Are you tired of the same old same old when it comes to your summer wine choices? Time to try something new! Let’s discover 3 refreshing white wines from Germany and some fun facts you probably didn’t know!
First up: RIESLING
Riesling is a classic, but so so misunderstood. Did you know somms all over the world go crazy about German Rieslings? There’s so many reasons to love it! The most important thing you should know is that Riesling can be sweet, but also DRY! So many people think that Riesling is only sweet (which is also very delicious). If you like a dry style Riesling, look for the word Trocken on the label. This means dry. The Germans are very serious about their wine and give us tons of information of the label, but it definitely takes some schooling to understand it! Another term commonly used is labeling the level of ripeness of the grapes picked at harvest. The longer the grapes stay on the vines, the sweeter they get. Here are the terms in order from driest to sweetest:
-Kabinett
-Spätlese
-Auslese
-Beerenauslese
-Trockenbeerenauslese
-Eiswein
Keep in mind that the winemaker might ferment to different levels, so a Kabinett level Riesling grapes could still be vinified to a slightly sweet wine, and a Spätlese Riesling grapes could still be vinified to a fully dry Riesling (in that case, it would be labeled Spätlese Trocken). It can be know confusing if you don’t know the terms, right!? A lot of German producers are starting to indicate the style on labels in English or even put a sweetness scale on the label which makes it a lot easier for us! Another term that is super important to know is the GG (Grosses Gewächs). This essentially means Grand Cru. These grapes are coming from the best vineyard sites and undergo strict quality assessment.
When it comes to food pairing with Riesling it’s quite unique! Depending on the style you’re drinking, German Riesling can pair perfectly with a wide variety of cuisine, partly due to the iconic high acidity. I like to pair Riesling with Asian cuisine, spicy foods and sushi! Due to the generally lower alcohol on German Rieslings, it pairs perfectly with spicier foods. Alcohol tends to make spicy foods burn more!
I really enjoyed this “Bone Dry” Riesling which you can currently find on www.Wine.com for $24.99.
Use promo code GERMANY10 for 10% off your purchase of 6 bottles of German wine or more.
This Riesling is very refreshing with notes of lemon, lime zest, white peach, and white florals. It had high acidity-meaning it makes your mouth water a lot. Perfect for a hot summer day!
Second white wine from Germany to be sipping on this summer is:
PINOT BLANC
Pinot Blanc is such an underrated grape IMO! I don’t hear a lot of people talking about Pinot Blanc which is a shame! It just screams summer!!! This one is full of refreshing citrus and apple flavors. Balanced with a beautiful minerality and high acidity.
This wine pairs perfectly with all those summer cheeses like havarti, mozzarella, and feta. Can someone say Caprese salad!? Or watermelon and feta salad with PINOT BLANC!? Um yes please!
Fun fact: the Germans may call Pinot Blanc “Weissburgunder” so be on the look lookout for that! It’s just the German name for the grape. Another fun fact: Germany has the highest number of plantings of the grape in the world!
You can find this one on www.Wine.com for $24.99 as well.
And the 3rd German White Wine you should know about is:
PINOT GRIS
Yes, Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are synonymous, but a German Pinot Gris and an Italian Pinot Grigio are quite different! This Pinot Gris is packed full of stone fruit flavors like peach and apricot with a ripe citrus like lemon curd. It also has beautiful floral aromas and refreshing minerality and acidity. I find German Pinot Gris to be much smoother than other regions’ as well. I’d pair this with a summer peach salsa, or some brie with apricot jam. It would also go great with seafood and pastas. I’m drooling!
Fun fact: the Germans refer to Pinot Gris as “Grauburgunder” or “Grauer Burgunder” so you might see that on the wine label.
You can find this delicious German Pinot Gris on www.Wine.com for $18.99.
Remember to use promo code GERMANY10 for 10% off your purchase of 6 bottles of German wine or more!
