We know that things are tough right now so we’re going to try to create a short escape with our wine down and chill column. Despite the challenges the world is facing right now, many of you have indicated that you still want to learn about wine then get down to drinking it! Got it. As it turns out, wine sales (at least in the USA) are waaaaay up over the last two weeks.
We’ll continue to offer affordable suggestions for music, wine, dinner and movies with a different wine down and chill theme each week. You can also follow me on Instagram for wine art and photography @WineDownAndChill. We’re here to help you sit back, wine down and chill. If you missed an article, fret not! You can find every article here.
Theme: greyed out
Prior to writing today’s wine down and chill column, I was confused by the use of “gray” versus “grey.” Now, I understand why I was confused: having grown up in Canada (using the Queen’s English), I learned to use the former spelling. Later, when I moved to the USA, spell-check was correcting my work using the “e” version of the word.
Whichever way you spell it, most of the people that I’m in contact with aren’t feeling so bright and colorful these days – everyone is having a hard time. So, the theme for today’s wine down and chill column is all about being greyed out. We know that all of the rich colors of our lives will return one day, keep the faith! Scientists, clinicians, supply chain workers are all doing incredible things.
Listen: touch of grey
Not only do the lyrics of this song by the Grateful Dead come into play here today, but their most famous song, “Touch of Grey,” is also one of my favorites. Symbolically and coincidentally, the song was released on their 1987 album, “In The Dark.” If you’re not in the mood for that song, there are more than 16,000 other songs with the word “grey” or “gray” in the title or the lyrics, including 99 albums with that color in their title, so you’ve got more than a few wine down and chill options.
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive~Grateful Dead, Touch of Grey
Learn: wine down and chill with Sauvignon Blanc
Today’s wine down and chill suggestion hails from down under, in Marlborough, New Zealand. The area is home to world-class white wines where Sauvignon Blanc wines are held in especially high regard. The wine region expanded rapidly in the 1970s and now produces more than 400 Million bottles of Sauvignon Blanc each year. Last year, the grapes generated nearly $2 Billion in wine sales. Speaking of last year, one of our wine down and chill columns featured an organic Sauvignon Blanc.
With its cool nights, long growing season, abundant sunshine and well-drained soils, the Sauvignon Blanc grape has made the region world-famous. A “reserve” wine is designated by the vintner for wines that have special character. Sometimes these wines are grown from a particular part of the vineyard or from a select group of vines.
Wine: Greyrock Sauvignon Blanc Reserve
The Greyrock Sauvignon Blanc Reserve by Greyrock Winery has intense flavors of passionfruit and grass. You may pick up on some notes of stonefruit and a slightly sour gooseberry that blends in perfectly to create a crisp taste with a long finish.
Depending on where you live and if online ordering is available as an option for you, the wine is nicely priced at $15-18 per bottle. And, the winery recommends that today’s wine down and chill selection can be aged up to two to three years in your wine cellar. You do have one, don’t you?
Dine: black plus white makes gray
Black and white make gray, right? So, for today’s wine down and chill dinner, consider trying black squid ink with an alfredo sauce. To make it interesting, add some roasted portabello mushrooms (or meat).
Watch: The Grey or Gray Matters
Here at wine down and chill, we make sure all of our bases are covered. So, we’re offering two options: The Grey, a docudrama with a Brit in the leading role (Liam Neeson) and Gray Matters, a romcom with an American in the leading role (Heather Graham). In the former, the plot is a bit dark: the movie begins with a plane crashing in Alaska. It’s a story of survival as the six oil workers need to put their trust in a skilled huntsman but a pack of wolves has a different idea for an ending. It’s a gritty (no pun intended from us here at Grit Daily News) manly-man’s movie.
In the latter, a brother and sister are so close that their friends, including one of my fave funny ladies, Molly Shannon, call the pair out for being co-dependent. There’s a romantic twist to the plot (of course there is) when they each set out to find a mate for their sibling. This movie is a chick flick, the perfect antithesis to the other wine down and chill movie selection.
Since everyone has more time at home these days, consider watching both for a double wine down and chill session. If you do, watch The Grey first then take the edge off by laughing through Gray Matters.
It’s the weekend. Time to wine down and chill. Cheers!
Lead image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay.
