Wine of The Month Club: Wine Subscription Service Review

If you didn't already know, subscription services are one of our guilty pleasures. We've love receiving packages in the mail, and what could be better than receiving a package of wine?! Last year we reviewed the WINC wine subscription HERE. Now we want to share with you the Wine Of The Month Club!

So why join Wine Of The Month Club? Well, being the original wine shipping subscription service (started in 1972), they have had time to perfect. Why do we love WOTMC so much? They offer 10 different club levels to choose from, ranging from the classic membership to the more specific rosé only club.  You can be as picky or nonchalant as you wish with shipments. We subscribe to the "Classic" Cellar Series club which ships six bottles (4 red, 2 white) to our door every other month. We love this club because we try amazing value wines from around the world. All wines have a 100% guarantee so if you don't like the wine, you don't pay for it. Also, if you like something, they have fantastic reorder prices! Take a look at one of our most recent shipments!

xxx Ivy & Eve

Rockus Bockus Proprietary Red Wine / 2013 / Sonoma, CA

This mega red-blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Zinfandel has a deep crimson color with blackberry and spice notes acommpanied by intense fruit flavors and a hint of bright strawberry at the finish. We would pair this bold red with and equally big flavored dish and red meats. 

Pietra Santa Sangiovese / 2013 / Monterey, CA

This dark ruby colored classic Italian varietal has a slightly "hot" alcoholic smell with subtle scents of damp soil and dark fruit - bursting flavors on the tongue of black cherries and licorice. Nice long finish. We would serve this up with steak or game!

 Pietra Santa Merlot / 2013 / Monterey, CA

This lush merlot was our favorite out of the shipment. With an intoxicating aroma of dark fruits, spice, and leather. On the palate we tasted dark fruit and berries, vanilla, and a hint of tobacco. This wine had a nice smooth finish with silky tannins. We would happily sip on this alone or pair it with a great cheese board. 

 Pietra Santa Zinfandel / 2012 / Monterey, CA

While completely drinkable this was our least favorite of the shipment. This Zin had a dark rusty red color, smelled a bit like straw and had dry, dusty tannins. We would recommend decanting it (which we did after our first taste) giving it a chance to open up a bit.

Back Story Sauvignon Blanc / 2015 / CA

This Sauv Blanc had a very pale yellow color with a citrusy nose and a hint of green bell peppers. Pleasingly, it tasted much less acidic than what the scent hinted. We would recommend drinking this wine with a nice light veggie dish or fish. 

Kunza Sauvignon Blanc / 2015 / Maule Valley, Chile

This wine had a bright yellow color and aromas of grapefruit and pineapple. The taste was tropical with a nice mineral finish - very crisp and refreshing. We would suggest pairing this wine with fish or a fresh salad!

Whole Foods Wine Sale + Food Pairings!

Who loves a great wine sale? We sure do! Whole Foods Market is holding an awesome wine sale ONE DAY only-Friday, September 8th. For that one day only, you will get 30% off any 6 or more bottles purchase (excluding wines with prices ending in .98). We have partnered with our favorite grocery store to share with you some of our wine sale recommendations as well as some great food pairings so you can make the most of this great sale. 

Everyone also knows we LOVEEE wine tasting. Be sure to stop by the store this week for some of exactly that! There will be wine tasting going on Aug. 29th & 30th (4pm-7pm). This will is a great way to try out some of the wines on sale before purchasing them. And if you do find something you love we suggest pre-ordering to ensure you get the wines you want. Plus you will receive a coupon for 50% off your olive bar purchases when you come to pickup your wines on the 8th! We know we'll be heading over to our local Whole Foods to sample before we buy!

xxx Ivy & Eve

**Sale excludes Three Wishes & wines ending in .98 cents.**

Here are just a few wines we sampled that will be included in the wine sale: 

AVA Grace Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc / 2016 / CA / $9.99 each

Tasting notes: Pale straw color, notes of grapefruit, grass, and melon. Crisp.

Pairing: We love to pair Sauvignon Blancs with briny things like olives and oysters (YUM!). 

Le Galantin Bandol Rosé / 2016 / France / $22.99 each

Tasting notes: Light salmon color, notes of rose, strawberries, summer fruits, with a slight minerality. Dry.

Pairing: We tend to pair dry rosé with goat cheese, prosciutto and other cured meats, and our ultimate favorite...pizza!!

Lan Reserva Rioja Tempranillo / 2010 / Spain / $14.99

Tasting notes: Inky color, notes of subtle spices, jammy, black berry, black cherry, and slight tobacco. Light tannins.

Pairing: We love to pair our favorite Spanish red with a great Spanish sheep's cheese like a Manchego! We suggest the Mitica 3-month aged Manchego alongside some 34° Crisps crackers (Ivy's absolute fave) and Guayeco Guava Paste all from Whole Foods! This is seriously the ultimate single bite!