I hope you enjoyed diving into the key white wines of Germany with me! If you’d like to dive even deeper into the Wines of Germany, follow @germanwineusa on Instagram and be sure to follow me at @bythestem to learn all things wines, food pairings and wine travel!
Prost!
Love, Your personal sommelier, Casleah
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Sannio (pronounced like San-yo) is located in the Campania region of Italy. The Campania region is in the southern part of Italy. It is below Rome and just 30 miles east of Naples. It has rolling hillsides and altitude making it the perfect location for vineyards. The soil is mostly clay and limestone, but there are areas where volcanic soil can be found! Sannio is made up of 11,000 hectares (27,181.59 acres) of vineyards. And 7,900 vine growers. There are many different grape varieties that grow here, but the two most famous are Falanghina and Aglianico. I recently attended a beautiful luncheon at N10 Italian Restaurant in downtown Los Angeles with Italian Wine expert Laura Donadini (@theitalianwinegirl) to learn about Sannio wines paired with delicious Italian dishes.
The first wine we tasted was a sparkling Falanghina from Corte Normanna. It’s a Brut style sparkling wine made in the Charmat method (tank method). Oak aging in uncommon in this region. It spends 11 months on the lees with lees stirring which add complexity and delicate bubbles. This wine is refreshing with high acidity and notes of floral, citrus and a finish with a touch of almond. The almond finish is a marker common on Falanghina. This wine was paired with a Bruschetta with sun dried tomatoes, basil and mixed vegetables on focaccia. The acidity in the tomatoes really balanced the acidity in the wine.
The second was was a still Falanghina from La Guardiense ‘Janare‘. This wine recieved the highest award from the Gambero Rosso called Tre Bicchieri. It has beautiful dusty minerality with aromatic floral notes. It’s has a stunning and unique salinity resembling capers. It has the classic bitter almond finish. What stood out to me about this wine was the mouthfeel. It had an oily texture that is very pleasant on the palate. It has medium plus intensity of aromas, a complex, refreshing acidity and a long lingering finish.
Wine number 3 was another still Falanghina from the opposite side of the region from Terre Stregate ‘Svelato’ . This one has 4 months on the lees giving its a cheese rind, yeasty aroma. Along with a refreshing green apple acidity.
These Falanghina wines are if the DOC designations. They were paired with a chopped salad consisting of romaine lettuce, mozzarella cheese, avocado and dill herb dressing. The freaking notes of the salad brought out the citrus notes of the wines. The mozzarella brought if the lees nots as well as the creamy mouthfeel. Great pairing!!
The tasting concluded with a beautiful complex red wine of Aglianico. This is the famous red wine of Sannio and is of DOCG designation. There are 3 biotypes of Aglianico in Sannio: Taburno, Taurasi, and Vulture. I tasted the Fattoria La Rivolta Aglianico del Taburno DOCG 2018 . It was full of black fruits and spice. It spent 1 year in neutral oak and organically farmed. Full of complexity, these wines have so much aging potential! This wine was paired with shredded braised beef in San Marzano sauce in a homemade Tagliatelle pasta. What a perfect pairing!
I highly recommend checking out the wines from Sannio for great quality and great value! I hope you discover this up and coming region! Cheers!
Love, Your Personal Sommelier, Casleah
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Time is the great equalizer. We all get the same amount. We can’t have any more. So make the most of the time we have! Life is now! Here’s some tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way of becoming a self employed entrepreneur and business woman! Hope it helps you too!
1. Use a project management tool. I love Asana- It’s a great way to stay organized, make large projects more doable by breaking them into smaller steps and to stay on top of deadlines. You can also assign other people tasks as well.
2. Use google calendar! This is literally a life saver for me! I put everything in google calendar! I even invite my husband and friends to events. Also when you put in the event address, it tells you when to leave! Every single commitment I make gets a google calendar invite to ensure I’m staying my word and don’t forget any of my commitments!
