Another Twisted Missive!

Issue #2

Yes, we’re doing it again!

In This Missive

  • Bad Taste?
  • Return of the Non-Italian!
  • Chocolate Wars
  • Stop the Presses!

Three Great Tastes That Taste Bad Together!

If you recall from last month’s Twisted Missive #1, we asked you to name two foods and a wine, where any two of those items taste good together, but when all three are combined, taste terrible. You folks came up with some great answers!

For whatever reason, peanut butter was by far the number one food mentioned, foiled by such diverse ingredients as salsa, corn nuts, chocolate ice cream (!), and… blue cheese? One correspondent (Kevin G.) suggested popcorn, vienna sausages, and Chardonnay as a great pairing, but then offered Riesling, Camembert, and Marmite as a solution (eek). Lara F had a Trader Joe’s tapenade and salted pita chips, she said it made her Twisted Oak Viognier taste awful. And Jessica S suggested orange juice, toothpaste, and wine – I think I will not be having breakfast at her place!

And the winner of the contest was Karen S from Virginia, who is still looking for that one perfect wine that goes with peanut butter cups!

A Non-Italian Wine Not Named After a Fictional Boxer

Twisted Few Freak members this month had first crack at a rare treat, something we don’t bottle every year, the 2014 Graciano. Some of you may recall that Graciano is one of the components of The Spaniard, along with Tempranillo and Garnacha, giving the blend a bit of earthiness and a long finish. The Graciano grape actually hails from the Rioja region of Spain, and if you pronounce it with a slight Castilian lisp, you’re doing it right. Thith pairth, er, pairs especially well with spicy dishes based on Spanish chorizo. We didn’t bottle very much, so it is already almost goneGet some now!

What About Wine and Chocolate?

On Valentine’s Day, it seems to be an unwritten law that wine people must address that age old problem of what wine goes with what chocolate. I have wine professional friends who are adamant that the mere thought of combining the two in a single perfect bite is an abomination too horrifying to comprehend.

I mostly take the “if it feels good, do it” approach – but don’t ask me about what goes with white chocolate, that isn’t real chocolate anyway. I can recommend, at least, that you don’t try to pair super tannic young reds with that 80% cacao bittersweet chocolate – that stuff will wrestleyour tongue to the ground. On the other hand, a nice port – a little Pig Stai maybe? – paired with that bitter bad boy**, could really sing. It’s all about your palate.

**The Queen reminded me that the Firecracker bars we feature in the tasting rooms might also be perfect. Nudge nudge wink wink.

Do you have a chocolate and wine pairing that you really like? Or do you agree with the pros that this is a marriage best left unconsumated? Just like last time, tell us what you think! Please reply to this email with your best match, and I’ll compile some of the bestresponses for the next Twisted Missive. We will also discuss it over in our new Facebook group – for discussion of all things Twisted – which you can find at facebook.com/groups/twistedoakies – just click on the Join button and we’ll get you set up!

And like last time: I will choose one reply at random to receive a $35 MasterCluck gift card. Just for fun!

This Just In!

We woke up yesterday morning to the news that two-time Twisted Folk Concert performer Sarah Jarosz received two Grammy awards, including Best Folk Album of the Year! Please join us in congratulating Sarah – and stay tuned for our concert lineup in 2017! (Which we will have for you as soon as we get done scraping it together!)

That should do it for now. Have fun and stay Twisted! – el jefe