2.27.2012

Twitter Wine Tasting: Valentine’s Day


Just in time for Valentine’s Day, The Happy Hour Tour was invited to participate in Fresh & Easy’s Twitter Wine Tasting, a way-fun at-home wine party where fellow food and drink bloggers tweet about 3 wines handpicked by Fresh & Easy’s resident wine buyer, Richard Wherry.

JG and our Twitter Wine Tasting Spread!

Our party kicked off at HHT Headquarters with a “Pretty in Pink” theme, ok we just watched the movie and had some fuchsia raspberries to pair with our cheddar cheese marbled with chocolate (wowee zowee!). It also suited our delicious first wine selection, the Montcadi Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine, that was perfect on its own or would be terrific in a mimosa (as our helpful Fresh & Easy grocer recommended). The wine turned out to be our favorite of the evening and we easily finished the bottle that night!

Our wines for the evening, notice whose on the attack in the background!

Our second selection took us to Italy, the Ombretta Chianti. The Happy Hour Tour was the first Tweeter to make a SILENCE OF THE LAMBS joke (of course about chianti and fava beans) – total bragging rights, we know. As our sommelier informed us, the woodsy scent of the wine comes from its four months in French oak – elevating the aromatics and adding depth. He also noted that the high acidity in the wine makes it a great pair with tomato-based foods and charcuterie. That’s a lot more in depth than what we came up with; we merely enjoyed the wine with cheese and crackers, but… didn’t finish the bottle.

Mad scientist JB opening the Chianti!
 
Our final selection was right on for the Valentine’s season, where chocolate can be found in anything and everything (eg cheese), Chocolate Shop wine. Made in Washington State’s Columbia Valley, the chocolate wine is created by adding dark chocolate extract to just fermented Merlot and Syrah grapes. The wine smelled positively awesome – just like chocolate and wine – but we found the taste to be a somewhat acquired one, a little too chocolate extract-y. Not exactly our cup of chocolate, but still pretty yum.

Somebody loves wine (bottles)!

After an hour or so of tasting/tweeting/taking pictures, we said goodbye to our fellow Fresh & Easy friends and continued our party at Happy Hour Tour HQ #2, The Woods! Speaking of which, be sure to watch “Justified” on FX; our bartender pal Brendan (also a werewolf in “True Blood”) plays a bad guy this season!! 

Special thanks to Richard Wherry, Allison Osorio, and the entire Fresh & Easy gang!

-- JB

1 comment:

  1. We loved having you join us for the tasting! Kudos were certainly yours for the first Silence of the Lambs joke, indeed. ;)
    -Nicole, social media mgr @ f&e

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