Ever want to just hang out with your besties and share a glass (or two) of wine, but you don’t know how to pair food and wine? Don’t beat yourself up. Until about five days ago, I couldn’t pair wine if my life depended on it. That doesn’t mean I don’t love a good pairing.
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Recently I was sent a variety case of Nakedwines to try out and I wanted to pair them all, but I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on fancy ingredients. I wanted to pair them with normal stuff in my fridge. Why? Because I’m lazy like that. I’m just too busy to make special trips. And honestly, my besties don’t care if I have goat cheese or lunch cheese. So how can you pair food and wine when you’re lazy AF?
I sat down with Rootstock & Vine’s Sommelier, Taurean Philpott to get the skinny on wine pairing for lazy girls. I’m talking mac and cheese and potato chips level lazy. He paired six different popular Naked Wines with comfort foods and I about fell off the chair drooling.
Why Nakedwines.com?
As a wine enthusiast, I’ve turned down wine sampling exactly zero times. So, when Nakedwines.com asked me to test their product and learn about their business, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. Nakedwines.com is a customer-funded wine business that charges a $40 monthly investment to its members “Angels” which is then given to talented and independent winemakers.
Pretty cool right? I thought so.
In return for an “Angel’s” investment, they are given insider prices at 40%-60% off retail. And bonus, it shows up at your door! Since launching in the UK in 2008, Angels have helped Nakedwines.com invests in over 159 independent winemakers in 14 countries. That’s pretty remarkable if you ask me. And as it turns out, these wines are pretty fantastic. I mean, I blew through an entire case and loved every single drop. You can learn more about Nakedwines here and its mission here.
You can see why I was eager to try these wines right? Such a fantastic business model must be boasting some incredible wines. But I still had one problem, my complete and utter inability to pair food and wine. So I took a trip to one of my favourite local spots, Rootstock and Vine, and had a chat with their Sommelier and Wine Director, Taurean Philpott… over a glass of wine of course.
About Rootstock and Vine
Rootstock and Vine is a locally owned wine and tapas restaurant in charming southern Downtown Woodstock, GA (just minutes from my home). Their focus is to provide a list of high-quality wines created from small family-owned vineyards around the world. Additionally, they host a wine tasting once a month and a wine pairing dinner once a month. They also have a huge live music program which includes a listening room once a month (Rootstock tracks) live acoustic music every Friday and Saturday evenings, and salsa night once a month. Check out all of Rootstock and Vine’s monthly events here.
They are always doing something fun!! With a slogan like “true to our roots” it’s evident that they are focused on their community while assisting in the healthy growth of the local economy and giving back! They even choose a community member every month to honor and recognize by creating a cocktail for them to sell in the bar and donate a portion of the proceeds to the charity of their choice. They really are more than a fantastic restaurant, they are fantastic people. If you want to know more about how to pair food and wine, stop by and talk to Taurean. He’s full of creative ideas when it comes to wine pairing! #truetoourroots
About Taurean Philpott