Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Sip of the Irish - Green Sparkling Wine

Words by Jennifer Stein

Words by Autumn Millhouse

In honor of the most celebrated Irish holiday of the year, St. Patrick’s Day, Domaine Chandon has created a green sparkling bubbly. This festive wine is also the preferred drink of the White House in 2009 and a revived tradition at the winery. If you are lucky enough to be in Napa Valley on St. Patrick’s Day make sure to stop by Domaine Chandon for a complimentary glass of green sparkling at their romantic winery in Yountville (And also one of the most romantic wineries featured in Romantic Napa Valley: An Insider’s Guide for Couples.

If you can’t drop into the winery then have fun creating your own green sparkling wine by using a flavorless, organic green food coloring. Right after you open the bottle, add a drop or two to color the vino green and then use traditional champagne flutes to serve the wine at your party to proudly display the joyful color. This idea is even better to implement if you happen to be getting married on St. Patrick’s Day or are having another romantic-related party such as an engagement party or anniversary to celebrate. It’s a guaranteed hit and a festive way to spread the luck of the Irish without having to kiss the blarney stone.

For more on Autumn Millhouse and her book Romantic Napa Valley, An Insider’s Guide for Couples, click here.

Autumn Millhouse is an award-winning travel writer who specializes in wine, food and romantic getaways. She is also an international trekker who has wined and dined across the globe from Barcelona to Beijing . A self-proclaimed “hopeless-romantic” and author of Romantic Napa Valley: An Insider’s Guide for Couples, Autumn also has a bi-monthly column called "Love Vines" published in Napa Valley Life Magazine. She resides in Napa Valley where she cultivates her wine and food relationships with top chefs, winemakers and a slew of other foodies. Besides, sniffing, swirling and sipping wine daily, Autumn is currently working on her next travel book Romantic Sonoma Valley: An Insider’s Guide for Couples.