Always Ravenous - Adventures in Food and Wine

Lamb Meatballs Paired with Côtes du Rhône

September 18, 2020 By Jane 10 Comments

Who isn’t looking for that easy go-to wine, especially during the week? The answer just may be found with a bottle of Côtes du Rhône wine. They are easy-drinking wines upon release, come in a variety of styles, and a great value. Another plus for Côtes du Rhône wines, they pair well with comfort foods like stews, braises, and you guessed it, lamb meatballs.

This month the French Winophiles are exploring the Côtes du Rhône region in southeastern France. Check out more articles from the group at the bottom of this post and join our Twitter chat on Saturday, September 19th, 2020, at 11:00 AM ET. Follow the chat using hashtag #winophiles.…

Fall Harvest Dinner with Wine Pairings

September 11, 2020 By Jane 8 Comments

And just like that, there is a change in the air. The mornings and evenings are cooler and the days shorter. In the vineyards, the grapes have started to change color, vérasion, and harvest begins. At the farmers’ markets, tomatoes, corn, and berries give way to fall produce like figs, apples, hearty greens, and root vegetables. My favorite way to embrace this seasonal change is to come together around the table for a fall harvest dinner with wine pairings.

This month the Wine Pairing Weekend group is celebrating the season’s harvest. Topics will include climate change impacts, harvest reports from vineyards and wineries, and of course, here at Always Ravenous, food and wine pairings. The Wine Pairing Weekend group will be chatting live on Twitter, Saturday, September 12, 2020, at 11:00 AM ET. Follow the Twitter chat using hashtag #WinePW. More great articles on celebrating the harvest can be found at the end of this post from the group.…

Savory Cheese Crostata Paired with Moldovan Wines #WinePW

July 10, 2020 By Jane 8 Comments

Wine Adventure anyone? Ever hear of Moldova? Moldova is located between Romania and Ukraine in Eastern Europe. The country has a rich and long wine history, the first known grapevines dating back to 7000 BC and winemaking around 3000 BC. It has the highest density of vineyards globally, with plantings of international and indigenous grape varieties. Some of the world’s largest wine cellars are in Moldova, including the cellars at Milestii Mici – registered in the Guinness Book of World Records with over 1.5 million bottles of wine. What better way to explore Moldovan wines than to taste and pair them with a savory cheese crostata.

This month the Wine Pairing Weekend group is traveling virtually to Moldova. Jeff from FoodWineClick is our host and arranged for wine samples from Wine of Moldova. Don’t miss more adventures on Moldovan wines from the group at the end of this post. And join us for our Moldovan wine chat on Twitter, Saturday, July 11th at 11:00 AM ET using hashtag #winepw to follow the conversation.…

Picnic Fare Paired with Finger Lakes Wines #WinePW

June 12, 2020 By Jane 12 Comments

This month the Wine Pairing Weekend group is taking a virtual trip to the Finger Lakes wine region in Upstate New York. The eleven finger like lakes were formed by glaciers back in the ice age. Iroquois tribe legend believes the Finger Lakes to be those of the Great Spirit. While the region has a cool continental climate, the warming effect of the lakes and steep vineyard slopes put this region on the map for producing top quality aromatic Riesling along with Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, and Pinot Gris. I’ve packed my picnic basket full of picnic fare and, of course, some Finger Lakes wines, as I taste and pair my way through this unique American wine-growing region….

Tasting Tuscan Sangiovese Paired with Comforting Pot Roast

June 5, 2020 By Jane 7 Comments

I am in this mood. Foods that I haven’t cooked for years, I am now craving like pot roast. Rituals that got squeezed out of my routine are back, like Sunday Suppers at the table with family. It seems over the last three months, many of us have more time to think, daydream, and indulge in hobbies. I have enjoyed cooking with more leisure (time) and less stress. My way to travel under these restricted conditions is tasting wines from different regions of the world. Where have I been lately? Central Italy in Tuscany tasting Sangiovese. Can you guess what I paired with my Tuscan Sangiovese? You guessed it, pot roast!

This month the Italian Food, Wine, and Travel group are traveling (virtually) to Italy, exploring the different regions that produce wines made from the Sangiovese grape. Join us on Twitter for our chat, Saturday, June 6th, at 11:00 AM ET using hashtag #ItalianFWT to follow the conversation. Curious about what the other Italian Food, Wine, and Travel writers discovered? Check out their articles at the end of this post.…

Chicken Wild Rice Hot dish paired with Cru Beaujolais

Beaujolais is a region in France, south of Burgundy and north of Lyon. There are three classifications of Beaujolais; Beaujolais AOC, Beaujolais Villages, and Cru Beaujolais. (for more background information on the classifications check out an earlier post here). Cru Beaujolais is the jewel of Beaujolais producing wines with varying styles, complexity, aging potential, food-friendly,…

Thanks to Domaine Carneros for sponsoring this post by providing me with two bottles of their sparkling wines. All opinions are my own. When was the last time you popped open a bottle of sparkling wine? Almost certainly for a birthday, holiday, or other celebratory events. Sparkling wine comes in a range of price points,…

Shrimp in Curry Coconut Broth Paired with Marsanne

Hermitage is one of 8 appellations in the Northern Rhône wine-growing region of France. (The other appellations are; Côte Rôtie, Cornas, Saint-Péray, Crozes-Hermitage, Condrieu, Château-Grillet, and Saint Joseph.) The appellation is known for producing some of the most sought after Syrah wines. But it is Hermitage’s white wines made from Marsanne and Roussanne that are…

Ancient Greece is recognized with developing the culture of food and wine through trade, colonization, social and religious events, and medicinal uses. The ancient Greeks believed wine was an essential part of life and a gift from Dionysos, the God of Wine. Hippocrates, a Greek physician, regarded as the father of medicine, known for the…

Lamb Meatballs Paired with Côtes du Rhône

Fall Harvest Dinner with Wine Pairings

Savory Cheese Crostata Paired with Moldovan Wines #WinePW

Picnic Fare Paired with Finger Lakes Wines #WinePW

Tasting Tuscan Sangiovese Paired with Comforting Pot Roast

Cru Beaujolais: Tasting and Food Pairings

Why Sparkling Wine is a Versatile Food Pairing

A Taste of Hermitage Marsanne #winophiles

Food and Wine in Ancient Greece

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