January Wine (and pairings)

A peek into my wine club!

Hello! If you are just picking up the Grape to Table newsletter, thanks so much for joining to learn more about wine, food, and life. There’s lots to read – from my origin story (click here to read) to fun content focused on meaningful time at the table with delicious wine and food. For now, my newsletter is free and you can find all the content by clicking here – basically a little Grape to Table website created by the great folks at Substack. I did realize recently that you only see the various categories of past newsletters if you open this link in a browser (rather than the Substack app). It’s a shame because the categories make it easy to find content you might be interested in…so here are some more embedded links! Click here for Wine Tips. Click here for Recipes. Click here for Q & As. As always I really appreciate when you hit the like button as it helps get the content in front of more people :) and spread the joy of wine and food!

This is my bonus edition of the newsletter where I fill you in on my current wine club offerings, which I think you will enjoy even if you have no interest in signing up for the club and/or don’t live in Charleston. It’s a nice little look into wines that I think pair well with this time of the year and the stories behind them AND pairing ideas. Perhaps you can even find these wines at your own local wine shop! I will include the brass tacks about my wine club below in case you are interested in signing up (I do appreciate the support). But feel free to scroll down to my January wine picks if you are just here for the reading!

Also before we dive any further into wine club…I do still have a few seats left in a few of my winter wine classes: 4 tix left for France Part 2, crazily, I mean we start the class drinking Champagne people :) 2 for Intro to Spain! 1 for Intro to Germany/Austria! Click here full schedule and to buy tix! And don’t forget it’s 50% off for folks who work in food and bev.

Now back to wine club…

I am honored to host my wine club out of Wine & Company (a bottle shop and wine bar) at 441 Meeting Street, corner of Meeting and Spring, in downtown Charleston, SC. That’s where you will pick up your wine if you sign up. Also keep in mind that wine club makes a great gift for friends/family :) It’s easy for me to set it up for you to just be billed for 2 or 3 or however many months if you want to gift it. And I have a cute certificate for you to give the recipient. Just email me if interested – sarah@grapetotable.com :)

About the wine… this is a wine club that celebrates the magic of wine and food through an exploration of small, family-run wineries and detailed pairing suggestions! I definitely draw heavily from the old world (Europe!) with an occasional new world gem thrown into the mix. All of the wines are sustainably farmed with some producers going the extra mile with organic and biodynamic practices.

The GTT wine club is $70/month for 3 bottles that are available for pick-up on the first of each month. You can choose between my seasonal mix, all white, or all red. But the seasonal mix is the MOST popular option for good reason!!

Most importantly – wine club is a great way to learn about new grape varieties and styles that you might not reach for yourself! If you want to join: sign up is easy and secure by clicking here!

Cheers!

Now about January’s seasonal mix offerings – spoiler alert – it’s all French and all my pairings are from fellow Substack writers :)

Pascal Biotteau Anjou Blanc
Grape: Chenin Blanc
Region: Anjou, Loire Valley, France
Story: Mary Taylor is a relatively new importer of European wines with a terrific idea – source from small, independent producers and package the wines with clean, easy-to-read labels focused on iconic old world regions that express a unique terroir (fancy French word for sense of place). This is her Chenin Blanc from 4th generation Pascal Biotteau in the Loire Valley. He farms sustainably. (By the way, wine club regulars will recognize the Mary Taylor imports story, but unbelievably I had never used this Chenin Blanc for wine club, which is pretty crazy since it’s one of my faves!)
Pairing: When I was brainstorming pairing ideas for this month I finally flipped through my December issue of Food & Wine magazine, and it’s really a great one (a nice, thick double issue, giving hope that magazines have some life left!). And I was super excited to see my friend and fellow Substacker Andrea Nguyen featured in an article on comfort dishes for her Hunan-Style Ginger Chicken. All I can say is – yes, please! It is an enticing AND straightforward recipe. And I know that both chicken and ginger are winners with Chenin. So, please look it up on their website and give it a go :)

Vice Versa
Grapes: Cinsault & Viognier
Region: Côtes du Rhône, France
Story: Rémi and Geraldine Pouizin are winemakers in the Southern Rhone, and this is a special wine they created for their importer friends at T. Edward. This “light red” is actually a red/white blend. It is from the village of Visan in the Côtes du Rhône AOP, but it has been declassified to Vin de France due to its unconventional co-fermentation process. From the importer: “The wine is crafted from a single parcel of each grape variety, harvested simultaneously from the same terroir. It consists of an equal blend of 50% Cinsault and 50% Viognier sourced from certified organic vineyards. The grapes are vinified together in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then bottled without any filtration and with only a minimal addition of sulfur dioxide to preserve its natural characteristics.
Pairing: I fell in love with this wine at first sip! And even though it’s January I still want to drink a “red” wine like this – bright and refreshing! I would definitely serve it with a hard chill. It would be perfect for pizza night, but if you are feeling more ambitious consider this…a piece of pan roasted local fish next to this salad that fellow Substacker Emily Nunn refers to as a “Festive Winter Farro Salad”. Emily is one of my fave newsletters to receive as she has endless creativity – writing mostly about salad! She is also hilarious! But yes, this salad sounds like exactly what I will be needing in January – dates, dried cherries, walnuts, pomegranate, farro, parsley, and mint tossed in an orange vinaigrette (with actually bits of orange).

Chateau d’Epire Anjou Rouge
Grape: Cabernet Franc
Region: Anjou, Loire Valley, France
Story: Château d’Épiré is one of the oldest and most celebrated domaines in Savennières (a sub-region of Anjou). The domaine has been in the Bizard family continuously since the 17th century. The current head of the estate is Paul Bizard, who took over for his father, Luc, in 2018. The Bizards own eleven hectares, nine of which are entirely dedicated to the cultivation of Chenin Blanc, but they also have this small parcel of Cabernet Franc that makes a perfect expression of the grape, in my humble opinion!
Pairing: Another pairing from another fave Substacker – Hetty McKinnon! So maybe like me you are not having a dry January but just eating a bit healthier. Well Hetty is your lady for all the tasty veggies! I was just browsing her newsletter (To Vegetables with Love) and came across this Portobello Steak with Charred Broccolini and Mustard Tarragon Sauce. I positively know this would work wonderfully with this Cab Franc, which is very much a bistro wine (and this is basically her vegetarian take on a classic bistro dish!). Bon appetit!