Tag: food-friendly

We’ll Toast June 2023 with a Favotive Prosecco Venti22due Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G.

Venti22due Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. has made our list of favorite Proseccos despite the fact that we are yet to purchase a bottle of it ourselves.

That's because a dear friend has made a habit of buying a bottle for us as a gift for many occasions or just because he wants to surprise us with something nice. We're fortunate to have him in our lives for many reasons beyond his lovely gifts.

We have a strong preference for wines that are low in alcohol, and this one is just 11% ABV. It's from the heart of Prosecco country and is eligible to use Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. on the label.

Prosecco is a perfect summer sparkler. The best of them (and this is one) are food-friendly, crisp, and refreshing. There was once a tradition in Italy that a glass of Prosecco would be served to diners as soon as they were seated in a restaurant. While this has faded away, we think that having a bottle of Prosecco chilled and ready to share with unexpected guests is a delightful way to say, "Welcome!"

Here's the information on the label and hang tag.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

This bottle was a gift.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

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Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2019 – 2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino

June 1, 2023
Toasting May 2022 with Our House Sparkler Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco

The one sparkling wine that is almost always in our wine rack is Nino Franco Rustico prosecco. Thanks to a friend who ran some errands for us, we have our house wines on hand again.

For us, house wine is a wine we love to drink and share with friends. It's a good value wine that we can keep on hand in quantity. Nino Franco Rustico has had "special friend wine" and "house wine" status for many years. We discovered it long ago at a restaurant that had the talented Cat Silirie as the sommelier. We thank her for the introduction!

The Nino Franco Team Says:

“Coming from the middle elevation hills of the classic area of prosecco, Rustico is how we make ourselves known. It is one of Nino Franco's historic wines, produced since the 1970s, and was initially a prosecco «aged on its lees» before becoming a Charmat method sparkling wine in 1979. Its freshness and drinkability combine with an excellent floral bouquet. An outstanding aperitif and an ideal pairing to delicate appetizers.”

We Say!

Give this food-friendly sparkler a try. It is not the easiest wine to find, but the search is worth it. And, we have linked to Gordon's Wine and Spirits as a source of our house wines.

If you like to celebrate or have friends over on short notice, pick a couple of wines as your own house wines. We have the Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir as our red offering. By the way, in the restaurant business, a "house wine" may be an inexpensive (and often uninteresting wine) they always have on hand. They may buy it in large quantities often at a discounted price.

If a restaurant serves an interesting and appealing house wine, well-matched with the food they serve, you have found a place that cares about the quality and value of the wine they serve.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

We purchase our bottle at Gordon's Fine Wine and Spirits for $23.99.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 – 2022 Penny & Ed Cherubino

May 1, 2022
Another Taste of Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises for Our June Toast

Tonight we'll toast the month of June with a bottle of Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises. Sometimes the choice of a sparkling wine to feature for our monthly toast is made by visiting our favorite wine shops. Other times we pull a bottle from our wine rack. This bottle had a note added to the side with our trusty Sharpie glass and bottle markers. This bottle will bring extra smiles tonight because it was a gift from a friend who we hope will enjoy it with us.

Here is a full report about this bottle of "grey pearls" (as the name is translated) when we featured it a few years ago.

Wine Lovers Tip

We highly recommend adding a set of these markers to your wine supplies.

You can use them to mark the price and where you purchased a wine or, as here, note who gave it to you. Not only do we enjoy sharing gift wines with friends when they visit again, but we also enjoy the wines more ourselves because they're part of a friendship.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino

June 1, 2019
Another Taste of Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises for Our June Toast

Tonight we'll toast the month of June with a bottle of Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises. Sometimes the choice of a sparkling wine to feature for our monthly toast is made by visiting our favorite wine shops. Other times we pull a bottle from our wine rack. This bottle had a note added to the side with our trusty Sharpie glass and bottle markers. This bottle will bring extra smiles tonight because it was a gift from a friend who we hope will enjoy it with us.

Here is a full report about this bottle of "grey pearls" (as the name is translated) when we featured it a few years ago.

Wine Lovers Tip

We highly recommend adding a set of these markers to your wine supplies.

You can use them to mark the price and where you purchased a wine or, as here, note who gave it to you. Not only do we enjoy sharing gift wines with friends when they visit again, but we also enjoy the wines more ourselves because they're part of a friendship.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino

June 1, 2019
No Fooling! Our April 1st Toast Will Be with a Glass of Artomaña Txakolina
Why Artomaña Txakolina? We wanted to pick a wine that would be fun and a bit of a surprise for our toast to April 1st. Txakolinas are just that. These wines from the Basque region are light, lively, low-alcohol, food-friendly, and the tiny supply that reaches our shores usually shows up this time of year.

We scanned our wine rack and grabbed a bottle we had picked up somewhere in our travels. As we tried to remember where, that star on the label brought back a special memory. We think this is the first Txakolina we ever tasted many years ago at Tinto in Philadelphia. This was before Chef/Owner Jose Garces was well known. If he's as gracious to his guests these days as he was to us back then he will always be a success.

