Showing posts with label apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apple. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

WHAT TO PUT ON A TRISCUIT? AN IPHONE APP FOR THAT!


The Wheel Of Snacks

When you’re tasting a wine at home, it’s always great to be able to pair it with food and find out what it works with, or what it doesn’t.

I often don’t have a nice meal in front of me when I’m evaluating wines, so I end up grabbing a handful of almonds, or fishing an olive out of the jar to have some edible reference point.

Apparently, the folks at Wine Spectator like a little snack food with their wine, too.  Wine Spectator School and Triscuit have released the Recipes For Wine Lovers iPhone App.  The app allows you to select one of 20 wine-friendly Triscuit recipes.  The great wheel of snacks spins around and - clink! - down drops a glass containing just the right wine.

According to the app, for Italian salami and cheese on a Triscuit, select a Cabernet.  Hot, sweet, bubbly cheddar on a Triscuit calls for Riesling.  Bubbly four-cheese tomato on a Triscuit demands nothing less than Pinot Noir.  You get the idea.

If any of the snacks strike your fancy, tap on it and a full screen recipe for that treat appears.  Of course, it’s usually not much more instruction than, “take the stuff and put it on a Triscuit, then eat it.  With wine." 

You can find the Triscuit Small Plates app in the iTunes App Store for free.  If you have no iPhone, you access the information by website at the same low price.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

WINE PAIRING: TUNA SALAD


Wine Pairing

Browsing through my iPhone's wine apps - of which I probably have far too many - I checked with one called Wine Steward, which is also available online, to find out what they advise as a pairing with tuna salad.

Grenache gets a 100% vote of confidence from Wine Steward and is branded as an "excellent pairing."  Grenache makes versatile, fruity wines.  Great rosés are made from Grenache grapes, and that would be my choice for the tuna salad.

Sauvignon Blanc gets 80%.  If you feel the need to pair a white wine with fish, this is a great choice.

Sancerre, at 79%, comes from France's Loire Valley.  A Sancerre would probably be a Sauvignon Blanc as well, as that is the grape predominantly used in Sancerre.

Chardonnay gets 71%.  A big California Chardonnay may have the mark of oak in it, while a less buttery flavor will come from France, like a white Burgundy or Chablis.

A host of other wines are mentioned by Wine Steward, in declining order:

Nero d'Avola, a big red wine from Southern Italy
Rosé
Riesling
Cabernet Sauvignon
Dry Gewürztraminer
Sangiovese
Syrah
Merlot
Red Bordeaux
Sparkling Wine
Cabernet Franc
Viognier
Beaujolais Cru
Roussanne
Pinot Gris
Off-Dry Gewürztraminer
Albariño
Carignane
Pinot Noir
Zinfandel

Of this last bunch - mostly labeled as "adventurous" choices by the app - I'd go with a Roussanne, a full-bodied and food-friendly white wine with a nice high acidity.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

WINE.COM IPAD APP


Wine.comAppScreenshot

Apple's popular iPad device is already being used in many wine bars and restaurants as a high-tech wine list.  Now you can have the wine experience on your iPad at home.

Wine.com has debuted a free app for the iPad which allows users to browse the site's inventory in much the same way you can browse album covers in the music world.  Swipe your fingers across the screen and the wine labels go flying by.  When you want a closer look, just click on the label and the app shows a page with all the information you could possibly want about the wine, the winery, the grape or the wine-growing region from which the wine comes.  You can even take a virtual tour or explore a wine region by way of Google Earth.

You can save your search in your personal Wine Cave, or buy the wine and have it shipped to you right from the app, depending on whether or not you live in a state where wine can be shipped to you.

All the items in your Wine Cave sync to your Wine.com account, so they'll be available wherever you happen to log in.

Wine.com also has an app for the iPhone, it's just not as showy.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Tasting Room Notes: Trefethen Family Vineyards


On my recent trip to Northern California, my first winery stop heading northward on Highway 29 was Trefethen in Napa. I must admit that I had never tried any of their wines, so I was starting at square one. They only charge $10 for an Estate Tasting, and $25 for a Winemaker's Reserve Tasting. The former features four wines while the latter offers five. There is no logo glass, by the way, so you won't be adding to your collection.

Barn-like on the outside, the interior was that of a warm and comfortable ranch house. Once inside, the people were quite friendly and ready to help. I opted for the Estate Tasting. As sometimes happens, I ended up getting an extra pour from the Winemaker's Reserve list.

Viognier 2007 - This one was flowery and perfumed on the nose. The palate featured apple flavors and a lemony tartness that served as a nice counterpoint. The finish was rather lengthy.

Cabernet Franc 2006 - An initial sniff on this one gave me a nose full of currants. The palate was like chocolates and cherries, but what really struck me in the taste was the spiciness, like white pepper. Very smooth tannins.

Double T Red Wine 2006 - This is a blend of the main grapes from Bordeaux: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Expecting a rich and fruitful nose, I was somewhat disappointed to find there wasn't much there. The taste, however, was very much full and satisfying. I didn't expect a vegetal front line, but the flavor seemed dominated by basil. A very odd taste all the way around, but quite enjoyable.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - Deep red in color, this cab puts out quite a nose. Rich and fruity, there's even a hint of tobacco, sort of a "Swisher Sweets" aroma. The taste could qualify as dessert in my world, full of chocolate and cherry, with a finish that lingered forever.

Pinot Noir 2007 - Another guest was sampling this one, and I was offered a taste, too. Spices on the nose come through first, clove the strongest, and the fruit I pick up is a medley of red berries and cherries. It's a very spicy palate as well, and a lucsious drink to boot.