Well, that’s absolutely fabulous news for us winos and foodies out there – September hasn’t really offered too many events, and without having to travel too far, we’d have to wait for the SoBe Wine and Food Festival next February. But with the creation of Crush and Cuisine, we have a terrific three day event full of wine, food, spirits, educational programs, and golf (I wonder how much they will allow us to drink on the course).

And to make the event that much more attractive, Crush and Cuisine is offering South Beach Wine Club members and readers 20% off their ticket prices – just use the coupon code in the banner below. The only thing better than drinking great wine at a beautiful resort is doing it for less money!

If you have any questions check out the Crush and Cuisine website: www.crushandcuisine.com. I hope to see you there!

Many of the wines poured will be made from varietals that are not so every day (well at least to most of the U.S. market) such as Chilean Carmenere, Spanish Grenache, and Argentine Malbec. But don’t raise an eyebrow if you question the obscurity – there will still be plenty of comforting Pinot Noir. And remember, there will be books available for you to keep notes, so that after you find yourself drawn to Malbec instead of a Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy with your steak – you’ll remember what you liked!

Okay, to the cost. General admission is $75 per day or $130 for two days (Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16). Collector’s Club tickets, showcasing the Fair’s top 100 wines, are $125 per day or $200 for two days and includes one-hour early entry. But how lucky for you! Because you are checking out the South Beach Wine Club, I’m able to offer you 20% off your ticket price with the code on the banner below – so take advantage of it!

]]> http://www.southbeachwineclub.com/2010/08/the-9th-annual-miami-international-wine-fair/feed/ 0 http://www.southbeachwineclub.com/2009/11/winter-pasta-and-wine/ http://www.southbeachwineclub.com/2009/11/winter-pasta-and-wine/#comments Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:23:09 +0000 Randy http://www.southbeachwineclub.com/?p=1145 Maybe it was my stomach grumbling. Maybe it was the thought of the rigatoni and meatballs I had for dinner last night. But one thing is for sure – that even in South Florida, winter, pasta, and wine go hand in hand. Think about it for a second – when deciding on a pasta or a wine, the first question you have to ask is red or white. So once you figure out the answer you have both your sauce and your win narrowed down. Plus, the pairing is just so darn easy – hearty pasta dishes easily satisfy just about any crowd. And there is no need to stick to the standard standard spaghetti or angel hair Bring something new and exciting to the table. I mean, why not? Pasta all pretty much cooks the same – all you need is the pot and boiling water.

• Bow-Ties: The Italians call them farfalle (butterflies). Either way, they work beautifully with creamy white and pesto-style sauces. Their little tucks and folds trap the bits of garlic and herbs in the sauce, bringing a lot of flavor to every bite.

• Spirals: For a more adult version of macaroni and cheese, try these springy, whimsical noodles tossed with a rich, elegant cheese sauce.

• Ribbons: Don’t have time to make lasagna? These long, fluted noodles offer the curly-edged flair of lasagna, but can be served simply topped with a hearty meat sauce.

Thick or thin, straight or curly, pasta always pairs well with a good glass of wine. For hearty and meaty red-sauced dishes, try Chianti, Barbaresco or Merlot. For Alfredo or cheese-sauced dishes, a Chardonnay – either a crisper French style, or creamy California style. Either will offer a rich, dense body that’s sure to hit the spot.

But I digress. Knowing many people may have a chart on their fridge, here is one you can can reference quickly while ordering wine online – or feel free to print it out.

Thanks to wine’s long shelf life, you can stock your wine cellar now, well in advance of the year-end festivities – and have one less item to check off your to-do list when the celebrations are in full swing.

With so many different kinds of food served during the holidays you’ll want a few go-to wines that pair with just about everything. Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio are both versatile, food-loving sips that won’t step on many dishes’ toes.

Sometimes, however, it’s just as important to match wines according to the taste of your guests. You can make all those around your table feel welcomed and indulged by picking up a bottle you’ve chosen with their preferences in mind. Remember these tips when matching wines to personalities:

• For those sweet-wine-loving aunts and grandmas: White Zinfandel and German Riesling are fruity and refreshing. For a fruity-style sparkling wine, choose Asti or Moscato d’Asti.

• For artistic, urban-dwelling cousins: Look to Spain for some currently trendy sips, including Albarino (an energetic white with a fleshy, round finish) and red Riojas, made from the Tempranillo grape.

• For your friend, the wine geek: Go for specific sub-regions that fascinate wine lovers, such as the Willamette Valley in Oregon (for Pinot Noir), the Marlborough region of New Zealand (for Sauvingon Blanc) and Napa Valley (for Cabernet Sauvignon).