3. Get a virtual assistant! My assistant has truly changed my business and my life! She helps me with staying organized, client communications, calendar management, email campaigns, tracking packages, research and much more! If you’re considering getting a virtual assistant, I highly recommend working with Riah at Linq Consulting Solutions . She will matchmake you with the perfect assistant for you!
4. Pin texts to the top. This little life hack has helped me so much. When you receive a text that you can’t respond to right away, pin it to the top of your texts so you don’t forget to respond later.
5. Meal Prep! Find a local meal prepper!! I found the amazing Liz who preps delicious and healthy meals for me every week. I doesn’t cost me any more than buying groceries and saves me tons of time and keeps me healthy. Also I’m supporting another local small business owner! Search your area to find a meal prepper near you!
6. Instacart: get your groceries delivered! Not only does it save me so much time, but it also saves me money from buying things I don’t really need. Also, Ralphs has a whole recipe tab, where you can just add all the ingredients right to your cart! Use this link to get $10 off your next order: https://inst.cr/t/QmZRMG1ObkVC
7. Task Rabbit: learn to delegate the tasks you don’t want to do! I found my amazing cleaning lady through task rabbit. She organized my entire apartment while I worked and studied!
8. Loom: I discovered this extension recently. Sometimes it’s easier to show it instead of say it. This program allows you to record your screen and yourself on video while you show your client or employee how to do something. Such a time saver instead of typing out step by step instructions.
9. List of 10 things: my mentor Cristie taught me this one. Once a week I write a list of 10 little things that I have been putting off. It may be a certain email you’ve been leaving unread, or an item you need to return to the store. Just the tiny little annoyances that are taking up brain space. Get them crossed off the list so you can move on to bigger and better things!
10. TSA Pre Check– I had to add this one in here. It’s $75 for 5 years and saves sooo much time at the airport! Plus you don’t have to take off your shoes. I literally don’t know why you wouldn’t get it.
11. Press on nails. If you’re like me, having my nails done is so important to me! But its very time consuming and expensive to go to the nail salon every 2 weeks! I’ve discovered $8 sets of press on nails from CVS and Target. It takes me 10 minutes to put on and I’ve never got more compliments on my nails! Just be sure to keep nail glue in your purse in case one pops off!
12. Unsubscribe- take 20 minutes to unsubscribe to all the unnecessary emails that you just swipe and delete everyday. It will save you so much time in the long run!!
13. Lastpass: Save all your passwords in one place so you don’t waste time with “Forgot your password” emails.
14. Write. it. down. Seriously, write everything down! It frees up brain space when you don’t have to remember it! I use the reminders app on my phone. I have it as a widget on my home screen and anytime an thought pops in my head I add to the reminders until I get a chance to send that email, or create that calendar invite.
15. Practice Gratitude. When we live in gratitude we spend less time worrying about things that don’t matter. I recently started using this journal and I love it! The Five Minute Journal
16. Believe in yourself. When you spend time creating stories about how they’re not going to like you, or your work, you waste precious time! You are capable of more than you think!
17. Let go of perfect. Repeat after me: It doesn’t have to be perfect. You can always go back in and adjust. Save yourself a lot of time and let go of the need to be perfect.
These are the tools that have helped me over the last year, and I hope it helps you too!! Would love to hear other tools that you’ve discovered!
Much love,
Your personal Sommelier, Casleah
I’m Here To Keep You In The Know
About All Things Vino!
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Here’s a complete list of all the wineries, restaurants and wine bars I recommend in each wine country region that I’ve visited! Enjoy! And keep checking back as I add more!
Why I love it: Outstanding Wine and so much history! They only make one wine, hence the name, but it is all they need! Founded by the legends Robert Mondavi and Rothschild family, it is definitely a site to see!
