 Tired of the same old cheese board with your happy hour glass of wine?
Yeah, me neither. That was a silly question. But are you ready to impress everyone with some delicious but super easy happy hour bites to go alongside your cheese board? That's what I thought! Check out my recipe below for some tasty but easy to make Peach & Ricotta Crostini Bites. I've also done the work of finding the perfect wine the pair with it!
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 If you’re heading to Napa Valley, be sure that you visit the wonderful little town of Calistoga. This historic town is most known for its hot springs, mud baths, and of course–wineries. Whether you make it your home base or just visit as a day trip, you certainly won’t regret it!
To make your visit even easier, I’ve put together the perfect day trip itinerary for you! P.S. - Each of these wineries (besides Picayune) require a reservation so be sure to plan in advance!  I’ve been seeing more and more non-alcoholic wines and wine alternatives pop up in my news feed lately. And it got me thinking, could a wine without the alcohol still taste just as good? And how are non-alcoholic wines made anyway? Is a non-alcoholic wine just grape juice?
Of course, with a curious mind like mine I had to find out for myself. So I purchased an array of non-alcoholic wines and wine alternatives to try for myself. Below is my honest opinion of each of these wines! The temperatures are starting to warm up and the sun is gracing us with its presence more and more (at least here in the Pacific Northwest) which can mean only one thing…summer is on its way!  Usually summer means it’s time to break out the refreshing white wines and Instagram worthy rosés, but I want to introduce you to another style of wine that is perfect for summer - chillable red wines!
Read on to learn what exactly a chillable red wine is along with some recommendations if you want to give them a try. It's finally happening. The wine trip you've been wanting to go on is finally a reality. You’ve purchased the plane tickets, taken the time off work, and booked the perfect Airbnb. Now you just need to plan the wineries you’ll be visiting and how you’ll be spending your time on your wine trip!  My husband and I recently visited Napa Valley and Sonoma for the first time and when it came time to plan the trip I was both excited and incredibly overwhelmed! There were so many wineries and tasting rooms and I wanted to visit them all, but that obviously wasn’t going to be possible in the four days that we were down there. I want to share my tips for how I went about planning my wine trip in hopes that it helps you plan your next wine trip!
Is there anything more reminiscent of your college experience than boxed wine? Cost effective, lasts in the fridge for a month, and you don’t even need a bottle opener to get to the wine; it really doesn’t get any better than that! But can boxed wine graduate from its college reputation? Many wineries are turning to more cost effective and eco friendly packaging, and boxed wine is a great option. We’re now seeing boxed wines on the market with higher price points, but the question is, are they worth it?  The only way to find out is to taste the wine, so I did exactly that! I set up a blind tasting between five different boxed wines to find out if the higher end boxes were worth their price points.
Black Box Cabernet SauvignonWelcome to Swill or Swell, a weekly series where I taste grocery store wines and let you know if they’re worth the buck or just meant for the drain! CAVEAT! As you read this, please keep in mind that wine is subjective! This means that everyone enjoys different things and something I like might not be something you like and vice versa. I’ll be as objective as I can with facts about the wine’s quality, but in the end if your opinion differs from mine...that’s perfectly fine! Wine is only worth drinking if YOU like drinking it.  LET'S INTRODUCE THE WINE
Yes Way RoséWelcome to Swill or Swell, a weekly series where I taste grocery store wines and let you know if they’re worth the buck or just meant for the drain! CAVEAT! As you read this, please keep in mind that wine is subjective! This means that everyone enjoys different things and something I like might not be something you like and vice versa. I’ll be as objective as I can with facts about the wine’s quality, but in the end if your opinion differs from mine...that’s perfectly fine! Wine is only worth drinking if YOU like drinking it  LET'S INTRODUCE THE WINE
Francis Coppola Sofia Blanc de BlancWelcome to Swill or Swell, a weekly series where I taste grocery store wines and let you know if they’re worth the buck or just meant for the drain! CAVEAT! As you read this, please keep in mind that wine is subjective! This means that everyone enjoys different things and something I like might not be something you like and vice versa. I’ll be as objective as I can with facts about the wine’s quality, but in the end if your opinion differs from mine...that’s perfectly fine! Wine is only worth drinking if YOU like drinking it.  LET'S INTRODUCE THE WINE
5 Tips to Better Identify Aromas in WineIf you’ve ever smelled your glass of wine expecting a bouquet of raspberries, lilac, coffee and chocolate and thought: just smells like wine to me, this post is for you. First off, know that you’re definitely not alone. Distinguishing aromas is one of the most difficult parts of the wine tasting process. Don’t despair though, this skill can be trained and improved. Here are my five tips for better distinguishing aromas in your wine!  Before we get into the tips, let’s just talk quickly about the elephant in the room. When I first started learning about wine and read that a wine had notes of pineapple, vanilla, and cinnamon I wondered if that meant the wine was made with these ingredients. How else would it have those flavors and aromas?
Turns out, aromas found in wine are derived from chemical reactions. This means there was no pineapple (or vanilla or cinnamon for that matter) in the wine I was tasting. This is great news for wines with notes of dirt, rubber hose, or even petroleum. But why, then, do we describe the wine as having these particular aromas if they’re not actually present in the wine? House Wine Sauvignon BlancWelcome to Swill or Swell, a weekly series where I taste grocery store wines and let you know if they’re worth the buck or just meant for the drain! CAVEAT! As you read this, please keep in mind that wine is subjective! This means that everyone enjoys different things and something I like might not be something you like and vice versa. I’ll be as objective as I can with facts about the wine’s quality, but in the end if your opinion differs from mine...that’s perfectly fine! Wine is only worth drinking if YOU like drinking it  LET'S INTRODUCE THE WINE
Trader Joe’s is probably the world’s best grocery store. I mean, let’s just start with the cheese aisle. I have never had a bad cheese from Trader Joe’s. Plus, it’s just so convenient when you can grab your high quality cheese and wine from the same place without breaking the bank! If you are looking to learn more about wine without taking out a small personal loan, I highly recommend Trader Joe’s. Their wines are accessible, and their tasting note cards are super helpful. Here’s my short list of the 8 best Trader Joe’s wines for under $15 (in no particular order). Enjoy! 1. Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 201  The What, Why, and How of Decanting Wine WHAT IS DECANTING? Decanting is simply pouring wine from the bottle into a separate vessel without disturbing any sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Thus, a decanter is the separate vessel you pour your wine into.
Fetzer GewürztraminerWelcome to Swill or Swell, a weekly series where I taste grocery store wines and let you know if they’re worth the buck or just meant for the drain! CAVEAT! As you read this, please keep in mind that wine is subjective! This means that everyone enjoys different things and something I like might not be something you like and vice versa. I’ll be as objective as I can with facts about the wine’s quality, but in the end if your opinion differs from mine...that’s perfectly fine! Wine is only worth drinking if YOU like drinking it.  LET'S INTRODUCE THE WINE
 Is anyone else feeling cooped up this winter? Lately, I’ve found myself craving a good wine bar outing. These cozy little restaurants usually have tons of wines to choose from - which means there’s a wine for everyone! - as well as picture-perfect charcuterie boards and small plates. I wrote an Instagram post on this subject back in September, but to summarize, there are three ways to get the most out of your wine bar experience:
With that in mind, here are my suggestions for the best wine bars in Seattle! |
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