Barbie Wine Pairings

It's t-minus two days until Barbie: The Movie premieres! Is it the best thing to happen to the year 2023? Our hopes are high and we're celebrating Barbie's big screen debut by pairing some perfect rosés to a few of the Barbie dolls we've loved. Enjoy! This Barbie is ready to party.

Malibu Barbie + Pomalo Rosé (Croatia)

Malibu Barbie's debut in the 1970s (pictured above) ushered in Barbie's iconic California cool girl look. And while there have been many iterations of this Malibu gal, you can bet she's always sunkissed and ready to surf until the sun goes down! The only thing missing is a tumbler of pink drink nestled in the sand next to her beach towel. 

Pomalo Rosé is pretty much summer in a glass, and it would be right at home with this Barbie's carefree attitude: The word pomalo loosely means something like "relax, no worries" in Croatian! On the nose, this wine is floral and laced with strawberry and raspberry notes, while the palate is vibrant and bright (like the sun! Ahem). 

Grower of the Month // G.D. VAJRA

Photo: via The Real Review

G.D. Vajra is a family-run wine grower nestled in Vergne, the highest village in the Barolo region of Piedmont, Italy. The Vajra family tends 40 hectares of high-elevation vineyards, where breezy conditions produce complex and beautifully aromatic wines that are still distinctly Piedmontese in nature.

Aldo Vajra knew winemaking was for him from a very young age. In 1968, Aldo took over his grandfather's estate, putting his dreams of grapes and vines into action and bottling his first vintage in 1978. Since then, he has secured his place in the ranks of top tier Barolo winemakers, earned the region's first organic certification, and raised a humble and wine-loving family with his wife Milena.

The Vajra family believes in simply guiding (rather than forcing) the grapes into their full and truest expression in the wine bottle, and their respect for the land and sustainable farming practices are crucial features of this philosphy. Aldo personally derives great joy from dreaming up a...

Italian Wine: A Beginner's Guide

Photo: Emily Rentsch

Italian wine is both beloved and kind of daunting. Italian wine makers are proud of the many indigenous grapes that thrive in their country, but with over 580 grapes in use across the land, there's a lot to sift through (and discover!) in this ancient gastronomical paradise. 

We're here to make things a little simpler! Below, we'll run through some of the main wine-producing regions in Italy—from North to South—and highlight the most prominent grapes from each region. You'll get to know the grapes' basic flavor profiles and gain a bit more insight on how to choose a bottle of Italian juice the next time you're strolling the wine shop aisles. Let's dig in!

HOW TO READ ITALIAN WINE LABELS

First—how the heck do you decipher an Italian wine label?!

One of the big things to remember is that Italian wines are filed into one of four different classifications. These classifications (or appellations) indicate how well-controlled the production and quality of each wine is:

• DOGC (Denominazione...