Bubbles, Bubbles, and More Bubbles! Wining for the holidays...

The Goddess of Wine led an intrepid group of tasters through her annual exploration of sparkling wines for the holidays. We paired these sparklers with such gourmet treats as potato chips, popcorn, 'pigs in blankets' (cocktail franks in puff pastry), and homemade breads and cookies from #JDBakes.

All the wines showed exceptionally well, and as always, it was delightful to watch my students' enjoyment of the experience. In fact, after class was over, everybody stayed to revisit and purchase the wines! It was a win/win - or maybe a wine/wine - for all involved!

Tasting Wines for the Holidays...

It’s that time of year again. The “holidays”.

You throw a party, or you go to a party. For a huge meal. It could be a traditional roast turkey, accompanied by stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Or it could be roast goose or duck, or a Honeybaked ham. Or (shudder) a turducken. Or brisket or veal. So many choices, all depending on your cultural background and family traditions.

Regardless of what you, your friends and family choose to share, it’s going to be a big meal with a lot of different elements, so you’ll want to choose wines that will enhance and not conflict with the flavors found in your meal. You can play it safe and offer Chardonnay or Pinot Noir with your turkey, but how about trying something different to spice up your feast?

The Goddess of Wine tends to favor wines with good acidity to counter the fatty content of many of the tasty accompaniments to a hopefully moist and well-seasoned entrée, and its accompaniments. Here are my suggestions for the holidays. All of these wines retail for under $30. Oh, and full disclosure: portions of these notes are taken directly from the wineries' spec sheets, although my group of student tasters found them to be accurate.

Wining while "Tasting Blind!"

One of the things I love most about teaching about wine is the 'aha' moment that occurs when students suddenly realize something that had never occurred to them before. Several of those moments happened Wednesday night when I led an intent group of acolytes through a blind tasting.

I brought in 8 wines from all over the world, and provided the group with a tasting grid that included sample descriptors to help them find the appropriate words for what they were smelling and tasting.

I gave them a few hints to start:
All the wines were visibly red.
All the wines were between 2 and 5 years old.
And the most important clue of all: There were multiple instances of the same grape varietal.

Tasting Blind...with the Goddess of Wine!

We sure had some fun tasting those "little-known" wines from Spain and Portugal, but now we're going to put your palate to the test!

Have you always wanted to taste wine like the pros? Here's your chance!

Join the Goddess of Wine, Denise Lowe, for an evening of "blind" wine tasting to test your senses of sight, smell, and taste! We'll taste through several wines as you learn tips and tricks to WOW your friends!

Light munchies will be provided by #JDBakes.

Must be 21 years or more to attend.

Limited seating, so reservations are required. 
$35 per person

Wednesday, October 17th, 2018, at the Morro Bay Wine Seller
601 Embarcadero #5, Morro Bay, CA 93442

Click HERE to purchase your tickets!

Oh, and don't worry...we won't actually blindfold you!

Cheers!

Tasting Little-Known Wines of Spain & Portugal...

We're back from summer vacation, and it's back to school! 

Wine school, that is!

Join us for a voyage through some of the little-known wines of Spain and Portugal that the Goddess of Wine and JD discovered on their recent trip to the Med!

Wednesday, September 12th, 7 PM, at the Morro Bay Wine Seller!

$35 per person includes tastes of several delicious wines, #tasty snacks from #JDBakes, and tasting notes to take home.

Click here to buy your tix.

Hope to see you!

Wining in the Med...

Pena Castle, Sintra, Portugal

JD and I traveled to Europe in June. It was the first time we had been overseas since 2004. We traveled with a group from Zaca Mesa Winery, on the beautiful Oceania Riviera cruise ship. All travel was facilitated by Food & Wine Trails. We spent two days, precruise, in Lisbon, a city I would like to revisit very much. The cruise stopped in ports along the Mediterranean coast, ending in Civitavecchia, the port of Rome.

In the light of the current political situation, I was afraid we were going to have to apologize for being American. Amazingly, all the folks we met - Americans, Europeans, Africans, Asians, Indonesians, etc. - were friendly, kind, interested and interesting. We were able to learn about the history of the cities and towns we visited, sparking our imagination and memories of what we had learned in school so many years ago. We ate delicious local food, drank beautiful local wines. Visited historic sites. Talked to people.

More after the jump...

Name That Wine! A Blind Tasting Experience!

DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL, 

WE HAVE TO CANCEL THIS CLASS. 

STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE EVENTS!

Have you always wanted to taste wine like the pros? Here's your chance!


Join the Goddess of Wine, Denise Lowe, for an evening of "blind" wine tasting to test your senses of sight, smell, and taste! We'll taste through several wines as you learn tips and tricks to WOW your friends!

Light munchies will be provided by #JDBakes.




Must be 21 years or more to attend.

Don't wait to reserve your glass!  
$45/Public or $35/MBWS Member or Wine Trade

Wednesday, May 16th, 2018, at the Morro Bay Wine Seller
601 Embarcadero #5, Morro Bay, CA 93442
805-772-8388

Tasting Santa Barbara County Wines with the Goddess of Wine...

From the Sta Rita Hills in the west, to Happy Canyon in the east, and to the Santa Maria Valley in the north, the diversity of winemaking and grape varieties in Santa Barbara County is astonishing! 

Did you know that there are more than 70 varieties of grapes currently being grown and made into wine in Santa Barbara County? From the coolest Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs to the warmest Cabernets and Syrahs, there is something for everyone!

Join Goddess of Wine, Denise Lowe, for tasty trip through Santa Barbara County!

As a special treat, the Goddess will be pulling bottles from her own cellar for this #tasty evening! 

Wednesday, April 18th, 7PM, at the Morro Bay Wine Seller, 601 Embarcadero Ste. 5, Morro Bay, California 93442 - Tel: (805) 772-8388

Click here to purchase your tickets! Must be 21 or older to attend. 
$45/per person / $35/MBWS Club Members (or wine trade)

Includes wines, snacks, handouts, and fun!

Denise Lowe, the Goddess of Wine, provides wine education in an informal, fun atmosphere. We’ll talk about regional history, how and where wines are made, and what foods to pair with them, all in a casual and interactive setting. The more questions you ask, the more we all learn! Basic tasting notes will be provided for you to take home, and best of all, there’s no test!