Vindulge

Reminder - Vindulge has moved!

2011-06-22T14:56:39-07:00

This is just a reminder to all of you who receive Vindulge blog posts by email, we have moved to a brand new site! There will no longer be posts here at this address.

If you receive these posts via email or RSS feed I sincerely thank you for being a subscriber and would love for you to continue your subscription. To continue receiving these posts via email I ask that you now subscribe to the new site by entering your address in the “subscribe by email” box (or via RSS) on the right sidebar of my new blog or you can simply click on the link below to activate your new subscription. You will receive an email instructing you to confirm your subscription. Once you confirm you will continue to receive new Vindulge posts by email.

If you haven't already checked out the new site I encourage you to check it out here at vindulgeblog.com.

For more information about why I moved sites you can read the first post here.

I sincerely thank you for following me here on this site and hope you will join me over at vindulgeblog.com.

Cheers,

Mary

To subscribe to the NEW Vindulge Blog, please click here and enter your email address.

Announcement: Vindulge Blog Has Moved!

2011-04-22T06:24:18-07:00

After two years blogging on this site, I have decided it is time to move. I have been meaning to make this change for a while and the time has now come. Vindulge has a fresh new look and I invite you to check it out here. All of my old content is now on the new site, and look for expanded topics.

If you receive these posts via email or RSS feed I sincerely thank you for being a subscriber and would love for you to continue your subscription. To continue receiving these posts via email I ask that you now subscribe to the new site by entering your address in the “subscribe by email” box (or via RSS) on the right sidebar of my new blog or you can simply click on the link below to activate your new subscription.

I am very excited about the changes and promise even more exciting content to come!

For more information about why I moved sites you can read the first post here.

Thanks for reading and I hope you will join me at vindulgeblog.com.

Cheers,
Mary

To subscribe to the NEW and improved blog, click on Subscribe to Vingulge Blog by Email

Charity Case Wines: wines you can feel good about drinking... and sharing

2011-04-07T06:57:30-07:00

I have a soft spot in my heart for companies that give directly back to their communities and support worthy causes. So when I heard about the Charity Case Foundation I was instantly wondering; wine + good causes… how could I not be curious?!

According to their website:

The Charity Case Foundation is a movement that was conceived collectively by winemakers from Napa Valley. All juice and fruit donated by Napa Valley wineries and growers goes into our small batch, hand made wines with all net proceeds going to non-profit organizations serving children and families in Napa County.

The idea was to create a single wine made from juice donated by local winemakers and sell it with the proceeds going to local Napa Valley charities. Jayson Woodbridge, of Layer Cake, Hundred Acre, and Cherry Pie wines got the project rolling by contacting vintners from throughout the valley to see if they were interested in taking part. He received an overwhelming response from interested vintners. So far they have created a 2008 and 2009 Napa Valley Rosé blend; created from several varieties of red grapes from around the Saint Helena area. In 2009 they added a Sauvignon Blanc to their production.

This isn't just a story about leftover fruit needing a home with a tiny profit going towards a good cause; everything, from the supplies (including bottles, labels, storage), to the marketing efforts, is done entirely by volunteers so that all proceeds can go directly to the charities. “We want to make a difference by giving charities a sustainable future. There are no salaries, no consulting fees and no bureaucratic costs.”

The net profits from this years fundraising efforts will go towards the following charities:
Aldea Children & Family Services, Cope Family Center, Foster Kids Receiving Center, Wolfe Center, Teen Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program

But how are the wines?

2008 Charity Case Rosé, Napa Valley

The wine was darker in color than your typical rosé with a rich nose full of strawberry, cherry, and raspberry fruit. It has the richness and power of a full-bodied wine, like a syrah or zinfandel, yet served cold (directly from the fridge) the wine is fruity, bright, and crisp. The wine would definitely hold up to BBQ fare and would be great for summer sipping. We served it with smoked pulled pork sandwiches and it held up nicely. The sweetness and spiciness of the pork all balanced out with the fruitiness of the wine.

WINE TIP: If you like a more refreshing flavor from a rosé then serve this wine cold, if you would like a more rich, full bodied feeling, more like you’re drinking a red wine, then let it warm up a bit. I preferred this wine cold.

