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Winter weather can get to the best of us. The holidays are feeling like a distant memory and spring seems light years away. We, at My Méz, are all about making memories! And guess what, you don’t need a special occasion to do so. Maybe you are headed to a stunning, sun-soaked Caribbean island for a winter break! But what do you do if you can’t get away from the winter? You’ve binge-watched everything there is to binge-watch on Netflix and scrolling through your Facebook and Instagram only brings up more photos of the beach that you can’t get to!
Here are three fun and easy-to-plan ideas for the perfect winter evening. Luckily for us, Samir was a restaurant General Manager in his prior career (life, before My Méz). This blog is a result of his wine knowledge and our collaboration with Sarah Buchanan of The Wine Group of California. These delectable food and wine pairings will ensure your next party is simply aMEZing!
So, are you ready to invoke your inner sommelier?
Girls’ Night In:
What’s better than a night in with your favorite gals! This winter spin on the girls’ night out involves three simple ingredients: dessert, wine and of course your gal pals. Make it cozy with pajamas and slippers or glam it up with some fabulous fashion. We identified some guilty pleasures and wont judge you if you go for store-bought.
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New York Style cheesecake: A crisp bubbly can make any event a celebration and would pair very well with this creamy dessert. Bursting with fresh fruit and fine bubbles, Chloe Prosecco carries along notes of peach, green apple, citrus and white flowers.
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Vanilla cupcakes with butter cream frosting: The humble cupcake can be elevated to a new height when paired with a nice Chardonnay. What’s a nice Chardonnay you ask? A ripe grape when harvested will give you tropical fruit flavor like mango and pineapple, compared to a less ripe grape which would provide notes of lemon and apple to name a couple. You may also get grass/straw notes. How a Chardonnay is aged also imparts characteristics to it. An oak aged Chardonnay would have notable aromas including vanilla and butter, with a creamy body-perfect for this cupcake. Could you tell the characteristics before you taste the wine? Yes, the color of your Chardonnay will offer you some hints: an unoaked Chardonnay will be paler in color compared to its oaked counterpart which will be a deeper yellow/gold, which would also most likely be creamy and buttery with hints of vanilla.
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Warm Chocolate Pudding or Chocolate Brownies: With grape varietals from California’s North Coast, the Chloe Red No. 249 is a rich blend. The hints of dark fruits and espresso from this red blend pair perfectly with chocolate desserts. This wine is so versatile, it could be used for multiple courses if you are planning a full meal.
A Table for Two:
Valentine’s Day might be over but the romance doesn’t have to be. We have the perfect plan for a romantic evening with your significant other. If you enjoy cooking go for something that would be fun for you to cook together. Remember to pour a glass of wine for yourselves first! If cooking seems overwhelming aim for a simple menu and enhance the evening with a beautifully set table. Make it even more memorable by printing an elegant menu with wine pairings.
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Lasagna: There’s nothing like a hearty lasagna on a cold winter’s night. A wine with grapes from California’s Monterey County and Russian River Valley, the Chloe Pinot Noir provides both dark and red fruits, along with notes of spicy clove adding richness and complexity.
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Steak Dinner: A big juicy steak calls for a big bold red! You couldn’t go wrong with an old world wine from the Bordeaux or Rhone regions of France. But don’t be afraid of trying new red blends or full-bodied reds from newer wine-producing regions like Chile and South Africa.
Large family gathering:
Families that make memories together stay together! Holiday cooking and cleaning can take its toll on you but that’s not the goal here. These crowd pleasing foods will give you plenty of time to relax and enjoy with your family. And if you thought pizza only went with beer think again!
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Chili: A Pinot Noir or a GSM blend (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre) could be your go-to wines with a steaming bowl of chili. Both wines are fruit forward (notes of dark fruits and berries), and the well balanced fruits and tannins are great with a meaty, spicy bowl of chili. A GSM blend is fuller bodied compared to a Pinot Noir and both wines have soft subtle tannins; the GSM has more earth tones to them. Sarah suggests, and we agree, that whichever wine you pick for the chili, make sure you pour some in your chili while it’s cooking for that extra flavor!
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Pizza: Plain cheese or loaded with lots of topping, would you believe that pizza pairs great with wine! Juicy white peaches, soft melon, crisp apple, floral honeysuckle and subtle undertone of Meyer lemon accentuate this Northern Italian Valdadige D.O.C Chloe Pinot Grigio on the palate. The alluring aromatics with a structured mouth feel in this wine complement a plain cheese pizza as well as the meat-lovers fiesta.
Do take note that everybody’s palate is different and you might pick up different notes than your fellow sommeliers. That’s okay! The key is to keep trying new wines…remember to save the labels and corks of the wines you like. That is how we collected all the corks and wine labels featured in the accompanying My Méz tray and table.
Now that you have your fun food and wine pairings squared away all you need to do is pick a date and invite your friends/family over. Remember it’s all about the little details! Don’t forget to pair your favorite wine with your favorite My Méz home accent and watch the conversation flow. Here’s to making new memories…
Cheers!
Click here to see the products showcased in this blog (all products come ready to hang on the wall as well):
Water Lily Tray in Distressed Barn Wood Green
Black & White Wine Corks in Lime Green