• For the Steady Eddys: Some people just want “their usual.” Remember that Merlot and Chardonnay always rank among the best-selling reds and whites, respectively. Keep a few bottles of these on hand, and you’ll have something nearly anyone can enjoy.

And don’t worry about buying too much – what you don’t open can go right back in your cellar, and what you won’t ever drink (perhaps the White Zinfandel) can go home with your quests, so as not to clutter your wine rack. Everyone wins!

With its bold flavors and meaty appeal, chili may seem best suited to a cold beer – and certainly, you can’t go wrong there. But what about wines? Will they mesh with the Lone Star State’s most famous dish? In a word: Yes! Here are a few suggestions, and why they work:

Zinfandel: A spicy, jam-packed red Zin will match the big, spicy flavors of your most robust “bowl of red.”

Syrah/Shiraz: Also possessing hints of spice, Shiraz will delight you. Try Shiraz-Cabernet blends from Australia if your chili is especially meaty.

Riesling: Rather than complementing the rich hearty chili flavors, go for contrasts with a sweeter style of Riesling from Germany. Its fruitiness and brightness will play well against the depth of flavors in the chili.

Sparkling Wines: Akin to beer, a nice fizzy wine will prove refreshing between bites. An inexpensive sparkler from Spain will offer the easygoing appeal you want with such a casual dish.

So add a few bottles of wine to your tailgate shopping list, and remember – GO GATORS!

And although some ice cold Coke was good with lunch, wine was what we had with dinner. For the best match of wine with pizza, take a tip from your toppings. Focus on the dominant flavors in the topping and look for a wine that complements them. As a general rule, heat and spices will take well to a sweet or sparkling wine, while toppings with strong, earthy flavors get along best with wines on the dry side.

Start with the classic pairing: a pizza loaded with tomato sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni, alongside a bottle of Chianti, made from the Sangiovese grape. Chianti’s heartiness and acidity go well with the bite of the sauce, the creaminess of the cheese and the saltiness of the pepperoni. Chianti isn’t the only option, of course; Sauvignon Blanc, the near-universal wine, also works surprisingly well. But neither of these is right for every type of pizza.
Here are some pizza types and some wines that complement them. If your choice does not lead to love at first bite (and sip), just save the bottle for after dinner!

WHITE PIZZA WITH MUSHROOMS – The “white” means cheese with no tomato sauce base, so the usual high-acid choices that complement tomatoes will not do. If the cheese is only mildly salty and the mushrooms dominate, you could pair this pizza with the complexity and intensity of a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Or elevate the pie into a total gourmet occasion with Champagne. The effervescence will cut through the richness of the cheese and accent the mushrooms indulgently.

SPINACH AND GARLIC – One of Brett Baxter’s favorites, this is one of the rare gourmet pizza types that can stand up to Chianti (a pesto topping is another). Why settle for the ordinary, though? Sangiovese, made from the same grape as Chianti but lighter, spicier and more complex, has a natural love affair with garlic. This earthy topping pair also goes well with the fragrant fruitiness of Valpolicella or the simplicity of a Pinot Noir.

GOAT CHEESE – Look for a dry Sauvignon Blanc, which has the versatility to support this cheese’s creamy mildness.

HAM AND PINEAPPLE – Usually referred to as a Hawaiian pizza, this style has a tricky one-two punch of salty and sweet. The combination requires a fruity white wine that’s midway between dry and sweet. Light, herbal Sauvignon Blanc fits the bill.

BARBECUE CHICKEN – One of my personal favorites, I suggest a German or California Riesling. This varietal  gets along with the peppery sweetness of this increasingly popular pizza.

THAI CHICKEN – The spicy peanut sauce calls for a sweet white wine, such as an Italian Pinot Grigio (or its West Coast relative, Pinot Gris), or a spicy, aromatic Gewurztraminer, which is widely produced in the United States now as well as in Germany. Don’t overlook a sparkling wine or Champagne. The bubbles bring a flair to sweet and spicy ethnic food.

Although I just returned from a weekend of eating way too much pizza, this article just put me in the mood for more. But now that I’m back on Miami Beach, my choices of quality pizza shops are quite tiny. I think I’ll head to Primo’s which is South of Fifth. If you don’t know it – find it. It’s the closest thing to New York style pizza on the beach!

Just because you don’t have a lot of time to fuss in the kitchen doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a fully satisfying meal at home, complete with wine. There are certainly plenty of pairings that can be put together in about an hour. Here are a few themes for dinner I would suggest:

Bistro at Home: A simple roasted chicken is a French bistro staple. Grab a rotisserie chicken – probably one from your local supermarkets (if you made your own it would obviously take over an hour to make). Then keep the bistro theme going with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Syrah. These wines are popular in France and friendly to roasted chicken.

