Snowed In With Mulled Wine

Originally published in the South Shore Senior News, January 2019

I have always been a fan of wine cocktails, whether a morning mimosa or bellini with brunch, sangria in the summer, and especially mulled wine. Also known as glögg, Glühwein, and many other names I cannot pronounce, mulled wine is a wine beverage served hot or warm, particularly in the colder winter months. It is typically made with red wine and various baking spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, ginger, cloves and dried orange peel with the addition of some sort of spirit, most commonly brandy or vodka. Born and raised in New England, I have experienced my share of Nor’easters and blizzards, and nothing makes me feel cozier than watching the snow fall from the comfort of my living room while cozied up fireside with a mug of nice hot mulled wine.

Not only is mulled wine incredibly simple to make, the house smells incredible from the simmering baking spices. By keeping a few simple ingredients on hand, you can be prepared to whip up this comforting recipe in a pinch. I also find this fun to make for cocktail parties, get-togethers, the random “pop-in” visitor, and especially as a dessert beverage after dinner parties. Mulled wine can be made stovetop or in a slow cooker, whichever you prefer.

You can find hundreds of different recipes for mulled wine on the internet, but I have my own personal favorite that is simple, inexpensive, and delicious. You can certainly buy your own personal favorite combination of spices separately, but I choose to purchase a pre-mixed combination of mulling spices from Atlantic Spice Co. in North Truro, MA (https://www.atlanticspice.com/), which contains cinnamon chips, orange peel, allspice, and cloves, as the base of my spice mix. I purchase small muslin bags to contain the spices while simmering for easy removal; however, you can choose to add the spices to the simmering pot on their own, then simply strain them when it is time to serve.

Missa’s Mulled Wine
– 1 (750 mL) bottle of the red wine of your choice
– 1 muslin bag (or cheesecloth pouch) containing 2 Tbsp of Atlantic Spice Co’s mulling spice mix
– ¼ cup brandy or vodka (or your favorite liqueur)
– 2–4 Tbsp of sugar, maple syrup, or honey (or your desired sweetener) to taste
– optional garnishes: orange slice, cinnamon stick, star anise

Steep mulling spices and wine for 30-60 minutes on the stovetop or in a slow cooker on low just to a simmer. Do not boil, making sure to keep the wine under 160 degrees. If no pouch or bag is used, strain the wine into a mug, top with desired garnishes, and serve hot.

This can be made in a non-alcoholic version, as well. Simply simmer the spices stovetop or in a crock pot with a gallon of cider or juice and omit the wine and liqueur.

Cheers!
Missa
winedowntastings.com

What You Need to Know About Champagne

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY TRAVELING VINEYARD ON DECEMBER 29, 2018

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As long as I can remember, I’ve had an incredible passion for Champagne. Champagne was my very first experience with fine wine, and has become a regular part of my wine drinking. Champagne is not simply a bottle of bubbly wine, however …

What is Champagne?

Champagne is not a grape or a style, it is a geographical region in northern France. In order for a wine to be called Champagne, it must come from this region, and it must adhere to various rules and laws that include specific growing conditions to its wine making technique.

Champagne must be made in the Methode Champenoise, or Méthode Traditionelle (Traditional Method). This is a very intricate and time consuming wine making process that involves a second fermentation in the very bottle it will later be sold in. This can often, in part, account for the hefty prices many bottles of Champagne command.

How Do You Properly Store Champagne?

As with all wine, you want to store your bottles of Champagne away from bright or artificial light and maintain a consistent and cool temperature (ideally 44-50 degrees F). Long term storage should be with the bottles on their sides in a wine rack or in a wine cellar.

What’s the Best Way to “Pop” the Cork?

Although the loud POP sound of a bottle of Champagne is synonymous with celebration, it is not the proper and safe way to open your bubbly. The first step is to remove the foil, then to loosen the wine cage (this should take 6 twists of the wire tab). Next, drape a towel or cloth over the cork and cage, hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle and away from yourself and others, and while firmly holding the cork in place, slowly twist the bottle from its base. You want a very soft “pop” of the cork into your hands.

