Dessert and fortified wines are one of fall’s most delicious wine treats. While many of these dessert-themed wines find happy pairing partners in the traditional blue cheese or salty seasonal nuts, many will shine exceptionally bright when partnered up with the season’s favorite pies. Check out some top pie pairing picks ranging from fortified favorites to late harvest delights, Banyuls and more.
Back in the early days of America, when water wasn’t always safe to drink due to lack of proper sanitation, our Founding Fathers needed to find some way to stay hydrated. Ingeniously, those clever men who brought us the Declaration of Independence also came up with a foolproof way to consume liquids without the risk of water-borne disease: alcohol. It was widely understood that alcohol killed bacterial contaminants, and while it came with its own set of risks, it was deemed much safer (and much more fun) to drink.
While distilled spirits and beer were popular choices, our Founding Fathers (especially noted connoisseur Thomas Jefferson) often turned to wine as their beverage of choice. Early attempts at planting grapes in the New World were unsuccessful, as the European grape varieties brought over by colonists were not suitable for surviving American pests and vine diseases. Therefore, imported wines were widely preferred. In honor of Independence Day, raise a glass of one of the following wines to our Founding Fathers: Continue reading Drink Like a Founding Father this Independence Day →
Sherry is making a huge comeback in the wine world, both as a base in cocktails and as an amazing pairing for savory foods. Although typically considered a wine best enjoyed with desserts and dogged as a sweet sipper for great aunts and English vicars alike, sherry is so much more! The wine comes in a myriad of styles, from bone dry to seductively sweet. The tricky part about this unique wine is to understand the label so that you choose a style you’ll love instead of one you’ll toss out.
Continue reading Somme Things I Think About: Which Sherry is right for you? →
Jefferson toasted, Hancock smuggled, and Washington greeted voters with a healthy glass of Madeira. But how did this tiny island beverage come to be colonial America’s top wine? Why, the perfect combination of luck, timing, and political prowess – of course! But to understand the importance of Madeira in American history, we must first start at the beginning.
Continue reading How Madeira fueled the American Revolution →
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