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Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Hello friends!

I realize I have not blogged in awhile. Life has been bananas! What else is new? I got engaged, started school again, and got a new job. So blogging has begun anew. I have a lot of old pairings to share with you, so in between life things, I’ll try to remember to share a post now and then!

Today’s post will be on a very interesting pairing with a candy called Potato Candy that we acquired at an old-timey candy shop in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.

Let’s dive in shall we?

The Wine: Tiki Estate, Sauvignon Blanc, Australia

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The Candy: Depression Era Potato Candy

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The Dream:

I didn’t have any idea what this candy would taste like. All I knew is the woman who sold them to us (www.truetreatscandy.com) said you wouldn’t BELIEVE there was potato in the candy. I didn’t know how sweet they would be, but I knew peanut butter would be a factor so I chose a white to balance the thick peanut butter.

The Reality:

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Y’all, peanut butter candy is delicious! Honestly order it if you can and check it out. We were gobbling it up. It’s very sweet and doesn’t, as the woman said, taste like candy at all.

The wine tastes like green grass and leaves and is very dry. The wine went pretty well with the candy, but the potato candy is pasty and overwhelms the mouth slightly. Overall thought a delicious experience.

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Have you tried potato candy before? If not, see if you can find it or a recipe! If you are allergic to peanuts, perhaps almond or cashew butter would be a nice substitute.

 

 

 

 

Everybody in Meereen Getting Tipsy

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Credit to SBNation for this image—had to share it. Good to see my girl having some fun for once.

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Regal Beagle

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Regal Beagle

Hello friends! I got a comment that requested I pair wine with books. That reminded me, I actually have a podcast about books called Epilogue Podcast. You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, and here! You can email book request at epiloguepod@gmail.com or tweet us at @EpiloguePodcast. We cover books and book news!

To make this podcast interesting, we started pairing our podcast sessions with cocktails. For the book Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst (CW for violence against animals in this book and suicide), we drank a Regal Beagle (which has wine!). Listen to our podcast episode for this book here.

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How to make a Regal Beagle:
1 ½ oz vodka
2 lime wedges
1 tsp. honey
5 oz grapefruit juice
Splash of dry white wine
Muddle lime with honey and add ice. Pour grapefruit juice over the top and add a splash of wine. Stir a bit. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

I will post our other pairings in the coming weeks!

 

It’s been a long time 

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I’m sorry it has been ages. With school and work, I’ve been way too busy. This blog is still never far from my mind and after a month hiatus of not having many obligations, I’ll be back baby in July. What type of posts would you like to see?

Cheers! Stay thirsty my friends. 

No. Not that Weeknd. 

No. Not that Weeknd. 

Happy Holidays! I hope your celebrations are merry. Maybe you have snow where you are but I certainly do not. Regardless of whether you have snow or not, I have a festive pairing that’ll have everyone decking the halls. 
The Wine: WKND, 2016 American Sparkling Wine, California    

The Candy: Oh Snap! Gummy Gingerbread Men. Paper Source.   

 
The Dream 

Who doesn’t love a nice sparkling wine for the holidays? Very festive! Plus I imagine this dry wine would go well with the spicy gingerbread men. It was a bit of a gamble because I didn’t know how the gingerbread men would exactly taste. 

The Reality:

The wine has a citrus edge to it and it is delightfully bubbly! I absolutely recommend for the holiday season and for New Year’s Eve.   

The candy smells strongly of gingerbread and they are very chewy. In terms of flavor, it tastes mostly like vanilla. 

The vanilla and bubbles merge delightfully and do not overwhelm the senses. I might have to try more gummies with sparking wines because I love how they fizzle. I absolutely recommend this pairing! 

Isn’t that Great (Shoals)

Isn’t that Great (Shoals)

Hello! Life has been pretty busy so please pardon my absence from this blog. I love doing this blog and I hate being away. So for a holiday treat, I have a post from a local winery I went to in October. My friend Emily arranged it and actually paid my way which was so sweet. Thank you Emily! Cheers to you.

The winery in question is the Great Shoals Winery in Maryland. If you are in the DMV area, I highly recommend it.

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Great Shoals Winery was founded in approximately 2010 and uses local ingredients for their ciders, wines, and sparkling wines. They’ve won a few awards too.

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Our tasting included cheese, crackers, and a selection of wines and ciders.