Oak Aging: 100% fermented in neutral French oak barrels
Alcohol: 14.1%

2009 Charity Case Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

This sauvignon blanc is very different than what you would expect from, say a New Zealand style sauvignon blanc, or even a mineral driven Loire style. This wine was very dry with lots of lemon peel and tropical notes on the nose (pineapple, banana) with dried pineapple and lemon on the palate. It was barrel fermented which added to its perceived dryness and made it more reminiscent of a chardonnay than a sauvignon blanc to me. Typically I would drink a sauvignon blanc cold (straight from the fridge) but this wine tasted much better, and opened up more, after warming up a few degrees (much like I would serve a chardonnay).

Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley
Oak Aging: 100% fermented in new French oak barrels
Alcohol: 14.1%

Both wines retail for $11.99 and can be purchased here. You will not find these wines in your local grocery store or wine shop. They are only available locally in select Napa Valley retailers, restaurants, and from the foundations website. But if you are feeling like you want to support this good cause then check out their website for more information on how you can purchase these wines.

I often fantasize about what I will do when I win the lottery, or become independently wealthy as a result of my hard work (whichever comes first). One of my biggest plans (after buying loads of delicious Champagne and paying off my car, in that order) will be setting up my own foundation that donates to dozens of great causes. That’s the plan at least. To give to those who need it, because I know what it is like to be on the receiving end.

I was able to get through college with the help of generous scholarships and will be forever grateful for those who donated to the foundations who supported my education. I’ve also worked for numerous non-profit organizations in my life that relied on grants and philanthropists to stay open, so I understand the impact donations can have on an organization and have always wanted to do my part to help.

I have not yet won the lottery, nor am I am millionaire (yet!), but I can still do my part to support worthy causes, and, in this particular case, feel good that the wine I am drinking is paying it forward too.

*ANNOUNCEMENT: On a related note, just before hitting publish on this post I found out that Jayson Woodbridge, who initiated the Charity Case Foundation project, announced the establishment of a $5,000 annual Layer Cake Wine Scholarship for those interested in attending the North American Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC). I have personally attended the WBC for the last two years, with plans to attend this years conference in Charlottesville, Virginia. I have found the experience incredibly valuable and am thrilled about this generous contribution by Woodbridge which will allow deserving recipients to attend this conference. For more information on the WBC and this announcement, click here. Just one more reason to support this project!

Reasons to Celebrate with Pink Bubbles...

2011-03-22T16:48:07-07:00

... and two great pink bubbly recommendations.

Sparkling wine is a requirement in my house, at all times. It is useful in times of joy, times of celebration, times of sadness, madness and frustration, and times you’re just plain ol’ thirsty (which is my most common “excuse” to drink bubbles). To put it plainly, they are my favorite of all styles of wine and if I had my way I would drink bubbles every day of the year. Not a day goes by that I can’t think of a good reason not to open up a bottle (whether it be a fine Champagne or $7 sparkler). Last night was no exception.

Hubby came home from work frustrated after a long and stressful day. He had a sad look upon his face that he rarely brings home with him. As any concerned wife would do I asked, “What can I do?” And when he said, “Nothing, I just need a hug”, I responded, “No you don’t, you need some pink bubbles!” And then I finally got a smile out of him and proceeded to pop the cork of a bottle I recently purchased at an incredible price, Pierre Sparr Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé, NV.

I purchased a bottle of this wine from WineExpress.com, an online wine retailer of which I receive a wine of the day email from. If you are interested in trying new wines, anything from high end Napa Cabs to great values from around the world, without committing to a monthly wine club I recommend getting on their daily email list. This wine was on sale for $10.95 (from $17.95), with .99 cents per bottle for shipping, so I decided to purchase three bottles. I had never had the wine before, but it was from the same region as one of my favorite under $20 bubbles, Lucien Albrecht Crémant d'Alsace Brut Rosé. Upon receiving my shipment we opened a bottle with dinner and immediately ordered a case at an additional dollar per bottle discount (the wine was still on sale). For $10 this rosé sparkler is simply a steal!

