We were sitting around the Napa Valley clubhouse, looking out at the dreary weather and looking forward to the long weekend.  We got to talking about our favorite subject --wine and food--and started thinking about wine pairings with our favorite meals to signal the start of summer--especially BBQ!. Here are some of our ideas:

Let's start with the reds. Red wines with higher alcohol, tannin and oak, can taste more tannic and alcoholic alongside foods with a lot of spice or heat. Red wines friendlier to a BBQ tend to be fruity, medium-bodied, moderate in alcohol with just a touch of oak. Red Blends (such as Middle Sister Rebel Red which is a blend of Cab, Merlot and Zinfandel, or PromisQous Red --a Cab, Merlot, Zin and Petite Sirah blend) fit the bill.  You can bring on the spice and the heat and the wines will still taste soft and approachable. 

If a Cowboy BBQ is in your future, may we suggest Purple Cowboy Tenacious Red Cab-Syrah or Purple Cowboy Night Rider Merlot. Great with thick, juicy Rib-Eyes or T-bones, marinated flank steak or Carne Asada, creamy Pinquito Beans, sweet summer grilled corn with Lime-Chile Butter and a tossed green salad or a mound of cole slaw. Purple Cowboy tends to have a bit more structure that our red blends but are still balanced enough to take on hearty foods and withstand a little heat.

Try fruity red blends or single varietals Cab, Merlot or Zin with grilled, smoked or BBQ ribs, brisket, tri-tip steak or chicken rubbed with a flavorful dry spice blend, a tomato or vinegar-based sauce or a garlicky, herb and olive oil condiment like Chimichurri. Our Deep Purple Zin is one of our favorite BBQ wines--fabulous with a sausage mixed grill.

These ligher style reds and blends are not only delicious with casual, flavorful foods, they're great values as well. We'd love for you to try our wines, but remember you can also look to Spain, Italy, Argentina, Chile and the South of France for affordable wines that are BBQ food-friendly and will make your crowd happy.

White Blends (such as Middle Sister Wicked White or PromisQous White). These wines are a blend of Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Chenin Blanc. Very much on the fruity side with a refreshing crispness, they'll go well with lighter, bold-flavored foods. Think fish tacos with jalapeno-crema, Cajun-spiced boiled shrimp or grilled veggies with a Balsamic glaze or a garlicky lemon aioli.

Pinot Noir (such as Haute Red Pinot Noir or Middle Sister Goodie Two Shoes Pinot Noir).  We're big fans of Pinot Noir and one of the reasons is because it goes so well with so many different kinds of foods. Grilled, glazed salmon is a classic but for something a little different, how about lamb or duck sausages? Pinot Noir's slight earthiness is also perfect with a grilled Portobella Mushroom or veggie burger.

Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc (Middle Sister Drama Queen Pinot Grigio or Surfer Chick Sauvignon Blanc).  We like these light whites on a picnic.  Be sure to pack in ice so you can serve well-chilled with Buttermilk Fried Chicken or a classic New Orleans-style Muffaletta. If you're a Chardonnay lover, try Midde Sister Smarty Pants Chardonnay. 

Riesling (such as White Haute Riesling) is well-known for its affinity with Asian flavors. It's crisp, fruit-forward, and very moderate in alcohol. Refreshing and delicious with Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese or Japanese dishes. Try with a cold Soba-noodle salad with peanut suace, grilled Miso shrimp, Teriyaki chicken or sweet and spicy baby back ribs with Hoisin sauce. Pairs beautifully with Latin and other ethnic cuisine as well.

If you can't find these wines, they are all available at our Wine Shop. And remember, we're running a very special Insider Sister Sampler featuring the newest Middle Sister and Haute wine releases. Savings of $26 and $5 from every sampler sold goes to Dress for Success.

We're headed to the New Orleans Wine and Food Festival this weekend. Be sure to stop by a have a taste if you're attending the event!

Cheers! 

They're here! An exclusive preview of our newest wines. Made with input from you--the Wine Sisterhood. Our Insider Sister Sampler Pack is now ready to order.

This pack features one bottle each of Middle Sister Goody Two Shoes Pinot Noir, Middle Sister Surfer Chick Sauvignon Blanc, Haute Red Pinot Noir and White Haute Riesling.

Each wine has a great story to tell, so whether you're a beach kind of girl or a class president type...or heck, you just like shoes and wine, we think you'll enjoy.

