When a windfall of highly rated and high-priced wines lands in your lap, there seems to be only one logical and charitable thing to do.

Call the girlfriends. (And they were all too pleased to answer the call.)

So I kicked off an evening of wine and women with a Sonoma pinot, an Italian brunello, a Napa cab and blend, and Beth, Holly and Linda.

While we didn’t plan any specific pairings (although I did make a mushroom risotto thinking it might be a good complement to the wines), we each made food to share and taste beside each of the wines.

First on our enviable list was the 2009 de Coelo Pinot Noir, Terra Neuma Vineyard, from Sonoma Coast ($75 benziger.com). "De coelo" in Spanish means "of heaven" and there could be no more fitting name for this wine. The nose is very fragrant, with more spice than fruit, but the fruit makes a sophisticated entrance on the palate. Linda picked up blackberry, along with the black cherry, raspberry, cinnamon and vanilla that we all swooned over. It’s so very soft and delicate, yet maintains a firm structure and complexity. Nibbling on olive toasts with Port Salut cheese brought out the earthy character of the wine and even more applause for it. And pumpkin ravioli, courtesy of Linda, proved another good partner with its savory flavors and crème fraîche.

Dry Gwen made these notes on the de Coelo in a separate tasting: "Made by Benziger winery with fruit sourced from the Demeter-certified biodynamic Terra Neuma Vineyard. A deep, ruby color, this wine has a full and aromatic aroma of sweet strawberry and red and black cherries and berries with herbal, cola and licorice notes. This is a big pinot with a soft and smooth mouthfeel and a long finish. A complex and very enjoyable wine."

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There’s just something comforting about fall foods. Warm, soothing soups, fragrant apple desserts, hearty pasta dishes that make you wonder exactly why no-carb was ever popular.

Wanting to take full advantage of fall foods, I invited Dry and Mr. Dry over for an Autumnal dinner. The goal was casual and easy food and the pairings weren’t too planned out. All the wines but the Burgess were sent free for review.

We started with a roasted butternut squash soup with sage croutons and a 2009 Honah Lee Viognier, a single-vineyard 100 percent viognier from Tarara Winery in Virginia. I had tried this wine while on a trip to Virginia last week and loved it so much I bought a bottle to bring home. While Virginia might not be the first wine-producing region you think of, they’re making beautiful wines and have a rich history of winemaking. It’s a wonderful area to visit and the wines have a breathtaking acidity. It smells like a tropical oasis – bananas, lychee, pineapple and coconut. Almost as if you were sniffing banana boat but in a much more delicate, refined way. It’s a round, luscious wine that has beautiful balance. This was my personal favorite of the night that I kept sipping on, even as the rest of the company turned to red. This wine is available online from Tarara Winery for $30 a bottle.

We also tried out the 2010 White Blend Incognito from Michael David Winery. The wine is a blend of viognier, chardonnay, muscat, sauvignon blanc and roussanne from Lodi, California. This wine didn’t agree with me. I found the acidity too strong and Dry agreed that it smelled and tasted as if perfume had been dumped into the bottle, it was that floral. While the acidity didn’t bother the rest of the table so much (I’m very sensitive to acidity) it had an alcohol level of 14.5 percent, which is quite high for a white wine and that also contributed to the perfumeyness of the wine. The Incognito sells for $18 at MicahelDavidWinery.com. Read the full story

Thanksgiving is about tradition and innovation. It’s about sharing passed-down family recipes and experimenting with new techniques.

On Thanksgiving, the food definitely takes center stage.

At best, the wine plays a supporting role and at worst, it’s a complete afterthought.

But the great thing about this holiday is that so many different wines will pair nicely.

So whether you like to stick to tradition or throw it out the window, there is a wine in this list perfect for your holiday feast.

CLASSIC PAIRING: CHARDONNAY

It’s the go-to white for many; a lush, round wine with enough body to stand up to the hearty meal. But more than any other varietal, choosing the right chardonnay can make the difference between pairing nirvana and a very odd couple.

Dry’s pick: 2008 Ceja Chardonnay, Carneros, California (The 2009 sells for $26.99 at Total Wine)

The flavor profile of this chardonnay is perfect; plenty of fresh, fruity aromas of apple, pear and citrus to match the fall flavors. And the oak is right where it should be – in a supporting role . The acidity makes it more versatile for food pairing and a great match for the classic Thanksgiving bird.

ALTERNATIVE PAIRING: VIOGNIER

The roundness and body are similar to chardonnay, but it has a silky, almost oily mouthfeel and a more aromatic profile. The fruit expression is generally tropical with floral notes, rich and intense flavors and enough body to stand up to a hearty meal. Bring on the turkey stuffed with toasty chestnuts and dried apricots, sliced pineapple and ham and a hearty serving of grandma’s marshmallow-topped sweet potato mash.

Dry’s pick: 2009 Cline Viognier, North Coast, California ($10.99 at ABC)

Aromas of honeysuckle, banana and tropical fruit. On the palate it’s round, full and fruity with flavors of honeyed peaches and pineapples. It has a silky mouthfeel with medium acidity and a long finish. A very nice New World viognier, especially at this price point.

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What is it about tapas, Spain’s small bites of deliciousness, that so intrigues us? The Spanish have elevated the practice of eating in small portions to an art form, and the rest of us have been taken by the trend.

On a recent trip to Barcelona, we vowed to follow their lead, snacking our way around the beautiful seaside city. From fresh markets to traditional taperías, even to our own picnic in Parque Güell, for three days we ate one small bite at a time.

