Touchdown, Wine!

There's been quite the debate over who will win Super Bowl LII. Will Tom Brady and Bill Belichik lead the Patriots to yet another win? Or will the Philadelphia Eagles win their first championship since 1960? 

One thing that won't be up for debate is the MVP of your Super Bowl Watch Party. Spoiler alert, it's wine! 

We've collected some of our favorite recipes for snacks perfect for the big game from Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, and Southern Living and paired them with some of our favorite wines. 

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Photo Credit: Bon Appétit 

CHIPS & GUACAMOLE: Every good party needs chips and dip and this one will guac your world. A bright white like Marqués de Cáceres Verdejo, a dry Riesling like August Kesseler Rudesheim Riesling, or a zesty New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc like Mohua all pair perfectly. 

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Photo Credit: Food & Wine

PIGS IN A BLANKET: Few things disappear as quickly at a party as Pigs in a Blanket. The warm sausage and crisp pastry...we're getting hungry just thinking about it. These from Food & Wine are brushed with a tasty mix of honey, mustard, and fresh black pepper to kick things up a notch. Pair with a dry rosé, like La Vieille Ferme or Miraval (both made by the Perrin Family). 

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Photo Credit: Bon Appétit 

PIZZA: Whether or not your team ends up breaking a pizza your heart, you'll want a slice of this pie from Bon Appétit Magazine. Get creative and add your own toppings or stick to classic cheese. Either way, pair with a Barbera or Dolcetto like Massolino produces. 

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Photo Credit: Bon Appétit

CHILI: How could we share recipes for the Super Bowl without including a recipe that is served in a bowl? Chili is the perfect antidote to cold weather and bonus- this one is made in a crockpot so you'll spend less time cooking and more time drinking! Try this crockpot chili with South African Ashbourne Pinotage, a Rhône Blend from Famille Perrin like Châteauneuf du Pape Les Sinards, or an Argentinian Malbec (you really can't go wrong with anything from TintoNegro). 

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Photo Credit: Southern Living Magazine

NACHOS: These are nacho average chips and toppings. These sheet pan nachos are customizable for any taste, fast, and fun. So if the party eats them up (and they will!), you'll be able to pop another round in the oven. This Southern Living recipe is elevated when paired with Thibault Liger Belair Moulin à Vent Vieilles Vignes Beaujolais. 

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A few other tips for Super Bowl snack pairings:

Serving anything fried- French fries, fried chicken, fried pickles, etc? Serve champagne. We love Champagne Delamotte Brut  or Blanc de Blancs. 

Serving wings? With spicy dipping sauces or marinades you'll want to go with something semi-dry but a little sweet- like Pichot Vouvray. 

Finally, the meatier the dish (maybe you add bacon and sausage and pepperoni to your pizza...), the heartier the wine. Borgo Scopeto makes a beautiful Chianti that can stand up to hearty meats. 

Drink & Know Things

In the hit HBO show “Game of Thrones,” Tyrion Lannister uttered a line that spawned a thousand memes (and tshirts, Instagram bios, and catchphrases). “I drink and I know things.” Rarely is there an episode where the clever Hand of the Queen doesn’t have a glass of wine in his hand.

This got us thinking. How many other characters are fans of a glass or two of vino? And how can you drink like your favorite character?

Photo: The Telegraph

First up, the one and only Tyrion Lannister.
Game of Thrones films in a variety of exotic locations including Croatia, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Morocco, and Malta just to name a few. This current season Tyrion finds himself in the fictional Dragonstone, filmed on location in Spain. So to drink like Tyrion, grab yourself a glass of Spanish red. Our favorites Spanish producer is Marqués de Cáceres. You can't go wrong with any of their wines. Tyrion may prefer red, but Marqués de Cáceres makes a delicious white and rosé in addition to their red offerings. 

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Photo: Pinterest

Olivia Pope
Like Tyrion, Olivia is a fan of a generous glass of red wine. From her white wardrobe to clean lines and classic style, our white-hat wearing protagonist is a fan of classic and quality. She isn’t drinking two buck chuck. Complex like her character (and the storylines woven by Shonda Rhimes!), Olivia would be one to pour a glass of Triguedina “The New Black Wine.”

