Pairfect

What are the differences between men and wine and women and wine? Here are a few things that I have observed: Men stay in their comfort zones. Women are more adventurous. Men are more focused on the scores and women on the stories behind the wines. Men are geared toward impressing, women toward pleasing. Women buy wine for the short-term (sharing), men for the long-term (hoarding). Men buy on the testimonials from experts, women on tips from friends and merchants. Women order wine by-the-glass at restaurants, men order bottles. Where do these differences come from?

It started back in, well, the Garden of Eden. In the beginning, it was Eve, inquisitive and experimental, who sampled the first "forbidden" fruit. Once she gave it history's first 90-point rating, the pedigree-orientated Adam just had to have some for himself. This is where the lines of demarcation between the two genders' approaches to fruit products began to be drawn. They exist to this day. Men are from Napa and women from Italy. The point is to get people, both men and women, to understand and appreciate wine and making it fun, as opposed to some old guy with his pinky in the air. It is fermented grape juice, after all.

May you and your family be blessed and kept safe this festive season. Till next year.
Cheers!

Wine of the Month
Banfi Rosa Regale
In 1979, John and Harry Mariani, family proprietors of Banfi Vintners, acquired a mid-18th century winery, known as Bruzzone. They revitalized it and renamed the facility Vigne Regali. Rosa Regale is created in one of Italy's smallest production zones. It is crafted from 100% Brachetto grapes grown exclusively at La Rosa Vineyard in the Piedmont region of Italy. The label features a single red rose, representing the wines origin from this single vineyard estate. It has a delicate bouquet of rose petals and offers sensuous flavors of fresh raspberries and strawberries. Its effervescence is softer than that of champagne, yet it yields a persistent and delicate pink froth. Its lively garnet color makes other champagnes pale in comparison. Having a low alcohol content, Banfi Rosa Regale, served chilled, serves as a perfect partner throughout the entire meal, beginning as an elegant aperitif, moving to a savory appetizer and ending with a sweet desert. Rosa Regale is a seductive sparkler that turns any occasion into a celebration. Drink now.  

Cheese of the Month
Grana Padano Cheese
Grana Padano is one of the most popular cheeses of Italy. It is one of the world's first hard cheeses, created nearly 1000 years ago by the Cistercian monks. Like Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano is a semi-fat hard cheese which is cooked and ripened slowly. The cows are milked twice a day, then the milk is left to stand and then partially creamed. Milk produced in the evening is skimmed to remove the surface layer of cream and mixed with fresh milk produced in the morning. Grana Padano is a subtler, less nutty and salty than Parmigiano Reggiano. This cheese can protect its integrity for one to two years.   

Recipe of the Month
Champagne Fruit Salad
8 oz. package cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
15 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
16 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
10 oz. frozen package strawberries, thawed
3 bananas, diced
æ cup chopped walnuts
Ω cup Grana Padano cheese, grated or shredded
Yields:  6 servings

In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sugar. Fold in the pineapple, whipped topping and strawberries. Mix very well. Stir in bananas and walnuts. Smooth mixture into 8 x 8 glass baking dish or pan. Freeze for 4 to 6 hours or overnight. Remove from freezer an half-hour before serving. Sprinkle with cheese prior to serving.