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What's your favorite wine? What's all the hype about?

ettaterrell

By ettaterrell,
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MicCanberra

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I am guessing that it was labelled as British wine rather than English wine.

 

British wine is made from grape must from anywhere (so it's the cheapest, sh*ttiest stuff). English wine is made from purely English grapes (usually single vineyard) (and is no way available for £5 per bottle!).

 

English sparkling wine regularly beats the top French champagne houses in blind tastings BTW.

 

It gets worse, we bought it at the Salisbury markets (third clue) and it didn't have a proper label (fourth clue).:eek:

BTW, It tasted nothing like what we tasted at the stall.

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ettaterrell

ettaterrell

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Ok I've decided to have a meat cheese tray for pre Christmas dinner for all the family coming. My parents do not drink so I'm sure they will like the hogue wine which is a sweet resiling. Any suggestions on what cheese/meat or anything else snack related to pair it with? My brother and sister n law drink and room temp non sweet merlot... what will pair with this? And I would like one more choice... suggestion and what to pair with? In the 15 - 25$ range. Thanks everyone for all the help

 

 

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Flatbush Flyer

Flatbush Flyer

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Posted (edited)
Ok I've decided to have a meat cheese tray for pre Christmas dinner for all the family coming. My parents do not drink so I'm sure they will like the hogue wine which is a sweet resiling. Any suggestions on what cheese/meat or anything else snack related to pair it with? My brother and sister n law drink and room temp non sweet merlot... what will pair with this? And I would like one more choice... suggestion and what to pair with? In the 15 - 25$ range. Thanks everyone for all the help

 

 

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I hope you're not suggesting $25 for the whole enchilada.

That said, I remain of the opinion that, except for the type of extreme food/wine combinations mentioned in previous posts, you should concentrate more on the quality (and preparation) of what you are serving (both the food and wine).

Without going back over the previous posts, I seem to remember that we still have no idea of your location.

That said, you should seek out a Salumeria (or, at least, a specialty food/farmers' market) with knowledgable staff who can best answer your food questions.

As for me, if there was a simple tray of meat/cheese in front of me, I'd like to see, at least, some Parma Prosciutto (plain and wrapped on Cantaloupe), hot (spicy) Genoa salami, and imported Mortadella (with pistachios). For cheese, I'd favor Amsterdam, aged Gouda, Shropshire (sp?), Grand Padano and maybe a soft one like warm Brie (with the almonds on top).

Of course, given my personal preferences, I'd serve Sonoma and Mendocino wines including a Gary Farrell Pinot Noir, Martin Ray Chardonnay (any of the estate bottles) and a dry Muscat from Navarro (for those folks who like a "touch" of fruitiness in their white wine). I'd also offer one simple sparkler like a brut from Roederer. (Retail wine prices will range from $20-40+\-).

 

As for other eats, I'm sure you can find some quick recipes for things like unusual dips. Try the epicurious or food network websites.

Others may pan the above "pairings." But, I can pretty much guarantee that no wine afficianado would turn down a glass of any of those wines.

Edited by Flatbush Flyer
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slidergirl

slidergirl

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My apologies to the OP: I know you are looking for something simple and inexpensive for a foray into wine for you and your family. I'm not sure why some are offering something over what you want for your experience and price point. As I said before, I'm not a foodie nor a wine snob. Maybe I can offer something more "everyman" for you. I do like that you like the Hogue I offered - it is a nice little wine at a great price! For a red, I like Villa Antinori Toscano for my everyday red - it's within your price point, usually around $15. You did not mention anyone wanting of anyone wanting a white other than that Hogue: Give the Meomi Chardonnay a try if you want. It's also within that price point you want at around $15. This is the "house white" at my hotel and it's restaurant. I'm not a fan of Chardonnay. But, I received a bottle of this wine as a tip and I actually enjoyed it.

 

For your cheese & meat platter, you don't need to go all high-end gourmet and hit a salumeria. You can find plenty at the local supermarket deli counter. Find one that has Boar's Head - it's a steady line of meats. You can go basic - get your thinly sliced ham, beef, hard salami, cotto salami, mortadella, a stick of some dry salami. Get adventurous and get some prosciutto di Parma and prosciutto cotto (a nice italian roasted ham), speck, whatever sparks your interest. The deli counterperson will most likely be happy to let you sample different offerings.

For the cheese, you can grab from the cheese department at your store. Most of them nowadays have 2 sections - the "commodity" cheese and more special cheeses. Hit the special cheese section. I like to do a variety of soft, "medium" and hard cheese and a combination of cow, sheep, and maybe goat. I like Brie for my soft - always mild and everyone likes. I grab one or two cheddars - one plain medium or sharp and one "garnished" one (one of my local cheesemakers has cheddar coated in coffee grounds, one coated in sea salt, one in tea leaves, one in vanilla bean). Maybe a pepper jack or plain Jack for a nice mild one. For my harder cheese, I'm very fond of Manchego and Pecorino Toscano. If you want, add a "blue" cheese to the mix. Add some stuff to go along with the meats and cheeses, like olives, dried apricots, grapes, pear and apple slices, walnuts, almonds, whole-grain mustard, apricot or fig jam, some crackers, sliced baguettes. You're set to go!