Pierre Sparr Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé, NV
$10.95 from WineExpress.com

From the cool climate Alsace region of France, this wine is 100% Pinot Noir (one of the only red grapes that grow well in Alsace) made in the champagne method. Strawberry and citrus notes dominate the nose with a touch of sweet biscuit scents. Dry and delicate the palate continues with more strawberry, lemon, and orange peel. Crémants (sparkling wines made in France, but outside of the Champagne region that are made using the méthode champenoise) are incredible values and this is probably the best one I’ve had at this price. If you can find it for under $12, get yourself a case (or more)! This wine will put a smile on your face no matter what kind of day you’ve had!

Another pink bubbly we recently celebrated with was the lovely Domaine Carneros Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé, NV that I received as a sample. This time we were celebrating the first time our twin boys slept through the night without any interruption. Any parent who has gone through this, with a single child or multiples, understands the pure joy and relief that comes from this experience and it is certainly one worth celebrating. So we did so with this delicious treat from Domaine Carneros.

Domaine Carneros Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé, NV
$35 from the winery

Domaine Carneros is one of Napa Valley’s premier sparkling wine producers and definitely worth a visit on any trip. It provides an excellent way to start or end your Napa wine country excursion with seating, both indoor and out, overlooking the incredible Carneros region.

According to the Domaine Carneros website, “Our Rosé cuveé is named for Madame de la Pompadour, Louis XV's great paramour. It was she who first introduced sparkling wine to the court at Versailles and is famous for having said that ‘Champagne is the only wine that a woman can drink and remain beautiful’.”
I like that! I may just have to put that quote on my refrigerator.

This wine, a blend of 58% pinot noir and 42% chardonnay, was elegant and aromatic with fine delicate bubbles.   Take one whiff and your nose is filled with crisp apples, apple cider spices, raspberry, cherry, and a touch of vanilla bean. Just a small sip punches huge flavors that linger on your tongue long after you’ve swallowed the wine. You just can’t help but go back for more and more, which I gladly did. This is a solid Napa rosé sparkler for this price point.

There you have it. Two pretty pink bubbles worthy of opening for any type of celebration. In fact, today marks the first full day of spring (although you’d never know it looking outside my window at the snow falling). This means I have survived my first New England winter. Now that is reason to celebrate… perhaps with more pink bubbles!

Open That Bottle Night, part II: Even special wines are meant to be opened

2011-03-01T18:14:00-08:00

This past Saturday I did something I’ve been putting off for a long time. Inspired by Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) I opened two bottles of wine that I never quite found the right occasion to do so. They were not my most expensive, rare, or oldest wines. They were just wines that had a lot of meaning to me.

Created in 1999 by Dorothy “Dottie” J. Gaiter and John Brecher, the former writers of the Wall Street Journal’s tastings column, OTBN encourages wine lovers from all over the globe to stop putting off opening up that special bottle of wine and just drink and enjoy it already! When I heard about the dates for this year’s OTBN I knew exactly which two bottles I needed to open. It was figuring out what to make for dinner that night that took contemplation.

The Wines:

2008 Domaine La Ferme Blanche Cassis (AOC)

The first bottle we opened was given to us by our former next-door neighbors in Portland just before we moved to Connecticut. To back up just a little bit – I spent the better part of four years trying to get Stephanie, our neighbor, to drink white wine. She, a self proclaimed "red wine only" drinker, hadn’t found a white wine she liked, so it became a mission of mine to change that. Her husband, Dan, drank sparkling wine on occasion, but also didn’t really drink white wine (nor red for that matter, but that’s another story). I had almost given up on both of them when it happened. Their white wine “a-ha” moment.

Stephanie went to southern France this past summer on a work-study program for three weeks in Marseille (in Provence), and Dan joined her for a week. Upon their return they gave us this bottle of wine. A white! They both raved about the food and wine they experienced in Provence and how they fell in love with the white wines there. They had their “a-ha” moment (finally)! I couldn’t have been more happy for them and I couldn’t wait to try the bottle.

That’s what wine is all about for me. That moment; when the experience of being surrounded by the culture can change your perspective (and taste) about a wine. I could only imagine the two of them sitting in an adorable French café, in the sun, overlooking the Mediterranean sea, eating the freshest seafood and drinking the local wine.

