Dry and delish

Although many people equate "Riesling" with "sweet", Rieslings come in styles which run the gamut from bone dry to super sweet dessert wines. What all of them have in common, though, is good acidity to balance any sugar present in the wine (Riesling is a grape which retains its acidity, so as the grapes ripen on the vine and sugar levels increase, acidity levels still stay high, unlike many other grapes whose acidity drops off as sugar levels get higher.)

I really enjoy all Rieslings, and those with a hint of residual sugar go really well with spicy Asian food (the sugar counters the heat in hot Indian and Thai curries and other spicy dishes.)

Chateau St. Michelle has been a great American producer of Rieslings for years now. Their Columbia Valley Riesling is off-dry, with just a touch of sugar, along with peach and apple flavors. Their Eroica offering, a collaboration of CSM and Dr. Loosen winery from the Mosel region, is gorgeous, with minerals, rich fruit and great acidity.

For those of you who like Riesling's fruitiness and acidity, but prefer dry wines, try CSM's Columbia Valley Dry Riesling. More along the style of a dry Austrian riesling, the wine is full of beautiful apricot, mandarin orange and apple flavors, along with a bit of minerals. It is full of flavor but finishes dry. Try it all by itself, with a cheese and fruit plate, or with Asian food.

Wine slushes--update

The nice folks at Quady Winery just sent me 2 sample bottles of wines that they suggest to use in wine slushes--Electra and Red Electra. (They contacted me after reading my article on wine slushes on Wine Enthusiast's website). We are having out of town guests this weekend, and I can think of nothing more refreshing during a muggy VA summer than one of these out on the deck. We'll try them this weekend and post our thoughts them next week. In the meantime, here is some info from Quady Winery about these wines:

Made from the Orange and Black Muscat varieties, Electra and Red Electra taste like a bowl full of fruit with a bouquet of flowers thrown in.

To add to the enjoyment, we made them a little “frizzanté”. It was this tingle on the tongue which gave rise to the name: Electra.

Enjoy on the rocks, on the deck, or lounging next to the pool. Take them on a picnic and you won’t need a nap after lunch.

Here’s a fun idea for entertaining at home: Slushies. With only 4-5% alcohol, the Electras freeze beautifully. You don’t even need a machine. Just pour the wine into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a freezer until the wine crystallizes. It will break up easily into an attractive granité like consistency. The frozen wine can then be scooped into a glass and garnished in various ways.

Another interesting fact: the Electras are sweet wines but, because the alcohol is low, the caloric content is the same as regular dry table wine.

Everyday retail nationwide: $12.99

The Essential Wine Tasting Guide

The Essential Wine Tasting Guide is a great little pocket tool for the wine lover (full disclosure: Glen Green, the creater, sent me a free sample to check out.)

Just the size of a credit card when folded, it fits easily in your purse, wallet or pocket, and offers a wealth of information. Once unfolded, you can use it to find the right adjectives to describe the texture, aroma and flavors of a wine (everything from "freshly cut grass" to "honey" to "red cherry to "smoke"). It also offers a handy guide to a wine's hue, wine faults, and a temperature serving guide, among other useful things.

Total price comes to around 12 bucks for shipping to the U.S. (the guide is produced and shipped from Australia.) But it's a very helpful tool to take to the wine store, restaurant, or to a meeting of your wine club. I was really impressed by how much is covered in such a small space.

Divas Uncorked--Sisters Who Sip

Divas Uncorked is a group of women who love to enjoy and learn about wine. Their "Sisters Who Sip" series is a once-a-month teleconference hosted by the Divas, with a different guest each month--typically a woman sommelier, wine author or educator (previous guests include author Leslie Sbrocoo and sommelier Nadine Brown.) Attendees of the teleconference sip wines they have purchased ahead of time (guests provide a list), and learn more about them during the call. It's a heck of a lot of fun for a Saturday afternoon.

I'm pleased to announce that I will be the guest for the August 4 Sisters Who Sip. The theme is "great wines for grilled foods," and we'll talk about wines that go with everything from steaks to shrimp skewers.

If you are interested in learning more, and registering for the teleconference, here is the link to Sisters Who Sip. Hope you can join the Divas and I on August 4!

Bachelorette party options

Thanks to the folks at Washington Post's "Going Out Gurus" blog, who included my business in their annual list of ideas for bachelorette parties.

You can read the article here.

Wine and food ideas for dear old Dad

Looking to make a special meal for your dad on Father's Day? Check out my article on Father's Day barbeque ideas, as well as wine suggestions to make the meal complete.

Steele Carneros Pinot Noir

I did a few wine tastings for clients over the weekend, and tried a CA Pinot Noir that I really enjoyed...the best part is that it's in my general price range for a weekend wine (and for me, that means no more than $20. Though if someone else is buying then the sky's the limit.)

At around $18 a bottle, the Steele Carneros Pinot Noir is textbook Carneros Pinot for this price range--low yet silky tannins, flavors of black cherry, and a slight hint of that can't-quite-put-your-finger-on-it "earthiness" so common in Pinots.

It's easy-drinking and easy on the wallet, and went over really well with the crowd at the tasting on Saturday night. I'm going to add it to my list of "reasonably" priced CA Pinots--along with Acacia, Angeline and (cheaper still at less than $10 a bottle) Camelot. It was really lovely and very enjoyable.

Hot wine

My schedule unfortunately didn't allow me to make it out to this year's Vintage Virginia wine festival, which was held this past weekend at Bull Run Regional Park. But my webmaster Pierrette attended on Sunday (the better day to go this year, as the off and on rains kept the crowds light...)

She passed along some information about some very unique wines from Peaks of Otter Winery in Bedford. Wine purists--brace yourselves, as this winery specializes in fruit wines. Their Chili Dawg wine is made with 97% apples and 3% chili powder, resulting in a wine that tastes like hot pepper jelly. Pierrette said it was unlike anything she's ever had, and it was a fun change. She also recommended it with with sharp or cheddar cheese.

They also produce a wine that's more for cooking than drinking (except maybe if you are a masochist...) called Kiss the Devil Chili Pepper.

For more information on these wine concoctions, check out Peaks of Otter's products page. And thanks, Pierrette, for the "hot" tip.

Host a Wine Swap

Looking for a way to get rid of some bottles of wine that you don't really like? Then host a wine swap. Read here for more details.