Category Archives: With Wine

The Queen of Hearts

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today, you may find yourself a box of chocolates. For a seamless and sumptuous chocolate box pairing, look no further than the regal Queen herself, Rosa Regale. She’s  flirty, she’s sexy, she’s luscious. This made me want to eat the $3 bargain box, the Whitman’s classic, the Lindt, the Ghirardelli, the patisserie opera. And I did for this post.

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One chocolate in particular was a memorable one. Ghirardelli Strawberry Bark was made for this wine.

If you can only get one bottle for your romantic dessert, Rosa Regale should be it.

Chocolates tested:

Lindor Red Velvet Chocolate White Chocolate Truffles

Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares in Strawberry Bark and Creme Brulee

$3 Heart box from Wal-Mart

Whitman’s Sampler

Ferarro Rocher Hazelnut Truffles

The Whitman’s Sampler Breakdown

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Tomorrow I will introduce the wine that goes with everything. But if you are hosting a Sampler sample party, this can be a guide for a variety of varietals.

sampler

Coconut – tricky, but a velvety Malbec would be sufficient

Chocolate whip – Gewertztraminer, Sparkling Moscato, Banyuls

Pecan & English Walnut Chew – Pinot Noir, Reisling

Molasses Chew  – Gewertztraminer

Fruit Nut Caramel – Pinot Noir

Maple Fudge – Reisling

Toffee – Malbec

Cherry Cordial – Sparkling Moscato

Nuts – Merlot, Noir and tomorrow’s pick

 

Check back tomorrow for the wine that pairs with all of the above!!

The Whole Foods Cupcake

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Like I had mentioned yesterday, I needed a cupcake to pair and picked an adorable little red velvet. I wanted a banyuls with this but couldn’t find a bottle. I decided to try it with an asti.

Less bubbly than the Barefoot or a sparkling wine or champagne, this Ruffino was a subtle bubble with the same sweetness you want from a sparkling Moscato d’asti. Sweet little pairing if your main event dessert is red velvet!

Well that simplifies things!

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I was at Whole Foods picking up a cupcake to pair because their bakery is amazing. I also wanted to see what they had for wine and throughout the wine section, they had tags on certain wines that said “Great with Chocolate”! How cool! So I had to give it a go!

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A Merlot! This actually went really well! It paired wonderfully and was also refreshing. I paired this with 70% dark Lindt Chocolate. The velvety chocolate lingers in your mouth while you sip and it’s just heaven. You can find this wine at Whole Foods for about $12 and many other wines that had the pairing tag on them as well.

I tried it…

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I haven’t been brave enough to try this until this post series. My reaction? Why did I wait so long!? I was thinking chocolate wine would taste like a red wine with artificial chocolate flavors injected into it. This, however, is none of that. If you like Bailey’s or Godiva liqueurs,  you will enjoy this.

I tried it chilled and straight up but this would be fine on the rocks or even in a cocktail that would call for a creamy chocolaty liqueur. Maybe in a minty chocolate concoction… a spiked Shamrock Shake perhaps? I’ll test some recipes out.

If you’re still skeptical, don’t think of it as a wine. Think of it as a cream based liqueur and you’ll be fine. Now shall I taste Chocolate Box wine??

 

‘Tis the Season!

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I was out to lunch at a new favorite, Abbey Road Tavern in Cary, and wanted to go to a wine shop afterwards to see if I could find some good things to pair with sweets. I mapped out the closest shop and there was a small tasting room up the street.

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And what a ka-winky-dink, they were having a Girl Scout Cookie and wine pairing!! It’s definitely cookie time!

This time they were pairing up Shortbread, Caramel deLites and Thin Mints. I’m always excited when there are Thin Mints since it’s a tricky pairing.

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This one was good. A little Chardonnay-y for me but maybe a little colder and I would like it. Chardonnay is becoming tricky for me lately and my husband is liking it more and more. Odd how much our tastes change year to year!

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I like Tempranillo and I enjoyed this pairing. There was a bit of vanilla in the wine so it paired deLite-fully! Ha!

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Tricky tricky… I could have tasted a few more to test it out but interesting to say the least. I liked the wine and they were having a special so I bought a bottle. I also have some Thin Mints on hand so I will be testing this out again! And maybe again after that. I will have to have my father test it out when he visits in a few days!

Chatham Street Market is a great shop and tasting room. If you’re in the area, definitely check them out. They have a lovely selection, beautiful seating areas both inside and out, and an amazing staff!

 

Find Girl Scout Cookies Here!

 

 

The Cat Box

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Or any other themed Russel Stover box, this classic pairs nicely with an assortment of wines. Since there wasn’t a chocolate map in this one, I had to guess what the filling was.

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If you’re in the market for just one bottle to pair with an assortment, pick up a bottle of Banyuls or Barefoot Bubbly Moscato. Come back on the 14th to see the wine that wins Valentine’s Day pairings!

Wine & Girl Scout Cookies

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How could I not attend this pairing?? We visited Doyle’s Vineyard in Durham, NC for their 3rd Annual Girl Scout Cookie and Wine Tasting to benefit a local troop. They paired RagApple Lassie Vineyards with four different cookies. These are some flavorful and unique wines and paired delightfully with the cookies.

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Pairings:

Peanut Butter Patties with RagApple Vineyards Rockford Red

S’mores with RagApple Vineyards Kaleidoscope Red

Caramel Delights with RagApple Vineyards First Blush

Shortbread with RagApple Vineyards Kaleidoscope Gold

 

Find a booth sale near you by typing your zip code into the Cookie Locator through the links below. Your location will determine which one of the two bakeries your local council uses so if you aren’t in a Little Brownie Baker area, the website will show you who to contact to find cookies.

North Carolina Coastal Pines Cookie Locator

Little Brownie Baker Cookie Locator

 

 

Little Debbie Heart Cakes

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Along with your Cosmic Brownies, you may have a few of these left over. These beauties were a welcome blast from the past. The layered spongey cakes, the creamy layers, the salty but smooth-then-sweet chocolate coating, the irresistible instagrammy pink… I need to stop myself from buying another box of these. I paired these with the ever popular Barefoot Pink Moscato and I was in heaven.

Cosmic Brownies

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The Valentine’s Day version. You probably found yourself needing to buy these for your kid’s class swaps and now you have a few left in the pantry. I remember the best part of a cosmic brownie being the little candy bits on top of them. Other than that, nothing really comes to mind. If you end up eating one, pair it with Asti to make the experience a little more worthwhile. You may be eating a broken brownie in the pantry, but with a nice bubbly beverage, your pantry becomes a quiet spa moment.

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