Food Network Launches Entwine

Here come the bride and groom... and in my case, they come in the form of a huge, flavor-bleeding flank steak and robust Cab! Ah, now that’s my kind of wedding - because food and wine, after all, is the perfect marriage.

And much to my agreement, a strong union has just been formed as the empire of all-things-grubbing, Food Network, has finally joined the ranks of lushes (like myself) nationwide. That’s right, Food Network has ventured into the wine making business and I couldn’t be more excited.

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the launch party for new Entwine, a collaborative effort between the Food Network and Wente Vineyards of California. Sergei Kuharsky, General Manager & New Business Chief for Food Network, mentioned that this effort was focused on the fact viewers are intimidated by the world of wine (gee, I couldn’t agree more!) and how naturally they wanted to make it easier and accessible for viewers by creating food-friendly styles of wine that people could understand (amen!).

In fact, with Entwine, Food Network takes all the fear out of sipping by labeling each of their four wine varieties with easy terms that even the least seasoned wine enthusiast can understand, like licking raspberry jam off the back of a spoon. We likey!

Even Chef Anne Burrell (a WinoBee fav - see here) of Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America” and “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef,” joined the fun and shared her most prized wine tips!

"Go out and do research,” Burrell advises. "Go out to dinner, eat food, buy wine, drink wine. Decide what you like. Wine doesn’t have to be scary. When you go to a resturant, ask the people who are selling wine to help you. The more you drink it, the more you experience it, the more comfortable with it you’ll become... Let’s cook and enjoy the process of getting to dinner, and while we’re doing that we’ll try some wine."

And try some wine I did - with four varieties to select from, my glass was optimistically half full for most of the evening! If you don’t believe me, just look at the picture on the right!

• Chardonnay -- apple and citrus notes that team up with citrus-bathed scallops, as the acidities balance one another out. Without the pairing, this wine may seem a little too tart.

• Pinot Grigio -- a refreshingly, crisp wine with accents of green apple, lime and honey. Piggyback it with some kimchi grilled cheese for a little punchful pizzazz.

• Merlot -- my favorite and just as the bottle says, like licking raspberry from a spoon. Pairs delightfully with pork loin tapas topped with tomato jam. The sweet and savory mix is a combination to win palates, tummies and hearts.

• Cabernet Sauvignon -- a colorful blend of herbs, spice and dark fruits that pairs nicely with a Mediterranean beef slider infused with olives, nuts and raisins - the mixture of earth and sweet bring to life all the flavors housed in this little bottle of Cab.

All bottles retails for about $12.99, making it a great value wine for the everyday WinoBee. For more, scope out our video of Sergei, Anne and Karle Wente here: