Archive for the 'Wine-ing' Category

information station (:

Published
by
Sadie
on June 5, 2009
in Wine-ing
. 0 Comments

a series of questions (4, if we’re keeping score) was posed to me a few days ago, and i was only able to answer a feeble fraction of them. after doing adequate and efficient research, i have found the remaining answers. this post features all the questions that started this madness, and the answers are more than a little fascinating (imho!).  (:

one thing to warn you of, though… this blog isn’t TECHNICALLY wine related. now, my redemption time. it IS 100% fermented grape related. so, yay. read on, wine compadres!

here are the questions, with their related answers.

thanks to donna and alicia farrell(s!) for the conversation that started the passion that fueled the the research for this yummy, sparkly blog.

have you ever gone to buy a bottle of bubbly and realized, omg, the decisions are endless?! it’s not just what’s your favorite label… it’s do you you like champagne? prosecco? sparkling wine? brut?

ok. here we go. hopefully, this will help you make your decision next time you make your sparkly purchase!

1. what is champagne? champagne is the term reserved exclusively for sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France. the grapes are grown and harvested in Champagne, and the cost is (typically) noticeably higher than champagne’s less formal competitors.

2. what is sparkling wine? sparkling wine is the the bubbly beverage similar to champagne that has no same name home city. for those curious, it is typically made in the US.

3. what is prosecco? prosecco is the grape variety that gives this sparkler its name. typically grown in venice, prosecco is famous for being the “other half” of the peach flavor in a Bellini. it also serves as a wonderful (and economical) substitution for champagne in a mimosa. i find prosecco to be slightly less bubbly than champagne and sparkling wine, but that might just be me (maybe also because it’s made in italy, where sparkling wines are made a little differently). also, the difference is not enough to make me want to stop buying. the flavor is usually impeccable, very light, and has scents of crisp apple or honeysuckle. (i am a big fan of prosecco.)

4. what is brut? brut is a very dry substitute for a sparkling wine. as a general rule, i am a fan of dry wines. but when we’re talking champagnes/ sparkling wines, i like a little sweet, with a clean, crisp palate. i find brut a little too dry. there is almost no sugar in brut. ideally, this is my kind of wine, but since we’re drinking cool, crisp bubbles, i’d like a touch of sweet and lots ofbubble kisses.

the glass you pour any of these in is absolutely important. the reason we use champagne flutes (and less frequently, champagne coupe or saucer) is to allow the bubbles in the sparkling wine to last as long as possible. part of the charm of the sparkling beverage is the bubbles. why drink flat champagne? you wouldn’t. so invest in a good pair of champagne flutes. your happy, bubbly tongue will thank you lots.

anyway, that’s all i have for now. hope this helps you shop, and maybe answered a few of your questions!

if you have any questions you’d like answered, send them to my email (sadie.farrell@gmail.com) or post them in the comments.

cheers!

sadness

Published
by
Sadie
on May 31, 2009
in Wine-ing
. 0 Comments

hello, fellow wine lovers.
wanted to apologize for robbing you of valuable and necessary wine information for so many weeks. a situation occurred where I was not permitted to drink wine for several weeks, but that event has passed, and I am now safely back in the vineyard, so to speak. in my absence, I learned a few things that I am so excited to share! even though I wasn’t allowed to drink, I was still researching and thinking if you. this very moment, i’m blogging from my iPhone and getting car sick on a road trip back from Rhode Island (just wanted to catch us all up and make sure no one thought I was neglecting the website!) so I’ll spare us all the sickness that is about to happen. tomorrow, look for the post that is the product of my non-drinking research. I think you’ll like it.
tomorrow’s key word: champagne!
see y’all then! bring your flutes, and fill them up with your favorite bubbly!

cheers.

yum

Published
by
Sadie
on April 22, 2009
in Wine-ing
. 2 Comments

just had a yummy pinot grigio. trish came over to watch Across the Universe w us (clever little flick… visual aesthetics were brill!) and brought this brilliant little white wine. why do I say this ab this particular pinot grigio? well, for starters, I’m not known for my obsession over pinot grigios. to be quite honest, I’m only mildly fond of them. this one, however? yummy! it was barefoot vineyard. a bit tart, pretty fruity, and the goodness took me by surprise! fans and anti-fans of pinot grigios, as the warm days approach… Barefoot Pinot Grigio is a must try.

spRIng!!!

Published
by
Sadie
on April 9, 2009
in Wine-ing
. 0 Comments

no, not the happy, warm weather kind of spring. the kind of spring that you used to push down the stairs and they boinged and stretched as they reached each new step. the long, stretchy coil that was hours of endless personal entertainment. remember those? well, i bring them up for a reason. sort of. as i type this, i’m sitting on the couch unwinding from a long day. (think, the longest day ever). and believe me, i am tightly wound today! the safest way to unwind, i’ve found, is to sip a luxurious glass of chianti. it puts a smile on my face and a silly tune in my mouth. it especially keeps me from unwinding so fast that i lacerate everyone within laceration proximity. chianti? is one of my favorite wines. ever. one of these days, i’ll go into a long, excited monologue about the wonders of chianti. for now, i’ll keep it simple and remind you to slowly unwind and message your insides with a yummy treat from my favorite form of grape. anywho… go. fill your glass with your favorite wine. i’ll be back soon, and we’ll love on some more fermented grapeys  (:

cheers!

bottle of wine

Published
by
Sadie
on March 19, 2009
in Wine-ing
. 0 Comments

let’s talk wine, shall we? it would be silly to deny my affection (yes, affection) for wine. hence, the website. before we get down to the business of the grape, let’s all make sure we’re on the same page. i love wine. i am picky about my wine, however. i love reds. i love big, heavy reds. i love them even more when they’re served in those big, globe-y red wine glasses where a typical wine pour only takes up the bottom inch of the glass and the rest is empty to allow the wine to open. as far as reds go for me, the bigger, the better. i love shiraz, tannats, syrahs, zinfandels. i also enjoy the lighter side of reds, like pinot noir. falling in the middle of the red scale is the cabernet sauvignon, and of course, my all time favorite, the chianti. i also occasionally like a glass of white wine. my top pick for white wine would be a sauvignon blanc, though typically i’ll default to a red. i AM a wine snob. i do not claim to have the end-all-wine-debates answer to any wine topic. i do claim to be an excessively picky wine drinker, and tend to favor wines that do not come in jug-sized bottles or bottles shaped like animals or shoes.

i promise to be open with my assessments of the wines i post about, if you promise to be open and try a few i recommend, and maybe some i recommend against! i also promise to try a few of your suggestions… who knows? maybe they’ll wind up here!

here’s to a long, wine-sharing adventure that brings stemmed glasses of purple (or white, if you choose!) to any open hand that accepts.

cheers!