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Oh Snap! Not Your Typical Wine Snobs

TresSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:25:43 -0800

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Happy Hour: Sage Sangria

partysugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:24:50 -0700

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Yum's September Must Haves

partysugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:15:07 -0700

As much as I hate to see the Summer go, I always enjoy September. San Francisco's weather finally warms up and it's my birthday! The month also marks the start of Fall, which means heading back to school and a new season of fruits and vegetables. Here are seven items that you must have to make the most of the next 30 days.

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Yum's July Must Haves

partysugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:50:07 -0700

With the arrival of July, it's safe to say that Summer is in full swing. Currently I'm obsessed with hearty salads, planning picnics, eating outdoors, and homemade ice cream. I've rounded up the month's most important items - I either can't live without them or I'm dying to get my hands on them. In order to enjoy a spectacular July, here's what you must have.

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Happy Hour: Josh Wesson on Pairing Food and Wine

partysugar — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:38:02 -0700

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Happy Hour: Blackberry and Cabernet Caipirinha

partysugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:32:53 -0700

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Happy Hour: Kalimotxo

partysugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:18:20 -0700

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Happy Hour: Sangria Flora

partysugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:33:48 -0700

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Happy Hour: Start a Wine Journal

partysugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:22:20 -0700

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Treat Your Valentine to Triple-Chocolate Bread Bites

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:49:55 -0800

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Tasting JAQK Cellars

partysugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:24:32 -0700

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Happy Hour: Bellini

partysugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:38:19 -0700

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Laura Werlin on Pairing Cheese and Wine

YumSugar — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:44:03 -0700

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Come Party With Me: Wine and Chocolate Tasting - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:14:03 -0800

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Cheers To Miner Wines

partysugar — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:03:31 -0700

For my birthday I invited a small group of friends to join me for a wine tasting in Napa. We visited a few wineries, but our favorite was Miner family vineyards. The excellent PR girl had arranged a private tasting and tour, complete with a surprise birthday cake for yours truly! Our guide, the jovial and informative Jaime, began by giving us a sampling of the Miner Sauvignon Blanc and Rosato. Next we moved on to the Sangiovese and the Pinot Noir - both of which were outstanding. However the best wine was the limited edition Benedetto blend series. A smooth and bountiful red, this wine was like heaven in a glass. Jaime lead us through the wine making rooms and into the Miner caves. Nestled in the base of a small mountain, the caves hold thousands of aging barrels of wine. We sampled a 2006 Malbec which they plan on using to make their signature blends. Later he showed us the private cave dining room where we had an impromptu birthday party. If you are planning a trip to wine country, Miner winery is a MUST stop. If you won't be coming to California anytime in the near future seek out these wines at your local wine shop. Miner wines have been served at the White House so I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. To check out the entire gallery of images from my trip there, read more

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Happy Hour: Buil & Gine Verdejo Nosis Rueda

partysugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:58:31 -0700

Last Friday night I was lucky enough to dine out at San Francisco's new hot spot, District. The place was packed, the meal was delicious, the bartenders handsome (and the owner hot!), and most importantly the wine was fantastic. I chose the Buil & Gine Verdejo Nosis Rueda, from the section labeled exotic whites. This Spanish wine was crisp, smooth, and a teeny bit spicy. It carried a light yellow color, a round pleasant texture and had a fruity palate and nice finish. Three of us went through two bottles because it was so fabulous! Only 1500 cases were made and I am definitely going to buy myself a bottle.

The Verdejo (pronounced bear-day-ho) paired nicely with the pop in your mouth calamari, the oozing arancini (which was to die for!), and the crunchy pizzetas. To take a look at these delicious dishes, read more

