Staff Pick: Wine of the Week!

It's Burlington Subaru Internet Sales Manager Terry Light's turn to share his favorite for our third and final Wine of the Week! Terry is a big fan of Zinfandel "for the full body flavor and spices," he says. Since Terry doesn't have a favorite maker, we'd like to recommend a wine from the McManis Family Vineyard who will be at the Burlington Wine and Food Festival tomorrow!

We hope to see everyone tomorrow and we hope you've enjoyed June's Wine Month from Burlington Subaru Hyundai!


Image via reversewinesnob.com

Perfect Wine & Cheese Pairings!

Almost every cheese out there has a wine that would taste amazing with it - probably because both cheese and wine are so delicious! Well-regarded wine blog Spittoon has a massive list full of details on which wines pair best with specific kinds of cheese. Click to see their list of wine and cheese pairing at any time, but check out below where we'll highlight a few more popular types of cheese and the best wine to drink with them.

Camembert - "At its best when the centre is still hard while the outer is creamy. Quite salty. Go for a red wine here – Cotes d`Castillon or other aged Bordeaux reds. A new world Pinot Noir would also suit. Also consider a Greco di Tufo."

Brie - "A difficult one as the classical tang of ammonia often jars nastily with wine. Try a red from the South of France – Fitou or Corbieres. An LBV port is also worth trying. Champagne works as would other dry sparkling wines."

Cheddar - "Buy the best you can afford and revel in the flavour combinations with a Sauvignon Blanc for a white or a good claret, Rhone, or Rhone styled wine from California or Australia. Zinfandel is great too. An Argentinian Bonarda makes a tasty, affordable alternative."

Goat - "A catch all category for so many different cheeses – to match try a good Rhone Red or a Sauvignon Blanc. Classic taste combinations. Also perhaps an Italian Trebbiano."

Gruyère - "Again a Sauvignon Blanc or for a red wine an Australian Shiraz, a New World Sangiovese or a Chianti. Champagne especially vintage or Blanc de Blancs is also recommended. Gewürztraminer for a white."

Gorgonzola - "A sweet wine is needed here. Look into getting a German or Austrian Trockenbeerenauslese or a Hungarian Tokaji. Sauternes is also good."

There are some popular favorites, and let's not forget the vast selection of both wine and wood that will be present for your enjoyment at the Burlington Wine and Food Festival (click for the amazing food menu). We're keeping our Facebook contest open until midnight tonight, so enter the contest now to win your free Burlington Wine and Food Fest tickets!


Information & quotes via Spittoon
Image via canton.sellingmichiganhomes.com

Wine, Food & Vehicle Pairing of the Week!

There's less than a week left until the Burlington Wine and Food Festival, which we're so excited about! If anything has prepared us for a Saturday full of wine and food tasting, it's been constantly writing and learning about wine and the food that goes with it. If you haven't entered our Facebook contest yet, be sure to do it today! We're only taking entries through tomorrow, and this is an event you don't want to miss!

For today's wine, food and vehicle pairing, we're going to be pairing a versatile treat with both a versatile wine and vehicle. Here is a recipe for spiced herb nuts, which look delicious and are perfect for an evening treat or for when you have guests over.

Ingredients (recipe courtesy of epicurious):

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound (about 2 cups) raw unsalted mixed nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In medium saucepan over moderately low heat, combine all ingredients except nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until butter and sugar melt completely, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add nuts and toss well to combine.

Spread nuts on large rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring after 7 minutes, until golden and fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. (Nuts can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored at room temperature in airtight container.)

For this recipe, both a bubbly Prosecco or dry Riesling would pair nicely, with the acidity standing up well to the spice of the nuts. We found a wine that has both the bubby and Riesling; Bonny Doon Vineyard's DEWN Riesling to Live, which is a dry Riesling made à la méthode champenoise, making it a sparkling wine. We chose this wine not only for its excellent pairing ability with our recipe, but because Bonny Doon Vineyard will be one of the vineyards showcased at the Burlington Wine and Food Festival this weekend.

Lastly, what vehicle do we think pairs best with this spicy, enjoyable combo? The all-new Subaru BRZ. This innovative sports car went outside of the box for Subaru, merging the great minds behind different but huge automobile makers. It's absolutely a "spiced" up model for the Subaru line.

The best part is, we have a few in stock! My pick from our BRZs for this food, wine and vehicle combination is the lightning red BRZ, but we have a few others as well; check out our 2013 Subaru BRZ inventory to see for yourself.

