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Author Archives: lilliebette

Try Merlot with Haribo

Posted on July 11, 2013 by lilliebette

Hello!

I am about to go on another vacation. It will be short and sweet, but worth every drop. I have one more post for you before I shove off and it’s a special one.

We paired the variety of Haribo we bought in Istanbul with a red wine, as I promised in my previous pairing with the wine gummies. It actually turned out pretty well! Don’t get me wrong, gummies are still difficult but this rolled alright. It helped that the flavors were more unique. That’s the Haribo way, I guess.

The Wine: mrlt*, Merlot by Wonderful Wine Co

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*I actually have no idea what that says, mrlt is my best guess

 

 

The Candy: Haribo! Afrika, Smurfs, Phantasia

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Yes Haribo. These are ALL candy categories alright.

 

The Dream:

I just wanted to try something different, so I grabbed Merlot which doesn’t get a lot of play on this blog.  It tends to have some bite but isn’t overwhelming and not too fruity. I thought it may go well with the fun fruit flavors. But honestly, I wasn’t sure. I got lucky (or is it SKILL?).

The Reality:

We did this pairing while watching the extended version of Return of the King (…yea) so I didn’t take notes on the wine flavors! This is a huge offense and I apologize. But the wine was quite nice! Let’s break down the pairing by gummy.

Phantasia:

I paired a yellow gummy that was alligator-shaped and had white stuff on the back. Predictably, it tasted like lemon but the white stuff on the back gave it a strange stale flavor. It wasn’t altogether unpleasant, just strange. Paired? Not so great. Lemon is just never great with wine in my experience. The wine goes tart and gets very harsh. This particular pairing was not successful.

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Gator! Smurf! ….Gator?

 

The Smurfs:

I don’t know why I bought these, because I hate the Smurfs. I find them annoying and frankly suspicions. But they paired really well. They had a nice, tart blueberry flavor. It is uniquely blueberry and not the vague Berry that so many gummies go for. The wine stays smooth and tastes quite good. Would I gobble and drink til I can’t see straight? Maybe not, but it doesn’t upset me either.

Afrika!:

This citrusy gatorhead-shaped gummy actually stays quite smooth. The Merlot is crisp and fresh. Overall, a lovely combination.

The Take Away: Gummy pairings have found a new savior, and her name is Red Wine. Yeah that savior is a HER, sorry fellas.

 

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Such A Sweet Nut

Posted on July 2, 2013 by lilliebette

Hello!

After a rather long break, I’m back and armed with many treats acquired in Istanbul. I’m typing this on my iPhone because I’m too lazy to start my computer and transfer photos there. It would be shameful, but I choose to ignore those feelings.

Today’s pairing features some delectable pistachio chocolate paired with some Virginia Riesling. I don’t know if you can get pistachio chocolate where you live, but the Internet must have a way. If you can scrounge some up, I recommend trying this pair.

The Wine: Rockbridge White Riesling

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The Candy: Dark and Milk Pistachio Chocolate

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The Dream:

I imagined that the sweet Riesling would enhance nuttiness combined with chocolate. The tasty dry Riesling would aid a new nuance to the pistachio flavor while mingling pleasantly with the chocolate.

The Reality:

After biting into the dark chocolate, I was instantly disappointed by the small number of pistachios. It basically was a Riesling – Dark Chocolate pairing. I was counting on the pistachios balancing out the chocolate to the point of almost overwhelming it. Not the case.

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The milk chocolate though had a great deal of pistachios. In one bite I could taste the rich, butter pistachios that were smashed close together. The Riesling then had a delight effect. The sweet wine added a lightness to the heavy and flavorful nut-chocolate combination. I think if the wine had been a bit more sweet, the take away would be even better. Overall though, I recommend it!

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Pistachio Pair

Posted on July 1, 2013 by lilliebette

Look forward to a new post featuring a pairing with these beauties!

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Istanbul Sweet

Posted on June 17, 2013 by lilliebette

Hey friends!

We fly home tomorrow and we’ve had a great time. Rest assured, I have sweets to pair on my return.

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Liz

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Chew, Chew, Fail

Posted on June 9, 2013 by lilliebette

In a few days readers, I will be sipping Turkish coffee in well…Turkey! So there won’t be posts for a little bit due to the travel and such. I will try to throw a pic or two your way while I am there. And yes, Mommas reading this blog / friends, I WILL be safe. My excess caution is legendary.