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After It's Opened: Wine Taste Test

partysugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 09:55:41 -0800

A few weeks ago I received a "Dear Party" from DearSugar! Apparently one of her readers, a certain Wino Wendy had written to her inquiring about the shelf life of an opened bottle of wine. Here's what I told her: first consider the type of wine. White wines you store in lower temperature (max of 13c.), whereas red ones you should keep in room temperature (max 18c.). However once opened, all wine begins to change. The oxygen in the air starts this process of change that can only be slowed down if the wine is chilled (it is advised to put even a bottle of opened red wine in the fridge). When you want to drink it, take it out about a half an hour before to allow the wine to come to room temperature. Red will stay drinkable for up to 3 days and white will for another day or so. Whichever wine it is, you need to make sure you seal the bottle tightly, leaving no air inside. There are special corks for it, which should be available at your local wine shop. How long they last will depend on who tastes them - the longer you keep a wine open, the stronger the alcoholic flavor. My best tip - once you've opened a bottle of wine - is to simply drink it all, that way you don't have to worry about leaving it open. To check out my at home science experiment, in which I sample one super old bottle of white wine compared to a just uncorked one, read more

When I last spent the weekend at the vacation house, I was making cassoulet in which white wine was one of the ingredients. I asked my dad to open the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc I had purchased and he pointed out that there were several bottles of opened white wine in the fridge. Now I had not been to the vacation house since November, and neither my mother nor father drink white wine. It could have been leftover from my sister, but the last time she was there was in January. My dad didn't believe that one could notice a serious difference between the tastes of an old and new bottle, so I set up an impromptu blind taste test. In the end, we all could taste a huge difference between the wines, my dad included. The old had a very stale, overly sweet flavor while the new was light and crisp.

Have you ever experimented with variously aged bottles of wine? Please share your stories below!

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Come Party With Me: Wine Club's 1st Meeting - Invites

partysugar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 06:56:32 -0800

I've decided to start my own wine club! Think Oprah is to book club as PartySugar is to wine club. Since 34% of readers fall into the I'm learning about wine category (like myself), I thought it would be a great way to get us all to increase our wine knowledge. So not only am I starting my own wine club, but I am inviting and encouraging you readers to create a wine club as well!

I'll help you plan it so you'll have nothing to worry about. Here's how it's going to work: I'll gather a whole bunch of friends (the more the merrier) to discuss, taste, and develop a flavor for wine. Each month we'll focus on a different type of wine. I'll ask everyone to please bring a bottle of the specified wine (example: Cabernet Sauvignon, French champagne, Spanish Alboriño, etc.), we'll cover the labels and fill out tasting sheets so we can develop personal tastes of the wine with open minds. First thing is first, I have to make and send the invitations. To host this party with me, starting with the invitations, read more

As this party will be a monthly get together, I want the invites to be simple and easily changeable. The details of the party - the location and the wine type - will change with each month. The easiest way to do so is to create postcard invites. The image on the front of the postcard will stay the same and the information on the back will change.

To make this invitation you will need:

wine book
scissors
cardstock in the color of your choice (I chose red)
gluestick
computer & printer
wine label image(s)

To assemble this invitation:

Start by choosing an image that you really like. You could make a collage using actual wine labels or you could make a photoshopped collage like I did. I found a whole bunch of fun wine labels on the internet and made a collage in photoshop. This will be the back of the postcard.

Print out your image (or print out my image and cut down to size, 4x6 inches - the size of a standard postcard.

Next open up a new document in Microsoft Word and write the text of the invite. Remember that you want it to be on one side of the back of the postcard (the left side) so make the details concise and in a smaller font. On the right side you will write the addresses and place a stamp. Write a message with the information, along these lines:

PartySugar cordially invites you to be a member of her recently formed Wine Club, the Vinettes, a group that partakes in a taste journey discovering and discussing sip by sip new varietals of red, white, or sparkling wine

Meetings Once A Month
Every First Friday
Friday March 2, 8 o’clock

PartySugar’s House, San Francisco
RSVP 415.444.5555, friends welcome
Please bring a Spanish Rioja for the 1st tasting

I used my favorite font, Papyrus, in size 12.

Print the text on the colored cardstock of your choice.

Using a pencil outline the shape of the wine label image on the red cardstock. You want the text to be as close to the edge of the left side of the postcard.

With the pencil drawn line as your guide, cut out the red cardstock to a 4x6 standard post card shape.

Carefully glue the wine label collage to the back side of the red cardstock.

Your postcard invite is now done! Wasn't that fabulously easy? Don't forget to use your best handwriting to address the cards.

I hope that you plan and host this party with me! Come back for more on my first wine club meeting, all this week.

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