I drank wine from a box....and liked it.....again! Target's Wine Cube!

Calling all Target shoppers. All Target shoppers, good, inexpensive wine on aisle 12!

Wine Cube. In assorted sizes (a whole bottle, 3 5-ounce pours, 2 bottles) and how convenient they make it!

If you are looking to make an inexpensive wine statement at your next party, follow the next steps:

1. Get in car
2. Drive to your nearest Target
3. Walk to the wine aisle
4. Find the cute, brightly colored Wine Cube wine selection
5. Pick a wine
6. Buy it
7. Drive Home
8. Conceal boxed wine in decanter or another serving device
9. Welcome party folks
10. See surprise at the lovely, nice wine on all your guests' faces

Although not kick you in the heels amazing, this wine is perfectly priced for a date night at home or party with friends.

To be perfectly honest, I had these two babies on my wine shelf for quite some time, not really wanting to taste them even though I specifically bought them for the blog. I was "forced" :-) to drink the Pinot Grigio when we were out of cheap whites and all I wanted was a nice, crisp white to end the evening. I got so excited about its taste that the hubbie and I ended up opening the Cab as well just to see if it was decent as well. To say the least, both gone in one night.

Hope you all are able to enjoy as much as we did!

Cheers!

Wine Momma has joined Twitter! Follow me @BamaWineMomma

I have finally joined the Twitter-verse. Expect even more wine-o, life and kids rhetoric coming your way. I plan to use Twitter for many of my quick wine reviews as well!

Follow me @BamaWineMomma for updates on all things wine, life and community.

Cheers!

File Missing.........need more wine.

The lovely AL Gulf Coast experienced an intense amount of rain a few weeks ago. Upon moving to the Gulf Coast, you have to come to terms with rain. Mobile, AL is the No. 1 rainiest city in the country. It rains almost every day between the months of May and September and you pretty much are already wet from sweating anyway, so what's the difference?

The dark side of rain is the forsaken wannabe wi-fi that we are stuck with. For two days, I was without wi-fi and, therefore, going mad.

Re-set router. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Drink?

Can I just always get the above message instead?

When you are having that bad connectivity/internet/weather sucks/need to move now kind of day, just remember - get more wine.

Cheers!

What's so 'crisp' about Sancerre??

For this month's NY Times Wine School, we were tasked with the ever so important role of wine drinker to the French Sancerre wine. Never heard of the grape, huh? That's because it is not a grape. It's a region in France.

Unfortunately, for Americans, the French name their wine based on region, not on the grape varietal as we do in America. So, to know what the grape is, you need to know what is grown in that region.
The region of Sancerre, located mainly on the left bank of the Loire Valley, grows primarily Sauvignon Blanc and just a small amount of Pinot Noir.

We were happy to finally enjoy a white wine tasting through the wine school, and none too soon given the rise of the heat index outside all of our doors these days.

Sauvignon Blanc is certainly my favorite white wine varietal given its layered flavor profile and crisp taste. It is also the "easiest" white, in my opinion, in which to find a great, cheap option at any store you may find in your hometown or on vacation.

However, my lack of love for "old world" vines (those vines from Europe that started this whole, awesome wine thing) kept me from trying and really giving Sancerre a fair fight. I am glad I did. Although it is not as layered with flavors as a New Zealand or CA Sauv Blanc, I still enjoyed its light and crisp notes.

Wine Momma Wine Review
Wine: Hippolyte Reverdy 2012 Sancerre
Color: light, almost transparent, young
Smell: Flowers, a bit of grass
Taste: crisp acidity paired with light melon
Food: Tasted with goat cheese and crackers which happened to intensify the taste of the wine
Scale: A great 3 - perhaps once or twice every few months!

I recommend a try of this French classic to enhance your wine collection!

Cheers!

Your Ultimate Wine and Food Pairing Cheat Sheet

No more worry. No more wondering. No more frustration. Just follow the below rules and you will be good to go. Or ignore them totally. It's all up to your palette and discernment but the below list will get you started.