Before I ship off, I have another special post with candy from overseas! (Oh, there will be Turkish candy, you know it). My friend brought me these wine gummies from England. They are pretty nutty, just look at the back of the bag.

Chew Chew CHEW

Chew Chew CHEW

It’s a gummy, so yes, I went with a white. It wasn’t incredible, so I am committed to switching it up next time. Mark my words readers, Liz is going to switch.it.up.

Candy: Maynards Wine Gums

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A Colorful Assortment

A Colorful Assortment

Wine: Cupcake Wine, Angel Food

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The Dream:

Sigh. I am bored with my approach to gummy-wine pairings. My friend told me these gummies were fruity but a bit more intense. It is a richer flavor, so she said. I wanted a wine that wasn’t too sweet and not too dry. I chose this Cupcake wine because I was relatively unfamiliar. It is a table white, so it felt easy and not too risky.

The Reality:

The wine has a subtle sweetness with a delightful hint of vanilla. There is a bite like Chardonnay but it is smooth and goes down easy. The flavors all combine in the right way to make it a wine that’s worth sipping on a hot summer day. I will be buying it later this summer.

Took this photo at 8. Summer is here!

Took this photo at 8. Summer is here!

The flavor breakdown:

First of all, the gummy flavors don’t pair exactly with a wine flavor. By not exactly, I mean they don’t pair with wine at all.

Orange: The sweet orange flavor reminds me of Skittles. After the orange gummy, the wine loses the sweetness and the vanilla flavor jumps ship.

Dark Purple: This gummy is rich and not the normal grape flavor. It is nuanced and very tasty. But the wine goes dry although there’s a bit of berry twist.

Yellow: This flavor is a lot like Skittles yellow, pretty standard. The smooth wine goes down well with this pair. It maintains its richness.

Green:Lime flavor with nothing that is interesting.

The Takeaway:

A good person admits when they are wrong. I am done with the white wine approach for gummies. There will be a switch up, mark my words.

 

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Lil’ Bunny Foo Foo

Posted on June 2, 2013 by lilliebette

I love lazy Sundays. I recently discovered Parks and Rec so I am main-lining that while I enjoy the various snacks left over from a recent party. It’s just the rest I need.

Today’s post features more candy from Britain (and the next post…). It’s nice when my friends provide me candy and/or wine. It makes my posts a lot more fun knowing there are readers with a vested interest in my work.

This pairing was a HIT. Unfortunately I don’t know where you are going to buy the candy, but the internet is a cool place for that kind of thing.

Candy: Malt Easter Mini Bunnies (apparently they do different candies for different seasons)

Don't Be The Bunny

Don’t Be The Bunny

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Wine: El Burro, Kickass Garnacha 2011

Ok so there's an animal theme going here

Ok so there’s an animal theme going here

The Dream:

Garnacha. I don’t remember ever drinking it, but wines from Spain are always a good choice. I read the description which mentioned hints of tobacco and cherries.

Pairing to milk chocolate is a bit tricky. I wanted something a little heavier with a lot of flavor since milk chocolate can be less dynamic. The chocolate also had a nutty filling, so I also wanted a wine that could match that nuttiness. I thought the fruit notes could pair nicely with a nutty center.

The Reality:

This went very well. The wine smells like red ripe cherries. Flavors like black pepper, cherry, and chocolate filled the mouth.

The chocolate is wonderful. It is rich and melty with a hint of hazelnut. There is a crunchy creamy center which is refreshing against the think chocolate.

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When combined, the wine becomes a little less sharp and a bit less round. But I want another bite of chocolate immediately. I like the tanginess of the wine with the smooth chocolate nuttiness. Although both are very full and flavorful, each sip of wine refreshes the palette.

The Take Away: A little bit of nuttiness goes a long way paired with a nice red. I bet you can find something similar to these bunnies here in the ole USA.

 

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Get Naked

Posted on May 23, 2013 by lilliebette

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.

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CHALLENGE: What’s in a name?

Posted on May 19, 2013 by lilliebette

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

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The Candy:

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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.

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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.

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Bacchus

Posted on May 18, 2013 by lilliebette

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.

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Blueberry Blues

Posted on May 11, 2013 by lilliebette

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

Blueberry Panda

 

The Wine: Paradise Spring, Sommet Blanc, 2011

IMG_1506The 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.

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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…

 

 

 

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