Wine and Football

I enjoy watching football and I am as happy as the next person that our Chicago Bears made it to the playoffs but I won’t try to fool you – pretty much all I know is that the Bears are hosting the Seahawks this Sunday and hopefully this game goes much better than the last. What I can help you with is selecting what wines and beers to pair with your chicken wings, guacamole, burgers and other...

How to Select the Perfect Hostess Gift!

Ideas for the Perfect Hostess gift from The Winnetka Wine Shop Holiday parties are now in full swing and whether you’ve accepted an invitation to dinner with your in-laws, a holiday party at your co-workers home or celebrating new years at your friends a bottle of wine is the perfect hostess gift to show your gratitude. However there are a few things to keep in mind when selecting a bottle...

Portobello Mushrooms with Couly-Dutheil Chinon Blanc Wine

I love to grill and cook sometimes the dishes are amazingly wonderful but other times things don’t turn out the way I expect them to.  I know exactly why this is; I think of recipes as starting points, suggested road maps that should be as enjoyable to work and play with as the final destination, enjoying the finished meal.  This thought process sometimes leads to over flavored seafood or...

Practice makes perfect or at least better.. time to explore wine and food pairings!

Lately, I’ve noticed people being more interested and inquisitive about what wine goes with what food or what meal would (or should) go with what wine.  I always freeze up a bit when people come in and show me the menu they are planning and ask, what wine?  There are several reasons for this moment of pause as I try to think through what wines to recommend; first of all there are so many...

Black Dogs Pick of the Week

The Black Dog’s Pick of the Week: When Murphy (Jean’s dog) and Hobart (Emily’s dog) learned the wine shop was opening the dog’s of course wanted to be a part of the adventure.  They helped in the various ways they could and decided they would offer their recommendations based on their personalities each week.  We think this is a fun way to share a little information on different items...