Why I love it: The wine, the food, the property! This winery has it all! From the family that brought you Clif bars, definitely don’t miss out on their food and wine pairing opportunities! You can also rent bikes and ride around their stunning property. Quintessa
Why I love it: The wine is outstanding! They have stunning little glass private rooms up in the mountains with unbeatable views!
Why I love it: Chill hang out vibes! Love the picnic tables and yard games vibes. This is a great place to relax in the middle of the vines and enjoy their delicious wines.
Why I love it: the cutest little family winery. And bonus: they’re open much later than majority of the wineries in Napa, if you want to squeeze in one more before you end the day!
Why I love it: I never miss this spot when I visit Napa! Some of the best sandwiches around! Also like hack, pick them up in the morning and bring a cooler to have lunch on the go.
Why I love it: Visit their tasting room in downtown Los Olivos. Master of Wine Amy Christine and her husband Peter do it all! These are wines to nerd out over!
Why I love it: From the Busch family. Not only do they have great wines, you must try their Grenache, they have wild animals like zebras and camels and of course Clydesdales.
You asked for it and you will receive!! Everyone is always looking for the highest quality wine for the cheapest price. And unfortunately it does take a little bit of wine knowledge to accomplish this goal. There are many over priced wines and many underpriced wines out there and I’m here to show you some wines that I believe to be a good value for the cost.
** Disclaimer- I always recommend to #shoplocal and #shopsmall when shopping for wine. The best plan is to go to your local wine boutique shop and ask them for recs on their selection.
But if you happen to find yourself shopping for wine in a chain market, here’s some that I think are worth the money!
Sparkling Wines:
1. Chandon brut $17
2. La Marca Prosecco $15
3. Segura Viudas Brut Cava $14
4. Mionetto Prosecco Brut $14
5. Saint Hilaire Limoux $13
6. Borrasca Cava brut $10
7. Gruet Brut $15
8. Mionetto Prosecco DOC $14
Rosé
9. La Vieille Ferme $9
10. Black Girl Magic Rosé $16
11. Berne Côtes de Provence $18
12. AIX Provence $18
13. Fleurs de Prairie Provence $18
Light-Bodied Whites
24. Sea glass Sauvignon Blanc $11
25. Oyster bay Sauvignon Blanc $12
26. Cupcake Pinot Grigio DOC $9
27. Kung Fu Girl Riesling $19
28. Napa Cellars Sauvignon Blanc $18
29. The Pinot Project Pinot Grigio $15
30. Broadbent Vinho Verde $10
31. La Caña Albariño $15
32. White haven Sauvignon Blanc $20
33. Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc $13
34. Stemmari Grillo $8
35. Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc $20
36. The Seeker Sauvignon Blanc $13
37. Kysela Pere Et Fils, Ltd. Picpoul de Pinet $10
38. Columna Albarino $18
39. J Vineyards Pinot Gris $20
40. Inama Vin Soave Classico $17
41. Hall Sauvignon Blanc $20
42. Trimbach Riesling $18
43. Dr Loosen Blue Slate Kabinett Riesling $15
44. Kung Estate Pinot Gris $15
45. Decoy Sauvignon Blanc $16
46. Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc $20
47. Lapis Luna Sauvignon Blanc $13
48. Marques de Caceres Rueda Verdejo $8
49. Marques de Riscal Rueda Verdejo $8
Full Bodied Whites
14. Bonterra Chardonnay $12
15. La Crema Chardonnay $17
16. Joseph Drouhin Macon-Villages $16
17. Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier $15
18. E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône blanc $15
19. San Simeon Monterey Chardonnay $17
20. Famille Bougrier Vouvray Chenin Blanc $15
21. Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse $20
22. Louis Jadot Macon- Villages $13
23. Knotty Vines Chardonnay $16
Light Bodied Reds
50. La Crema Pinot Noir $20
51. Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages $16
52. George Dubeuf Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau $12
53. J Vineyards Pinot Noir $20
54. A to Z Wineworks Pinot Noir $20
