Welcome...

Hi - We're the Grape Girls!

We've made it our mission to demystify the wine tasting experience, food pairing and selection process. We'll keep you posted on what's new and hot on the food and wine scene. We want to share our love of food, wine and travel with the world and can't wait for YOU to join us on our adventures.

Grape Crush Productions, Atlanta's premier food and wine event specialists, has been voted one of Atlanta's BEST businesses - every year since 2009 - for bringing the "tasting room" to living rooms, offices and venues across metro Atlanta.

We're the creators and producers of Atlanta Food & Wine Month, Atlanta Winter Wine + Jazz Festival, Buckhead Wine Festival, Chefs in the City , Organic Wine & Food Fair and other hot local events.

Be sure to fan us on Facebook and follow on Twitter for recent event pics, special offers and exclusive event invitations.

Remember, compromises are for relationships, NOT wine! :)

The next sip is yours...

Cheers!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving Delights

DID YOU KNOW? American wine drinkers consume more wine on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year! Please sip responsibly...







On Thanksgiving Day we’re thankful for Our blessings all year through,

For family we dearly love,

For good friends, old and new.


For sun to light and warm our days,

For stars that glow at night,

For trees of green and skies of blue,

And puffy clouds of white.


We’re grateful for our eyes that see

The beauty all around,

For arms to hug, and legs to walk,

And ears to hear each sound.


The list of all we’re grateful for

Would fill a great big book;

Our thankful hearts find new delights

Everywhere we look!


Happy Thanksgiving from the Grape Girls!
Please be safe and drink responsibly.

Cheers!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thanksgiving Day Wine Tips


If turkey was the only dish eaten at Thanksgiving, it would be easy to choose the perfect wine! But many other dishes accompany the turkey in this traditional feast, and it’s all those side dishes, plus regional and family preferences, that can make wine pairings for Thanksgiving dinner so difficult. So here are some options for a variety of wines that will make your guests happy:

BUBBLY
Go with a bubbly for the perfect starter. Think about a Cava from Spain, a Prosecco from Italy, or a sparkler from California. These are good choices because they are light, crisp, and dry, and they prepare the palate and the appetite for the meal to come without being heavy or filling. Look for the word “Brut” (dry) on the label.

WHITE WINES
For white wine lovers, a dry to off-dry Riesling is ideal. Its natural acidity makes it the perfect food wine. Choose a Riesling from Germany or the French region of Alsace. If Riesling just doesn’t fit the bill, Chardonnay is a classic option, but make sure it’s “naked” (unoaked), as oak can interfere with the tastes of the foods. (However, if there is sage in your dressing, this is a good reason to consider a red wine instead; sage can make white wines taste bitter.) More white options? Consider a Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, or Viognier.

THINK PINK
Rosé is not just for spring and summer! The red fruit and berry flavors of a crisp, dry rosé make it an excellent food wine—it’s superb with baked ham. Look to the Tavel rosés from the Rhône Valley of France; they are dry and usually more full-bodied than most rosés, made mostly from Grenache.

RED WINES
Red wine lovers can’t go wrong with light- to medium-bodied wines such as Pinot Noir, Chianti Classico, or Beaujolais. A New Zealand Pinot Noir, with its herbaceous palate, can hold up to the sage in your dressing. Chianti Classico is soft and fruity. If you decide to serve a Beaujolais, chill it slightly to enhance the fruit a little. Want a red that is a little more full-bodied? Consider a Cabernet Franc, such as a Chinon from France’s Loire Valley, an Argentine Malbec, or a California Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.

SWEET TREATS
Finally, with dessert, be sure that the wine you serve is sweeter than the dessert , and that the weight of the wine should match the weight of the dessert. What goes well with the iconic pumpkin pie? Try a late harvest Riesling, a tawny port, a cream sherry, or a Madeira.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Grape Girl Debbie


Do you have a wine related question? Mailto: info@GrapeCrushEvents.com

----------------------------
Debbie Jones, CSW
Grape Crush Senior Wine Consultant

Since November 2010, Debbie Jones has been the Senior Wine Consultant for Grape Crush Productions. Debbie is an integral part to the development of our wine tasting programs and ensures all of our amazing volunteers are well educated on the wonderful wines that they help pour at our events. Whether at our private tastings or major community events, she's always eager to share her love for wine with others. An Atlanta native, she holds the Certified Specialist of Wine credential from the Society of Wine Educators and has been actively involved for years in wine and food events throughout the city.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Sip & Shop for Toys for Tots! (Nov. 28, 2012)

Please join us on Wed., November 28th from 6-10pm at the annual Holiday Mingle Jingle marketplace and benefit for our last BIG event of the year. Enjoy complimentary wine tastings and craft beer, live entertainment, food trucks and more while finding the perfect gift for the foodie, fashionista or wine enthusiast in your life. Donate a new unwrapped toy and YOU could be the winner of a free home or office wine tasting party (valued at $500), tickets to see the Cake Boss (LIVE in Atlanta) and other cool prizes! MORE INFO




Cheers!

The Grape Girls
http://facebook.com/grapegirlsatlanta


Thursday, November 8, 2012

Happy International Tempranillo Day!


TAPAS – Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society – is a nonprofit trade association of over one hundred wineries, growers, and amigos, whose mission is to promote Tempranillo and other varietal wine grapes native to the Iberian Peninsula, and wines produced from them in North America.

In 2011, TAPAS organized the first annual International Tempranillo Day: A celebration of the Tempranillo grape with all its regional synonyms. They encouraged everyone to open a bottle of Tempranillo, enjoy the fun, and share their experiences online with the hashtag #TempranilloDay or #Tempranillo. This year, the date is Thursday, November 8, 2012.

Tempranillo is the foundation of the red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero in Spain. Over the last twenty years, a number of American growers and producers have discovered or re-discovered Tempranillo, along with other Spanish and Portuguese varieties like Albariño, Graciano, Garnacha and Verdelho, as well as the grapes used in Port, such as Touriga Naçional.

Until recently, this noble grape’s entire acreage was almost all grown in Spain. Perhaps others were confused by the 60 or more regional synonyms for Tempranillo, which in itself may be a record worth celebrating.

But things have changed: knowledge of this noble grape is rapidly spreading, creating excitement and a spirit of cooperation among adventurous vintners bringing this Old World variety to New World soils. Tempranillo today is grown in many more countries including the United States, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, France, Portugal, Turkey, Canada, China, Thailand, and more. And that’s why we should all celebrate International Tempranillo Day.

We'll drink to that... Salud!

The Grape Girls
facebook.com/grapegirlsatlanta