Sipping & S’mores

By Maureen C. Petrosky

Warm nights around a campfire, with twinkling fireflies and glowing lanterns, are about as nostalgic as one can get. Add a great glass of wine and you’re off to a great start to making more memories. Yet, swirling wine with a face full of smoke from the fire pit isn’t my ideal downtime. Here’re a few tips to let you enjoy this summer fun and your wine at the same time. A few lessons we’ve learned to avoid a full on smoke- out:

1) Make sure your fire is safely situated away from your home, and that includes your deck.

2) If you do not have a built-in fire pit, avoid placement directly on the grass. A large piece of slate or other rock base is much more visually appealing than an expanding patch of dead lawn.

3) Don’t burn wet wood. This is sure to force you from the fireside and most likely will smoke out your nearest neighbor, not to mention it’s so not S’more friendly.

Maybe you’ll be congregating with friends around a custom fire pit or simply sharing a log while toasting marshmallows with the kids; either way, the light from the flickering flames and smoky aromas from the fire create the perfect ambiance for a toast to summer.

A Sip For S’mores- Willakenzie Estate Pinot Noir, Estate Cuvee, 2007, $22, is a fun pair with warm S’mores. Simply made with Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate, graham crackers and lightly roasted marshmallows, this sweet treat goes beautifully with the Pinot. Together they tasted like chocolate cherry cordials. The chocolate was bitter and the wine had the acidity to take it like a champ- an adult indulgence for the kid at heart!

Oscar-Worthy Wine

By Maureen C. Petrosky

After the Oscar buzz began, I started wondering: How does the Academy actually choose the winner? Movies, like wine, are so subjective. In my industry every wine ego has their own scoring system, whether it’s numbers, letters, thumbs up or down, how many emblematic little bottles a wine receives, how many glasses are granted, or even star ratings. It’s much more convoluted than just siding with Siskel or Ebert. When it comes to award-worthy wine, what makes up my mind is ultimately the effect of the total package. It has to look great, intrigue me with its perfume, dazzle my palate, and leave me wanting more. I guess the critics award movies the same way. The big difference is I can get through about forty bottles in the time it takes to watch one movie. A lot of wine is spit out before I find the winners. Luckily, I found the perfect pick.

Director’s Cut, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 2007, $23
Francis Ford Coppola delivers an Oscar-worthy wine wrapped up in a little movie history. The bottle is decked in a simple black and white swirled number replicating a Zoetrope (zoe: life, trope: movement) that was used to produce the illusion of a moving picture back in the day. It mentions “uncompromising standards necessary to make great films and great wine”. So true, Mr. Coppola! This Pinot is stunning in a shimmering full-length gown, simple yet sophisticated with just the right amount of bling. Perez Hilton, Tim Gunn, and Cojo would all be swooning over this sassy redhead on the red carpet. Oozing cherries, cedar, chocolate, and smokiness, the fun follows through in your mouth with a smooth and sexy body, great balanced acidity, and a totally tasty finish. At $23 a bottle, this is far from a big budget wine, but it’s definitely worth the splurge.