How to Serve Champagne

There are various shapes of glassware in which to serve your Champagne, such as a flute (tall and narrow) or a coupe (wide and shallow), or even various white wine glasses. The depth of a glass can really influence the aromatic release of a sparkling wine. There is much controversy about which shape is best, so my advice is to try different glasses and choose your favorite. My personal favorite is a traditional Champagne flute, simply for the aesthetics and the ability to see the bubbles dancing to the top of the glass. To me, this is a symbol of celebration.

How to Pair Champagne

When we think of Champagne, we think of celebration and decadence. Caviar, smoked salmon, exquisite French cheese—each of these are a match made in heaven with a beautiful glass of Champagne. As someone who enjoys Champagne on a regular, non-celebratory basis, these luxurious foods simply aren’t always on my menu. One incredibly delicious everyday pairing is, believe it or not, French fries! There isn’t a single other wine this New Englander would rather pair with freshly fried fish and chips than a glass of Champagne. Fresh fried seafood, goat cheese, fish tacos, fresh strawberries, even deviled eggs are simple everyday pairings that are sure to enhance the Champagne experience. Shellfish, such as shrimp, oysters, clams, crab, and lobster are other delicious dinner options. High acid, salt, and fat content in your food pairings will be sure to pair wonderfully with the high acid content of your Champagne. Cheers!

Choosing the Right Glassware for Your Wine

I was once one of the skeptics who didn’t entirely believe that glassware made a significant difference when it came to drinking wine, that is until I put it to the test myself. I took two wine glasses of the same shape and size, one Riedel crystal glass, and one from the dollar store. I poured the same wine in both glasses and began to explore. I was absolutely amazed at the difference. The aromas were noticeably different in each. The dollar store glass gave off a somewhat chalky odor, overpowering the delicate fruit and earthy aromas of the wine, where the crystal glass sent all of those aromas directly to the nose. From first smell, I was a believer. Then, I sipped the wine from each glass, and once again, my world was changed. The aromas flowed on the palate in just the right spots from the crystal glass, where as in the dollar store glass, the wine just sort of landed flatly on the palate. I didn’t understand the hows and whys, but I knew glassware absolutely made a huge difference.

This fall, I was fortunate to attend a seminar with Maximilian Riedel, glassmaker and 11th generation CEO of Riedel crystal glassware. We were presented with five different handcrafted Riedel crystal glasses: Cabernet Sauvignon, oaked Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir, and basic white wine. The sizes and shapes of each glass were noticeably different, but each one was thin, light, and incredibly beautiful. Over the course of two hours, Mr. Riedel led us through one of the most fascinating seminars I have ever attended, sampling some very high-quality wines in each glass. We’d go back and forth between glass, smelling and tasting, seeing for ourselves how the delicate nuances of each wine was either enhanced or dulled, depending on the glass it was served in. I left absolutely amazed. I was even more thrilled when Mr. Riedel announced each attendee would be able to take the glasses we used at the seminar home with us! That collection is now my prized glassware that I use when I want to truly taste a wine to its fullest.

Glassware makes a huge difference in your wine tasting experience. The way a glass is shaped can direct its aromas to the nose properly, and it can cause the wine to flow on the perfect spot on the palate, almost like magic. You don’t need to spend a fortune on glassware to enjoy your wine, but investing in a set of moderate or high-quality glassware, even if just for special occasions, will truly enhance your appreciation and ability to taste the nuances of a wine. Neither do you need a different glass for each varietal. Although they are available and are crafted to enhance each specific varietal, you can achieve a similar effect with basic glasses. For instance, I serve my white wines in a differently shaped glass than my red wines. I serve my oaked Chardonnays in a differently shaped glass than my Rieslings, and I serve my Pinot Noirs in a differently shaped glass than my Cabernet Sauvignons. Each wine is so unique in its aromatics and texture, and a specifically crafted glass for each truly brings out the best. For every day consumption, however, I suggest having two different glasses—one for whites and one for reds.

