Ever wondered what a wine tasting event is like?

You might expect it to go something like this:

Wine snob #1: “I do say, this Merlot has great legs.”

Wine snob #2: “Mmm yes, indubitably. I can really taste the tender notes of honeysuckle and sandalwood.”

Needless to say, they’re all sporting monocles and drinking with their pinkies up.

Reality:

BAM.
SUPER BOWL FOOD + WINE MAKING LOVE IN YOUR MOUTH.

These awesome wine pairing events go on every month at The Wine Shop on Queens Quay, courtesy of Ray, who loves wine more than anyone you’ve ever met, or anyone you’ve ever met has met.

He is a GENIUS at what he does. No matter how much I’m enjoying my wine sample, as soon as I follow it with its food pairing I instantly love it 27423 times more. My friends and I stare at each other and shake our heads in disbelief. How does he do it? So far, our running theory is that he is a wizard.

So I may not care for football, but I’m a huge proponent of all football-related foods. Here’s what we got to sip and munch on:

-Trius Brut with Screaming Seahawks Wings, which had a Trius Cabernet reduction added to the sauce
-Crush First White 2011 with Spicy Guacamole
-Peller Estates Private Reserve Baco Noir with Bucking Bronco Chili (with the Baco Noir reduced in it)
-Trius Cabernet with Cheese Pizza
-Hillebrand Late Harvest Vidal with Chocolate Chip and Bacon Cookies

How cool is it that they pair wine with a food as common as pizza? Ray finds a way to make wine feel accessible and enjoyable to everyone, whether you’re a seasoned know-it-all or a wine noob.

Everything was tasty and, as always, delectably unpretentious.
Looking forward to the next one.

Cheers!