Domaine Allimant-Laugner Sparkiling Rosè / Nonvintage / France / $21.99

Tasting notes: Pale peach color, notes of strawberries and cream and lightly toasted brioche. Small, tight bubbles and nice acidity. 

Pairing: We would totally love to nosh on some brie and baguette with this sparkling rosé, but we could also see this pairing perfectly with brunch (eggs benedict anyone?!?) or even enjoying sans food poolside!

Do you have any Whole Foods wine recommendations or food pairing suggestions? Let us know!

Rosé Punch

Rosé season has arrived! WOOHOO!!! We are so happy to be enjoying the sunshine and warmth of summer after such a wet winter here in California. With rosé season upon us, we wanted to create a tasty cocktail worthy of sipping poolside. This rosé punch is just that: light, refreshing, and low in alcohol compared to other cocktails. It's the perfect drink for your #roséallday festivities!!! 

Ingredients:

• 3 bottles Rosé- We used Gruet Rosé

• 3 cups lemonade (freshly squeezed or just not from concentrate)

• 3 cups citrus flavored sparkling water- We used La Croix Grapefruit

• 3 grapefruits

• 3 lemons

• Ice

• Edible flowers for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Squeeze 2 grapefruits and 2 lemons. Slice the last grapefruit and lemon into thin slices for garnishing glasses and adding to the punchbowl. 

2. In a large punch bowl or drink dispenser add the rosé, lemonade, grapefruit juice and lemon juice. Stir.

3. Add grapefruit and lemon slices.

4. Fill the punch bowl or drink dispenser most of the rest of the way with ice and stir. 

5. Add the sparkling water and gently stir. 

6. Top the punchbowl with edible flowers and serve. 

7. Enjoy!

Staves and Steel

Last Saturday, April 8th, Cima Collina Winery threw their second annual Staves & Steel party. This  gathering - held at their warehouse winery in Marina, CA - offers a unique experience featuring new release artisan wines, barrel tastings, and of course delicious food! 

This year was this first year we had the opportunity to attend the event, and we had such a great time! It was also our Mom's birthday and we couldn't think of a better way to begin her birthday celebration than to start at this awesome party! This event had live music by the band the Hovering Breadcat Folk Ensemble, who were so fun and lively, and the local ate3one food truck which provided delicious bites available for purchase. We ordered the shrimp taco and two pork sliders...YUM! 

An awesome part about attending the event was the discounted prices off the wines for sale: 10% off any bottle, 15% off cases, and 25% off everything if you were a club member. We loved their "mystery case" deal which was filled with an assortment of wines: some reserve wines, some new wines, and some older wines too. Not to mention you were getting the case for basically half off the retail value!

Our personal favorite part of the event was tasting wines from the barrel. Barrel tastings give you the opportunity to try wines that are still aging and gives you a completely unique sneak peek of the wine to come! They had two wines to taste, the first was their 2016 Argyle Petit Syrah and the second was a 2016 Chalome Petit Syrah. It's crazy how different they tasted! The 2016 Argyle was totally drinkable now, where the 2016 Chalome tasted very young. We spoke to the winemaker, and she said that while the Argyle tasted great now, the Chalome is a much more complex wine and will turn into the more superb wine in the long run. 

In the end, we purchased a few bottles of their newly released Rosé Pét-Nat. A Pét-Nat is a naturally bubbly wine, similar to a sparkling rosé. We highly recommend this one on a warm summer's day, or for a Sunday brunch party. The color and taste will win over anyone! 

If you want to hear more about Cima Collina, check out our previous post here!

xxx Ivy & Eve

Ivy & Eve Champagne-rita

Last weekend we had a family get-together to watch some Sunday Night Football. We made Mexican food and wanted to try and make a bubbly cocktail to go with the feast. Right then and there, the Ivy & Eve Champagne-rita was born.

At first we were apprehensive about mixing sparkling wine with anything, let alone tequila! We shuddered at the thought of wasting sparkling wine, in the event that the concoction tasted awful. Luckily, we ended up LOVING it so much we are making it a signature Ivy & Eve cocktail from now on (we knew it was good when Ivy, who cringes at the thought of a shot of tequila, sipped on hers rather quickly). We hope you try it out and let us know what you think!

Tip: Sip slowly as this has quite a bit of alcohol (about 1/2 a glass of champers and 1 shot of tequila). 

xxx Ivy & Eve

Makes one drink.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a lime

• 2 tsp agave syrup

• 1 shot (1.5 oz.) tequila

• Ice

• Champagne or other brut sparkling wine

Directions:

1. In a tall glass, juice 1/2 of a lime and add the agave syrup, tequila, and a few ice cubes. Stir until cold. 

2. Pour the mixture into a champagne flute.

3. Top with Champagne of your favorite bottle of bubbles.

4. Garnish with a twist of lime.

5. Enjoy!