Upon returning home, I wanted a way to remember those leisurely days — to continue the vacation, relive the colors, the smells and the flavors. So I decided to throw a tapas party for some of my favorite ladies, the Swirl Girls. I set out to find such classic Spanish ingredients as spicy peppers, salty marinated olives, fresh cheese and dry-cured ham, and got to work creating a bite-size menu inspired by my trip.

We gathered on a recent Friday around a colorful table. There were no courses and no specific wine pairings, just a bunch of small plates passed around the table, family style. Bite by bite, I shared the magic of Barcelona, its historic Gothic quarter and modern architecture, its lazy beaches, bustling nightlife and the fiery Catalan spirit. Read the full story

WHO: Gene Playter, owner of Gratify gastropub in West Palm

CURRENT SIP: 2009 Mackenzie Reserve Pinot Noir

“It’s a very approachable pinot noir,” Playter says. “It’s a great representative of a Russian River Valley pinot noir and it’s a great value. Everyone likes pinot noir. It’s extremely approachable.”

PAIR IT WITH: Gratify’s pork chop.

“It’s a Berkshire pork chop from a farm that’s organic. I pretty much guarantee it’s the best pork chop you’ve ever had. The maple (topping) has a sweetness that balances out the soft tannins in the pinot noir and there’s a herbaceousness to the asparagus.”

PRICE: $13 a glass or $49 a bottle at Gratify.

INFO: Gratify is at 125 Datura St., West Palm Beach. Phone: (561) 822-5300. | Directions, leave your own review

This vintage Blanc de Blancs (white from white) is made with 100 percent chardonnay. This was the first wine Schramsberg produced in 1965 and the wine became famous worldwide in 1972 when President Nixon served it at the “Toast to Peace” in Beijing.

The wine is barrel-fermented in small lots and aged on the lees in the bottle for two years before disgorgement. The 2007 vintage is full of fresh lemon and apple aromas with some white peach, white flowers and hints of yeast and crème brulee. It’s very smooth and creamy on the palate with a soft tickling of bubbles. The wine finishes dry.

Note: The 2007 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut was sent to the Swirl Girls for review. It sells locally at Crown Wine & Spirits and at Total Wine for $28, and for $34 at ABC)

I opened this bottle at a recent dinner party and served with some light tapas. It paired fantastically with a smoked salmon crisp recipe modified from chef Thomas Keller’s salmon cornets: Read the full story

Chappellet wine holds a very special place in my heart. It’s the first winery I ever toured. The first place I touched a grape leaf, sipped a glass of sauvignon blanc while walking through the vineyard, feeling blessed and blessings. It’s one of the first wineries I toured with my boyfriend, where I fell a little bit in love with him over their Pritchard Hill cab.

So imagine my elation when I learned our annual visit to Napa coincided with a Chappellet Wine Dinner – held at the farm-to-table Farmstead Restaurant in St. Helena. Read the full story

It’s not your everyday Moet. Not that you have Moet every day, mind you. But here’s a bright, white-foil-wrapped, gold-lettered bottle of Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial Champagne. The bottle looks cool to the touch. Then, all around the bottle are words you don’t usually see on Champagnes: Drink on ice.

Really?

Yes, this is the sunnier, lighter, fizzy side of Moet. At about $60 a bottle.

It’s a new product from the famous French company, meant to be served over ice. Because Champagne flutes aren’t meant to have any ice in them at all, I served this Moet in smaller wine glasses, with a couple of ice cubes per glass.

Joining me in the holiday weekend tasting (if it’s a holiday, it means Moet!) were my husband, my brother (a restaurateur) and my sister-in-law. This sparkler is a pretty, pale peach and light orangeade-colored blend of pinot noir (40-50 percent), pinot meunier (30-40 percent) and chardonnay (10 to 20 percent), which makes it a bit off-dry.

On the nose, it’s light and smells faintly of peaches, too. It’s got a slight tropical hint to it, and reminded us of a Champagne spritzer with a little oomph to it.
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I know, I know. Every time we have a Swirl-Up we say this one promises to be better than the last. Well, when a restaurant owner and a wine distributor tell you they intend to make their hosted Swirl-Up together the best one yet, you feel pretty confident passing along that sentiment.

Declan Hoctor, of The Bistro in Jupiter, and Michael Aitken, of W.J. Deutsch & Sons wine merchants, would be said guilty party, so what a party this should be!

Join the Swirl Girls for specially chosen wines and special dishes at The Bistro on Thursday, July 28, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. As always, be sure to have your credit card in hand when you call to reserve your spot, because our lively events sell out quick! Tickets are $50 each, with $10 of that cost going to a local charity. Call the restaurant at 561-744-5054.

With only 30 seats available, you won’t want to miss out on this enticing menu: Read the full story

Wine Spectator has just handed out its 30th year of wine program awards, listing the world’s “3,734 restaurants wine lovers need to know.” As you might expect, Florida and California have huge lists in the U.S. We are very lucky, indeed – we have 35 restaurants in Palm Beach County (34) and Stuart (1) on the list.

There are three tiers of awards: Grand Awards, Best of Award of Excellence and Award of Excellence. The Grand Awards were given to only 74 restaurants in the world. Two are in Florida; both are also on the list of only four that have been given Grand Awards every year since 1981: Bern’s in Tampa, and L’Escalier at the Breakers. Unfortunately, The Breakers announced earlier this year that L’Escalier was closing, to reopen in another capacity at some point.
To enter the 2012 Wine Spectator Restaurant Wine List Awards program, restaurants need to send copies of currents wine lists, menus and wine programs. There’s a processing fee of $250, and award winners are required to renew their awards each year.
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