We'll add him to our toast as we pour a glass of this wine from on-high with the help of our special Txakoli pourer.

Tidbits you might want to know if you'd like to try this wine:
- In the Basque language TX is pronounce CHA, so this wine is pronounced “chah-kuh-leena.”
- And, if your server is in the know, the wine will be poured from high above the glass to aerate it and activate the fizz.
- Finally, that glass may be a large tumbler rather than a stemmed wine glass.
Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino
April 1, 2019
No Fooling! Our April 1st Toast Will Be with a Glass of Artomaña Txakolina
Why Artomaña Txakolina? We wanted to pick a wine that would be fun and a bit of a surprise for our toast to April 1st. Txakolinas are just that. These wines from the Basque region are light, lively, low-alcohol, food-friendly, and the tiny supply that reaches our shores usually shows up this time of year.

We scanned our wine rack and grabbed a bottle we had picked up somewhere in our travels. As we tried to remember where, that star on the label brought back a special memory. We think this is the first Txakolina we ever tasted many years ago at Tinto in Philadelphia. This was before Chef/Owner Jose Garces was well known. If he's as gracious to his guests these days as he was to us back then he will always be a success.

We'll add him to our toast as we pour a glass of this wine from on-high with the help of our special Txakoli pourer.

Tidbits you might want to know if you'd like to try this wine:
- In the Basque language TX is pronounce CHA, so this wine is pronounced “chah-kuh-leena.”
- And, if your server is in the know, the wine will be poured from high above the glass to aerate it and activate the fizz.
- Finally, that glass may be a large tumbler rather than a stemmed wine glass.
Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino
April 1, 2019
Here’s to April with a Glass of Dibon Cava Brut Reserve, a Can’t Miss Favorite!

When we set out to make 2018 a year of celebrating some of the best, most memorable sparkling wines we’ve tasted during the years of keeping Our Sparking Resolution, Dibon Cava Brut Reserve immediately came to mind.

Not only is this a perfect, everyday bubbly that’s very reasonably priced, but it’s also extremely versatile and an exceptionally handy sparkler to have on hand at all times. We’ve seen Dibon used as a mixer at some top restaurant bars. And, when one prestigious eatery first came to Boston a few years ago, it charged more for a glass of Debon than for the entire bottle! (Perhaps an oversight, however it did give us some idea of the markup they were using on wines.)

It’s a wine we often recommend to anyone who likes bubbly whether a lifelong aficionado or someone just beginning to explore sparklers. It’s a great way to share with friends (Our Westie Poppy gifted a bottle to her favorite butcher and he is now a Dibon fan.) It's also a great way to make new friends as you share not only a bottle, but also show them how delicious a value wine can be.

Another plus, in this year of old friends, is that Dibon comes from another favorite, trusted, and local importer, OZ Wine Company of Haverhill, MA. Our many OZ experiences make up happy to choose any wine from this line when we explore a shop or wine list. (We do wish wine lists included categories for some of the great importers.)

Here's some of what we said in our first post about this outstanding cava:

"If 'balance' is a fault, then it’s this wine’s only fault! It will please a wide range of tastes …"

"It's light, refreshing, and inviting. Very food-friendly …"

"Dibon Cava would be a perfect opener for a party, at a restaurant with friends, to begin a meal or an evening. And, a special way to celebrate the start of a new month. Salud!"

Related:

Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino (Top) The others are courtesy of Dibon.

April 1, 2018
Here’s to April with a Glass of Dibon Cava Brut Reserve, a Can’t Miss Favorite!

When we set out to make 2018 a year of celebrating some of the best, most memorable sparkling wines we’ve tasted during the years of keeping Our Sparking Resolution, Dibon Cava Brut Reserve immediately came to mind.

Not only is this a perfect, everyday bubbly that’s very reasonably priced, but it’s also extremely versatile and an exceptionally handy sparkler to have on hand at all times. We’ve seen Dibon used as a mixer at some top restaurant bars. And, when one prestigious eatery first came to Boston a few years ago, it charged more for a glass of Debon than for the entire bottle! (Perhaps an oversight, however it did give us some idea of the markup they were using on wines.)

It’s a wine we often recommend to anyone who likes bubbly whether a lifelong aficionado or someone just beginning to explore sparklers. It’s a great way to share with friends (Our Westie Poppy gifted a bottle to her favorite butcher and he is now a Dibon fan.) It's also a great way to make new friends as you share not only a bottle, but also show them how delicious a value wine can be.

Another plus, in this year of old friends, is that Dibon comes from another favorite, trusted, and local importer, OZ Wine Company of Haverhill, MA. Our many OZ experiences make up happy to choose any wine from this line when we explore a shop or wine list. (We do wish wine lists included categories for some of the great importers.)