How to Choose the Right Glassware

In general, red wines are bigger and bolder than white wines, and these require a glass with a bigger bowl to allow the aromas and flavors to be expressed to the fullest potential. The smaller bowl of a white wine glass helps to preserve the aromatics and floral aromas. This simple rule will elevate your wine experience. The stem on your glass matters, too. Although stemless glasses are attractive and popular, the stem of a glass plays an important role in maintaining the temperature of your wine. Temperature is extremely important in the aroma, flavor, and texture expression of a wine. Holding a wine glass by the bowl itself, and not the stem, can easily change the temperature of the wine in your glass.

Next time you’re serving wine to friends and family, check your cabinet and be sure you’re using the right glassware for your wine!

Cheers!
Missa
winedowntastings.com
vinoislife.com

Explore the World of Bubbly!

Originally published in South Shore Senior News, December 5, 2018

2019 is upon us, and ringing in the new year by toasting to family, friends, and new possibilities with bubbly is a tradition many of us partake in. Sparkling wines are my absolute favorite style, not just for special occasions, but even for any random weekday lunch with friends. Why save the celebration for holidays when we can celebrate each day? Where does one begin, and what is the difference between the world’s sparkling wines?

Champagne

The word Champagne has become synonymous with sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine should and can be accurately called Champagne. Champagne is not a wine, and it is not a grape. It is a region of France known for some of the world’s best sparkling wines. In order to be called Champagne, a wine must come from the Champagne region. Champagne is made from any combination of three grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The Méthode Champenoise (also known as the Traditional Method) is the winemaking method followed in Champagne, which includes a second fermentation in the very bottle in which it will be sold. This can be very time consuming and laborious, which is often partly responsible for the hefty price tag on many Champagnes. Champagnes are aged in such a way that the resulting wines give a creamy, bready, brioche flavor in the glass. Champagne is not where the world of bubbly ends, however. In fact, you can find a plethora of other sparkling wines from other regions of France, which are labeled as Crémant.

Prosecco

Prosecco is Italy’s famous bubbly. Prosecco is produced in northeastern Italy, specifically the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine regions, that uses mainly the Glera grape to produce Champagne’s Italian cousin. A totally different winemaking style than used in Champagne, Prosecco tends to be fresher tasting with more fruit, less brioche. Proseccos can come in a variety of sweetness/dryness levels to please every palate. Prosecco’s price tag is equally as appealing, as you can easily find delicious Proseccos for under $15 a bottle.

Cava

Cava is the well known Spanish sparkling wine that can be made from a combination of grapes, most commonly Xarel.lo, Macabeo, Paralleda, and Chardonnay. Cava can be found in a wide range of sweetness levels, although Brut is most common in the mass market. It can also be found in a variety of quality levels, although compared to their counterparts from Champagne, are incredibly affordable. Cava provides the drinker with a balance of fresh fruit and subtle brioche.

Excellent sparkling wines are made all over the world from all kinds of grapes, resulting in a variety of styles (white, red, and rose), in every sweetness level, and available in every price range imaginable. The fun is in celebrating special occasions with something new. Perhaps this year leave the $10 bottle of Korbel on the rack and grab something new and exciting that will leave a lasting memory.

Cheers to 2019!
Missa
winedowntastings.com

A Cookie Swap Wine Tasting

Today is National Cookie Day! Yes, there’s truly a day for everything. Although if there was the perfect time to have a designated cookie day, this time of year is definitely it. Over the past several years, I have conducted several cookie swap themed in-home wine tasting events, and this year was no exception.

My fabulous host and multi-time in-home tasting attendee Ameera hosted a cookie swap tasting in celebration of her 30th birthday. The great thing about a cookie swap (besides the obvious) is that every guest gets to contribute and bring their favorite cookies to share. As the Wine Educator, I choose which wines I will bring to the tasting based upon the cookies everyone has offered to bake and bring.