Enjoy this spiced-up combination of food, wine and a vehicle, just don't mix the last two together! And start getting excited for the Burlington Wine and Food Festival, this Saturday June 23 at the Burlington Waterfront Park.


Image 1 via southerncomfort.com
Image 2 via dutchuncle.co.uk
Image 3 via clubcj.net

Staff Pick: Wine of the Week!

For our pick for this week's Wine of the Week, we asked Digital Video & Website Specialist Chelsea Thompson to tell us about one of her favorites (some of you may know her as ^CT from our Facebook!). She chose Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc.

"It's a very vibrant wine that goes great with Thai food - my favorite! It has citrus notes, reminiscent of lemon meringue pie. It's perfect for summer and extremely tasty, definitely one of my favorites," says Chelsea.

So enjoy the lovely weather, and enjoy a glass of Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc over the weekend. Just over one week until the Burlington Wine and Food Festival! Our Facebook contest ends this Tuesday (June 12) so make sure to enter to win free tickets to the festival!


Image via cupcakevineyard.com

Health Benefits of Wine

Many people are told that there are several health benefits to drinking wine, and my first question always is, "are there really?" Well yes, there are! Check out this video - you may want to turn the volume up because he speaks very softly, but it's an interesting video nonetheless!

Remember to enter our contest on Facebook to win tickets to the Burlington Wine and Food Festival (next Tuesday is the last day to enter!), which is June 23 at the Burlington Waterfront Park.

Wine, Food & Vehicle Pairing of the Week

Pairing wine with a car is not a common combination (and we do not recommend drinking wine while or before driving a vehicle!), but since it is wine month, we’re going to offer a recipe and a type of wine that goes well with it. And while we’re at it, we’ll pair a car – one that has characteristics of that type of wine – whether the car is refreshing and spunky, or mellow with some endurance, we’ll find a good match.

Before we begin, don’t forget to enter our contest on Facebook to win free tickets to the Burlington Wine and Food Festival on June 23 at the Burlington Waterfront Park.

So today we’ll be pairing Aligoté, which is an acidic white wine that contains aromas of apples and lemons. It works wonderfully at opening up flavors of cheese and smoked meat. Another option for pairing with the following recipe is Sauvignon Blanc, which as we mentioned in our Most Popular Types of Wine post, blends very nicely with seafood and chèvre.

Since both wines go so nicely with smoked meat, seafood and goat cheese, here is a recipe from Simply Recipes that contains all! These smoked salmon and goat cheese toasts are the perfect finger food for this hot weather, and would pair beautifully with a nice, chilled glass of Aligote or Sauvignon Blanc.

Here's what you'll need (recipe makes about 40 pieces):

8 oz soft fresh goat cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons of grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil 30 thin slices French-bread baguette
12 oz thinly sliced smoked salmon
Thinly peeled lemon peel strips from one lemon, cut into tiny slivers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the goat cheese, herbs, lemon zest, and black pepper in a small bowl to blend. Set aside.

Brush oil over both sides of bread. Arrange bread in single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake until bread is just crisp, about 5 minutes on each side.

Spread cheese mixture over toasts. Top with salmon, trimming to fit. Garnish with lemon peel strips. Arrange on platter, serve and enjoy!

Now for the car, this recipe and wine selection remind us a bit of the Subaru Legacy. With its versatility and fresh new design this car is a perfect contender to go with the bright, tasty combo above. Just take a look; I’m sure you won’t be disappointed! To view our 2012 Subaru Legacy inventory click here.

Stay tuned for more wine, food and Subaru-related posts, and enjoy this gorgeous summer day! Only 12 more days until the Burlington Wine and Food Festival!


Recipe & Image via Simply Recipes
Image of wine via thewinecompany.co.uk

Video: How to Store Wine for the Freshest Bottle Possible

Here is a video I found that very simply and adequately explains where you should store wine. Whether you collect wine, you get a case as a gift, or you're keeping a bottle on hand for enjoyment, here are a few simple tips on storing your wine to keep is as fresh and tasty as possible.

One of the great things about this video is that it's broken up into two parts. The first is for anyone; just wine drinkers that aren't necessarily connoisseurs, then the second part is for people who are considered wine enthusiasts and who would wish to take greater care of their wine. So watch both, the first or just the second part of the video and I hope you enjoy!

Remember to enter our contest on Facebook for a chance to win tickets to the Burlington Wine and Food Festival on June 23 at the Burlington Waterfront Park. Just 15 days away!