If you want to wow the family, make your own ricotta! Easy to do, and so much different from that junk in the market!!! You can search and find easy recipes for it online - I use the recipe from Epicurious.com. This one I put on a cracker with a dab of jam. Once you do this, you'll never buy at the store again!!

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XBGuy

XBGuy

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Posted (edited)

Wow, I think SliderGirl has made some outstanding recommendations. Excellent job, SL.

 

I am going to add one idea.

 

Most grocery stores in my neighborhood sell packages of prosciutto or salami wrapped around mozzarella cheese. Costco offers a similar thing with different cured meats rolled around a slice of provolone cheese. These are excellent for people to grab and snack on and would seem to fit in your theme. Also, little work for you--open the package and lay them out on your platter.

Edited by XBGuy
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slidergirl

slidergirl

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Wow, I think SliderGirl has made some outstanding recommendations. Excellent job, SL.

 

I am going to add one idea.

 

Most grocery stores in my neighborhood sell packages of prosciutto or salami wrapped around mozzarella cheese. Costco offers a similar thing with different cured meats rolled around a slice of provolone cheese. These are excellent snacks for people to grab and snack on and would seem to fit in your theme. Also, little work for you--open the package and lay them out on your platter.

 

 

Thank you for the nice compliment. It's my day off and I'm just hanging out, so plenty of time to write!

Good add on the packaged items. I know in my local supermarket they do have Boars Head packages, including some of those prosciutto and salami wrapped around the Mozz. My local Whole Foods also has some packaged items. And, if you have one nearby, Trader Joe's will have some goodies. Since I'm single, I don't go to Costco, so I always forget about what they offer. Even though I live out in "the sticks", we are lucky to have three little artisan cheesemakers and one salumi maker in the area. I love to support local when I can, so I'll buy from them when I can. Their products are thankfully sold in the local supermarket.

 

One thing on the Brie: do NOT heat/warm it up. That makes it runny and gooey. Just have it at room temperature - that way you can do an easy slice and place it on the cracker or baguette. If you aren't used to Brie, seeing an oozing mass of neutral colored stuff can be off-putting. Plus, it changes the flavor (IMHO). If you are serving the Brie alone as an appetizer, then there are recipes for heating/baking/warming to serve almost as a spread. To me, not the right way to do it as part of a selection of cheese.

Wow, all this food and wine talk has me hungry! I may have to hit my store to pick up some salami & cheese and then pop open my bottle of Toscana that is sitting on my counter :D

Edited by slidergirl
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SteveH2508

SteveH2508

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I'll just chime in here on cheese (and Brie in particular). Look for the Brie that is near/at its sell-by date. It should be creamy throughout the slice. If it has a chalky looking middle it is not yet ripe.

 

All cheese should be let come to room temperature before serving. I do not know what possible varieties you have in US so I will not recommend any (I have heard some horror stories about US cheese though).

 

BTW - cheese snobbery is every bit as bad as wine snobbery;).

Edited by SteveH2508
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slidergirl

slidergirl

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Posted
I'll just chime in here on cheese (and Brie in particular). Look for the Brie that is near/at its sell-by date. It should be creamy throughout the slice. If it has a chalky looking middle it is not yet ripe.

 

All cheese should be let come to room temperature before serving. I do not know what possible varieties you have in US so I will not recommend any (I have heard some horror stories about US cheese though).

 

BTW - cheese snobbery is every bit as bad as wine snobbery;).

 

Brie is one of my favorite cheeses. But, you will laugh here - I keep bags of the Trader Joe's (a national chain market) Mini Brie in my fridge as an afterwork snack. I'll pop one of those in my mouth and savor all that cheesiness. I usually have 3-4 chunks of different cheese in my fridge. Love to put some in my eggs, make a quick grilled cheese sammy, break off a chunk for a quick snack fix... I always have a slab of Parmesan Reggiano in the fridge and some rinds in the freezer - I use them in my ribolitta and some other bean soups in the winter!! But, I'm definitely not a snob; I even do Laughing Cow and use Velveeta in my mac & cheese :eek:

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davekathy

davekathy

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And a lot of excellent cheeses out of Utah: Beehive, Heber Valley, Gold Creek. If you into chèvre, Drake Family Farms has good stuff.

 

Agree. Beehive cheese company is approximately 10 miles east of my house and we buy from them directly. A lot of good cheeses along with a lot of other good and great products from the good ole' USA.

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