Browsing Tag

Maria Hunt

Bubbly Events
Make a Pink Pepperberry Fizz, Then Join Us for National Rosé Day

Most fun holidays only happen once a year. But how lucky are we to get two days to celebrate all the styles of beautiful pink wines? National Rosé Day is always on the second Saturday in June, and that falls on June 13 this year. It’s a good makeup, in case you missed Rosé Day on February 7. I’m so thrilled to be partnering with Champagne Blaine of The Fizz is Female and Rita Jammet of Champagne La Caravelle for a Zoom chat at 9 am Pacific/12 Eastern on Saturday June 13. Rita will tell the story of her fabulous champagne brand that she and her husband created. Then I’ll share a recipe for a simple cocktail using La Caravelle Rosé, and a fun breakfast/weekend brunch food pairing that always works. Rosé is one of the best styles of wine for food pairing, so you won’t be disappointed. Here’s the…
June 12, 2020
Food + Recipes, Wine + Food Pairing
Cheddar Cheese Coin Recipe

I needed hostess gifts for a couple Sunday visits, so I decided to race to Sunshine Market and grab the ingredients for some Cheddar Cheese Coins. The friendly checker, sizing up the content of my basket, said “Enjoy your cookies!” When I told him I was making savory cheese crackers to pair with wine, the woman in line behind me jumped in with “I want some of those.” If you think you’re too busy to bake or don’t always like the way your creations turn out — trust me, these Cheddar Cheese Coins are foolproof, easy and deliciously worth your time and effort. I like to make the dough ahead of time, keep it wrapped up in the freezer, and then slice and bake a log or two when I need something for a party or surprise guests. A former co-worker named Elizabeth shared the original recipe. They’re basically classic…
May 6, 2018
Bubbly Events
The Bubbly Girl Featured in The Quick Sip column

I receive all kinds of mail via my website, but it’s especially fun when it reconnects me with someone from the past. In mid-December, I heard from Jessica Yadegaran, the clever wine and food writer for the Oakland Tribune and San Jose Mercury News. We met some years ago when I was a staff food writer and she was a news assistant at the San Diego Union-Tribune. Each week for her Quick Sip column, she interviews a local wine blogger about what they’re drinking right now and gets suggestions for fun food and wine pairings. We talked about some of the fabulous breakout bubbly I’d discovered this past year, like Illinois Sparkling Company‘s traditional method Brut crafted amid the cornfields, the Bodkin sparkling sauvignon blanc that’s perfect with sushi and lots of clean and fresh traditional method sparkling wines from Brazil’s Vale do Vinhedos, especially Cave Geisse and Casa Valduga.…
January 4, 2014
Pop Culture
Uncorked: Discovering My A-ha Moment with Champagne

An a-ha moment is when something becomes very clear to you. Kind of like the ideas in Â Oprah’s back page column “Things I Know for Sure.” During the recent Mutual of Omaha campaign to capture real people telling their own stories, I talked about the a-ha moment on the way to my becoming The Bubbly Girl. I remember being in Aspen for the Food & Wine Classic and sitting with a group of people at Nobu. One of managers at the restaurant asked me “why Champagne?” Â I think I felt put on the spot a bit; it’s not often a stranger asks you to defend your chosen avocation. But I realized, “why not Champagne?” I love wines with bubbles. I like the way there’s a sense of danger associated with opening a bottle, if you don’t handle it right. It’s like an implied message that this is special stuff and…
December 8, 2011
Cocktail Recipes, Drinks
Warm up the Winter with Four Roses Bourbon – Plus a Fat Washing Primer

Of all the brown spirits, bourbon is the one I’m warming up to the fastest. I guess it must be the warm flavors of caramel and vanilla and the hint of sweetness from the corn mash that makes it easy to appreciate. I’ve sipped it on the rocks, but love the way it works in cocktails. I’m not the only one apparently: this spring, an organization called Bourbon Women had their coming out party in Kentucky. Founded by Peggy Noe Stevens — the first female master bourbon taster — the group celebrates the heritage of bourbon and educates women about it through tasting events around the country. I got a personal lesson in the versatility of bourbon this fall when I judged a Four Roses Bourbon cocktail contest at Bourbon & Branch.The Four Roses legend starts with Paul Jones, Jr. who was in love with a local belle. He asked her…
December 5, 2011