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Here are my thoughts and what I learned. My notes get progressively worse as the tasting goes on:

Bosc & Bartlett Hard Pear Cider:

The hard pear cider had a strong honey flavor and was slightly carbonated. It was very dry as well as very delicious.

Chambourcin:

The chambourcin is a medium body red which would be an ideal table wine. Like many wines in the area, Chambourcin was tweaked by Jefferson in Monticello.

Bayside Mist:

Another table wine which is delightfully fruity. It is composed of vidal and Chardonnay. It is very refreshing.

Spinnaker:

The spinnaker is made with the chambourcin grape and is slightly less robust. It is a very crisp rosé

Bay Fire:

While fire may denote spice, it is actually a sweet wine with a slight tartness. The Bay Fire is a lovely caramel color.

Ginger Hard Apple:

The ginger hard apple cider is very ginger forward. I am not talking about Angry Orchard Ginger, but a real ginger cider (no disrespect to Angry Orchard, but this stuff was real).

Hard Cherry:

Hard Cherry won the governor’s competition. It is very subtle and not overly sweet. I really enjoyed this but I always enjoy anything with cherry.

Spiced Apple:

The spiced apple was delicious and warm. It is made with cinnamon orange peel and clove so it tasted like pure fall.

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I loved this tasting and I hope if you live in the area you can come check out Great Shoals!

 

Wine Education

Sorry. I’m not providing one but I spent some time with my dad. Here is a bottle we enjoyed. He has taught me everything I know about wine.  

 

Wine & You

So where do you stand? 

I know that box wine one is true for me. 😁  

Lemon Know What You Think of this Pairing

Lemon Know What You Think of this Pairing

Hello all! It’s the end of the summer and I have one last fresh summery post for you readers. The school year is coming up, so these posts may be even more sparse. But never fear I will provide you a post when you least expect it.

I bought a lemon ginger haribo candy while vacationing in Grand Cayman and created a lovely pairing to toast the end of the summer.

The Wine: If a Tree Falls Riesling, 2014

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The Candy: Ginger-Lemon Gummi Candy, Haribo

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The Dream:

As always, a gummi proposes a challenge. But I felt confident since ginger candy won’t overwhelm with sweetness. The riesling was a daring choice since they are typically quite sweet. I felt the ginger could cut through and make an impression.

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The Reality:

The wine is smooth and grapey (for lack of a better word) with a syrupy texture.

The candy is intense! It busts in with a strong lemon flavor that fades into the burning ginger. If you are not a ginger fanatic like me, you may not like it as much as I did.

The wine stays very sweet and smooth when eating the candy. The flavor is slightly warped and becomes slightly bitter. Overall, I consider the pairing a win since I couldn’t stop eating and drinking.

And as always, drink responsibly you guys.

You Spin Me Rind Round Baby Rind Roundf

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You Spin Me Rind Round Baby Rind Roundf

Hello! I am about to go on a well-earned vacation but before I do, I thought I would provide you some reading. Today I am following up on a promise I made a long time ago to my friend at Medieval Vegetarian. I am featuring a candy she made and brought to a casual holiday get together that somehow turned into a party. Quite a few months later, the candy is still amazing if not better. So no matter how this pairing goes, check out the recipe here.

In regards to our little wine give away, you all certainly acted quickly! There will be another one once I accrue some more giveaways. If you are interested in joining Club W before then, please leave a comment! Club W wines are often portrayed on this blog, just like they are today!

The Wine: Imperial Red Blend, Thracian Valley

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The Candy: Candied Orange Peels, by Medieval Vegetarian

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The Dream:

This candy has a very strong flavor since it is made directly from an orange peel. I needed a wine that could tango with this candy adequately without overpowering it. I thought a red blend was a safe bet since I was not sure what flavor notes would balance this unique candy best.

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Making Candied Orange Peels from Medieval Vegetarian

The Reality: 

The wine is tangy and sharp with very ripe blackberry and raspberry flavors. The rinds are bitter, sweet, chewy, and taste just as good as when I got them in December.

The rind enhances what I enjoy about the wine. The tangy sweet flavor of the fruit is brought to the front while the ripeness fades. The aftertaste of the rind and wine left a delightful dance of flavor on the tongue.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your July dear readers. I look forward to preparing a new pairing for you in the near future!