Wine Wired

Thanks for visiting, please subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!We had a great time last night doing the anniversary party for Dr. and Janet Clark.  Below I have listed the progression of courses and the wine pairings. Menu by:  Nick Townsend and Joe Bittle Wine Selections by: Dennis Fraley Francois Montand NV Brut […]

Salmon Gravlox Vol au Vent Hand-Cured Atlantic Salmon in a Light, Flaky Pastry Shell Brocard “Kimmeridgien” Chardonnay, 2010 Burgundy Salad with Duck Confit and Poached Quail Egg Mixed Greens and Duck Confit Tossed in Mustard Vinaigrette and Topped with a Poached Quail Egg Bailly-Lapierre Cremant de Bourgogne Pinot Noir, NV Intermezzo Sorbet a L’Orange Coq […]

With summertime just around the corner, and the oppressive heat soon to follow, my wine choices seem to change.  Yes, I still grab for a big Shiraz or Cabernet with that grilled lamb or steak, but that is more in the evening and honestly not quite as often with the temperatures staying into the 90s […]

Country Club of South Carolina – April 12th  (next dinner is May 10th) Food by Chef Adam Silverman Wine by Dennis Fraley Menu and wine: Warm Potato Blini topped with Creme Fraiche and Alaskan Caviar (Cava Brut, Penedes, Spain, NV) Cobia Cerviche with Grilled Corn and Sweet Potato Vinaigrette (Chenin Blanc / Viognier, California 2010) […]

Today I want to talk to you about a white grape variety that, I think, is extremely misunderstood and underappreciated.  Arguably one of the world’s most versatile grapes, Chenin Blanc, produces wines from the most basic New World table wines to Old World long-lived elegant botrytis affected dessert wines, sparkling wines and even the base […]

With Lent ending and Easter here, we celebrate with the traditional Easter dinner. For those of you having ham, I have a few recommendations. With the saltiness of the ham, I would shy away from anything tannic. My white wine recommendation is a Riesling, preferably dry (Troken) or slightly sweet (Halb-troken). If a red wine […]

I know I usually write about wine, but I had a physician I know ask me a great question yesterday.   He said that he had been to multiple wine and spirits tastings and asked a question about the difference in whiskey, Tennessee whiskey, bourbon, etc.  He was given a “politician” type answer and said […]

Many people mistakenly call all sparkling wines “Champagne,” which is technically incorrect.  That term is reserved for sparkling wine made from the traditional method within the boundries of the Champagne region of France and using only Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  There are, however, sparkling wines made with this traditional method in other countries and […]

Just the other day I had someone ask me about a pairing with Asian cuisine and my knee-jerk response was Riesling. The person responded by saying, “I don’t like sweet wine.” I have heard this statement about Riesling before. I knew, at that moment, I had to come to the defense of this often misunderstood […]

South Africa’s wine has matured greatly over the last 20 years. This is largely due to a flood of foreign investment monies and foreign winemaking knowledge. One of the early legislative decisions, back in 1973, was the creation of the “Wine of Origin” concept. The country, it seems , has caught up with and may […]