2 Buck Chuck is coming to town

Anyone who has ever been to a Trader Joe's will know what I'm talking about and everyone else who lives in Des Moines is about to find out!  On November 5th, Trader Joe's will open it's doors in West Des Moines and among all the other gems they sell will be their Charles Shaw wine, aka 2 Buck Chuck.  So what exactly is 2 Buck Chuck, you ask?  My experience with this wine comes from living in California for 10 years and frequenting our favorite grocery shopping spot, Trader Joe's.  We came across this wine that had a price of $1.99.  I remember thinking how horrible this wine must taste, but it came recommended so even if it was swill I would only be out $1.99.  We tried all of their varietals and were amazed at how tolerable and even descent many were.  This soon became our week day wine.  It's that wine you can open and not feel like you have to finish the whole bottle.  There have also been  a lot of blind tastings where they pitted Charles Shaw up against much higher valued wine and in many cases 2 buck chuck prevailed!  So, if you haven't tried Charles Shaw you may just want to pick up a few bottles when you visit the new TJ's.  You can bet we will always have a few 2 buck chucks on our shelf!

Ultimate Diva Parties!

I'm getting very excited to launch our first Ultimate Diva Party November 2nd.  We have partnered with Lillians of West Des Moines to provide quite possibly the best girls night out around!  (OK, so maybe I'm just a little biased, but not much-lol).  These parties are designed for larger groups who want to get together for some wine tasting and shopping without having to turn on an oven or get out the vacuum!  Lillians is only open 4 days a month with new inventory, so the owner Jennifer Freking opens up her store for diva parties (and now ultimate diva parties) so that groups can come in and shop the inventory before it is open to the public.  How cool is that?  So I get to come in, guide the group through a wine tasting of our awesome WineShop at Home wines then turn them loose to not only purchase wine and wine gifts, but all the inventory Lillians has to offer, all done in private.  Of course we still love our cozy living room wine tastings, but this is definitely a fun twist for that wild diva group of yours!   

What wine are you drinking with that turkey?

The leaves are turning, there is a chill in the air and suddenly our thoughts are turned to that all mighty Turkey Day!  Will we cook the bird this year, or is someone else getting up at the crack of dawn?  What sides will we make and do we buy or bake the pumpkin pie this year?  There is another very important decision that needs to be made and it often is an after thought?  What wine will we serve with our magnificent dinner?  You or someone you love has spent all day preparing this once a year meal so don't you owe it to everyone to at least spend a few minutes thinking about what wine would not only compliment your meal but will be enjoyed by all.  There are no hard and fast rules when pairing a Thanksgiving meal because it still comes down to personal preference but there are a few wines to stay away.  The first might be a Cabernet as the tannins will often overpower the bird.  Your wine should enhance your meal not steal the show.  On the white side, you might stay away from an oakey Chardonnay.  Again, the oak doesn't always pair well with turkey.  Some Chardonnays are not as oakey, especially Australian Chardonnays so I wouldn't rule them out all together.  I found a great article which outlines some of the best wine for Thanksgiving.   Do a few minutes of research and your Thanksgiving meal will be escalated from yummy to Oh My God!

Iowa's Premiere Wine & Food Expo is coming!

Mark your calendars!  November 12th and 13th, the food and wine industry is descending on downtown Des Moines for what is sure to be a fantastic event!  Celebrity guests include the always cute and lovable Curtis Stone as well as the Cooking Cardiologist, Dr. Collins.  This will be my first time to attend this event so I'm anxious to check it out and will be sure to give my 2 cents afterwards.  I will be there representing WineShop at Home on November 12th from 4-5 and on November 13th from 11-2 so if you go make sure to stop by and say "hi!  You can check out the Wine & Food expo link to see all the details and a list of all food and wine vendors that will be there.  Hope to see you!