It’s certainly fun to apply my pairing knowledge and predict what I know (or at least am fairly certain) will be a great match, which cookies will be delicious with which wines, but it’s even more fun to see my dozen or more wine loving guests experiment with the flavors and come up with new and unpredictable pairings. We pleasantly found the following are fabulous together:

Oatmeal cookies with coconut with Chardonnay.
Gingerbread cookies with Viognier.
Caramel Apple Pie cookies with both Viognier and Chardonnay.
Dark chocolate raspberry cookies with Zinfandel (probably my all time fave!)
Peanut butter blossoms with Chardonnay and Zinfandel.
Dark chocolate peppermint with Malbec (this also pairs amazingly with Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah).
Chocolate chip cookies with pretty much any red wine, both dry and sweet.

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In previous cookie swap events, I have been been able to determine some general rules when it comes to pairing wine and cookies. That being said, when it comes to wine, there never seems to be one final answer, and all rules are meant to be broken. For instance, I assumed snickerdoodles would be much too sweet and sugary to pair well with an oaked Chardonnay, but much to my surprise, it was a delightful pairing. Generally speaking, the sweeter the cookie, the sweeter the wine. Sugar cookies and frosted cookies should pair nicely with semi sweet and sweet wines. Chocolate cookies with red wines is another almost sure bet. Lemon cookies, if not heavily glazed and not too sweet, seem to pair lovely with off dry and drier whites, especially those whites with citrus and/or lemon notes.

I was asked to create the pairing suggestions for your cookie swaps based upon wine category. You will find this fantastic chart designed by our design team below. But remember… rules are meant to be broken, and you might find additional matches that you find simply delicious. Happy pairing!

Cheers!
Missa
winedowntastings.com

Wine Pairing with Stonewall Kitchen Jams

We at Traveling Vineyard are pairing wine with one of our favorite specialty food brands, Stonewall Kitchen! Discover my #Sommology picks for super simple, ultra delicious ways to entertain this holiday season. #stonewallkitchen

A Twist On The Traditional

Originally published in South Shore Senior News, November 2018

A perfectly paired wine will have dinner guests talking long after the dinner itself. Wine creates memories, it brings family and friends together, and it is the ultimate condiment to enhance our food. Wine evokes all five of our senses, and when paired with the proper food choices, leaves a lasting impression on both our palates and our minds.

Thanksgiving is filled with tradition, both cultural and family. Warm and inviting side dishes, casseroles, and homemade pies are just a few of the food traditions we honor. The wine options can often get lost in that tradition, and we might tend to grab random bottles of Chardonnay and Merlot just to have fairly acceptable whites and reds available. Imagine stepping outside that traditional box for just a moment and providing your guests with wine selections that will dazzle their palates and bring out the absolute best flavors and textures of every dish on that table.

Typically speaking, any given Thanksgiving offers a myriad of flavors, from cranberry to sweet potato, pumpkin, and squash, to green beans and Brussels sprouts, corn dressing and sausage stuffing. The possibilities are endless. So how does one offer a great wine selection that will pair well with each of these foods? That is indeed the challenge for many, but it doesn’t have to be.

It is my belief every celebration should begin with bubbly of some sort, but that does not limit you to Champagne. Prosecco is Italy’s go-to bubbly, and offers a lighter, fresher, fruitier flavor than many Champagnes. Spain brings us Cava, which can be a tad drier than Prosecco, but not as complex as Champagne.

When selecting white wines, I suggest considering wines with an aromatic quality and a medium to heavy body, such as Vourvray (the Chenin Blanc grape from the Loire Valley of France) and Condrieu (the Viognier grape from the Northern Rhone of France). Both regions produce wines of varying degrees of dryness/sweetness, so whichever your palate desires, you can thoroughly enjoy. You can also go the non-aromatic variety route with a Pinot Gris from either Oregon or Alsace, France. Each will offer a bit more weight and creaminess than a Pinot Grigio (same grape, different name) from Italy, but without the aromatics of the aforementioned grapes.

