GourmetGrrl Bites

Why should you care about the third Thursday in November? It’s the day that Beaujolais Nouveau — a French red wine called BN for short — arrives in stores all over the world.

Chilly fall evenings mean we can finally uncork some serious red wine and this week we’re uncorking bottles of 2010 BenMarco Malbec from Argentina.

While we drink rose all year long, many of you seem to open it only when the weather warms up. The kickoff to the summer season is the perfect time to unscrew a bottle of Charles & Charles 2010 Rose from Washington State.

With very un-springlike weather outside, we grabbed a bottle of red this week and we weren’t disappointed. The 2006 Marques de la Concordia Crianza Rioja from Spain was just what we needed: a medium-bodied mouthful of plummy red fruit that paired perfectly with our braised lamb shanks.

Whether you’re toasting your sweetie or your fabulous single-ness, open something fun on Valentine’s Day. Whether it’s white, red, or bubbly there are plenty of ways to toast while thinking outside the box.