Wine Review: Boy-oh-Bolla

Lately I have been relying quite a bit on the Bolla brand for entertainment and personal pleasure.  I have certainly had this wine served to me many times before but never sought it out particularly in the wine store until now, and they've got me coming back.  Bolla is the familiar taste you have had at a wedding or graduation party.  It brings back good memories.  And the great thing about the Bolla brand is that all of the varieties taste above average to average!  There is not a bad drop in your glass, no matter which wine you prefer, white or a red!  Bolla is one of the oldest wine imports to the United States.  They were cheap and ubiquitous for many years mid-century - - still are - - however I am led to believe that the quality of the wine has improved despite the low price tag.  Personally what I have enjoyed about the brand is getting a full flavor in my glass without a roaring headache!  The second thing I have truly enjoyed is the versatility.  Because the Bolla wines have a softer edge to them, it is easy to pair them with a variety of foods.  I have been drinking the Chianti and Chardonnay.  The specialty varietals from Bolla's region of Italy, Veneto, are the white Soave and red Amarone.  Personally I am not the biggest fan of Soave on account of its dryness.  However when you look at Soave as one taste component as part of a whole meal based on the location and culture of Veneto, then the wine makes sense.  As for Amarone, I have never had it - - Will let you know when I do!

Recipes/Wine pairings, from Bolla's website:

Grilled Pizza with Wild Mushrooms and Blue Cheese - Bardolino (red)

Italian Chicken Pasta - Pinot Grigio (white)

Veal Scallopine alla Florentine - Merlot (red)

Going to a dinner party? Hosting one? Cheese plates "To Go"

Never show up to a party empty-handed, the adage goes.  And never let your guests go hungry, another adage goes.  Whether you are attending a dinner party or hosting one, ensuring there are enough noshables to go around is a wonderful ingredient to good conversation!  These are my picks for the extremely lazy or over-scheduled party-goer in the Brandywine Valley who needs an appetizer ASAP, and has ZERO, I mean ZERO, time to put something together!   When time is not on my side, I know I can rely on:

• Loading up on Starbucks apple-cheese plates
• Buying a Wegman's cheese plate (or two!)
• As far as Sam's Club and Costco are concerned, I do not recommend them for small dinner parties for the following reason:  The wait time in line varies considerably and the serving sizes are very large.  In a true party emergency, I need wait times I can count on in order to schedule everything else I am doing! 

With a little thinking on your feet, you can host or attend any dinner party with a cheese platter in hand!

(Thinking out loud.... It would make things a lot easier if the PA Wine & Spirits stores would partner with a vendor to offer cheese plates for purchase inside!  *SIGH*  Things are never as simple as they would seem!)

Until next time,
GARDENTINA

Sweet ravioli side dish

On my Facebook page, I told you about the sweet ravioli side dish I was serving at a party.  Well, now I can tell you how it all turned out.  The sweet lemon-butter sauce?  DELICIOUS.  The sweet ricotta ravioli filling?  GOOD TEXTURE.  The noodle texture?  NEEDS SOME WORK.  I served the ravioli cooled with a warm sauce.  Perhaps the entire dish should have been warmed.  (Thoughts?)

All in all?  I WILL KEEP TRYING AT THIS ONE!  I really enjoyed serving it because the dish was unique and elegant.   I intended to garnish the sweet ravioli with MINT, but I forgot to pick up the mint at the grocery store and did not have time to run back and get some.  I substituted with LEMON PEEL.   Therefore, I will make this dish again, if only for the opportunity to GARNISH properly!  I feel that BASIL would also make a lovely garnish for sweet ravioli.

When serving the dish, I placed a placard next to the bowl to indicate what was being served... I think this helped greatly to fend off questions about what was this mystery food!  I got compliments on the sauce and originality.  As I stated previously, if the dish had been fully warmed then it would have made a great difference in the noodle texture. Until next time,

GARDENTINA



Related links:  A post on mint from AeroGardenBlog (their photo)