will provide a new taste you will enjoy and snap you out of the taste bud boredom!

Here are 4 whites to try if you have not already..I have kept this list easy and you will not have to break the bank, everyone of these could be found for under $12 a bottle.

Albarino – is a white grape from Spain and this wine is dry, light-bodied, stainless-steel aged, fruit-forward wines especially in the region of Rias Baivas. (The grape is called Alvarinho in Portugal…look for that to try as well).

Gewurztraminer – This is a German wine and it’s name means “spicy” but not like hot and zesty, like very fragrant, it smells like the lychee fruit I ate every morning when I was in Hawaii. It also has the aroma of rose pedals and white pepper. This wine can be either dry or slightly sweet. I love this wine with Thai and or spicy Indian or Asian foods.

Gruner Veltliner – This wine is from Austria and might be the best pairing wine with salads. This wine is perfect with greens and it has an almost lime zest and white pepper and it is light and low alcohol, that way the salad and the wine do not fight to be the dominate flavor profile.

Prosecco – This northern Italy grown white grape is used to make some of the most fun and delicious sparkling wines ever! Pop the cork and enjoy the fun!

Here are 4 red grape varietals that might be fun for you to try to shake off the taste buds from drinking the same Cabernet Sauvignon.

Barbera – This Italian grape is has great balance and acidity with a medium body and nice tannin structure, in the mouth, it might feel like a Merlot. It is a rustic and beautiful wine, try with a dish that might have a heavier sauce, like lasagna or a beef stew.

Carmenere – I fell in LOVE with this wine and grape while I was in Chile and I can not drink enough of this beautiful wine. This wine is dark, fruity and earthy…I love this wine with grilled meats and with really creamy cheeses, like brie.

Gamay – This grape variety from France is grown in Beaujolais. This is a light bodied red and it tastes like a very young Pinot Noir. This wine is really the deal with Thanksgiving…seriously anything that works with turkey, dressing, cranberries, sweet potatoes etc….this is a fun lighter red wine to try.

Petite Sirah – is also known as Durif (but very few people call it that unless they are geeking out on wine terms). This wine is inky dark and powerful tannin structure and rustic. his is a big wine much like a big California red on the mouth feel. This one might turn your teeth purple!

I hope you will hunt down some of these wines and let me know what you think of them!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

This Sunday is Father’s Day and many folks will be grilling meat and I have been ask about what wine to pair with BBQ and or anything from the grill.

As always, I am going say it depends on what meat you grill, how is it prepared and what sauce is used…so here are my thoughts.

A big fat dry aged steak….Get a massive red Cabernet Sauvignon or I love a Zinfandel as well.

Making dry rubbed ribs….Syrah or Zinfandel will be a nice pairing…if you make “wet” ribs, watch the heat in the sauce or if the sauce is sweet mix things up get a Rose’ if the sauce is sweeter, the acid in the wine will counter balance the sugar and if the BBQ sauce has some spicy or hot…seriously find a Riesling.

Grilling chicken….I am loving Chenin Blanc (white) or Gigondas (Grenache) I kinda tend to be on a white wine kick this summer!

Grilling Shrimp….Find a great Rose’ let it flow!

A friend of mine is from South Africa and he invited us to a “cookout” at his place and the call outdoor grilling Broai. They grill up all kinds of meats and what makes a Broai different from our cookouts is they like to grill up unseasoned game meats, like deer, antelope and lamb as well as the stand by beef and chicken and sausage. They do not season or marinate the meat, so it is really a very true to the flavor of the natural meat. Then he served a wine was “created” by the winemakers of South Africa when they crossed a pinot noir with the cinsault vines. Pinotage if you have never tried it has a bigger and heavier mouth feel than a Pinot Noir but it has a very similar finish as the Pinot Noir, the main difference is the weight of the wine that feels heavier and the Cinsualt add a little more body and structure to this balanced wine.

I hope you will try this parings or find a bottle of Pinotage with to either share with your Dad or toast to him if he is not around. I will drink a big glass of bubbly in honor of my Dad and all my grandfathers and all the other great men of the world who are awesome Dads’ or men who are important a child no matter what their age!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi