About a month ago, my friend and Lifestyle Consultant, Cara Crowley asked me to serve as a guest blogger on the topic of easy to find wine. The following appeared on her blog last week and I wanted to share the same info with you all.
Guest Blogger Susan Brown Uncorked on Choosing a Great Bottle of Wine
On the 1st Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…Chardonnay under the tree! I don’t know about you guys, but I blinked sometime in early November and the next thing I knew it was the holiday season. All of this shopping, wrapping, cooking, feasting and plenty of merrymaking are cause for some tasty wine in my book!
Wine is always the perfect beverage, especially at this time of year. Whether it is sparkling, red or white, this elixir of the vine is the perfect accompaniment to most of our typical holiday meals. I’ve got so many things to think about right now, the last thing I am worrying about is which specific wine goes with which food; this month I’m shooting for tasty and reasonably priced! What I like about wine over other holiday drinks is that it’s easier on my fragile constitution than copious amounts of stuff like bourbon and eggnog. Seriously, a simple glass of champagne is completely festive and leaves you feeling fine in the morning. Even a glass of luscious red sipped fireside can put you in the spirit.
Another great plus when it comes to wine is that there is a bottle at everyone’s price point. Better yet, plenty of decent bottles are readily available at your neighborhood grocery. During the hustle and bustle of these last few weeks before the New Year, it is certainly helpful to multi-task; doing your wine shopping when your on one of those 80-million trips you’ll take to Safeway, SaveMart, Nugget or Costco, can be a godsend.
Rather than knowing exactly which store is selling which wine at any given time, I go armed with a list in my head of the wines I know I am likely to find at most grocery stores. I don’t pay attention to which vintage from which maker is best. When it comes to big label, mass distributed, grocery store wine, most of the time you’ll have good luck with reliable labels, year after year. I save my over analysis for specialty and boutique wines.
Below I have listed some of my “go-to” wines when it comes to a stop at the supermarket. It takes quite a bit of work to navigate 5-high shelves on your own, so use these names as a guideline. If you don’t see the exact wine, try one by the same maker or one from the same region. If you do, you are likely to have success! Give something new a try this season; it may end up being one of your favorites.
Cheers and Best Wishes! xoSB
Check out Cara’s blog at www.caracrowley.com. It is filled with design ideas, gorgeous pictures and creative projects/recipes. There is a darling Christmas candy plate you just might want to make yourself!
Related articles
- Holiday Wine Guide (williams-sonoma.com)
Susan Brown Uncorked 