I wanted so badly to share that bottle with them and hear stories of their trip to France. But alas, time caught up to us and before we knew it we were packed up and rushing to Connecticut and never got to open the bottle together. So I held onto it… and couldn't think of an appropriate occasion to drink the wine since…

2002 Anthem, Meritage, Sonoma Valley by St. Francis Winery

Our other bottle was chalk full of memories of when we lived in San Francisco (where we lived before moving to Oregon). You see, St. Francis Winery was one of the first wineries we visited on our very first trip to Sonoma in 2001. We joined the wine club right off and remained members until we moved to Oregon in 2006. Most trips to Sonoma, whether it was just the two of us or with friends and family, involved a stop at St. Francis where we would enjoy their food and wine pairing experience.

Then, one day, they released a new wine, “Anthem” they called it. A “reverse Bordeaux blend” consisting of mostly Petit Verdot and Malbec with small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot (as opposed to a traditional Bordeaux blend where Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate the blend with Petit Verdot and Malbec playing minor roles). The staff was very excited to showcase the wine but they didn’t have any open that day. So we decided to buy a bottle, open it right there on their deck, and share it with the staff and anybody else who wanted a sip. That’s what wine is all about anyways, sharing it! It was an awesome afternoon.

Since that first release (which was their 1999 I believe), we always bought a couple bottles of the Anthem to have on hand. Our last trip before we moved we bought a couple bottles of the 2002, and after moving to Oregon we dwindled down to one bottle very quickly.   For months anytime I asked to the hubby “what do you want to open tonight”. His response was always “the Anthem?”. “No”, I would respond, “I want to wait until we can find a good meal to pair with it”, or “It’s not an ‘Anthem’ night”, or a simple “I’m just not feeling it”. Months became years, and he still brought up that wine each and every time like clockwork. It became almost comical. At the time I didn’t really know what was holding me back, but now I do. It was one of the last bottles we bought before starting our life in Oregon. I think somehow it was my connection to our life in San Francisco. It certainly wasn’t our oldest wine from our time in CA (vintage wise), and still isn’t, it was just the individual bottle that I had put off drinking the longest and had such good memories assiciated with it.

When I thought about OTBN and what to drink, I knew immediately it had to be these two bottles. To me, opening up both these wines somehow represented change and transition. Something difficult to do, but important nonetheless.

The food:

We paired the Cassis with an appetizer of seared scallops with shallots, butter, and wine in honor of the region the wine came from. Fantastic! The wine had a rich fruitiness, herbal, and mineral character to it that was the perfect compliment to the sweet and savory scallops.

For the Anthem, we made oven roasted rack of lamb with an herb and panko crust and a balsamic wine reduction drizzle. Along side the lamb we roasted an assortment of vegetables (potatoes, onions, carrots, parsnips, and tomatoes). We wanted to honor the wine with a delicious and solid pairing, and this certainly did the trick. The wine was rich, but not too tannic, with a depth of flavors that was enhanced by the flavors of the lamb, the sweet sauce, and the roasted vegetables.

We finished the night with homemade chocolate pots de crème, which is basically chocolaty rich custardy deliciousness! I never seem to remember to take pictures of dessert as I must be too busy devouring it!

It was an awesome meal, paired with delicious wines, shared with my favorite guy. A great evening and an even better reminder that wine is meant to be opened and shared, not tucked away in storage… especially those special bottles that remind you of a particular person, place, or time in your life.

Finally, drinking these wines was a delicious reminder of the good times we spent living in both San Francisco and Portland, and a toast to the many adventures to come.

I secretly think the best part of the night was that our twin boys (now three months old) were both sound asleep the entire time, allowing mommy and daddy to truly enjoy the evening together! Thanks guys!

Do I regret opening the wines? Not for one second. And I can still keep the memories alive by saving the empty bottles and putting them on display on my bookshelf with other memorable bottles I have collected over the years.

Now I have to know. Did you open up a special bottle of wine for OTBN? 
If so I would LOVE to know what wine it was.