55. Carmel Road Monterey Pinot Noir $16
56. Argyle Pinot Noir $20
57. Belles Grives Morgon Beaujolais $17
58. Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir $20
Medium to Full Bodied Reds
59. Marques de Caceres Rioja Crianza $16
60. Alamos Malbec $10
61. Seven Deadly Zins Zinfandel $15
62. Francis Coppola Claret $17
63. J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon $19
64. Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon $11
65. Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon $19
66. Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon $18
67. Benziger Cabernet Sauvignon $20
68. Bonterra Merlot $15
69. Famille Perrin Côtes du Rhône reserve $10
70. Penfolds Max’s Cabernet Sauvignon $20
71. Juggernaut Cabernet Sauvignon $20
72. Montes Classic Series Cabernet Sauvignon $10
73. Casillero del Diablo Carmenere $10
74. Beringer Bros Bourbon Barrel Aged Red Blend $13
75. Honoro Vera Garnacha $9
76. Palazzo Della Torre $18
77. Stemmari Nero d’Avola $9
78. Silk & Spice red blend $8
79. Frey Organic Cabernet Sauvignon $17
80. Catena Malbec $16
81. Cecilia Bereta Amarone Della Valpolicella $20
82. Casamatta Toscana $15
83. Nero Oro Nero d’Avola $13
84. McBride Sisters Red Blend $19
85. Upshot Red Blend $20
86. Black Stallion Cabernet Sauvignon $20
87. Lapis Luna Cabernet Sauvignon $13
88. Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon $20
89. Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon $19
90. Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva $13
91. Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva $14
92. Decoy Merlot $18
Dessert Wines
93. Dow’s Fine Tawny Porto Port $14
94. Dow’s Fine Ruby Porto Port $14
95. Honey Bubbles Sparkling Moscato $15
96. Chateau St Michelle harvest select sweet Riesling $8
97. Risata Moscato d’Asti DOCG $11
98. Porto Valdouro Ruby Port $17
99. Quintas das Carbalhas 10 year tawny 375ml $19
100. Osborne Cream Sherry $14
Thanks for reading! Check out my other grocery store guide for some fun food pairings! Cheers!
Love, Casleah- your personal sommelier
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It can be overwhelming when you don’t know what to look for! Here are some of my favorite wines that easily available almost everywhere! I’ve also added some pairing suggestions to make dinner planning easy! Cheers!
SAUVIGNON BLANC
Saver wine:
This is a classic Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand for ~$13/bottle. You can expect it to be crisp, refreshing with notes of lemon, lime and fresh cut grass.
Splurge wine:
One of my favorite producers in Napa. If you get a chance to visit the winery, I highly recommend it! This SB is from a warmer climate so you can still expect fresh citrus notes as well as tangerine and pineapple. I found this bottle for $20.
FOOD PAIRING:
SB is a very acidic wine, meaning it makes your mouth water! It pairs very well with acidic foods such as lemon, tomato and vinegar. It is important to keep the dish light as this is a pretty light wine-I’d recommend chicken or white fish.
CHARDONNAY
Saver Wine:
This beautiful organic wine is a steal for $11! This wine has notes of green apple, pear, and pineapple. It’s partially oaked so it will have notes of toasted almonds and a creamy texture while still maintaining the fresh crispness.
Splurge wine:
Another stunning Napa producer! I love every wine from Duckhorn! You can expect nice tropical notes of pineapple and star fruit. A creamy, rounded texture with notes of Creme brûlée! I found this for $30.
FOOD PAIRING:
Since this wine is a little bit fuller bodied and richer, it does well with a little richer dishes. My favorite pairing is with Salmon. It would also do really well with a creamy sauce such as Alfredo.
ROSÉ
I’m a big fan of this producer from the Languedoc region in France. It’s light and floral with notes of strawberry and white peach. And of course the stunning bottle! This one goes for approximately $12/ bottle!
