How Sweet It Is – National Honey Mead Month

Along with cooler temperatures and more colorful leaves, September is also the month to celebrate National Honey Month!

According to the National Honey Board around 60,000 bees make up a hive. These bees travel up to 55,000 miles, visiting more than two million flowers along the way just to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey!

To harvest honey, bee keepers collect the honeycomb frames kept in bee boxes and scrape off the wax seals that the bees use to protect the honey. The frames are then placed in a machine that spins the nectar from the combs.

The honey is then strained to remove any remaining wax, or other debris, before being bottled and sold. But there are other uses for this golden nectar, namely making mead.

Mead is one of the oldest fermented drinks in the world. During the Middle Ages, herbs, grapes, grains, and fruit wines were blended with fermented honey and water to make variations of the original mead beverage.

In the U.S. there are more than 300 different kinds of honey. That's due to the different types of flowers that grow in an area, which affect the honey's color and flavor. A lighter honey will be mild in taste while a darker honey will have a more robust flavor.

Mead is not only crafted as a wine with grapes, but also as an ale or beer when mixed with barely and wheat, and also as a smooth honey liqueur.

Plan a jaunt out to a regional winery that makes mead this weekend and relish those honeyed heavenly flavors of the oldest fermented beverage known to man.

Now that is “sweet!”

~ Joy

Life is a Cabernet – At Least On This Day!

Get ready Cab lovers; tomorrow, September 3rd, is National Cabernet Sauvignon Day! This global event is held the Thursday before Labor Day (in America) each year, so put it on your calendar and share the news with your Cab loving friends.

The “holiday” was started in 2009 by Rick Bakas as a social media event (#CabernetDay) to celebrate the grape. Wineries and wine shops in major cities around the world began promoting it to help entice Cabernet drinkers into their establishments for special tastings and sales. Six  years later, the event is still being celebrated.

So what should you know about Cabernet Sauvignon? There are over half-a-million acres of this grape grown around the world; it isn’t called the “King of Red Wines” for nothing. Cab wines are a deep red and crafted in a dry style. Cabs boast a full body, and wonderfully deep, rich flavors that can range from bell peppers, to tobacco, to black cherries and berries that will tantalize your taste buds. The tannins are bold; there’s an earthiness to Old World Cabs while the California Cabs are more fruit-forward.

What are some good food matches for this “bad” boy? Look for dishes that are high in fat like steak, burgers, lamb and ribs. You can also enjoy it with pizza, pastas with a red meaty sauce, bittersweet chocolates, and cheese with a bite. (Think Cheddar, Blue and Camembert.)

Get ready to party tomorrow with a great Cabernet, good friends and a delectable meal because life is a Cabernet – at least for one day each year!

~ Joy

Six Wines to Celebrate the End of Summer

The ‘unofficial’ end of summer is almost here. We still have a few more weeks of warm (OK – hot) weather, but school has started and those lazy days are drawing to a close. Time to plan one more picnic, cookout, or great all-out get-together and bid summer a final adieu. 

Great parties call for great food and great wine.  White wines have been the mainstay of summer, crisp, light, and mainly chilled. So let’s send off the season with an eye toward those moody autumnal red wines. Fire up the grill and let’s start pairing!

Burgers and Zin   

Try a full-bodied Zinfandel. The Zin’s fruity and spicy flavors will go well with a burger, or ribs and a Zin is wonderful with other grilled red meats.

Steak and Malbec

You won’t fail by serving a Cabernet Sauvignon with steak, but another great wine that’s often overlooked is Malbec. The tannins are hearty, the aroma can have hints of plum or tobacco, and the flavor should be fruity.  

Pork and Barbera

Although I won’t hesitate to pair a red with pork, many still feel more comfortable pairing a white wine with ‘the other white meat,’ especially when entertaining. If so, then grab a chilled bottle of Gewurztraminer for a nice alternative. Otherwise, get adventurous and try a Barbera with grilled pork.

Brats/Dogs and Options

A Zinfandel will work well with grilled hot-dogs. If you’re adding a chili sauce, go for a Beaujolais. For grilled brats, try a Pinot Noir.

Chicken and Merlot

Yes, I know, Chardonnay is the natural answer, but if you adhere to the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) rule, then pour a Merlot with robust berry flavors for a tasty white wine alternative.

 

Seafood and Pinot

Pinot Grigio’s crispness goes well with plain, grilled fish or shrimp. If you’re grilling salmon, tuna or mackerel then pull out a Pinot Noir.

Of course, sauces and sides will affect your pairing, so take a bite of the food and a sip of the wine to see what you like. Remember, wine is subjective; the main point is to celebrate the end of summer with the food, the wines, and the people you love - so go enjoy!

~ Joy

16 Catchy Wine Sayings

It doesn’t matter what your interest, there are always some catchy sayings on the internet. For my fellow wine lovers, here are just a few that have more than a "sip of truth" to them … 

For a Bad Day:

Or Bad Week ....
 

For a Bad Wine: 

For Dining:

 

For Health:

For the Holidays:

For the Best of Times:

And Just Because:

'Nough said ...

~ Joy

Caposaldo Wine Review

Caposaldo Vineyard

Two sample bottles of wine arrived from Caposaldo Winery the other day making it the perfect time to do some Italian wine tasting.

Caposaldo is an Italian artisan winery that focuses on style. All of the grapes are harvested by hand and the wines are carefully crafted to bring out the best of the fruit.

I began with the Pinot Grigio, with grapes grown in northern Italy’s Delle Venezie region, well known for its volcanic rock and chalky clay soils. The Caposaldo whites go through a cold fermentation in stainless tanks, in order to bring out the wine’s true flavors. This Pinot Grig had the essence of peaches and pears with a hint of minerals, and the aroma of apples enveloped in crisp acidity. Hints of almonds led to a clean finish. My overall opinion: this is a nice, “classic Italian Pinot Grig” and should be served with seafood, poultry or pork.

The Chianti is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot and Malvasia grapes grown in the Chianti region of Tuscany. These grapes are also handpicked and undergo traditional vinification, including being pumped over at least four times a day. One-third of the wine is then aged in oak before bottling. Nice berry aromas with an undercurrent of herbs on the nose led to an outstanding cherry flavor; good body. My overall opinion: Nice berry/cherry flavors but the finish is a bit astringent and minerally.  Pair this wine with grilled or roasted meats, pizza, or red sauce pasta meals: this wine would go well with any classic Italian meal.

Caposaldo also offers several other wines including a Prosecco D.O.C from Veneto region of northern Italy, a Sweet Moscato, Sweet Peach Moscato, Sparkling Sweet Red and Sweet Pink Merlot Moscato. It's definitely worth trying a few well chilled bottles during these “dog days of August.”

~ Joy

(If you have a wine you’d like me to sample and review, message me for an address.)