Mulled Wine Cupcakes

By on Sunday, December 4th, 2011

Mmmm.  Here’s the cupcake for you to share with Santa by the fireplace:  mulled wine cupcakes.

Not familiar with “mulled wine?”  It’s wine, simmered with ingredients like cinnamon, allspice and cloves until the air smells as warm and inviting as the holidays.  Don’t be timid about experimenting with your wines or your spices.  Then trust your nose.  (Although sampling might be half the fun of being the chef for this one!)

Would you like a cupcake with that wine?

By on Monday, March 8th, 2010

Ever since the cupcake boom took off, cupcakes have moved into progressively more sophisticated and grown-up realms; flavors like mojito and rum and coke are becoming common as cupcakeries aim at the adult market. With the cupcake’s increasing cultural cachet and association with light but sophisticated fun, it comes as no surprise that a winery has decided to take up the name Cupcake.  Cupcake Vineyards is a California label that features wines from their Monterrey County vineyard as well as vintages from wine regions around the world.

Spicy Ginger Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting paired with Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay

Cupcake Vineyards delivers on more than just cute: they’ve received good reviews for their Chardonnay, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc,  and recently had a good overall write up in the South Coast Today in Heather Strober Fleming’s “Grape Expectations” column.  From what I’ve read, if you’re looking for good wine at a decent price ($12-13 a bottle) with a really adorable name, Cupcake Vineyards is the way to go. And really, what says fun like a cupcake and wine tasting party?  Cupcake Vineyards’ is there to get your started with their cupcake recipes and wine pairing page.  Hmmm…the Spicy Ginger Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and a glass of Chardonnay sounds nice….