Wine Together

This week’s pour:

Be Dream Red Berry

This week we opened a „sweet little bottle“ - literally… 50cL and just 7.1% ABV.

This Swiss red blend came in sweet, fruity, and somewhat easy to drink. But this episode turned into something more interesting than expected…

We explored the relationship between sweetness and alcohol in wine, breaking down how fermentation works:

Yeast converts sugar into alcohol

When fermentation is stopped early, leftover sugar creates sweetness

That often results in lower alcohol content + sweeter wine.

Sounds simple, but the pairing told a different story. We paired this wine with braised pork chop and blueberry sauce with mashed potatoes on the side. We expected a complementary balance of fruit and richness… instead the wine‘s sweetness overpowered the dish, turning the experience into what we called:

„Dessert fighting dinner.“

This led to one of our favorite takeaways of the episode… not every wine is meant to be paired with food.

Some wines (like this one) are better enjoyed on their own, slightly chilled, or alongside an actual dessert.

Final verdict:

A fun, fruit-forward, low alcohol „vibe wine“ that’s easy to sip - but better solo than at the dinner table.😉

Cheers,

B & D 🍷💜

🍷Wine: Balance Chenin Blanc Colombar 2025

🍲 Pairing: Cape Malay Chicken Curry

This week’s pot leans bright, youthful, and unapologetically easy to enjoy. The Balance Chenin Blanc Colombar 2025 is a young, white blend, and that youth works in its favor. Unlike many young red wines - which can feel tight, tannic, and a little aggressive - young white wines tend to show off their best qualities right away: freshness, fruit, and approachability.

This wine delivered exactly that!

Expect:

Ripe orchard fruit (think pear, apple)

A touch of tropical sweetness

Light, refreshing acidity

A noticeable sweetness that lingers

And yes - this wine is decidedly on the sweeter side, which turned out to be a key part of the pairing.

Cheers,

B & D 🍷💜

Wine: Palooza Creation Rosé 2024

Food: Mexican Chicken Street Tacos

Started out as crisp, light, and fruity… turned into tequila-like somethin‘ somethin‘… just sayin‘ we didn’t expect that.

Brooke is showing some real confidence by going outside the box with the food and wine pairings!

Cheers,

B & D💜🍷

This week’s pour takes us straight to Northern Spain - where the wine is bold, the food is hearty, and chorizo is doing exactly what it was born to do… steal the show!😁🔥

This is one of those pairings where nothing is competing - everything is just… agreeing with each other.

The wine is medium-bodied (just right for those winters that just don’t want to let go)… notes of red cherry, raspberry, maybe a little plum… spicy like vanilla and clove…

The tannins are smooth and approachable.

The food pairing was perfect! A chorizo-based stew with big chunks of potatoes, onions, and peppers in a paprika-laced broth that was begging for bread and wine.😁🍷

Good food, good wine, and great conversations are the ingredients for an almost perfect life!💜

Cheers,

B & D🍷💜

Apologies for the audio issues at the beginning of the episode!

This week, we enjoyed Los Pasos 2024 Carménère, a wine that really leans into approachability and balance. 🍷

Carménère, originally from Bordeaux but now mostly famously grown in Chile, is known for its softer structure - and this bottle absolutely delivered on that promise.

On the palate, this wine was smooth and easygoing, with low tannins that made it incredibly drinkable from the first sip. It didn’t overwhelm - it complemented. And honestly, that’s exactly what you want when you’re pairing with a dish that already has a lot going on. We paired it with pork steaks rubbed with mint, rosemary, and paprika, served alongside a homemade honey mustard sauce, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, and green beans - and it worked beautifully.

The herbal notes in the rub played nicely with the subtle green, slightly peppery character that Carménère is known for, while the richness of the pork and sweetness from the sauce were balanced out by the wine‘s smooth, mellow profile.

And a quick note - decanting was absolutely the right move here. Even though this is a lighter, low-tannins red, giving it a bit of air helped open it up and made those flavors feel more expensive and integrated.

Overall, this was one of those pairings where nothing competed… everything just clicked… or did it clique? It certainly seemed to be drawn together naturally.😉💜🍷

Cheers,

B & D

This week’s pour is Epicuro Rosato, a vibrant Italian rosé that brings together fresh fruit, bright acidity, and easy-drinking charm. Typically sourced from sun-soaked regions like Puglia or Sicily, this style of Rosato reflects warmth, ripeness, and a relaxed approach to wine. The perfect way to welcome the new warm weather.🌞

Made from red grape varieties such as Negroamaro or Nero d’Avola, Epicuro Rosato offers aromas of fresh strawberries, raspberries, and watermelon, with subtle floral notes and a hint of citrus or minerality. On the palate, it is light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a clean, refreshing finish.