FOOD PAIRING:
This wine would pair perfectly with a strawberry and goat cheese salad, And light cheeses such as mozzarella, Swiss and havarti.
PINOT NOIR:
Saver Wine:
I love this Pinot from Monterey! Biodynamically farmed, killer price for $15. Notes of cherry, strawberry and cranberry. It’s light bodied with medium tannin (dryness on the finish).
Splurge Wine:
Stunning producer! And beautiful bright and fruit forward Pinot from the Santa Lucia Highlands. You can expect notes of cherry, cola, and vanilla. It’s silky smooth and I found it for $20.
FOOD PAIRING:
Some of my favorite pairings with Pinot Noir include: Salmon, Pork Loin, Pizza, and Carnitas tacos.
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Saver wine:
Love this Cab from Paso Robles. With notes of blackberry, plum, black cherry, vanilla, cedar and baking spices. Very well balanced with a fuller body and nice tannin structure. I found this beauty for $14.
Splurge Wine:
This classic producer makes some lovely Cabernets! You can expect notes of black berry, black plum and sage. Stunning structure with a long finish! Found this one for $30.
FOOD PAIRING:
My favorite pairing with Cabernet is a big, juicy steak! It goes well with red meats such as ribs, beef tenderloin and bacon.
SPARKLING WINE:
Saver Wine:
These delicious Napa made bubbles are created in the traditional champagne method so you can expect smooth bubbles with nice citrus notes and a slight yeasty note. Fun fact: this winery was established by the famed Möet and Chandon who produces the highly esteemed Dom Perignon! You can find this one for only $18/bottle!
Splurge Wine:
This is the real stuff from Champagne! This is such a crowd pleasing bottle of bubbles and you can’t go wrong with this producer. You can find this one for $30.
FOOD PAIRING
Champagne goes really well with fried food! Try it with fried chicken or French fries! Also a very classic pairing is with oysters.
OTHER WINES:
RIESLING:
This was the first wine I ever loved and I still love it! Beautiful Riesling from Washington. Notes of lemon, lime, white flowers, slate and petrol.
FOOD PAIRINGS:
Riesling is such a foodie wine because of of its fresh acidity. But it’s special power is that it goes well with spicy food!
BEAUJOLAIS
This is a fun one! Not only will you impress your friends when you pronounce it correctly- (bow-zhuh-lay) it’s a nice light red with notes of cherry, strawberry and sometime hints of banana or bubblegum! It is good served chilled too! Find this one for $13!
FOOD PAIRING:
BoJo pairs really nicely with chicken, pork and fish.
MALBEC:
There’s some really great value in Argentina Malbec! If you like rich, full bodied wines with notes of blackberry and black pepper, but yet silky and smooth, this is your wine! You can find this beauty for $20!
FOOD PAIRING:
Malbec pairs really well with any beef dish. Pair it with something rich and heart like beef stew.
I hope you enjoyed this guide! Of course there are many more enjoyable grocery store wines! Feel free to reach out with any questions! Cheers!
Love, Cas
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Here’s all my favorite things to bring to the beach!
First and foremost, the WINE! And what better than canned wine on the beach! I’m loving these carefully sourced wines from @egwineco
Next up, the chair! I cannot live without my Tommy Bahama backpack chair! It has a built in cooler to keep your wine chilled and an extra storage pouch. I found mine at Costco.
I love this table from @short_table_ it folds us super easily and is perfect to bring to the beach! I also love this bag from @packitcool to keep the wine chilled.
And I can’t forget my favorite cheeseboard from @homeeuphoria !! The cheese knives store inside the board! Perfect for the beach!
And if you’re not having canned wine, I definitely recommend plastic wine glasses!! Now you’re prepped to have a perfect beach day!! Comment below and let me know what else you like to bring! Cheers!!
XOXO Cas
I’m Here To Keep You In The Know About All Things Vino!
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