Happy Chardonnay Day!

Hello Friends!

Today is a great day! Why, may you ask? Well, for me it's great because I am just 6 hours away from hopping on a plane with my hunk, which will zip us up north to Portland. Jared and I are spending the next 4 days with our friends Tim and Ashley, who have quite a fun itinerary planned for us, from wine tasting, tours of Seattle and Portland, hikes, and more!

Another reason it's a great day is because it's Chardonnay Day! Wahoo-Happy Chardonnay Day!!
Now, those of you who know me know that I actually despise most Chardonnays. I typically would rather opt out of drinking than drink a glass of oaked Chardonnay.

But, as I wine-o, I am a fan of any day that celebrates wine!

In honor of Chardonnay Day, here are some fun Chardonnay facts:

1. Chardonnay originated in Burgundy, France, but now it is made practically everywhere- even Greece, New York, and South Africa!

2. Chardonnay is one of the 3 permitted grapes in Champagne, along with Pinot Noir and Pinot Menuier. In my opinion, that's the best way to drink it!

3. Chardonnay has a few aliases, including Aubaine, Beaunois, Gamay Blanc, Melon Blanc. Lots of people just call it "Chard". Sommeliers turn up their noses at wine abbreviations, FYI.

4. Among white-wine grapes, few adapt so easily as Chardonnay to soil and climate conditions, or are so responsive to different techniques by growers and winemakers. This is why there are so many styles of Chardonnay- ranging from flinty Chablis to oaked, buttery Napa Chardonnays!

5. Want some food with that wine? Chardonnay is a great side-kick to seafood and poultry. If a chicken breast and plain white fish sounds boring- how about trying some lobster tail or fried chicken with that Chard?

6. Want to buy some Chardonnay? Here are some reliable and trustworthy producers of Chardonnay from around the world:

France: Chablis: Domaine William Fevre, Moreau et Fils, Dauvissat Bouchard Pere et Fils, Dujac, Verget, Olivier Laflaive, L. Jadot, L.Latour, J. Drouhin, Ramonet, Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Leroy.

U.S. of A: La Crema, St Francis, Arrowood, R. Mondavi, Staglin Family, Kendall-Jackson, Lohr, Jordan Vineyards, Estancia, Matanzas Creek, Beringer, Cuvaison, Grgich Cellars, Heitz,

Chile: Errazuriz, Santa Rita, Concha y Toro, Caliterra, Casa Lapostolle, Undurraga


Now, go have some Chardonnay to celebrate! Or, if you're like me, just have it in your Champagne :)

I'll be back next week with reviews of Pacific Northeast wines and wineries!!


Stacey

The Simplest Wine & Love Related Analogy

Today, as was I was fulfilling one of my weekly job tasks (searching all the major wine blogs and compiling some news snippets for my colleagues), I stumbled upon a post by Tom Marks, the writer of Fermentation: The Daily Blog.

Tom, just like me, is getting married very soon, and to someone he really loves.

On marriage, love, and wine, Tom writes:

"Love is like wine. It intoxicates.

I'm certainly intoxicated. Inebriated, even. And if you don't mind, I think I'll just stay in this state for the rest of my days. So excuse me if I slur my words from now on".

I'm with you, Tom Marks!

93 days to go!

My Mantra

Friday Daydreams

TGIF!! Can I get an amen?!

I know this is a wine blog, but all I can think about are...

The mojitos I'll be drinking tonight!!

Tonight I'm going to Havana's restaurant in Walnut Creek. We went there for my best friend's bachelorette party, and we all fell in love- especially with the mojitos.

They serve 15 types of mojitos, including melon, peach, strawberry, and apple... see the full menu on their site.

6 hours left until I'm there, and currently the colada mojito is sounding miiiiighty fiiiine!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

All the bridesmaids outside of Havana's at Cara's bachelorette party in 2009.

And The Answers Are....!

Hello Wine-O's!

Yesterday, I shared a fun little wine quiz that I found in the Food Network Magazine.

Here are the answers!

1. Which is NOT a U.S. Wine Region?

A. Columbia Valley, WA

B. Willamette Valley, OR

C. Sonoita, AZ

D. Hill Country, TX

E. Estill Springs, TN

F. North Fork, NY


Correct answer: Estill Springs, TN


2. "Corked" wine smells like:

A. Tobacco

B. Plastic

C. Musty Cardboard

D. Pencil Shavings

Correct Answer: Musty Cardboard.
This is not a good thing, by the way. 3-5% of all wines are affected by TCA, which is what causes this 'corked' smell.

3. Which is NOT a real wine bottle size?

A. Royale

B. Jeroboam

C. Balthazar

D. Nebuchadnezzar

Correct Answer: Royale
These are all sparkling wine bottle sizes. The Nebuchadnezzer holds a whopping 15 liters! Crack me open one of those!!

4. A fungus called noble rot gives some dessert wines a desired ____ aroma.

A. Boiled Cabbage

B. Wet Hay

C. New Rubber

Correct Answer: Boiled Cabbage
The 'noble rot' is botrytis, a rare fungus that grows on ripe wine grapes. Botrytis affected grapes make some of the most prized sweet wines!

