Cristi, in her Queen of Wine Crown, led us through a wonderfully different Wine Club Dinner last night at The Buzz here in Boise. (Her recipes for these dinners can be found at Buzz Wine Blog.) Several interesting points that she made. (1) “Superfood is a marketing term used to describe foods with supposed health benefits. [The term ‘superfood’ is] not commonly used by dieticians.” She also pointed out that there is no evidence to support that 8 – 8oz glasses of water a day is beneficial. However, soaking in water relaxes us; cleanses us; sounds of running water are soothing and swimming is good exercise to name a few. Best rule of thumb for water consumption is thirst! The amount of water intake varies on size and activity and general overall health.
As for wine: There is a 16 year Harvard study showing that drinking wine reduces heart attack. That does not mean a gallon a day of wine – 2 oz a day would be a better target. A French study showed that wine reduces the risk of heart disease. A 12 year study in Amsterdam shows that limited amounts of wine reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
And to balance out the wine, here is what we had for dinner. Enjoy the photos; check out the link above for recipes from some of the wine dinners and Left-Click any of the photos to see them larger. Cheers!
Some of the 7 wines we had.
![Chicken Satay with Kale Chips 2011 Tapiz Chardonnay 13.9% alc. well rounded and went very well with the kale and the yogurt sauce. [18] $20.00](https://boisefoodieguild.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/10dec2014_1b_buzz-wineclub_christmas_chix-satah_kale-chip_yogurt-sauce.jpg?w=524&h=349)
2011 Tapiz Chardonnay
13.9% alc. well rounded and went very well with the kale and the yogurt sauce. [18] $20.00
![Ginger Lentil Soup (delicious!) 2012 Revelry Merlot 13.6% alc. this was a superb match with the spiciness of the ginger in the soup. perfect paring! [18] $17.00](https://boisefoodieguild.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/10dec2014_1c_buzz-wineclub_christmas_ginger-lentil-soup.jpg?w=524&h=349)
(delicious! Robin enjoyed this.)
2012 Revelry Merlot
13.6% alc. this was a superb match with the spiciness of the ginger in the soup. perfect paring! [18] $17.00
![Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing (Delicious!) 2012 Tangent Albarino 13.5% alc super paring. went especially well with the dressing and the oxalic acid of the spinach. another great paring! [19] $16.00](https://boisefoodieguild.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/10dec2014_1d_buzz-wineclub_christmas_spinach-salad_warm-bacon-dressing.jpg?w=524&h=349)
(Delicious!)
2012 Tangent Albarino
13.5% alc super paring. went especially well with the dressing and the oxalic acid of the spinach. another great paring! [19] $16.00
![Beef Stroganoff Dill Carrots Cauliflower with Peas 2012 Vistalba 14.0% alc it was surprising how well this plate went with the wine. even the fresh dill pared well. [18] $22.00](https://boisefoodieguild.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/10dec2014_1e_buzz-wineclub_christmas_stroganoff_dill-carrots_cauli-peas.jpg?w=524&h=349)
Dill Carrots
Cauliflower with Peas
2012 Vistalba
14.0% alc it was surprising how well this plate went with the wine. even the fresh dill pared well. [18] $22.00
![Chess Pie with Raspberries Henkell Brut 11.5% alc. good paring with the pie, even for this non-sparkling wine enthusiast. it did go well with the berries. (We did purchase 2 bottles though.) [17] $16.00](https://boisefoodieguild.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/10dec2014_1f_buzz-wineclub_christmas_chess-pie.jpg?w=524&h=349)
Henkell Brut
11.5% alc. good paring with the pie, even for this non-sparkling wine enthusiast. it did go well with the berries. (We purchased 2 bottles.) [17] $16.00
A good – great healthy meal! Great wine parings. Overall a great food preparation. Cheers and hope to see you at the Wine Dinner in January.
