Showing posts with label wine pairing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine pairing. Show all posts

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Wine Review: 2012 Cave de Roquebrun Saint-Chinian Terrasses de Cabrio



The type of red wine you serve at your next social gathering says a lot about you as a person. It prompts others as to your style, taste, wine knowledge, and social graces. Cave de Roquebrun Saint-Chinian Terrasses de Cabrio has all the style of a French import without the heavy price making you look sophisticated and refined. It retails for under $15.

It is a ruby dark red wine with heavy legs and plenty of flavor. It is a fairly solid wine but carries with it a high pitched taste and strong flavors. You can notice black fruit, herbs, tart berries and a little tobacco. The taste may not suit all pallets the same way but most will be pleased with the product. 

Red wine is generally a winter wine that is still served most seasons. This red wine pairs well with any meat or spicy dishes you may be offering. Considered rich and ripe cheeses that have a heavy flavor. Think stinky! Putting out a plate of different types of cheeses with this wine will reflect well on your social graces.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Wine Review: The Legend of the Vine has Arrived



What is in a legend? Apparently legends can be made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 8% Petite Sirah. Legend of the Vine Cabernet Sauvignon is a ripe red wine, plum tasting, chocolate hinting, smooth wine that provides twice its value for a fraction of the price. Aged in 92% French Oak and 8% American Oak it provides just touch of oak spices to its mix (1).  The combination of different red wines enhances the taste and body of the offering. 

Legend of the Vine’s brand is considered unique. It appeals to Millennials who were raised on medieval shows like Game of Thrones and video entertainment something akin to Legend of Zelda. The bottle is wide and broad while the label appears like something from the ancient world. The taste seems to match its mystical inheritance. 

It is difficult for new products to make a presence on the market and compete against much stronger funded brands. According to Cardoso, et. al. (2013) having a brand personality can make all of the difference in finding a level of exposure. Brand personality can help customers manage and formulate a concept of the offering which leads to greater memory recall and purchase frequency. 

Legend of the Vine is also dark and ripe in the genre of winter wine that some may associate with an ancient era. Grapes picked early in the formation of Cabernet Sauvignon wines are sour and have fresh vegetative flavor while grapes picked at later stages are hot, bitter, fruity, and contained sweetness (Heymann, 2013).  The Legend of the Vine’s ripe and fruity flavors is from a ripe grape that matches its hardy brand impression. 

Cabernet Sauvignon is the prince of all wines. As a thick winter wine it contains an abundance of tannins that make it difficult to pair with light seafood, and vegetables (2).  It is recommended that such wines be paired with bbq fatty meat foods or strong tasting fish like tuna and shark to balance out the tannins. Most cheeses are not recommended with this type of wine. 

The Legend of the Vine

Cardoso, I. et. al. (2013). Determinants of the perception of the personality of brand: an application to the Azores regional brand. International Journal of Academic Research, 5 (2). 

Heymann, H. et. al. (2013). Effects of extended grape ripening with or without must and wine alchohol manipulations on cabernet sauvignon wine sensory characteristics. South African Journal of Enology & Viticulture, 34 (1).

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Sogno di Vino and Their Little Italy Wine Tasting Charm



Sogno di Vino literally translates as “to dream of wine” and is located in San Diego’s bustling Little Italy district. It is an artistically designed establishment that offers multiple seating arrangements for private dining, living room socializing or night air patio eating. The southern wall is erected with considerable care as a scone lighted stone replica that contributes to the overall Renaissance decor.  The ambience lighting is low and advances a more elegant feeling while the music is just loud enough to create a soothing white noise to cover those awkward pauses in conversation.

The wine list is extensive and provides red, white and bubbles varieties.  You may want to try a white Feudo disisa Grillo from Sicily or a red Protos Tempranillo from Spain. Consider a Riesling with their Smoke Salmon salad made with bed of fresh spinach with orange slices, pecans and cherry tomatoes tossed in our orange vinaigrette. Another option is the Sauvignon Blanc matched with the Cheese Plate consisting of artisan cheeses served with accompaniments and a variety of toasted artesian breads and crackers.

Sogno di Vino does well in blending their atmosphere with their offerings to appeal to a trendy and fashionable crowd. Your Gorgio Armani won’t be a waste here. Customers are willing to pay for exceptional offerings in terms of food, service, fine cuisine, restaurant interior, friends, and the opportunity to be with customers cut from the same cloth (Andersson & Mossberg, 2004). At Sogno di Vino birds of a feather flock together to create a wine lovers paradise. 

Their extensive wine list is also a benefit to the enhancement of customer satisfaction. The type of cocktails and size of the wine list complements and enhances the overall impression of the restaurant (Flaherty, 2014).  Their core customers like to taste a variety of wine and try some of the exotic items on the list to explore their wild side. By both California and foreign varieties customers can experience the subtle impressions of the true wine tasking experience. 

Wine imports and local production are sold through complementary interests. Nearly 90% of imports come from five countries of Italy, France, Spain, Australia, and Chile (Seale, et. al., 2003).   This doesn’t seem to hurt American growers as local production increases more to meet the overall need. The restaurant is contributing to both markets through their domestic and foreign wine menu. 

Sogno di Vino is located in an area known for its Italian background that fits with its trendy and artistic décor. Their wine list is extensive and provides both American and imported wine offerings to maintain market appeal. The atmosphere is an enhancement and blends best practices to create a busy but social atmosphere. Sit under the low lighting and strike up a conversation while picking over a cheese plate or salmon salad that pairs with your wine selection.  

Sogno di Vino
1607 India St, 
San Diego, CA 92101

Andersson, T. & Mossberg, L. (2004). The dining experience: do restaurants satisfy customers needs? Food Service Technology, 4 (4). 

Flaherty, D. (2014). Setting the stage: bar menus that enhance your brand. Nation’s Restaurant News, 49 (7). 

Seale, et. al. (2003). Imports versus domestic production: a demand side analysis of U.S. red wine market. Review of Agricultural Economics, 25 (1).

Friday, March 21, 2014

Wine Review: Toscolo Cianti 2011



Toscolo Chianti is a medium bodied wine holding the flavors of cherries, spices and flowers. It has a strong fruity taste and dark red color.  A touch dry with high acidity. It is a nice wine for drinking with spicy and meat based food. At a price of around $12 dollars a bottle it is both affordable and exotic. You will find this wine as a great food lover’s option.

Meats go well with Chianti type wine due to its higher acidity. You may consider a number of different pairing offerings from Hello Vino.  Each type of wine and food offering shows a possible wine pairing that will work well.  Lasagna, leg of lamb, and pizza are great pairings (1). Think of high protein and greasy to get the best palate coating.

Originally from Tuscany it is a wine that has a little history that dates back to the feudal system. It was originally invented in the 1850’s by Baron Ricasoli at his Broline estate (2). The Italian government had codified his new formulation in 1966 which included some white varieties. Chianti still requires certain standards as a number of farmer’s damaged the quality in the 60’s. Today’s offerings are fairly solid. 

Americans still don’t make Chianti on a significant level. The reason being that Americans think of wines through grape quality while Europeans are into the locality. There is a difference in culture. Americans are practical and Europeans a little more cultural and traditional. Chianti appears to be associated with Tuscany Italy and anything outside of that area is still considered lower quality.