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Photo: Pinterest

Hannibal Lector
Unlike our previous characters, Hannibal Lector is not a protagonist in any sense of the word. (And yes, Hannibal is also a TV character!) He is famed for enjoying Chianti. So if you’d like to emulate any part ofHannibal Lector, let it only be his taste in wine. A glass of Borgo Scopeto Chianti Classico would hit the spot quite nicely.

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Now most TV characters drink red because it looks better on camera (no pesky condensation to deal with like a chilled white wine!) But one of our favorite television characters knows that a crisp, cool white is worth the extra filming hassle.

Photo: Pinterest

Tami Taylor
When you think football you likely think beer, but our favorite football coach’s wife Tami Taylor from Friday Night Lights knows wine is an excellent choice. She wasn’t afraid to make her love of wine known. A bottle like Mohua Sauvignon Blanc or Famille Perrin La Vieille Ferme Blanc would endear you to Mrs. Taylor forever.

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So as Tyrion says, drink and know things. Just be sure you're drinking Vineyard Brands. 

Week in Review: August 14

Sales Rep Spotlight: Rosé Cookout

Rosé is THE drink of the summer. As we've mentioned before, a good rule of thumb for pairing Rosés with food is to remember "Pink & Provençal". Easy enough since that describes Rosé itself. 

Our sales rep Patrick Harney used that advice when he hosted a Rosé Cookout for Bacchus Importers' Maryland Sales Team. Read more from Patrick to learn how and why he came up with the idea, why he thinks Rosé is so popular, and some of his favorite recipes to pair with Rosé.

"Summertime for me means summer camp.  I think about how my kids learn in summer camp versus how they learn in school and sometimes I wonder whether the experiential learning they enjoy at camp isn’t more effective than the methods employed by their schools.  There’s a lot to be said about making a point experientially.  Too often we stand in front of our wholesale sales teams and deliver Powerpoint presentations chock full of features and benefits in hopes that as a result, sales will magically increase.  When Beth Kostelnik  (my then Brand Manager at Bacchus) told me I should have a rosé dinner and take lots of pictures and put them on social media, I thought what a terrific idea that was...even though I am seriously social media challenged.  I later decided to expand on that idea and make the sales team at Bacchus a Rosé-centric lunch.  I thought the team could benefit from how wonderfully Rosé works with Provence-inspired dishes and thus be able to share the experience with their retail and restaurant customers.

The dishes were all adaptations from Richard Olney’s Provence cookbook--a really terrific book full of pictures and easy to follow recipes.  I did most of the prep at home on Thursday evening.  On Friday, grilling commenced out near the loading dock while the sales team went into their meeting.  Once done, everything was set up buffet style in the kitchen, the sales team served themselves and we shared lunch together back in the sales room.  I started the discussion by sharing some of the latest IRI data clearly showing the incredible growth of both the Rosé category and many Vineyard Brands’ Rosés in particular.  After tossing some numbers around I explained why I chose the dishes to be served and the geographic and cultural ties that Rosé had to Provençal cuisine.  The discussion turned to more of roundtable forum discussing favorite Rosés and specific food pairings.  We, of course, talked a lot about food…who, in our business, doesn’t love to eat?  We came around to how casually but effectively Rosé is able to pair with all kinds of food in general and how maybe that’s the real reason behind the incredible growth of this type of wine.

Many years ago,  I attended an organized Pinot Gris and white varietals tasting conducted by Erath of Oregon. The tasting used various samples of food to illustrate the versatility of Pinot Gris, how it is able to pair with cheese, vegetables, protein, etc. It was very well done and their point was effectively made.  I recall at the time thinking that this was perhaps the reason behind the baffling rise in the popularity of Pinot Grigio.  Certainly the tastes and preferences of wine consumers always seem to be downright mysterious and I think many of us professionals tend to underestimate them.  I think the rise of Rosé and the continued success of Pinot Grigio show that consumers embrace wines which are fresh and easily approachable yet show a refined ability to pair well with many different types of food.   While we can talk forever as to what works and why in our business, sometimes the best way to understand it is by sharing in the experience.  I think that’s what was accomplished at the Rosé Cookout.  Beyond that, the rosé cookout was a great way to really connect with the Bacchus team. Sales reps are used to having suppliers buy them lunch, so they are more deeply touched when the supplier actually makes them lunch.  They appreciate the extra effort and care which comes with doing more than merely whipping out a credit card." 