When choosing your red wines, you want to make sure they are not too overpowering for the dishes they will be served with so you create a nice balance of both flavor and weight. I suggest varieties with lighter tannins and more pronounced fruit, such as Pinot Noir in the form of red Burgundy, or Gamay in the form of Cru Beaujolais. You can find delicious Pinot Noirs outside of Burgundy, France as well. Russian River Valley in California is producing stellar Pinot Noirs that will leave lasting impressions.

Wine can enhance a dinner so much, it is truly worth a little extra effort to make a warm tradition such as Thanksgiving an exceptional experience.

Cheers!
Missa
winedowntastings.com
vinoislife.com

Friendsgiving Food and Wine Pairings

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. It brings about warm feelings, and of course, much celebration. I adore spending time with my family, enjoying great food, wine, and especially the company of friends. When Friendsgiving became a thing, it felt like hitting the jackpot! The same warm, comforting celebration, but with my closest friends whom I consider my extended family.

I hopped on the bandwagon and began celebrating Friendsgiving with my friends, and each year it gets better and better. I typically host at my home a week prior to Thanksgiving, and we make it a potluck style dinner where I cook a turkey, supply the wine, and each friend brings a side dish, appetizer, or dessert. It’s an evening we all look forward to every single year.

A Warm Welcome with Cranberry Recipes and Wine

Every celebration should begin with small bites for nibbling, and the perfect wine to sip while saying your hellos, and mingling. As much as I personally love pumpkin flavors, the Massachusetts native in me always includes cranberry flavors in my Friendsgiving menus. There is so much one can do with cranberries and pairing that fruit flavor with wine is truly fun and exciting.

I particularly enjoy having cheese selections to nosh on, but one that is a bit more eclectic than a simple cheese plate. Cranberry Pecan Mini Goat Cheese Balls are full of flavor and texture and would truly pair with almost any wine you pour in your glass. The goat cheese, which is highly acidic, will smooth even the sharpest white wines, the pecans are a beautiful pairing with off-dry and semi-dry whites, and the cranberries complement the tart red fruit notes of many red wines, whether lighter-bodied or fuller-bodied. I would reach for an unoaked Chardonnay, an off-dry or dry Riesling, and a Petite Sirah, respectively.

Perhaps you prefer the warm creaminess of baked brie. An alternative option would be Baked Stuffed Brie with Cranberries and Walnuts. Pair this crowd pleaser with a more sophisticated white like a Pinot Gris from Alsace, France, or a dry Rose’ from Provence or Tavel, or even a medium-bodied Syrah/Shiraz.

I am a huge fan of cocktail meatballs, and one of my favorite styles combines the sweetness and tartness of cranberry sauce with the spicy kick of chili sauce. We all know sweet loves heat, and Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs would pair perfectly with an off dry glass of celebratory bubbly, such as Prosecco.

And a Savory Side (Dish) of Fun

Side dishes can be extremely fun and unique, and at a potluck celebration this allows each guest to get creative. I love stuffing with a little something special, like Sausage, Apple, and Walnut Stuffing, which is one of my all-time favorites. The protein portion of the dinner doesn’t need to begin and end with turkey. The savory sausage, tangy apple, and nuttiness of the walnuts in this recipe make this dish a great partner for a wide spectrum of wine styles, depending on your preference for white or red. A beautifully balanced Chardonnay from Oregon will wow your white wine lovers, and a Portuguese red blend will more than satisfy your red wine loyalists.

My Friendsgiving would not be complete without a batch of buttery Spoon Bread Casserole on the table. It’s another side dish I crave all year long. This dish is incredibly simple to make and offers all the comfort of cornbread, but with a richer, creamier, more buttery flavor. It shines with any Chardonnay, and I’d reach for either a California Chardonnay, a Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley of France, or even an Oregon Pinot Gris would be welcome pairings that wine drinkers will cling to even after that last bite. A selection of reds would also work wonderfully.

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Wine holds more memories than any other beverage in the world.

JON ACUFF

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Another mainstay for your Friendsgiving table is a heaping plate of Oven Roasted Root Vegetables.They’re not only beautiful and healthy, but they add satisfying textures and tastes that complement turkey and stuffing—and are as satisfying as turkey as an entree for your veggie-loving guests. My pick for the best wine pairing would be a soft, fruit forward red or a lighter-sipping Torrontés.

