DC's Wine Country Food & Wine Festival 2009

This weekend we are getting in our 4th of July barbecues but what happens after all the fireworks are over? Make plans for the first annual DC's Wine Country Food & Wine Festival next weekend (July 10th -12th). Here is the website http://www.vafoodandwine.com/ But let me tell you why this is going to be the wine festival of the summer and why I am going to be there.

Not only is it being held at the historic Whitehall Manor in Bluemont, VA with 20 local wineries doing tastings, but never in this area has there been such a social wine appreciation event (how wine should be celebrated!) I am so excited that Mary Watson (a well known DC Sommelier) will be there showcasing her ingenious take on simplistic wine pairings in which she takes only herbs and pairs them with a particular wine. There will also be exotic hand blown wine glasses, scrumptious handmade chocolates and a book signing by Ellen Crosby who is very popular with her Wine Mysteries such as The Merlot Murders, The Chardonnay Charade, The Bordeaux Betrayal, and others. You have to check out the website to be able to see ALL the things that are going on. I would be typing for pages if you let me.

Remember when you go online to purchase tickets to type in the word corcoran as it will give you $5 your ticket price. Hope to see you there!

Eat Well & Drink Well (at the DC's Wine Country Wine & Food Festival!)
Kim

Ideas for Summer Time Fun

School is almost out so that means summer is about to begin. Everyone starts coming out of the houses and making more of an appearance outdoors. What better way to gather people together than to host a wine tasting party. There are so many themes to choose from:

By Country
By Varietal
By a Letter in the Alphabet
GET CREATIVE!

Most of us are still not made of money so a neat idea is to have someone bring a dish their pairs with the wine they are bringing or if selecting wine by a country then have them make a dish whose origins are derived from that particular country. Also, there are TONS of trivia wine games that are fairly inexpensive and really break the ice.

In any case, wine is meant to be shared socially, so invite your neighbors, friends, and family and start a trend. The number of wine lovers are growing so you are bound to find that a passion for wine is something that most people will enjoy.

Drink Well! Eat Well!
Kim

"A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine."

While I was doing a wine delivery at the Leesburg Vintner in downtown Leesburg. At the register hung this nice wine picture with the saying "A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine" by Anthelme Brillat Savarin. It really got me thinking about how true that is. Whether with an appetizer, meal or dessert, one must make sure that we have the right wine with each food. Wine and food are meant to go together and when paired right...it is a pure delight!

Here are some of my favorite Corcoran wine pairings...

Viognier...with lots of fruit flavors, our 2008 is crisp so I pair it with my favorite; crab cakes or shrimp with old bay seasoning, but it will go nicely with most fish, tropical salsas or a wide range of lightly spicy foods.

Chardonnay...goes with a wide range of cuisine but I personally like it with popcorn on movie night, but of course the typical pairings would be cheeses, chicken, light pasta, or just enjoying sip by sip by the pool.

Chambourcin...with lots of cranberry and cherry flavors, try this wine with turkey, smoked salmon, BBQ hot dogs, or the acidity of a tomato like in pizza or spaghetti.

Cabernet Franc...this wine has a hint of black pepper and goes excellent with grilled red meats...a must have for your Dad's day BBQ's.

Malbec...my absolute favorite to pair because it goes the best with dark chocolate or desserts with chocolate and coffee like tiramisu...yum!

All you have to do is taste the wine to get it on your palette, try some of the food to be paired, then try the wine again...how was it?

Enjoy...Cheers!