5. Pair the wine with the best take out food pairing:

Rose Pad Thai

Chianti Chicken tikka masala

Riesling Pizza

Correct Answer: Rose-Chicken Tikka Masala, Chianti-Pizza, Riesling-Pad Thai
All of the above are a balance of acid, sugar, and spice... and everything nice!

6. Mead is a type of wine that's made with ___ instead of grapes.

A. Honey

B. Apples

C. Berries


Correct answer: Honey
The production of mead dates back to as early as 6,000 B.C. Have I ever tried it? No way!

7. Match the country to its bubbly.

Germany Cava

Spain Champagne

Italy Lambrusco

France Sekt

Correct Answer:

Germany-Sekt, Spain-Cava, Italy-Lambrusco, France-Champagne

8. Match the wine experts to their occupation.

Robert Parker Winemaker

Aldo Sohm Sommelier

Fred Franzia Wine Critic

Correct Answer:
Robert Parker-Wine Critic, Aldo Sohm- Sommelier, Fred Franzia-Winemaker

Robert Parker writes for The Wine Advocate, Fred Franzia was the winemaker for Charles Shaw (2 Buck Chuck), and Aldo Sohm has been voted Best Sommelier in the World by the Worldwide Sommelier Association.

9. True or false?
You should swirl red wine, but not white or rose.


Correct answer: False
Swirl away, my friends! It'll oxygenate the wine and strengthen its flavors, regardless of color.

10. If you find stuff that looks like coffee grounds in your wine, you should:

A. Send the wine back.

B. Strain it, or decant it slowly.

C. Shake the bottle so the grounds dissolve into the wine.

Correct Answer: Strain it, or decant it slowly.
The stuff that looks like coffee grounds is wine sediment, a naturally occurring breakdown of the wine. If you see some, just strain the wine or pour it carefully so most of the sediment stays at the bottom of the bottle.

11. If you like dry, not-too-sweet champagne, you should order:

A: Extra brut

B. Demi-Sec

Correct Answer: Extra brut
The scale of sweetness for sparkling wine, from dries to sweetest goes:

Extra Brut-Brut-Extra Dry-Sec-Demi Sec-Doux.


So, how did you do?

Here's the scoring (according to the magazine)

0-4 Correct Answers
Novice! You need to do a little homework! The best way to learn about wine is to drink it. Before you know it, you'll be comparing tasting notes and throwing around words like "complexity" and "crispness".

5-7 Correct Answers
Quaffer! Not bad- we're guessing you've taken a trip to Napa Valley, or at least seen Sideways. But, there's more to learn: Ask wine shop managers or sommeliers anything and everything. You'd be surprised by how happy wine lovers are to teach you all about it-- SO TRUE, I say :)

8-11 Correct Answers
Master Sommelier! You're a true oenophile. Open a bottle of vintage Chateau Margaux for yourself and celebrate your good grade.



I hope you enjoyed this little quiz! Have a great Tuesday!

Stacey

What's Your Wine IQ?

Hi Everyone!!

Yesterday, I was enjoying the So-Cal sunshine and flipping through magazines, and I found this fun little wine quiz in the Food Network Magazine. It is titled "What's Your Wine IQ"? and is fairly comprehensive, and asks questions about the major sectors of the wine industry.

So, for those who are fearless enough, take the quiz. I'll post the answers tomorrow, and we can compare our scores.

So if you dare, take the quiz and find out YOUR wine IQ!

1. Which is NOT a U.S. Wine Region?

A. Columbia Valley, WA

B. Willamette Valley, OR

C. Sonoita, AZ

D. Hill Country, TX

E. Estill Springs, TN

F. North Fork, NY


2. "Corked" wine smells like:

A. Tobacco

B. Plastic

C. Musty Cardboard

D. Pencil Shavings



3. Which is NOT a real wine bottle size?

A. Royale

B. Jeroboam

C. Balthazar

D. Nebuchadnezzar



4. A fungus called noble rot gives some dessert wines a desired ____ aroma.

A. Boiled Cabbage

B. Wet Hay

C. New Rubber



5. Pair the wine with the best take out food pairing:

Rose Pad Thai

Chianti Chicken tikka masala

Riesling Pizza



6. Mead is a type of wine that's made with ___ instead of grapes.

A. Honey

B. Apples

C. Berries


7. Match the country to its bubbly.

Germany Cava

Spain Champagne

Italy Lambrusco

France Sekt

8. Match the wine experts to their occupation.

Robert Parker Winemaker

Aldo Sohm Sommelier

Fred Franzia Wine Critic

9. True or false?

You should swirl red wine, but not white or rose.


10. If you find stuff that looks like coffee grounds in your wine, you should:

A. Send the wine back.

B. Strain it, or decant it slowly.

C. Shake the bottle so the grounds dissolve into the wine.

11. If you like dry, not-too-sweet champagne, you should order:

A: Extra brut

B. Demi-Sec

Come back tomorrow for the answers and see how YOU score!!