Open That Bottle Night

2011-02-24T10:32:08-08:00

Do you have a bottle of wine that you’ve been saving for a “special occasion”? What about a wine that you just can’t seem to find the right moment to open it up for, the right meal to pair it with, or the right person to drink it with? Whatever the excuse, it is time to finally dust off that bottle, take it out of your wine cellar, fridge, or closet, and open it because this Saturday is Open That Bottle Night (OTBN)!

Created in 1999 by Dorothy “Dottie” J. Gaiter and John Brecher, the former writers of the Wall Street Journal’s tastings column, OTBN encourages wine lovers from all over the globe to stop putting off opening up that special bottle of wine and just drink and enjoy it already! The event was first held on a Saturday in 1999, and has been held every year since on the last Saturday of February.

I LOVE this idea! I truly believe that every day is a reason to open up a bottle of wine and celebrate life. On the other hand, I am also the queen of putting off opening certain bottles for whatever possible reason I can come up with at the moment. So I am excited to finally have a “reason” to open up one of those bottles I’ve been saving.

The wine you chose to open does not have to be expensive, old, or rare, it should just be something that has meaning to you, something you’ve been putting off drinking or have been holding onto for too long.

For me, my most expensive or rare bottles are ones I buy with the intent of opening on a specific date (an anniversary, birthday, etc.), so they rarely get left by the wayside. It is the bottles in the mid-range of price and quality that I put off drinking, the ones that I purchased directly from the winery, or on a special trip, or given to me by a special person. It is those bottles that hold special meaning to me since their presence reminds me of that trip or person I bought them with. Those are the ones I want to cherish and thus procrastinate opening. And it is one of those very bottles I intend to open this coming Saturday.

Which specific bottle will I open?
While I haven’t quite decided which bottle I will open yet, I have narrowed it down to less than a handful of candidates. Perhaps one of the few remaining bottles I brought back from a trip to France back in 2008. Or maybe one of the Oregon Pinot Noirs from my first trip to the Willamette Valley that made my husband and I want to move there. Maybe even something that reminds me of when I lived in San Francisco and started falling in love with wine in the first place. I’m thinking it will be whichever bottle I’ve been putting off opening the longest… You’ll have to wait and see!

So for all of you out there who are holding on to a specific bottle, for whatever reason, I encourage you to celebrate this event and liberate yourself once and for all. Invite some good friends over to bring a bottle and do the same, or just enjoy it intimately with another person, or heck, even enjoy it by yourself! But just open it and create some new memories!

If you would like to participate live globally, then I encourage you to check out the Palate Press website to share your experience with others. According to Palate Press:
    "Dottie and John will host Open That Bottle Night live, on February 26, 2011, from 7 pm to 10 pm Eastern, only on Palate Press: The online wine magazine. Join us on OTBN to chat with Dottie and John. Tell us what you opened, with whom you are sharing it, and the story behind the bottle. This will be the first time Dottie and John have ever hosted OTBN live, so join the conversation and make it special."

You can also tweet about the event using the hashtag #OTBN.
There are also many restaurants, wine shops, and groups planning events in honor of OTBN. For more information check out this link for a running list of participants to see if there are any in your area.

I will probably be absent from too many online events as I plan to enjoy my bottle with the hubby over an awesome dinner at home, with no technology involved.

So, are you planning to participate in OTBN?
If so what bottle are you planning to open?
If you’re not planning to participate, why the heck not???

For more information on OTBN check out Palate Press Magazine, or this interview with Dottie and John from last years event.

Chardonnays that will keep you warm this winter

2011-02-09T06:44:48-08:00

It’s true. I drink white wine in the winter. A lot of it actually. And I know I’m not the only one. My friend Ryan even has a whole website devoted strictly to white wines from the Pacific Northwest because he too is a year round fan (check it out!). There’s something about drinking white wine in the winter that is refreshing to me, often reminding me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, or rather hope for a warm and sun filled summer coming my way! But more importantly I believe (and want you to understand) these wines are not just for warmer weather, but to be enjoyed throughout the year given you find the right style for each season.

There are many hearty white wines out there that can comfort you even during a heavy winter snowstorm. I should know, I’ve experienced way too many of these already this winter. So ditch the idea that the only thing that can keep you warm is a glass of hearty red wine and a roaring fire. White wines can be just as comforting and can even go with some of the heavier comfort foods we indulge in during these cold and dreary months.