Menu: 

Vegetable Crudite
Grilled Country Bread with Anchovy Oil

Grilled Tuna Steaks with Tomato and Persillade
Grilled Chicken with Olive Tapenade
Grilled Sausages

Ratatouille
Zucchini Gratin
Rosemary-ed Baby Spring Potatoes

You can find the cookbook Patrick used on Amazon. If you'd like more recipes to try with your favorite rosé, check out our blog post on rosé and food pairings here. 

Pink & Provençal

Like we've written about before, rosé has become a staple in wine racks and on wine lists across the world. One of the reasons it is so popular is its versatility. Rosé finds itself somewhere in the middle between red wine and white wine. 

Mark Oldman said it best: 
"To achieve rosé nirvana, follow my 'Rosé Rule of P': serve it with anyting pink–lobster, shrimp, ham, pork–or anything Provençal–such as bouillabaisse, salade Nicoise, or grilled sardines"

We've rounded up a few recipes for you- both pink and Provençal- and a few of our favorite rosés- also pink and (mostly) Provençal. 

Thai Chicken and Watermelon salad

Fresh red berry and orange pith aromas of the La Vieille Ferme Rosé pair nicely with the chicken and pucker salad dressing-- plus what's could be more summer than watermelon and rosé?
Photo: Food & Wine

Crisp Tomato, Zucchini, Eggplant and Bread Gratin

This August Kesseler Rosé made from Pinot Noir works well with the juicy tomatoes and late-summer vegetables of the gratin. 
Photo: Photo: Food & Wine

Strawberry, Balsamic, and Goat Cheese Salad

Another classic spring and summer combination- strawberries and rosé. This light, refreshing salad works is the perfect lunch with a glass of well-balanced, elegant Miraval. 
Photo: Sweet Paul Magazine

Salmon Niçoise Pasta Salad

A twist on the classic French Niçoise salad, this salmon Niçoise pasta salad would be perfect for a picnic with a bottle of Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rosé.
Photo: Coastal Living

Best-ever Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Finally, who doesn't love a little bubbly? Try these chocolate raspberry brownies with this Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé from Domaine Michel Briday.

Rosé Recipes

Every season is rosé season, but as the weather warms (well...we hope it's warming up wherever you are!) and flowers bloom we find ourselves craving the pink libation a little more than usual. We've collected some of our favorite rosé recipes for you to try. If you want more inspiration, head over to our Pinterest page! 

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Rosé Lemonade with La Vieille Ferme Rosé

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Raspberry Rosé Sorbet with Marqués de Cáceres Rosé

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Sparkling Rosé Blueberry Floats with Cono Sur Sparkling Rosé

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Decanter World Wine Awards 2016

The Decanter World Wine Awards is an exciting time for any and every wine producer. Thousands of wines are submitted for judging and must withstand a tough preliminary assessment before they can move onto the official stages. Each wine is tasted blind by a panel of specialists including 69 Masters of Wine and 26 Master Sommeliers.  

Out of the 16,000 wines submitted, our wineries were honored with over 50 medals. We are especially proud of Cono Sur for taking home Best In Show along with 19 other awards. The following wineries recieved awards/medals at the DWWA: 

• Cono Sur
• Constantia Glen 
• TintoNegro 
• Angulo Innocenti 
• Massolino 
• Ragotiere/Bernier
• Nicolas Perrin 
• Famille Perrin 
• Gradis'ciutta  
• Umani Ronchi 
• Delamotte
• Warre's 
• Marques de Caceres 
• Ashbourne 
• Hamilton Russell 
• Boekenhoutskloof 

The process is a difficult and selective one, so taking home any awards or medals is a high honor. Gold medal winners go forward to compete against others in their region for a platinum medal, but gold winners are also re-tasted and have the chance of being downgraded. 

If a wine is selected as platinum, it then goes through a special blind tasting and has the potential to be chosen as platinum - best in show. This final blind tasting involves both Steven Spurrier, the chair of DWWA, and guest vice chair Gerard Basset OBE MW MS.

“Each wine is a year of someone’s hard work and so it is very important to allow time to appreciate and discuss the wine for an award. ”

— Sarah Kemp, Decanter’s managing director.

We are honored and excited to see so many of our wonderful wineries medaled on this coveted list.