These wines will not hit store shelves until June and beyond, so this is your chance to take them for a test drive before anyone else. If you order and taste them, we'd love to hear your comments. 'Cause talking back is what this is all about.

BTW, we're offering these wines at a great price as a way to say thank you for helping in their creation. ($26 total savings on the pack when ordered direct to your doorstep).

And, with each purchase of the sampler, we'll donate $5 to Dress for Success, a charity devoted to empowering women to achieve their professional goals.

All in all, win-win. Or should we say, wine-wine. Have a great weekend. And do something very nice for yourself. You deserve it. To buy our newest wines, click here.

Cheers!

Your friends at the Wine Sisterhood.

The results are in!  A Wine Sisterhood real-life gathering is an idea most of you love and many would be very likely to attend. To refresh your memory, last month we asked you to weigh in on a proposed off-line Wine Sisterhood weekend, tentatively scheduled for February, 2011.

The top five activities sisters wanted to see were Wine Education, Touring & Tasting, Fine Dining, Cooking Classes and Spa Time.  But we also had some great write-in requests for chocolate, cheese, bocce, chocolate, icebreaker games, fondue, goodie bags and music and more chocolate (not necessarily in that order). All of you must know that chocolate (like red wine) has lots of antioxidants and definitely should be part of any healthful diet or girls-days-out!

As far as where our gathering should be held, Napa Valley came out the favorite. That's nice for us since that's the world headquarters Clubhouse location and where we have lots of nook, crannies, cellars, shops and other secret places we'd love to share with the group.

In our former winery lives, the Napa Valley sisters both planned and attended numerous wine events which were strictly industry only. We always thought it would be great to share some of those insider experiences with our wine-loving friends. 

With the Wine Sisterhood gathering, we intend to pull back the curtain on the wine biz as we know it and let our fellow sisters in on all the action and fun. Your input is invaluable in helping us organize a very special get together that we preomise will enhance your knowlege and enjoyment of wine as we meet and mingle face-to-face.

Last but not least, the winner of our Facebook survey post drawing is Vonda Walker.  Vonda suggested wine tasting, official T-shirt contest, making your own wine label and/or creating your own wine.  Vonda, a $100 Target gift certificate is on its way!

Drum roll please: The Wine Sisterhood is on track to hit a major milestone this week.  We have 498 members in our NING community and hope to reach 500 when the sun sets on Wine Wednesday!

We are beyond thrilled to have almost 500 fabulous sisters (a a few dashing misters) on board with us on our journey to create new wines. The Wine Sisterhood is pioneering the application of crowdsourcing to develop new kinds of wines that consumers really want,. We don't want to know what the critics think. We want to know what YOU think!

Since our community launched in the Fall of 2009, our members have voiced their opinion about all things wine--from names and packaging, to pairings and positioning. Your suggestions have been heard and noted. As a result, what we believe are the wine industry's very first crowdsourced wines will be on your store shelves this summer. Middle Sister Goody Two Shoes Pinot Noir, Middle Sister Surfer Chick Sauvignon Blanc, Haute Red Pinot Noir and White Haute Reisling – all were created with the input of the Wine Sisterhood. 

We've had some great conversations with you all on Facebook, NING and Twitter, and we've learned a lot from all your comments and posts.  We truly appreciate your ideas and participation and just wanted to take a moment to say thanks.  Now go have a glass of wine.

Cheers,

Your friends at the Wine Sisterhood

This month, we're asking your opinion about a potential update to our PromisQous wine label. PromisQous is one of our original wines, launched along with Middle Sister wines in 2008. The label has received a number of accolades and awards, but lately some comments from our trade partners have made us wonder if we should make the name "PromisQous" larger. There's a lot of competition for attention on the wine shelves and the thinking was that perhaps a "Super-Sized" name would "pop" just a bit more.

What makes you gravitate toward a wine package? Bigger and bolder or more subtle and elegant? Or does it really not make any difference one way or the other?   

This month, you'll have a chance to vote on which label version you like the best and think is most effective.  You will be asked to chose one of four versions: the original and three new versions taking the font size of the name "PromisQous" up in increments. It's somewhat of a subtle exercise but these are the questions we face each time we are working on a new wine package. And we'd love to have your feedback..

We will once again be selecting one lucky survey-taker to win a Wine Sisterhood special treat when we report the results of this survey at the beginning of June. 

So put on your design caps and voice your opinion!