Crows in the Kitchen » wine

Winter Sangria

Holly — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:19:30 +0000

Mulled wine is a festive winter drink but I am more a fan of sangria with a seasonal twist. Last weekend I met up with my gal pals in Providence for a friends Thanksgiving. This included a 15lb beer can turkey, Narraganset tall boy to be exact, so while the boys were busy wrestling with the bird, us gals were in charge of preparing snacks and booze drinks.

Since we had a bota box of pinot grigio (thank you vbar for introducing me to this) we used it as a base for the sangria. To it we added three more bottles of wine that guests had brought as offerings, two nips of tequila and a liter of citrus flavored seltzer water. While brainstorming what fruit to add we set our eyes on a package of cranberries and agreed it would be perfect for this winter booze concoction. To release the flavor of the cranberries we heated them up in a saucepan with a quarter cup of crown royal for about 10 minutes, or until the berries start to open up. We cooled them off in the freezer before adding them to the vat of wine. In addition to the cranberries we added orange wedges and pomegranate seeds, the later I would exclude in the future since they were messy and clogged up the spicket!

Add a handful of ice, give a stir and this dangerously refreshing drink is ready for your glass.

Want

emily — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 05:06:56 +0000

‘nuf said.

I’m Crabby

Mo — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:02:46 +0000

This weekend I traveled to my mom’s house in New Jersey. I can always count on delicious fooding when I visit Mom so I couldn’t wait to see what she had in store for me. Little did I know, she would break those winter blues with a seafood dinner…

Crab legs, baked potato and some yummy greens. The legs were so full of meat, I was full before I finished the first one. She topped it off with a glass of crisp white wine and I was in heaven. Thanks Mom!

Oh boxed wine, it was only a matter of time until I found thee.

Vbar — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:00:02 +0000

Story time! This crow needed a bottle of wine the other day, and things being as they are, I was on a budget. So I skipped up to the local boozery in search of one of my favorite less-than-seven-dollars bottles of wine; Pinot Evil. I like this wine; it is smooth, simple and cheap. A perfect weeknight “who cares what your having for dinner Lady needs a drink” kinda wine.

Anyways, I was searching the bottom shelves and I found this:

A entire BOX of Pinot Evil. For $20. Plus, there was this little handy graphic on the side that explained that 1 box= 4 bottles. I was sold. Any you know what? The wine tasted just as good, saved me eight dollars, and stayed fresh until the last drop*. It was like having a second faucet in the kitchen, only this one spurted wine. I had plenty of wine for me and whatever guests came through, all for a bargain price. What could be better? Boxed wine: Not just your Grandma’s Franzia.

*Disclaimer: by the end of the box I was so sick of this Pinot Evil that I will not be buying that brand for a long, long time. Thank goodness there are other boxes out there to try!

Wildekrans Cabernet Franc Merlot 2007

Mo — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:05:11 +0000

I had the pleasure of attending the Ten Tables weekly wine dinner last night which focused on four different South African wines, each paired with a delicious course. I’ve always liked wine, but have never had a good understanding of what really makes a fine wine. When my beau asked the waiter what to look for in the wines we were drinking, he explained that with any wine you should trust your instincts-its like music, he said. There are so many different styles and tastes and the only way to find out what you like is by opening up and trying something new. Don’t try to analyze too much, he warned. It gets complicated. Let’s leave that to the professionals. With that, he poured us each a glass of one of the most delicious wines I’ve tasted.

Wildekrans Cabernet Franc Merlot 2007- Inexpensive and delicious! I wish I could effectively express the taste, but I don’t want to complicate matters. Just sit back and enjoy it.

Check out Ten Tables website at www.tentables.net to make reservations for next Tuesday’s wine dinner!