Photo: Jennifer Pallian via Unsplash
It's baking season!
Whether you get down with a little sugar and flour in your own kitchen or opt to buy a smattering of holiday cookies from a local bake shop, we don't judge. But we do HIGHLY recommend you crack open a bottle of wine when you snuggle in with your dessert plate this winter.
Pairing wine to Christmas cookies and other festive treats is as easy as any other food and drink combination. Just remember that "like goes with like" (i.e. citrusy whites with lemon pound cake) and a good bottle of sparkling wine works beautifully with most decadent treats.
Below are a few of our favorite wine and cookie pairings to get you started. Happy Holidays and merry munching!
GINGERBREAD + SPICE
The Cookies
Gingerbread cut-outs, Pfeffernusse (German spice cookies), ginger snaps
The Wine
- Elena Walch Schiava: This light Italian red is laced with savory spice and a spot of pepper, making it the perfect compliment to warm-spiced cookies of all kinds
- Dr Konstantin Frank (Semi Dry)...
Photo: Nemanja O. via Unsplash
Hello, it's the weekend! Here's a list of goodies to prep you for relaxation.
FRIDAY FAVES - 3.26.21
- Lucy Laucht's photos of foreign beach scenes are just the thing to defrost your dreams of travel.
- Check out this sleek, reusable cutlery that would be perfect for a picnic basket!
- And OH MY GOSH, this cloudy and unfiltered sparkling Furmint from Slovenia would be such a great picnic companion this spring! Its citrusy, beer-like flavor profile shines alongside salty things like hard cheeses, potato chips and olives.
- If you have kids (or even if you don't!), check out Netflix's new show Waffles and Mochi. It's an adorable, food-focused show featuring a couple of cute puppets, lots of famous food folks, and Michelle Obama herself.
- Tasty tips for preventing soggy sandwiches on your next outdoor lunch!
See you next week!
Photo: Camille Brodard via Unsplash
Today is National Drink Wine Day! But let's be real. Over here, EVERY day is Drink Wine Day. So while this—ahem—holiday doesn't change much for the crew at Sip Better, it does give us an awfully nice excuse to highlight some of the wines we're currently loving. These three wines are peppy and fun, great for lifting your spirits up and out of the dregs of winter. All three are also wonderful food wines, so don't be afraid to mix and match them with whatever cozy foods you're digging into these days.
Enjoy!
THREE WINES WE'RE LOVING
Stolpman 'Love You Bunches' Sangiovese | Santa Barbara County, CA
This super-fresh red is totally worthy of its adorable name. Stolpman winemakers pick their Sangiovese grapes while they're still low in sugar and high in acidity. Then they ferment the grapes whole and uncrushed (in bunches!) inside of sealed tanks (that's called Carbonic Fermentation). This method tames the more tannic side of Sangiovese and produces a wine popping with sour cherry and berry...
Photo: John Fowler via Unsplash
You made it through a week of 2021! Congrats. Please reward yourself with some whimsical browsing and enjoy these relaxing ideas we love:
FRIDAY FAVES - 1.8.21
- Oh hey, it's National Bubble Bath Day! Check out this list of yummy products for maximum bubbles and relaxation. And make sure to have a great beverage on hand when you soak! Might I suggest this blushing sparkling wine?
- I think I found my holy grail of skincare—Flamingo! Yes, they mostly make razors, but the company also puts out a delicious-smelling and very affordable bundle of lotions and potions that will keep you silky all winter long. I particularly love the hydrating spray.
- Have you explored the joys of snowshoeing?
- Loving the idea of an uber list in place of typical New Year's resolutions. Critic Danielle Henderson, of the film podcast I Saw What You Did, details her yearly uber list on the podcast's latest episode. (Also, this podcast is THE BEST! If you want to explore movies with two smart gals, have a...
Photo: Rinck Content Studio via Unsplash
Happy New Year! It's always nice to have an excuse to hit REFRESH, right?
For some of us, that refresh might include a little break—or just a step back—from alcohol. Helloooo, Dry(ish) January! A moment to cleanse the system and make life a little simpler. If that's your plan, perhaps you're in the market for some non- or low-alcohol beverages options? Boy, have I got a drink for you!
It's a fruit shrub! A homemade one, in fact, and it's incredibly easy to make.
Fruit shrubs are vinegar-based fermented beverages that make for zippy mixers that almost mimic the funk and complexity of wine or booze. Add an ounce or two of this shrub to seltzer and garnish with fresh mint for a refreshing mocktail. You could also cut a glass of dry sparkling wine with shrub and a bit of seltzer and pretend it's New Years Eve all over again. Either way, this little concoction (recipe below) should get your creative juices flowing in a healthy, life-affirming way.
GRAPEFRUIT SHRUB
Ingredients:
• 2...
