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...
Photo: Emily Rentsch
All that sparkles is not Champagne.
Sure, Champagne is the most popular kid in the bunch, but there's a whole glittering world of sparkling wines out there that are delightful in their own right. The real trick is deciphering their differences and choosing a style you'll love.
This little guide will give you tools to help you choose your next bottle of bubbly with confidence. We'll run through the big three (Champagne, Prosecco, and cava) and give you tips on what to look for when you're in the sparkling wine aisle. As with many niche sets of knowledge, it's all in knowing the lingo!
New Year's Eve—a.k.a. Champagne's Big Day—is nigh, but I hope a look at this vast world of sparkling wine inspires you to crack open a bottle of bubbly on a simple Tuesday night, or whenever you're feeling a fizzy vibe. There's so much to explore beyond the cliché luxury of Champagne. So, let's get to it!
CHAMPAGNE | France
Champagne is a heavily regulated sparkling wine. In order to preserve its...
Photo: Leonardo Sanches via Unsplash
Every year it's a challenge: The perfect, non-cliche, not-too-sappy yet totally memorable Valentine's Day date. Phew! We got your back. Here's a quick list of unique date ideas led by some fantastic wines. Cheers to you and your sweetie!
PUZZLE IT OUT
Get analog! Because so many of us are glued to screens these days, something as simple as doing a puzzle seems suddenly kooky and new. So, do a puzzle with your boo this February 14th! There are some genuinely gorgeous puzzles out there (check out Galison for some options!) to spice things up, and puzzling offers a natural environment for alllllmost grazing the hand of your hot date as you reach for another piece. [eye flutter]
PAIR WITH: François Montand, Brut Méthode Traditionnelle Blanc de Blancs | A sneaky and sophisticated sparkling wine for thoughtful types
KICK IT AT KARAOKE
Dress up in your favorite 80s metal gear and go crush it karaoke with a bangin' duet! Karaoke is like aerobics for the soul––guaranteed to make you sweat and...
Photo: Leslee Miller
Have you heard about Pét-Nat? This cute little word seems straight from the mouths of millenials, doesn’t it? Pét-nat, or pétillant naturel, is the French term for “naturally sparkling” wine. And here’s the thing: pét-nat is NOT a frothy trend. In fact, it’s an ancient type of wine, and its recent rise in popularity is more than well-deserved.
Pétillant naturel is a genre of sparkling wine that predates Champagne, if you can believe it. Its méthode ancestrale involves bottling an unfinished (or still-fermenting) wine and allowing it to finish fermenting inside of the bottle. Contrary to the Champagne method—which requires one fermentation in tanks and then a second fermentation in the bottle, with added sugars and yeast—the pét-nat way is wild and volatile. When making a pét-nat, the winemaker must trust the grapes’ naturally-occurring yeasts and sugars to do their dance without interference or alteration. The result is fizzy, frenetic wine that is refreshing and surprising in its...
Hosting the holidays this year? Holy Stress, amiright? Not only do you want to please your guests with delicious vittles, but you're also thinking about the music, the decor, the flow of the evening...
And then there are the beverages.
Ideally, you would stock a crazy supply of beverages to please every person's personal palate, but that's tricky without spending loads of cash and ending up with lots of extra bottles you might not be crazy about once all of the guests have gone home.
Let's keep it simple, shall we? Here are three different wines that are friendly enough to appeal to a range of people, while also suiting the harvest vibes of a holiday meal. Don't knock yourself out. After all, the most important part of a holiday gathering is the warmth of good company, right?'
Domaine J. Laurens "La Rose No°7" | France**
This sparkling rosé of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir is adorably pink AND a stellar companion to all things Thanksgiving Day. It's got a delicate mousse...