FOOD: Spicy, Foie Gras, Cheese, Ham
WINE: Riesling, Gewurztraminer

FOOD: Shellfish, Salmon, Swordfish, Chicken, Cream based, Soups and sauces
WINE: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay

FOOD: Turkey, Chicken, Veal, Sausage, Hearty seafood
WINE: Pinot Noir, Zinfandel

FOOD: Duck, Beef, Lamb, Game Meat, Chocolate
WINE: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

FOOD: Duck, Game birds, Lamb, Beef
WINE: Syrah

FOOD: Egg dishes, Smoked Salmon, Caviar, Sushi, Canapes, Chocolates
WINE: Sparkling Wine

FOOD: Sweets
WINE: Dessert Wines

Ultimately, it is not so important what wines goes with what food, as what wine will not overpower what food is being served or vice versa. Each side should complement the other.

 Well, there you have it. Play around with some pairings and have fun!

Cheers!

The Grand Marriott's Wine and Cheese Tasting

In South Alabama, we are truly blessed to have an establishment like The Grand Marriott Hotel near us. It is a beautiful setting on Mobile Bay with great food, drinks and accommodations. Plus, their spa is amazing. :-)

I am currently working toward learning more about cooking and have been attending their Culinary Institute classes once a month. This month was all about wine and, what else?, cheese. 

We joined some other great local folks and the Head Chef, Chef Mike, for a great wine and cheese pairing.

 Outside on Mobile Bay

 The Cheese Plate

The wine glass aftermath

Here is a list of wine and cheese pairings - this will help you learn what cheese typically goes well with which varietal/type of wine and how I felt the pairings held up to the hype and how the wine tasted:

1. Quail Creek Sauvignon Blanc (CA) paired with AL Belle Chevre goat cheese

• GREAT CA Sauv Blanc - it is your classic, grassy CA Sauv
• The AL goat cheese was phenomenal. In a word, run, don't walk to Elkmont, AL to buy some (or just visit The Grand soon!) :-)
• I felt the pairing was great and paired down the acidity of the wine and highlighted the cheese

2. Stonewood Pinot Grigio paired with Belgioioso Mozzarella Cheese

• This wine and cheese pairing was bland, at best. Both tasted watered down and unappealing. 

3.  Coastal Vines Chardonnay (CA) paired with President's Brie

• Both the Chardonnay and the Brie present a nice, soft, buttery taste that, sadly, did not pair well together. Although both tasted good separately, there was not enough contrast between them. 

4. Columbia Valley Riesling (WA) paired with Great Lakes Swiss Cheese

• This Riesling is one of my favorite cheap Rieslings and can be found in almost every grocery store, so definitely a go on this wine.
• This swiss cheese from WI would have paired better with a Gewurztraminer but was OK with the Riesling.

5. Sequin Moscato (Argentina) paired with Jalapeno Havarti

• Classic pairing of sweet and spicy. The pairing was great but was not a huge fan of the Denmark-made cheese. 
• The Moscato, for all sweet-toothes, was great.

6. Canyon Road (CA) Pinot Noir paired with Carr Valley Melange

• The Pinot was actually a nice, CA Pinot - smooth but not quite as heavy as I like
• The cheese was really interesting - a blending of cow, sheep and goat cheese and then aged in a cave for 6 months. Very smooth but not overly flavorful. 

7. Franciscan Estate Merlot paired with Belgioioso Parmesan cheese from WI

•  Very nice and spicy merlot paired well with a fantastic parmesan. 
• This cheese won 1st place - Best of Class in the 2010 World Championship Cheese contest (who knew there was such a thing??!!)
• Great pairing of spicy to the cheese' sweet and nutty flavor

8.  Stump Jump Shiraz paired with Carr Valley Apple Wood Smoked Cheddar from WI

• A decent Shiraz (a Shiraz is the same wine, basically, as a Syrah but made in Australia)
• This cheese is smoked with apple wood and rubbed on the outside with paprika but the flavor was, sadly, barely there for my palette

9.  Massimo Malbec (Argentina) paired with Rogue Creamery Oregon

• A classic, Argentinian Malbec - very nice, spicy and smooth
• This cheese was one of the highlights of the day - looks very much like a blue cheese but the taste is without the overbearing hit  - very subtle and paired great with the wine

10. Douglass Hill (CA) Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc paired with milk chocolate

• You can't go very wrong with red wine and chocolate
• By this time in the day, chocolate was a great escape and wine was nice and smooth to compliment

Well, there you have it. I hope this offered some new cheese and wine pairing adventures for you!

Cheers!