Girl Scout Cookies and Wine Pairings

I see all this information online about wine and Girl Scout cookie pairings.  Articles and info graphics posted throughout.  When I was in the grocery store the other day I purchased 4 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies with the intent of trying them with different wines.

I had received a sample from Wineist and thought this would be a great way to do the pairing. Wineist is a nice way to discover new wines.  Their packages come and your receive 6 samples of wine.  You can then decide if you like them and order the regular size bottles.

In this sample pack was the following wines:

2013 The Long Walk Sauvignon Blanc by African Pride Wines - A Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa
2014 Splash Riesling by Wachtenburg - A German Riesling
2013 Cherub Rose by Montes - A Chilean Rose of Syrah
2012 Les Cimels by Chateau d'Or et Gueules - A blend of Syrah, Carignan and Grenache from the south of France
2013 Don Mantillon by Bocopa - 100% Monastrall form Alicante, Spain
2013 Pagos de Araiz by Navarra - a red blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Navarra, Spain

The Girl Scout Cookies: Peanut Butter Patties (Tagalongs), Caramel DeLites (Samoas), Thin Mints, and Thanks-A-Lot.  First off, they keep changing the names of them.  Poor branding.  For $4 you're lucky if you get 20 cookies. You purchase them for the Girl Scouts.

I began with the Sauvignon Blanc, and believe it or not, it went well with the Samoas. Not to well with the others.

Next up was the Riesling.  However, the bottle was off and it also leaked in the box.  So I moved onto the Rose of Syrah by Montes.  When tasted with the shortbread cookie (Thanks-A-Lot) it brought out the fruitiness in the Rose.

The 2012 Les Cimels by Chateau d'Ore et Gueules was a bust.  It had the childproof screw cap on and I couldn't get it open.  Unfortunately we couldn't try it.

The 2013 Don Mantillon by Bocopa that is 100% Monastrall goes well with the Thin Mints.  The wine calmed down the mint flavor and it was nice.

The 2013 Pagos de Araiz by Navarra had a beautiful nose. Lots of black cherry. Finally a pairing for the peanut butter (Tagalongs) cookie. It mellowed out the peanut butter and the cherry flavor rose to the top.  It was really nice.  With the shortbread cookie it tasted like a chocolate covered cherry. Went very well the Thanks-a-Lot too.  The best pairing for this wine was with the Thin Mints. The mint flavor rose to the wine they met, the wine flavors took over and the mint dissipated.

Have you paired Girl Scout Cookies with wine.  Let me know what you found.

Holiday Food & Wine Pairings with Mary Cressler

Last year I did a great podcast with Mary Cressler on holiday food and wine pairings and what to look for when in the wine store.  T'is the season and I thought it would be beneficial to re-post the post and podcast to help you with your holiday wine purchases and pairings.
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Holiday food and wine pairing decisions can be more stressful than holiday shopping.  When you walk into that wine shop you can be completely overwhelmed with the choices you have in front of you.  What wine to pair with your dinner, dessert and then after you make the purchase you hope it was the correct one.

In this podcast we sit down with Mary Cressler, wine writer, blogger and consultant at Vindulge as she dishes out some great advice on looking for that bottle(s) for the dinner and celebration.

Remember, you are the host and as a host it's great to introduce your guests to new wines.  Don't be afraid to go a little out of your comfort zone for that new wine.

Some thoughts for your food pairings on your holiday table:

Serving Fish, salty and fried pair with a Sparkling.  Sauvignon Blanc for light delicate white fish. Spanish Albarino goes well with seafood.  Avoid red and tannic wine but a nice Pinot Noir with Salmon is a nice pairing.

Serving prime rib, roast beef or a big chunk of meat  go for the rich and tannic wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon, or Tempranillo from Rioja.  You want a rich and full bodied red wine.

Serving a pork roast  or tenderloin, go with a Rhone style wine,.  Syrah or Grenache.

After you are all done with dinner comes my favorite, dessert.  For this reach for the  Port and Ice wine.

Most of all find a trusted wine shop that can steer you in the right direction.  Tell them your price range and if they make you feel uncomfortable, leave and don't shop there.

Listen to Mary and her great advice on what to look for in a wine and how to choose a bottle for your holiday dinner and celebration.

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