Naked Winery is featuring a quote from my blog on one of their sale sheets. They thanked me with this sweet swag, including fake tats.
Monthly Archives: May 2013
CHALLENGE: What’s in a name?
Don’t mean to go all Shakespeare for this post but..if the shoe fits.
I received a challenge from some friends the day before the party. Their terms were specific, which I liked. I was given the name of a candy and I had to pair it with a wine on the basis of the name.
The name? Cadbury Marvelous Creations Jelly Poppin Candy Shells
It’s quite the moniker. My friend bought it in England so I knew it would be interesting.
My vision of this candy: small, round gummies encased in some type of thin chocolate shell. I think that’s a decent guess. With this image in mind, I went with a generic white from Portugal which sounded fairly dry and not too sweet. All things considered, I think it went alright.
Photos are not stellar because the session was at a party.
The Wine: Ciconia Vinho Verde
The Candy:
The Dream:
I thought the candy was a gummy of some sort, so I picked a dry wine to counter both the texture and sweetness of gummies. I also didn’t want anything with too strong a flavor, since gummies tend to dominate and overwhelm in that regard.
The Reality:
The wine is bubbly and dry, just as I expected. The bitterness is encouraging because I thought it would counter gummies nicely.
I was wrong about the candy, which is ok. It is actually a milk chocolate candy bar with jelly beans and…pop rocks.
The sweet chocolate dances well with the bitter dry wine. The jelly beans don’t do anything funky to the flavor since they are so encased in chocolate. The pop rocks are actually a nice addition because they buzz and fizz with the sparkling wine.
Overall, I’m pleased by the mixture of the milk chocolate and the white wine. As a blind pairing goes, I consider it a success.
Bacchus
Hey all
Look at this candle from the find retailers of the Etsy shop Witch City Wicks
It smells warm and peppery. This candle company comes strongly recommended.
Blueberry Blues
Hello!
Do you notice anything different? Well? It’s ok if you don’t but…let me just point it out.
I now own this domain name! Now it is even easier to find this little home of mine. You should expect a new look too in the coming weeks with a few twists and maybe some boxes where you can type things. I enjoy this blog a lot, so I want to work on its look. It’s time for a spring makeover anyway.
I don’t know why I am talking about spring…it was 80 degrees yesterday, so it is practically summer. Summer can be a rough time, depending on where you live. In DC, it is horrible. The hot air clouds your judgement and your skin oozes sweat and you can’t think. The only relief is a cool white wine and the sweet berries that grow this time of year. This pairing is dedicated to inevitable heat and all the sweaty, sweet things that come with it.
The Candy: Blueberry Licorice, Panda
The Wine: Paradise Spring, Sommet Blanc, 2011
The Dream:
This wine is bubbly and I imagined how delicious frozen berries would be plopped in the glass. When I saw the blueberry licorice, I figured it was an obvious choice. A crisp wine, not overly sweet, would benefit from the tart blueberry. Granted, I was dealing with candy and not blueberries so there was some risk involved.
The Reality:
I tried the licorice first and was hit by the soft, grainy texture. The blueberry flavor did not overwhelm and I was surprised by the touch of anise at the end. The candy works, but I knew straight off this was going to be a challenge. I had imagined something more sweet andI honestly did not think there would be an anise flavor. Even though it said licorice, I thought they would make it like strawberry licorice and not have any anise.
The wine has a bouquet of crisp, clean Macintosh apples. The bubbling, light wine dances on your tongue with the subtle apple flavor. I highly recommend this wine. It’s pricier, but it is one of my favorites.
I took a sip with a piece of licorice still in my mouth and didn’t notice any relationship. It was not bad, but it wasn’t really good. It just was. Sam really liked it, so his taste buds clearly have a different opinion. That’s the cool thing about tastebuds. Even when I think I am wrong…to someone..I could be right.
Take Away: Gummy textured candy continues to elude me…someday…
Blueberry Licorice
This is the latest candy I’m using for a pairing. What do you think would be its ideal mate?
Uncorked, Unwrapped 