Nonni Friendsgiving 2016

The holiday season is finally upon us. Bring on the fur-lined earmuffs, twinkle light draped trees, and Peppermint Mocha Lattes. And the food! Working in wine, food, and wellness, the food is our favorite part of the holidays. Last week, we gathered our Nonni family in my small Jersey City apartment for a cozy Friendsgiving featuring classic Thanksgiving dishes with a client-focused twist.

Friendsgiving Golden Rule: Always ask for help. Cooking brings people together, builds closer relationships, promotes teamwork, and is simply fun. Cooking is an art, one I’m particularly fond of. To share that art with my coworkers and friends is something I am very thankful for this holiday season.

While I mashed the garlic potatoes, Jack basted the garlic herb encrusted turkey, Eunice simmered her from-scratch turkey gravy and sauteed the bacon fat brussels sprouts, and Erica provided the Chilean Carmenere and English sparkling wines.

Honoring the English pilgrims of Thanksgiving, we toasted the evening with English Sparkling Wine from Ridgeview Estate.

Swapping breadcrumbs for oats in the traditional stuffing, the Nonni team made “Skirlie” (Scottish stuffing) with toasted Flahavan’s Irish Oats, a healthy, protein packed, naturally gluten-free alternative. Experimenting with the diversity of oats, we added a dash of uncooked Flahavan’s Rolled Oats to a Shallot, Apple, Balsamic Boston Bibb Salad.

Being wine lovers, we perfectly paired dinner with Chilean Carmenere, in honor of Carmenere Day (November 24), which coincidentally falls on the same day as Thanksgiving this year.

Using crushed Nairn’s Stem and Ginger Grahams, we made a gluten-free, pumpkin pie with a flavor-rich graham pie crust.  

The food was out of this world, the wine was artfully paired, and the company was fantastic. This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my Nonni family.

Like the food shown above? Message us for a list of recipes featuring healthy substitutions, perfect for guests with dietary restrictions, this holiday season.

Understanding Colchagua

The Colchagua Valley is one of Chile’s premier wine regions. Located between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Colchagua boasts a unique microclimate ideal for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah and Carménère grapes. Colchagua is an apropos region to illuminate, as November is Carménère Month. November 24th marks Carménère Day, which celebrates the enigmatic tale of this varietal once deemed lost to time. The tale of Carménère, like the region of Colchagua, is a fascinating blend of history and culture.

Meaning “valley of small lakes” in the indigenous language, Colchagua marked the southern boundary of the Inca Empire. Winemaking did not exist in this ancient region until the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century. In an attempt to convert the local people to Catholicism, Spanish Jesuit missionaries built monasteries and planted the first vineyards to accompany Catholic mass with red wine.

During the nineteenth century, grape varietals from Bordeaux, France were introduced onto the shores of Chile. These varietals included Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carménère. However, the Chilean Carmenère was simply referred to as Merlot, and, as a result, “Merlot” thrived in this new region.

Back in the Old World, a phylloxera epidemic was decimating countless vineyards, and the Carménère grape all but disappeared. Or so it seemed.

Carménère has flourished in Chile ever since. A rose by another name, Carménère was re-discovered in 1994 by Jean Michel Boursiquot, a French ampelographer who identified the grape. Carmenère emerged from its ostensible disappearance.

Today, Carménère is one of several varietals that can be found in Colchagua. With its Mediterranean climate ideal for growing grapes, the region has become a major tourist destination. Many of Colchagua’s wineries are modern, operating with wine tourism in mind. The Tinguiririca River flows through the region, where many popular wineries can be found.

Visit this enchanting region’s many wineries. Taste the Carménère of the region and imbibe centuries of history. During Carménère Month, we celebrate the unique landscape of the Colchagua Valley and the superb grape varietals it has always, and continues, to produce. 

Adult Cereal

We're in Piedmont today and came upon this clever - and very literal - wine and food pairing: tortellini floating in red wine. It's like adult cereal.

How to Plan an Influencer Program, Part 1

For the past 10+ years, public relations has been a three-way street of brand to consumer, consumer to brand, and consumer to consumer. Throw in a rapidly evolving communication landscape fueled by personal interests and broader trends and we’ve got quite the expansive range of engagement strategies. How do brands navigate the ever-changing currents of not only reaching, but engaging their audiences? Advertising? Marketing?  

Amplifying a word-of-mouth approach and taking traditional public relations strategies to the consumer, brands are leveraging social media influencers, those carrying influence over followers within a specific space, to reach target consumer markets through popular social media channels include Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. More receptive to recommendations from a person they respect and trust, nearly 40 percent of Twitter users report having made a purchase as a direct result of an influencer’s Tweet.  

A blossoming aspect of the industry, Influencer Marketing, allows social media influencers the ability to monetize for product integrations and recommendations, in some cases to the equivalent of a full salary– talk about a dream job! But here’s where things get interesting:

While paid influencers certainly exist within every industry, our specialty sectors – wine, food and wellness – remain to be areas that consumers and brands alike, spark passion and adoration about products and ideas that excite them. Identifying and engaging these passionate foodies and wine lovers is our favorite part of our job. Introducing users to new wines and food products, sharing industry news, offering tips and advice - it’s not only part of our job, it’s our shared passion. We are foodies. We are wine lovers. We are health- and environment-conscious citizens.

And like our audiences of influencers and end consumers, we thrive online.

Stay tuned for future posts on what makes a social influencer, how to build brand advocacy communities, and how to reach your target audience in an ever-evolving tech world.