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When the winter weather forces many indoors, to cozy up, people often look to grab a bottle of wine to pair with dinner. There are plenty of wineries, classes, events and packages to keep any wine enthusiast busy, or just someone looking for that perfect bottle.
Cheryl Pitti, wine instructor at the New York Wine and Culinary Center, teaches an introductory Winter Wine & Food pairing class, along with other classes at the center. The class pairs seasonal, local foods with New York wines.
One rule of thumb she tells students is that the wine should never overpower the food.
“Winter foods, like stews or braised meats, are a lot more hearty, so they generally take wines with more consistency, or a fuller-body,” Pitti said.
For most people, it’s a new concept to pair things together. Pitti says if you slow down and taste different flavor combinations you can see how certain foods pair with certain wines.
This gets people to think about what they’re putting in their mouth.
“It’s nice for me when people taste wines they didn’t like before and say ‘Oh, I can drink this.’” she said. “It can be eye-opening when you pair drier reds with food, because the food makes it more pleasant to drink for many people.”
If you want to brush up on your wine knowledge, consider taking an introductory class at the Center.
Pitti recommends for first timers to have an open mind.
“Even if you think you won’t like it, try it,” she said. “Use all your senses, especially smell.”
Both Casa Larga Vineyards and the New York Wine and Culinary Center will host winter wine-type festivals in the next few weeks, concentrating on the popular ice wine. Casa Larga will host the NY Ice Wine Festival on Saturday, Feb. 18.
A.J. Shear of the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection says winter wine events show that it’s not only an activity for the summer and fall.
“These events are great in bringing visitors out in the winter months,” Shear said.
Shear said that although people love wine in every season, it’s great to go to wineries in the winter when they’re less crowded.
“We don’t close up shop here in the winter, we’re still a viable tourist area,” he said.
Hearty chili & winter wine
A solid winter staple is chili. The New York Wine and Culinary Center will host a chili contest, as part of the nICE festival on Saturday, Feb. 25, a celebration of ice and dessert wines and food.
When the winter weather forces many indoors, to cozy up, people often look to grab a bottle of wine to pair with dinner. There are plenty of wineries, classes, events and packages to keep any wine enthusiast busy, or just someone looking for that perfect bottle.
Cheryl Pitti, wine instructor at the New York Wine and Culinary Center, teaches an introductory Winter Wine & Food pairing class, along with other classes at the center. The class pairs seasonal, local foods with New York wines.
One rule of thumb she tells students is that the wine should never overpower the food.
“Winter foods, like stews or braised meats, are a lot more hearty, so they generally take wines with more consistency, or a fuller-body,” Pitti said.
For most people, it’s a new concept to pair things together. Pitti says if you slow down and taste different flavor combinations you can see how certain foods pair with certain wines.
This gets people to think about what they’re putting in their mouth.
“It’s nice for me when people taste wines they didn’t like before and say ‘Oh, I can drink this.’” she said. “It can be eye-opening when you pair drier reds with food, because the food makes it more pleasant to drink for many people.”
If you want to brush up on your wine knowledge, consider taking an introductory class at the Center.
Pitti recommends for first timers to have an open mind.
“Even if you think you won’t like it, try it,” she said. “Use all your senses, especially smell.”
Both Casa Larga Vineyards and the New York Wine and Culinary Center will host winter wine-type festivals in the next few weeks, concentrating on the popular ice wine. Casa Larga will host the NY Ice Wine Festival on Saturday, Feb. 18.
A.J. Shear of the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection says winter wine events show that it’s not only an activity for the summer and fall.
“These events are great in bringing visitors out in the winter months,” Shear said.
Shear said that although people love wine in every season, it’s great to go to wineries in the winter when they’re less crowded.
“We don’t close up shop here in the winter, we’re still a viable tourist area,” he said.
Hearty chili & winter wine
A solid winter staple is chili. The New York Wine and Culinary Center will host a chili contest, as part of the nICE festival on Saturday, Feb. 25, a celebration of ice and dessert wines and food.
Event Specialist at the NYWCC, Ryan Baldick, says in the past, the winter festival has been a “roaring success.” This year marks the fourth annual nICE festival, but the first for the chili contest. So far, Baldick says 10 to 12 will participate in the chili contest, heading into the kitchen at 10 a.m. that Saturday. nICE Festival guests can stop in, sample the chili and vote for their favorite.
“We’ve created an event that anyone can come to,” Baldick said. “We tried to make it a family event.”
Though not everyone may join in on the wine tastings, free festival events include ice sculpture demonstrations, live music and the chili contest. The ice sculpture demonstrations will take place on the restaurant’s outdoor deck with Chuck Dawes from Specialty Ice, Co.
“This guy’s a wizard with a chainsaw. He can make beautiful shapes,” Baldick said.
The Ice & Dessert Wine and Food Tasting Event, from noon to 5 p.m., includes a signature tasting glass, winery information, plus samples of ice and dessert wine, craft beer and specialty food for $25.
“We want to showcase the building as well,” he said. “We want to show it’s more than just classes or a restaurant — we’re here for the community.”
More info: www.nywcc.com.
