Pairing suggestions for Rose and wines with crispy textures.
Wines with crispy textures are high in acidity.
Crisp wines act as a palate cleaner and leave the mouth feeling refreshed.
Blush is a term for Rosé with sweet flavors.
A great choice for light salads, seafood, and goat cheese.
Rosé Winemaking
Winemaking techniques used to produce Rosé.
Rosé is a style of winemaking not a varietal.
Three winemaking techniques are used to produce Rosé.
Maceration: Red grape skins are allowed contact with juice for a short time
Blending: Red wine is added to white wine. Winemakers normally use 5%
Saignée: Juice is removed or "bled off" from the production of a red wine
Dessert Wines Ports
Tasting profile and pairing suggestions for Port Wine.
Fortifying wine can halt fermentation before the sugar is converted to alcohol. Port is a term for wine fortified with grape brandy.
Vinho do Porto is a fortified wine produced in Portugal.
In the United States wines labelled "port" may come from anywhere in the world.
Styles of Dessert Wine
Winemaking techniques used to produce Dessert Wines.
Desert wines are sweet with high alcohol content.Wines with high alcohol coat your mouth and your glass.
Port: Grape brandy is added to a wine
Sherry: Three varietals are purposefully oxidized
Late Harvest: Grapes left on the vine late into the season resulting in a higher residual sugar
Port made with Touriga Nacional
Tasting profiles and pairing suggestions for Port made with Touriga Nacional.
The color of dessert wines range from light caramel to purple.As the wine gets darker so does the dessert it is paired with.
Flavors include: mulberry, boysenberry, and cocoa.
Pairs well with chocolate and caramel desserts, salted/smoked nuts. Best with blue cheese and dark chocolate.
Grenache
Tasting profile and pairing suggestions for Grenache.
Active components found in chili peppers are dissolved by alcohol.Chilled Grenache can help reduce the burn of spicy food.
Spice elements in the wine pair perfectly with spiced and herbed dishes.
Taste Profile: Medium acidity, medium tannin, flowers and spice. Flavors include black cherries, raspberries, pepper, licorice, cinnamon and tobacco.
Pairs well with herbed foods, fruit sauces and roasted meats. Good choice for grilled vegetables, caramelized onions, lentils, and eggplant. Pairs best with pork, chicken and game. High alcohol content can reduce the heat in ethnic foods. Good choice for Szechuan Style, Indian Food and Moroccan Food.
Wine should be more acidic than the dish it is paired with.
Cabernet Franc
Tasting profile and pairing suggestions for Cabernet Franc.
Wines with strong fruit aromas are described as bold or fruit forward.
Taste Profile: Medium high acidity, high tannin and bold fruit. Flavors include red plum, strawberries, raspberry, roasted pepper, mint and roasted jalapeño.
High acidity makes this varietal a good choice for tomato dishes, BBQ sauces and vinaigrettes. Pairs with dark lentils, roasted red peppers and cranberry sauce. Best with roast chicken, pork sausage, lamb and spinach quiche.
Pairs well with high fat or high tannin dishes. Our first choice for pizza.
Barbera
Tasting profile and pairing suggestions for Barbera.
High acidy & low tannins makes wine taste juicy.
Taste Profile: High Acidity, low tannin, dark fruit. Flavors include dark cherry, dried strawberry, blackberry, vanilla, nutmeg and clove
Pairs well with rich dark meats, higher tannin foods, mushrooms and herbs. Good choice for tomatoes, citrus, root vegetables and braised greens. Best with foods like pizza, dry sausage, provolone, cheddar and mozzarella.
Medium reds pair with dark meat, duck and game.
Merlot
Tasting profile and pairing suggestions for Merlot.
Merlot translates to “little blackbird” in old regional French dialect.
Taste Profile Medium acidity, medium tannin, sweet dark fruit. Flavors include plum, black cherries, licorice, nutmeg and chocolate
Pairs well with meat, lamb, veal and stewed dishes. Best with cured meats and semi hard cheeses like manchego and gruyere. Good Choice for cheese burgers and crunchy nuts.
Zinfandel
Tasting profile and pairing suggestions for Zinfandel.
Zinfandel and Primitivo descend from the Croatian varietal Crljenak. Zinfandel is a replica. Primitivo is a close copy.
Mocha notes pair well with dark bittersweet chocolate.
Taste Profile Medium high acidity, medium high tannin, dark fruit & spice. Flavors include raspberries, strawberries, mocha, maple and sweet tobacco.
Pairs well with sweet spicy barbecued foods and meats: pork ribs, bacon, ham, chicken sausage and lamb. Good choice for sweet savory combinations and BBQ potato chips. Best choice for salumi and pepperoni pizza. Specific Zinfandels can be paired with chocolate.