Just to prove this point I spent last week (where we had two significant snow storms and an average high temperature of about 25 degrees) drinking white wines, most of them Chardonnays, to see which would hold up to not only the weather, but the heartier foods of winter.

Why Chardonnay? Well to me Chardonnay is a solid year-round wine. They come in all different styles, light crisp and unoaked, rich buttery and bold, and those that fit somewhere right in between. For winter months, I recommend those that lie in the middle to the heavier, richer styles. I also hope to break some of the bad stereotypes of this popular grape.

I know way too many people who subscribe to the ABC notion of wine (“Anything But Chardonnay”), which is basically a revolt against Chardonnay, thinking it is simply an "old mundane standby". Mundane? I beg to differ. There are also those who are anti-Chardonnay as a revolt against a heavy over-oaked style which once plagued California and gave it a bad rap. But I know better than that. I am a proud fan of said grape and I truly believe there is a Chardonnay for all palates (just as I do bubbles, but that’s another post), it’s just about finding a style that’s right for you and your own palate.

Below are three that I recommend, all from California, all around the same price point, and none of them are “oak bombs” proving that even many California producers have moved away from that once popular (now overdone) style of Chardonnay that used to be the norm for the region.

2008 Waterstone Carneros Chardonnay

Bright, crisp citrus favors on the nose (lemon, pineapple, grapefruit), with some vanilla aromas. Mouthwatering on the palate with rich flavors of caramel, green apple, apple pie spices, and more vanilla. The wine is medium bodied, not too heavy but certainly not light, and would be a great match for a hearty pasta dish with a cream based sauce, wine sauce, or even paired with roast chicken.

Winery: Waterstone Winery
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Oak Aging: 9 months in French oak
Appellation: Carneros
Alcohol: 14%
Retail: $18

2008 Double T Chardonnay, Napa Valley, from Trefethen Family Vineyards

Green apple, fresh lemon, lemon peel, pineapple and vanilla lead the way on this medium bodied Chardonnay. The wine has a nice richness to it without weighing you down with baking spices and minerals lingering throughout the palate. Rich and spicy, this wine would hold up to a heavy pasta dish, creamy potpie, or just sipping by the fire.   Good value for taste and richness

Winery: Trefethen Family Vineyards
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Oak: 4 months in French Oak
Appellation: Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
Retail: $17

2009 Franciscan Chardonnay Napa Valley

Fresh squeezed lemon, pineapple, and apple along with toast, butterscotch and vanilla on the palate. Dry, rich, medium-full bodied and somewhat fresh and spring-like, yet hearty enough for winter. This wine has just the right amount of a buttery, creamy, mouthful without getting carried away. It is the best of both worlds of Chardonnay; creamy, buttery and toasty, yet minerally, fresh and fruity.   Nice and balanced. Would be great with a salmon risotto.

Winery: Franciscan Estate
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Oak: 7 months in small French and American oak barrels (20% new oak)
Appellation: Napa Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
Retail: $18

There you have it. Three wines that prove you can enjoy your white wines year-round, and also showing that there are plenty of great California Chardonnays out there that don't succomb to the stereotypical “oak bomb” style.

Cheers

Jaume Serra Cristalino: A familiar value bubbly gets a facelift

2011-01-29T07:59:01-08:00

I may be late in the game in writing about this news, but I have an excuse. I was pregnant all of last fall and moved 3,000 miles across the country. My mind was in many other places.

Earlier this winter, while getting acquainted to my new local wine shops here in Connecticut, I had a rather difficult time locating a favorite go-to value bubbly, Cristalino, and couldn’t figure out why. Did they just not carry this large production wine here in CT? I’ve seen it in every other state I have traveled to, why not here?

Then when unpacking some sample bottles sent to me last fall I found a bottle of bubbles and quickly chilled it. To my surprise it was that familiar producer, but instead of the normal label I was used to I noticed it had received quite the facelift.

This was due to a (in my opinion) ridiculous lawsuit brought about by the luxury Champagne producer, Louis Roederer Cristal, against the producer of the Spanish Cava, Cristalino. The issue ended last August after a four-year lawsuit over copyright infringement over the use of Cristalinos name. Apparently the name was too closely associated with Cristal’s and could easily confuse a consumer thinking the same company produced them. Personally I have never, ever, assumed any similarity between the two bubbly producers nor have I even known of anybody who has.

