I purchased the Boccalino wine back in May at Enoteca Vino Nostro. (http://mferraro73.tumblr.com/post/86667854043/enoteca-vino-nostro-wine-class-my-friend-karen) I asked Maria, the sales associate, which white wine would be smooth and creamy, maybe aged in oak? She said Italian wines aren’t really like that but recommended the Boccalino as something that would be easier to handle than the Vermentino wines I’ve tried in the past. Funny thing is that when I researched this wine online, it said it was the “midweek wine for when you don’t really want to think about wine.” So let’s see what this mystery wine actually tastes like.
Since we are the Wine and cheese couple, we are always on the look out for new wine experiences. Over the weekend we visited Lake Tahoe for some much needed R & R. While we were there, we found a winery with bocce ball, definitely a place worth checking out.
When we visited the Rainbow Market cheese counter, we were given a few different samples to try. (http://www.rainbow.coop) We tasted the Jasper Hill Harbison cheese and I thought it would pair nicely with a Pinot Noir. And we were in luck because we got an extra bottle of the Row 503 Pinot at the BevMo 5 cent sale. (http://www.bevmo.com) Let the pairing begin!
This week I attended a wine tasting called “The Strange” at William Cross Wine Merchants. (http://wmcross.com) I have passed this wine shop many times while riding the bus to work and decided it was time to check out one of their Wednesday night tasting flights. The space was divided into a wine retail store in the front and a tasting bar in the back. There was quite a sense of community there, with many people who were greeted by name. The room was comfortable with maps on the wall and some people even brought their dinner in. I was pretty curious to see what this “Strange” wine tasting would entail.
When we purchased this wine, I tasted watermelon jolly ranchers so I was excited to try it again. (http://mferraro73.tumblr.com/post/78294642143/gianelli-vineyards-over-the-weekend-we-made-a) I researched Nebbiolo online and the pairings suggested were earthy mushroom flavors so we chose a truffle cheese. Lets see how they work together.
Our next stop was about 15 minutes down the road at Les Chenes Estate Vineyards. We had a really nice time here, the last time we visited Livermore and remembered the food and wine pairings. (http://mferraro73.tumblr.com/post/48889975506/on-location-in-livermore-ca-sunday-4-21-we)
We also thought their focus on Rhone varietals would be nice for KerryAnn to experience since the wines are so aromatic.