Italian Night In: With your favorite marinara sauce, your preferred pasta, and possibly some meatballs from the freezer (or your local gourmet market), you can have a cozy little spaghetti-and-meatball dinner on the table in minutes. Spread out the red-and-white checked tablecloth, light some candles and pour an Italian Chianti or a California Sangiovese.

Comforts of Home: When you’re ready for a hearty, meaty and robust entree, try your hand at making a meatloaf. Just combine some ground beef, onions, tomatoes and Italian breadcrumbs, and you’re good to go. A full-flavored Merlot or red Zinfandel is the perfect choice with this style of comfort food.

Ham in a Hurry: One of the easiest meals in the world starts with a few thick slices of good-quality smoked ham. Serve it along with a fruit salad to brighten up dinner. Enjoy an equally bright chilled dry rose wine with this combo.

Asian Delight: If you want to spice things up a little bit, try putting together your own stir-fry. Grab some baby corn, broccoli, water chestnuts, as well as some meat, chicken, or shrimp, and cook on the stove-top. Add some teriyaki sauce and you’ll be good to go in about 30 minutes. Pair with a Riesling or Gewurztraminer to balance sweet and salty.

And now you have enough ideas to get you through a whole week!

From dancing bulls to leaping frogs, black swans to roaming goats, a veritable zoo of animals appears on wine labels today. Indeed, some credit the popularity of “critter labels” with the success of the affordable Australian Yellow Tail brand introduced here in 2001.

Although it seems novel, the fixation with critter labels isn’t new. In 1981, the name Frog’s Leap was chosen “to deflate the pretension of wine.” Designer Chuck House created the Frog’s Leap label for a couple hundred bucks and a few cases of wine. That same year, the label was awarded the Design of Excellence award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts. His beloved leaping frog logo is now part of the permanent collection in the Smithsonian.

Margaret and Dan Duckhorn co-founded Duckhorn Wine Company, which began with a traditional sketched duck on its label. Now its sister winery, Paraduxx, commissions artists to create original paintings depicting a beautiful pair of ducks for its label. Why animals? Duckhorn explains that unlike a label with lots of words, the animal catches the eye. This makes sense, because you’ll be more likely to recall it when you shop for wine again. With so many animals in the world, wineries will likely never run out of mascots.

In 2000, Rancho Zabaco introduced a delicious “wow” value Zinfandel with a new dynamic label of a charging bull image to display its Mexican heritage. According to Rancho Zabaco, this change helped sales shoot up a whopping 135 percent.

Inspiration for the Toad Hollow wine label came from founder Todd Williams’ nickname, “Toad.” Although the various labels of walking, talking, wine-sipping toads are whimsical, there’s serious wine inside.

Need help figuring out the flavors of specific bottles and the foods to pair them with? Well, the label won’t really help you. But it may be enough to get you to at least try the wine inside.

While some Pinot Grigios can be deep gold, the most familiar incarnation in our market is basic Italian Pinot Grigio, whose very pale tint foreshadows its light body and mild taste. Pinot Grigio’s mild profile, gently reminiscent of peach or citrus, accompanied by moderate acidity, means that this wine works well as an easy-sipping aperitif, and as a table wine that won’t step on many food’s toes.

In Italian vineyards, Pinot Grigio grows well and in lots of places. When farmed for volume, the fruit character tends to be diluted – but that’s just fine with its fans, who like a lighter style of wine. This wine’s popularity has led to more plantings in California, but the most promising area in the U.S. is Oregon, where the Pinot Gris moniker is usually applied, and the richer style prevails.

Though technically the same grape variety, Pinot Gris in Alsace generates a drastically different style of wine. Dry, sunny climate inhibits yields, amplifying the richness and fruitiness. Along with their noticeable heft, the Alsace examples have more obvious acidity.

Pairing Pinot Grigio with foods is relatively easy. Simple Pinot Grigio fits hors d’oeuvres, light fish and chicken dishes, Mediterranean fare, and picnics. Alsace Pinot Gris will stand up to heftier, more complex foods, such as seafood, white meats, and poultry.

For prices that don’t go higher than $15 a bottle (unless you feel compelled to constantly buy over-priced Santa Margherita), Pinot Grigio is always a good bottle to have around the house. Whether you’re in the mood for a nice crisp white on a hot day, or need a go-to white for company, a Pinot Grigio will get the job done.