Here's some of what we said in our first post about this outstanding cava:

"If 'balance' is a fault, then it’s this wine’s only fault! It will please a wide range of tastes …"

"It's light, refreshing, and inviting. Very food-friendly …"

"Dibon Cava would be a perfect opener for a party, at a restaurant with friends, to begin a meal or an evening. And, a special way to celebrate the start of a new month. Salud!"

Related:

Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino (Top) The others are courtesy of Dibon.

April 1, 2018
Our October Sparkler Is Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises!

Another month means another wine to keep Our Sparkling Resolution to enjoy a glass of bubbles on the first of every month. This time Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises (Perles Grises = Grey Pearls) offered us both a winemaker and a grape we had never tried.

This food friendly rosé from France's Loire Valley is made from 100% Pineau d’Aunis. (This grape is also known as Chenin Noir but bears no resemblance to Chenin Blanc.) The production is biodynamic and the vineyard has been in the same family since the 1800s.

Here are a few comments about this sparkler that we found in our tasting research:

Carolyn Joy wrote, "Perles Grises is perfect on its own or with food. Its mid-bodied structure and balanced acidity allows for pairing with light white meats, seafood and shellfish as well as appetizers and desserts."

Palate Press says, "Very light, almost clear, copper color. The nose is interesting, a bouquet of white flowers and pencil shavings. On the palate it has huge flavors of pencil shavings with flint, rose water, pepper, and red currants. Smoke lingers on the finish. Pair with a fruit tart dessert."

Europa Wine Merchant wrote, "This bubbly made with the Pineau d’Aunis grape this has the varietal’s tell tale peppery quality along with scents of rose blossom, lilac, white raspberry, mirabelle plum and lanolin, firm, mineral, stony palate presence with pretty notes of small red berries, fresh herbs and a peppery finish all in Colin’s elegant style."

We sampled a bottle of this wine with friends and a table full of delicious seafood. The comments were positive and at the $15 price point it is certainly one we'll buy again.

Finding new wines to toast each new month keeps us on a constant treasure hunt. We seldom pass a wine shop without stopping in to explore its offerings. This wine came from City Liquors on one of our favorite blocks of Cambridge Street in Cambridge. (map)

Penny was pleased with both the selection and service when she stopped in while making routine visits to Mayflower Poultry, Petsi Pies, and New Deal Fish Market. It looks like she'll pack an extra quarter for the parking meter in future visits to this food and wine lovers block.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino, City Liquors photos from own site.

Related articles

Loving that Landaff Cheese: Welsh Style Flavor from New Hampshire

A Busy Season Resource: Our Poached Chicken Links

Michael Serpa Selects Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée 736 as Our Sparkler for June 2015

October 1, 2016
Our October Sparkler Is Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises!

Another month means another wine to keep Our Sparkling Resolution to enjoy a glass of bubbles on the first of every month. This time Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises (Perles Grises = Grey Pearls) offered us both a winemaker and a grape we had never tried.

This food friendly rosé from France's Loire Valley is made from 100% Pineau d’Aunis. (This grape is also known as Chenin Noir but bears no resemblance to Chenin Blanc.) The production is biodynamic and the vineyard has been in the same family since the 1800s.

Here are a few comments about this sparkler that we found in our tasting research:

Carolyn Joy wrote, "Perles Grises is perfect on its own or with food. Its mid-bodied structure and balanced acidity allows for pairing with light white meats, seafood and shellfish as well as appetizers and desserts."

Palate Press says, "Very light, almost clear, copper color. The nose is interesting, a bouquet of white flowers and pencil shavings. On the palate it has huge flavors of pencil shavings with flint, rose water, pepper, and red currants. Smoke lingers on the finish. Pair with a fruit tart dessert."

Europa Wine Merchant wrote, "This bubbly made with the Pineau d’Aunis grape this has the varietal’s tell tale peppery quality along with scents of rose blossom, lilac, white raspberry, mirabelle plum and lanolin, firm, mineral, stony palate presence with pretty notes of small red berries, fresh herbs and a peppery finish all in Colin’s elegant style."

We sampled a bottle of this wine with friends and a table full of delicious seafood. The comments were positive and at the $15 price point it is certainly one we'll buy again.

Finding new wines to toast each new month keeps us on a constant treasure hunt. We seldom pass a wine shop without stopping in to explore its offerings. This wine came from City Liquors on one of our favorite blocks of Cambridge Street in Cambridge. (map)

Penny was pleased with both the selection and service when she stopped in while making routine visits to Mayflower Poultry, Petsi Pies, and New Deal Fish Market. It looks like she'll pack an extra quarter for the parking meter in future visits to this food and wine lovers block.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino, City Liquors photos from own site.

Related articles

Loving that Landaff Cheese: Welsh Style Flavor from New Hampshire

A Busy Season Resource: Our Poached Chicken Links

Michael Serpa Selects Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée 736 as Our Sparkler for June 2015

October 1, 2016