More Than Just Pie

Family Thanksgiving dinner is always followed by countless pies of all sorts, so for Friendsgiving, I find it fun to include non-pie desserts that still showcase autumn flavors. I’m a fan of trifles, because they are super easy to make and can be made in virtually any flavor combination you like. Pumpkin Butterscotch Gingerbread Trifle combines all the fall spice flavors we love so much in one big, delicious trifle bowl. This would be incredible with an off-dry white, such as a Riesling, Chenin Blanc, or Moscatel.

Bite-sized desserts and cookies are a great way to end Friendsgiving, as well. Viognier is an ideal complement to Gingerbread Biscotti. How could anyone refuse the coffee and chocolate combination of Coffee Roasted Pumpkin Seed Chocolate Clusters with a nice glass of Pinotage? I know I sure couldn’t!

Jon Acuff once said, “Wine holds more memories than any other beverage in the world.” How incredibly true that is! Whichever dishes and wines you choose to serve at your celebration, Friendsgiving is all about creating new memories. Cheers to family, friends and friends that are like family!

Cheers!
Missa
winedowntastings.com

Halloween Candy and Wine Pairings Unwrapped

When it comes to Halloween candy and wine pairings, the traditional rules of pairing don’t always apply. To be absolutely sure I was suggesting favorable pairings, I took it upon myself to gather a handful of friends, a metric ton of Halloween candy, and about a dozen different wines—and we went to town. There were some delightful surprises!

Research… it’s so hard.

Pairing Chardonnay, for example, yielded unexpected results. Typically, very sweet foods do not pair well with a dry white wine like Chardonnay. While I did find this tenet to be true for super-sweet candy like candy corn (which left a bitter taste), it was not true for two beloved Halloween staples, Almond Joy and Mounds. The coconut completely dominated the sugar and the chocolate, and matched beautifully with Chardonnay! I enjoyed the dark chocolate of the Mounds slightly better than the milk chocolate of Almond Joy, but I found both to be very pleasing pairings! As a runner-up, Butterfinger was delightful with Chardonnay—and what is Halloween without Butterfinger?

Off-dry whites are somewhat easier to pair with candy because they have detectable residual sugar and won’t clash with the sweetness of the candy. Off-dry Riesling was a big hit with fruit-flavored candy, including Starburst and Twizzlers.

Red wines are notoriously delicious with dark chocolate—and often milk chocolate. But, I wanted to dig deep and find those matches that would absolutely wow your palate. (It’s a tough job, but someone had to do it!)

Where are our Reese’s lovers? Pinotage was absolutely amazing with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups! This is one of those pairings that will make you stop and savor every delicious second. As honorable mentions, we found that Pinotage was also very pleasing with Coffee Nut M&M’s, Good & Plenty and black licorice.

Smooth and refreshing Junior Mints and York Peppermint Patties were equally wonderful with Cabernet, so I recommend a Cabernet-dominant red blend. Cabernet often displays notes of eucalyptus and even sometimes mint, which makes it perfect for peppermint and dark chocolate.

Spanish Spice! Good & Plenty and black licorice will be home run with Tempranillo/ Garnacha —a beautiful way to extract the notes of anise in these complex yet approachable Spanish blends.

Italian red paired nicely with quite a few selections of the chocolate persuasion! I recommend Montepulciano with Twix, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Coffee Nut M&M’s, and Hershey’s milk chocolate.

Let’s talk M&M’s. These days they offer every flavor you can imagine! I was curious to find which wine would pair fabulously with the original plain chocolate M&M’s and dark chocolate M&M’s. The winner was a smooth fruit-forward red. Try a Côtes du Rhône, which will pair well with the simplicity of the plain or dark chocolate M&M’s.

Last, but not least, I wanted to find some perfect matches for our serious sweet tooths out there! A fun and fizzy Lambrusco was a delight to match the sugary kick of Skittles, Twizzlers, Hershey’s milk chocolate, and plain and dark chocolate M&M’s!

