Sips and Dips!

These days, life is all about experiences. The gathering of friends, creating of memories, and sharing in experiences. Wine creates more memories than any other beverage in the world, but the old school thinking of wine being pretentious and complicated is gone. Whether in one of my public wine classes or at one of my private in-home wine and food pairing experiences, it has been proven time and time again almost anything can be paired beautifully with wine. A crowd favorite is a “Sips and Dips” theme, which is exactly what it sounds like: the perfect wine paired with a variety of dips. Easy as could be, minimal prep time, and a casual great time for everyone. I have compiled some popular dips and suggested recipes with my personal favorite wine style pairings.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo chicken dip is my favorite go-to dip at any party or gathering because it pairs incredibly with almost any wine! It’s particularly good with off dry and semi sweet whites, but it’s also a home run with the dry whites and reds, as well. My personal favorite is an off-dry Riesling or Chenin Blanc, but have fun with this one! When in doubt, grab whatever bottle of wine you have and serve up a bowl of buffalo dip, and let the fun begin.

Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

---

Meat Lover’s Pizza Dip

This dip is so easy to make and incredibly delicious. Best of all, it’s low carb and keto friendly! The ol’ “If it grows together, it goes together” applies here, so it’s wonderful with any Italian red, however the salt, fat, and acidity of the dip makes this a fabulous partner to a majority of medium and full bodied red wines. My favorites include Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Sangiovese, and Nero d’Avola.

KeepRecipes.com Meat Lover’s Pizza Dip Recipe

---

Crab Rangoon Dip

Crab rangoons are another favorite staple wine pairing with any white or rose wine, so it makes sense to ditch the wonton wrappers and grab a spoon! I enjoy this dip with a crisp Pinot Grigio from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, as well as a fruit forward yet refreshing dry rose’ from Provence, France, but in reality, most dry and off-dry whites will be delightful with this dip.

Spend With Pennies Crab Rangoon Dip Recipe

---

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Sweet loves heat, and that’s certainly the case with off dry and semi sweet white wines when paired with this incredible jalapeno dip. All of the deliciousness of stuffed jalapenos with the ease of a dip. Dry whites work beautifully as well, as will a dry rose’.

Taste of Home Jalapeno Popper Dip Recipe

---

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is a standard go-to favorite. With its creamy texture and salty flavors, spinach artichoke dip will pair beautifully with a variety of wines. My personal favorite is Sauvignon Blanc. Combined, this varietal with this dip highlights the herbaceousness of both the dip and the wine, offering beautiful “green” flavors.

Spend With Pennies Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe

---

Dessert Dip: Monster Cookie Dough Dip

This dip is just a good time in a bowl! Between the peanut butter, oats, M&Ms, and cream cheese, it’s everything delectable all mixed up in one bowl. Perfect sweet treat for a buttery chardonnay, semi sweet whites, and even some fruit forward reds, such as Pinot Noir, Grenache, or Gamay!

SomethingSwanky.com Monster Cookie Dough Dip Recipe

---

Cheers!
Missa
winedowntastings.com

Celebrating Oregon Wine Month

Originally published in the May 2019 issue of the South Shore Senior News

There are countless numbers of world wine regions I am incredibly fond of for a variety of reasons, but Oregon is one of my very favorites. If you have yet to enjoy a wine from Oregon, you are in for a wonderful surprise. This region produces some of the purest, highest quality wines in the world with a large focus on sustainability. Oregon boasts more than 700 wineries and more than 1,000 vineyards growing 72 grape varieties.

Pinot Noir is the predominantly grown grape in Oregon, making up 72% of the region’s grapes, with Pinot Gris a distant second, comprising 14% of the region’s grapes. Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon are also grown and produced here, among many others, and offer superior domestic wines to the US market.

Oregon wines are often discussed as being similar in style and even quality to the wines of Burgundy, France. Both Oregon and Burgundy produce wines that distinctly reflect the individual terroir in which the grapes were grown. You can actually taste the difference in terroir (soil type, slope gradient, slope aspect and sunshine hours, climate, etc.) from vineyard to vineyard, even if only a mile or less away. Although I would never consider Oregon in the shadow of Burgundy, I do believe Burgundy has been a source of inspiration to its Oregon counterparts for many decades.

Oregon’s winemakers focus on small batch, high-quality wines. The grape growers and winemakers take incredible pride in their craft, and that is represented well with consistently high ratings by Wine Spectator and the like. In fact, Oregon wines made up 20% of Wine Spectator’s 90+ scores on domestic wines in 2017.

There is a culture of sustainability among Oregon farmers and winemakers, something more and more of us are prioritizing when it comes to the preservation of our planet. 47% of Oregon’s vineyards are certified sustainable, a higher percentage than any other domestic wine region. Oregon also accounts for 35% of US Demeter Biodynamic vineyards. Matt Kramer of Wine Spectator remarks, “It’s here in the culture; it’s here in the air. The very DNA or Oregon winegrowing is sympathetic to this non-interventionist, naturalist, small-scale form of farming and winemaking.”

With incredible respect and admiration for sustainability and biodynamic farming, I will more often than not choose a wine from Oregon over any other if it is available on a menu while I am dining out. I know I am getting a wine that a community’s heart and soul went into growing and making, and that spirit is reflected in each savored sip.

Since 2012, the Oregon wine industry has celebrated Oregon Wine Month annually in May. I invite you join in and celebrate with your own bottle of wine from Oregon, and discover a new favorite wine region to enjoy for a lifetime.

For more information, visit https://www.oregonwine.org/