Chili Dawg wine and squirt cheese…you don’t see that in Napa!

If there was ever a least pretentious winery in the wine world, it would have to be Peaks of Otter Winery. They taut themselves as the home of the “Chili Dawg” wine as well as the type of homemade wines found in your Grandmother’s cupboard. I recently had an opportunity to taste many of their wines at the first annual Fork and Cork event in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Let me just say, the guys serving the wine were very entertaining and did a great job. They recommend pairing their infamous Chili Dawg wine with dollop of squirt cheese between your thumb and forefinger much in the same spirit of a tequila shot. I think the idea is it should taste like a chili dog, but to my palate it really just tasted like a pepper/spicy wine and squirt cheese. I don’t think you see this type of thing in Napa Valley, but I must it admit we had fun doing our shot of wine. Their other novelty wine is appropriately title ‘Kiss the Devil’. They recommend chasing it with a shot of apple wine. Enough said really, but I must warn you it is very hot.

Clearly the wines produced from this winery are fun and probably interesting for cooking, but nothing you would serve at a dinner party. I’m not a wine connoisseur, but when it comes to entertaining, just ask yourself, “What would Martha do?”

Call it Blush, Rose (“Ro-zay”), or Zinfandel, It’s still shunned by wine snobs world-wide

As I have been pondering my next blog post, I decided that I should be as open and honest as possible. Blog from the heart so to speak. And I’m here to tell you that I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve been enjoying a wonderful blush from a nearby winery, Chateau Morrisette. Recently, I chilled a bottled and opened on a hot spring day. What better way to enjoy a hot day than with a very light refreshing wine?! A nearby wine snob commented, “What are you drinking? Strawberry Hill?” Hey, I grew up on Strawberry Hill. It’s terrible at only 3.99 a bottle. (In my day, I think it was actually 2.99 a bottle) I can vaguely recall summer nights whereby a fellow partner in crime and I would swindle some local redneck into buying us two bottles and then promptly slurp it down. Ahh..those were indeed the days.

But I digress from my point. This wine is described as a “semi-sweet blush wine made from a distinctive blend of Vidal Blanc and Riesling, with a touch of Chambourcin for depth”. So it is in fact, more complex than Strawberry Hill and tastier than Beringer White Zinfandel. I highly recommend it if you are searching for something just for fun to sip on as the weather turns warmer.