Whether you’re strategically planning a Halloween candy and wine tasting party, or raiding the kids’ Halloween candy, there are plenty of wines that will make your moment of indulgence that much sweeter.

Cheers!
Missa
winedowntastings.com

The Wine Lab – North Andover, MA

Scrolling through Facebook one day, I saw that a new wine bar had opened up in North Andover, which is about an hour north of me and a town I drive through all the time when I commute to work at the Traveling Vineyard corporate office. It looked like a pretty cool concept… an urban style winery that sources grapes from various places, then vinifies and bottles under their own name, The Wine Lab. I was really excited to check it out, so one beautiful fall afternoon this past weekend I took a ride up to North Andover, met up with a great friend, and got to see what The Wine Lab is all about.

The Wine Lab is located in a beautiful historic mill building that appears to be a thriving spot for local businesses. It’s a gorgeous rustic-meets-modern space with high ceilings and a large bar in the center, surrounded by many high top tables, and a cozy living room-like space with leather chairs and coffee tables. Immediately upon entering, I knew this was a place I could see myself spending many an evening with great friends.

But What About The Wine?

I decided to order one of the wine flights on the menu called the Devil Flight. This flight consisted of three reds, then your choice of whichever wine you wanted for the fourth. I chose the Chardonnay as my fourth wine, and the three reds that came in the flight were a Pinot Noir, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Malbec. They arrived in little test tubes, a quirky and fun way to present a flight in a place that calls itself a lab, accompanied by a large empty glass for tasting. Love the creative presentation!

They served them in what I thought was a strange order to serve wine in: Cab Sauv, Pinot Noir, Malbec, then Chardonnay. Naturally, I tasted them in what I believe to be a more proper order and began with the Chardonnay.

Summer Day Chardonnay was a nice basic Chardonnay. No signs of significant oak, a medium weight with good acidity. The grapes are sourced from California, and the winemaking didn’t seem to be anything special. A decent, crisp white wine that would pair lovely with a variety of foods and satisfy most white wine drinkers.

I then poured the Red Dragon Pinot Noir into my glass. These grapes are sourced from Lodi, CA and displayed a bright ruby red in the glass. The texture was super smooth with very light tannins, and this wine showed a bit of tart fruit, including cranberry, pomegranate, dried strawberry, and red raspberry. It was a bit more floral than I would expect from a Pinot Noir, and more fruity than earthy or rustic. It was a nice easy drinker that would pair with a variety of lighter foods.

Next, I tried the She Drank It All Cabernet Sauvignon, also sourced from Lodi, CA. The color was almost identical to the Pinot Noir, which I found peculiar, but the flavor and texture was even more odd. Dare I say, this Cab was even lighter in flavor and body than the Pinot Noir. I’m not sure how that can even happen, especially grown in an AVA such as Lodi where you would expect much more deep fruit and heavier tannins. This wine was incredibly floral, something else I wouldn’t expect from a Cab. This showed extremely light fruit, very light tannin, little to no oak, and notes of red plum. Missing was any herbal or eucalyptus notes I’d expect from a Cab, and certainly no deep, dark fruits. It was interesting, to say the least.

Finally, I tried the Smooth Criminal Malbec, also sourced from Lodi, CA. This was my favorite of the flight. The most tannic and structured of the reds, it was still quite smooth and soft. This had deeper fruit, although still more red fruit notes than black fruit, and almost had a bubble gum character to it you’d find in a wine that has undergone carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration.

Light Bites

We decided to split a couple of light bites, so we ordered the Antipasto Skewers and the Deconstructed Beets and Buratta. These plates were fantastic! I ordered a glass of Smooth Criminal Malbec to sip on while we snacked, and it was a perfect compliment to both appetizers.

The Wine Lab is a fabulous place to visit, and I hope it thrives for years to come. The atmosphere is welcoming and spacious, the service is top notch, and the food is incredible. I personally found the wine to be average, but certainly enjoyable. I will most definitely return in the future to enjoy more Malbec and experience more options on their menu.