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Most recent blog entries
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Party Planning |
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Notes from Wine Country
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By Lorena on
11/27/2007
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We probably do more entertaining this time of year than the rest of the year combined. Is it stressful? Or have you created the perfect party format? Can you finish the evening with no one going hungry or thirsty, and with little to no leftovers? Or are you likely to have an entire bar's worth of spirits, a case of wine, and too much beer to drink before the next football Sunday?
For some people, this isn't a problem -- they know their guests, they limit choices (although that can still leave you with leftovers), or they entertain often enough that it doesn't matter. But for those of you who entertain rarely, here's what you need to know:
First, how many people?
Second, how long is the party?
Estimate one drink per hour per person. If that sounds low, it's not (we've tried this, many times). For most social events, some people will drink less, some people will drink more (we trust ...
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Do classic dishes need classic wines? |
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Notes from Wine Country
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By Lorena on
11/21/2007
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Following up on Monday’s mini-post. The question came up last week as I was choosing a couple of bottles of wine to take to a dinner party. I knew the menu – more or less – and I knew what I wanted to spend. I knew what kind of wine I wanted – a Cabernet, preferably from California. Maybe a Merlot to back it up, since there might be someone who preferred the softer style of Merlot to the elegance of a Cabernet. This is why I talk to wine people who know what they’re talking about, and fortunately we have a lot of them.
So here we are, trying to find a California Cab that fit into my parameters. Finally, after a significant number of suggestions from Brad ...
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"New World" vs "Old World" and other questions -- do classic dishes need classic wines? |
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Notes from Wine Country
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By Lorena on
11/19/2007
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This question came up for me last week, as I was looking for the perfect wine (two, actually) to take to a dinner party. However, as I started to answer it today, I realized I was going to get myself into trouble if I did it without a little digging. Especially after I called one of our wine supervisors and got his opinion. So here's the question: do classic wine/food pairings mean that much? If you break away from Champagne/caviar, or Cabernet/steak, Chianti/pasta, etc, what happens? I'm going to think for a bit on what I found out today, and supply what I think is the answer tomorrow. But what do you think? Feel free to comment ahead of my posting.
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Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner |
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Notes from Wine Country
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By Lorena on
11/12/2007
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Red with meat, white with fish? You’re probably past that simple food pairing by now, but with some big food holidays coming up, we thought you might like some ideas on what to pair up with your Thanksgiving feast (for starters). And if wine is new to you, well, this is how you’ll wow your guests.
If you’re doing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner:
Some of the most popular wines for this holiday are Riesling and Gewurztraminer, which both work well with not only turkey, but with all of the other dominating flavors of the most traditional side dishes. You might try a Gewü ...
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Harvest time, harvest wine -- Beaujolais Nouveau |
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Notes from Wine Country
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By Lorena on
11/5/2007
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It’s that time – time for Beaujolais Nouveau to make its way from Beaujolais producers (traditionally, actually IN Beaujolais, but there are some American producers) to the harvest table. So what’s so special about this wine?
Considered the “First Wine of the New Vintage”, Nouveau Beaujolais is a festive red wine produced from the early crop of Gamay grapes in the Beaujolais area, south of the Burgundy region in France
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Beam Estates trip highlights |
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Notes from Wine Country
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By Lorena on
10/22/2007
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Earlier this fall, several of our wine consultants and managers went to California to visit some of the Beam Estates vineyards during the harvest. We asked a few of them to share their favorite experiences. Check out the vineyard links for more information on the wineries and their wines.
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Welcome to Notes from Wine Country -- the new ABC Fine Wine and Spirits blog! |
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Notes from Wine Country
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By Lorena on
10/17/2007
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Welcome to Notes from Wine Country – the ABC Fine Wine & Spirits ‘blog’! Here you’ll find weekly (sometimes more frequently) posts with highlights from our wine experts’ trips, spectacular new wines, exciting new spirits and craft beers, trends in the field, discussions of new products and more (not all in one post, of course). Look for new posts every Monday.
It’s the end of the travel season for us, so over the next few weeks we’ll be playing catch-up, filling you in on our spring and summer travels, including some interesting wine suggestions.
Feel free to post comments – comments will be moderated for language, etc. However, even if you disagree with us, we’ll still post your comment, as long as it’s polite. Please follow standard comment ...
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Notes from Wine Country
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