by CRYSTAL JOHNSON

It's that wonderful/stressful/fun/overwhelming time of year! I love the holidays, but I do get stressed trying to make sure I have everything ready/travel plans in sync/work covered/etc. Even so, the gatherings, traditions, decorations, FOOD, and spirit of the holiday season makes the memories more wonderful than stressful. That is only my own opinion (obviously). Each person has their own feelings - from wonderful to horrible and all the notches in between. Below are some id

Reposting this one for anyone feeling ✨sparkly✨ out there! The holidays are coming! Your family or friends arrive - or maybe they don't - maybe YOU are the family and there's no big crowd! All scenarios apply :) I immediately think of sparkling wine to start any gathering. It gives an air of celebration and is something you might not have all the time (kudos if you do!). Sparkling wine goes particularly well with foods you might serve as appetizers. Pairing Pair sparkling win

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite meals and most loved holiday. So here I am, sharing my favorite pairings with my favorite meal of the year. This is such a personal taste "thing" so I am curious if anyone else wants to share favorite Thanksgiving pairings in comments. Even sommeliers disagree on the best food and wine pairings - so there are NO wrong answers! My Memaw would serve sweet tea for the whole thing - which is the only drink I truly remember having alongside Thank

My favorite holiday for sure! I love that it means time with family and friends AND that it means yummy, once-a-year dishes. I'll be headed home to Tennessee for Thanksgiving this year so, no huge meal-planning for me, but maybe someone wants last-minute ideas. I'll see my Memaw, pictured below, who is responsible for all the holiday traditions on my mom's side of the family. To say we love her is an understatement! When I don't make it home to TN I host Thanksgiving in Atlan

The holidays are coming! Your family or friends arrive - or maybe they don't - maybe YOU are the family and there's no big crowd! All scenarios apply :) I immediately think of sparkling wine to start any gathering. It gives an air of celebration and is something you might not have all the time (kudos if you do!). Sparkling wine goes particularly well with foods you might serve as appetizers. Pairing Pair sparkling wines with light and crispy potato chips, nuts, charcuterie/cu

My husband, some friends and I traveled to France a few years ago. We landed in Paris and branched out from there to a couple of places, most notably, the Loire Valley. The area was beautiful and the people we met were even more so. The Loire Valley is a HUGE wine region that follows the longest river in France. This region is extremely diverse in varieties (grapes) and styles of wine due to the mix of climates, soil types and landscape. Most famous for it's whites--but you w

I found way more sparkling wines than I expected! In an effort to post in a reasonable amount of time without causing myself liver failure; I cannot tell you that I've tried them all. I can tell you that I'm excited to try the new ones I've found and I'll come back and add to this post as I DO try them Enjoy the bubbles and please comment if you try any - or just share your favorite! Crémant Almost always French.** I'd had this a few times (because I am a curious shopper and

My first wine post should be the first wine I loved right? Sparkling wine The bubbles in sparkling wine make whatever you may be doing seem more special. It makes the best "kick-off" drink for a celebration, or a meal, or a Friday evening. A lot of people tell me they only drink sparkling for special occasions but there are wonderful affordable sparkling wines to try that work well with many foods. I feel like we have to start with the most popular 3. Each known as the epit