vinyl & vino. v2.

Over here at the Duo we love couples, combinations and pairing some of the finer things in life. Music and wine are two of our favorite things.

We're gonna dig through the crates and reach for the wine fridge to pair a perfect combination of music and wine.

The wine we chose tonight is another inexpensive Spanish charmer. Lately we can't get enough Spanish wine. It's so affordable, always interesting and widely available.

Meet the 2009 Carchelo.

It's a blend of three varietals 40% Monastrell (which I admit I know nothing about) 40% Tempranillo (this is that grape that makes Spanish reds so amazing) and 20% Cab Sauvignon.

This wine is a bit flashy, in all the right ways. It's bold and raw. It manages to be peppery and fruity at the same time. I can imagine this wine in a glass next to a really nicely grilled piece of meat.

What I really like about this wine is that it's different. I think it asks you to respect that and thusly I shall present our music recommendation to go with this bold, flashy and fun wine.

When I think flashy, I think Dizzy Gillespie. That's probably been written a hundred times but I don't care. Dizzy is where it's at. He's that flashy unconventional spirit that was born with a gift for music.

In looking through the Dizzy collection and thinking about great combinations one record stood out. It's that funky yet so approachable, To A Finland Station. On this album Dizzy pairs up with one of his proteges Aurturo Sandoval. This whole album is a great conversation between two jazz greats and a treat to listen to. The improvisational aspect of the album is what drives me to think it's a great match for this wine. Multiple grapes working together and having a conversation that leads to something special, much like the album itself.

Here are a couple tracks to listen to from the album, which means we've done 50% of the work for you already. Grab a glass of Carchelo and give it a listen.

date night. paris in the spring.

Loving Paris in the Spring might feel cliche, but who cares! Lo and I are having a French inspired date night. It's the perfect inspiration for staying-in and cooking together as a couple. Won't you join us? We dove into our music collection thinking Spring and France and pulled out some great music for you to hear. We're eating some rustic French onion soup and finishing it off with some beef tartare and French beer. Check out the music. Check out the recipes. Pay some homage to those French who definitly do food and mood right. Allez bon appétit.

The music: Trying out a new feature. We collect lots of music at our home. We'll try and bring you some great music on occasion and hopefully most of it is new to you. We would love some feedback here.

LISTEN

EAT

French onion soup. (click for the recipe)

I love how simple and rustic this soup is. The list of ingredients is small and so is the price point. Onion, wine, stock, thyme, sherry, gruyere and day old crusty baguette.

Beef tartare. (click for the recipe)

While bartending at Les Halles in lower Manhattan I had two favorite dishes, but the one that makes me feel most nostalgiac is beef tartare. I love it.

DRINK

Kronenburg.

Again a callback to Les Halles.. a little post (or during) shift beer. You gotta have a Kronenburg. With a little beef tartare on a crusty baguette? A nice cold lager type of beer? YES please.