We paired this Rosato with sea bass and risotto, a combination that highlights the wine’s versatility at the table. The bright acidity cuts through the richness of the risotto, while the delicate fruit complements the mild, flaky character of the fish. The result is a balanced pairing that feels fresh, cohesive, and effortlessly satisfying.

In Italy, Rosato is often enjoyed casually and almost always with food… less about overthinking and more about enhancing the moment. This bottle is a perfect example of that philosophy: approachable, food-friendly, and ideal for a relaxed, flavorful meal. 🍷🍇💜

This week Brooke & Dr. Deb paired a Cab Sav with steak 🥩… not a surprise to anyone… 😁

Terraced Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is bold, smooth, and ready to make friends with dinner.🍷🥩

In the glass on will find blackberry, cassis, and dark cherry… this is followed by hints of cedar, cocoa, and a touch of mint on the finish. The tannins are present but polished - the kind that remind you tha Cabernet is built for food.

Speaking of food… this wine is basically asking for steak, lamb, grilled mushrooms, or a big cozy bowl of beef stew. It’s structured enough to stand up to a hearty meal but still easy to enjoy on its own.

Our final thought:

A Chilean Cabernet that delivers classic dark-fruit character, a little oak spice, and the kind of balance that keeps you reaching for the next sip.😘

Cheers,

B & D 🍷

This week we explored Noirillon Assemblage de Cépages Rouges, a classic French-style red blend from a French-speaking region of Switzerland. The red blend creates a wine that is approachable, fruit-forward, and food friendly. On the nose one might notice aromas of ripe cherry, raspberry, and plum, along with subtle hints of black pepper and dried herbs. On the palate… one likely notices soft tannins and fresh acidity. Flavors often lean toward bright red fruits with a touch of spice and a smooth, easygoing tannins finish.

We suggest letting it breathe for about 15-20 minutes to open up the fruit and aromas… and serve slightly cooler than room temperature (15-17 degrees C) to keep the fruit fresh and lively.

This wine is meant to be shared around the table, so grab your friends and family, a couple of pizzas, and enjoy the time together.😁

This week we had Giulia Pinot Grigio delle Venezuela DOC 2024, a bright, classic expression of northern Italian Pinot Grigio.

The delle Venezie DOC covers three major regions in northeastern Italy: Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Trentino. The DOC was established specifically to protect and standardize high quality Pinot Grigio production. When you see “delle Venezie” on the label it signals a clean, controlled, and stylistically consistent wine.

This wine is stainless steel fermented. This process preserves freshness and aromatics rather than adding oak influence. The goal? … purity and drinkability.😉

At the price point and the need for fish at least once per week, this wine choice was a no-brainer.

From Vine to Stein 🍺

This week, we took a little detour from the vineyard… and headed straight to the beer hall!😁

Instead of wine, we poured Pilsner Urquell, the original pilsner - first brewed in Plzeñ, Czechia 🇨🇿 in 1842.

Yes - the original Pilsner!

Before Pilsner Urquell, most beers were dark and cloudy. When this clear, golden lager debuted it completely changed beer history. Most of the world‘s lagers trace their roots back to this recipe.

What we tasted, saw, and experienced:

Brilliant golden color with a dense white head

Fresh aroma of soft malt a d floral Saaz hops

Crisp bitterness balanced by subtle sweetness

Clean, refreshing finish with that signature snap

The Pairing:

We paired it with wurst and beer gravy.

And this worked because … the carbonation cut through the richness of the sausage … the bitterness balanced the savory gravy … and the malt sweetness complemented the meaty flavors.

It was hearty, comforting, and absolutely spot on! 👍

Why this beer matters:

Pilsner Urquell literally means „Original Source.“ That is more than marketing fluff - it is honestly the source of the pilsner style of beer.🍻 Today, more than 2/3 of beer brewed globally is inspired by the golden Czech classic.

Sometimes stepping outside of wine reminds us how fermentation history overlaps. Grapes 🍇 or grains - it’s all about balance, craftsmanship, and tradition.

Cheers to curiosity and great pairings.