At any rate, the Spanish sparkling wine producer lost and was required to change their label (brand name, color, and font) and barred them from “using any mark, word, or name similar to the Cristalino name that is likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception with Roederer’s Cristal marks.”

Before

After

So now this is what the label looks like, and sadly they have to have this ridiculous disclaimer on the front of the label: “JAUME SERRA CRISTALINO is not affiliated with, sponsored by, approved by, endorsed by, or in any way connected to Louis Roederer’s CRISTAL™ champagne or Louis Roederer.”

But the good news is this, it’s still the same fresh value priced bubbly that it always has been, just with a very different look.

This wine has always been a favorite go-to under $10 bubbly of mine, good for mimosas, summertime picnics, parties, or just any occasion where you want some bubbles without even breaking a ten spot. It is reliable, inexpensive, and widely available. Yes you should be able to find it everywhere, even Connecticut, where it actually is in many of the wine shops here, but I just never noticed because of the label change.

Now that we both know what label to look for when perusing the wine shop for this value bubbly there should be no more confusion. In Portland I used to pay as low as $5.99 for a bottle. I’ve seen it here in Connecticut for $7.99, and the suggested retail is $10. Now go get yourself a bottle for your Sunday morning mimosas!

Question: Have you seen the new label at your local shop? What do you think of the new design and the disclaimer on the front lf the label?

Vindulge New Years Cheers…

2010-12-31T10:22:20-08:00

... And a special announcement.

As this year comes to an end I wanted to wish everybody who reads this blog a very happy new year and to share some very exciting news. Earlier this month my husband and I welcomed our twin boys into the world.   Sawyer James and Cole Thomas joined us on December 6th and have been an incredible addition to our family.

As we get used to our new family members things will be slow here on the blog over the next month or two, but that will not last very long. I have lots of plans for both Vindulge Wine Education & Consulting as well as this blog for the upcoming year and I am excited to get back to work. For now, however, we will be on “maternity leave” for a while as I spend time with my new boys.

If you have any questions, requests, or anything else please feel free to continue to comment here on the blog or shoot me an email (mary@vindulge.com) and I’m more than happy to connect!

I want to send a HUGE thank you to everyone who has read and supported this blog over the last year. What an incredible year it has been and I look forward to an even bigger and better 2011.

Finally, I hope there are lots of bubbles on all of your new years menus! I know what I will be drinking… a bottle of Champagne I purchased earlier this year inspired by my trip to New Orleans for the Independent Champagne & Sparkling Wine Invitational… N.V. Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne!

What will you be drinking this New Years???

Cheers,
Mary

Last Minute Thanksgiving Wine Ideas

2010-11-23T10:46:07-08:00

It's almost here. The holiday embraced by food and wine lovers all over the country. Thanksgiving!!!

If you’re anything like me and do most of your grocery shopping last minute, don’t worry. I have some great last minute wine ideas for your holiday dinner. Now this post was written last year as my Thanksgiving wine pairing and buying guide, but in reality the recommendations stay the same, with some tweaks for specific wines and producers, year after year just as the traditional food for Thanksgiving stays pretty much the same each year. Most importantly the day is about being with family, friends, and giving thanks for all the wonderful things in your life… and yes, good wine is definitely something to be thankful for.

So please check out my Thanksgiving wine recommendations from 2009 post by clicking here. I hope this guide can help you find some delicious wines to share with your loved ones this year. Let me know if you would like any specific producer and/or vintage recommendations for this year, and have a fantastic holiday with your family and friends.

Thanksgiving Wine Pairing & Buying Guide (it never goes out of style)

Cheers!

I will leave you with a beauty shot of our turkeys from last Thanksgiving (yes we cooked two). We smoked these babies and they were insanely delicious. And yes, we most definitely plan to smoke our turkey again this year... only this year we're just doing one! I promise to post the recipe sometime soon because they were probably the best flavored turkeys I've ever had and you must try them. Believe me, it is worth the effort to smoke them!