Wine Words of Wisdom with Conrad Hunter
Wine Words of Wisdom with Conrad Hunter
Walking into Foxcroft Wine you are not overwhelmed by the vast amounts of wine but rather comforted by the immense options available at your fingertips to please your wine wishes. We were able to sit down with Charlotte native and owner, Conrad Hunter, to rack his brain about what we should have on our wine racks this holiday season and to gather some beneficial wine wisdom.
“For the holidays, keep it traditional. Sparkling wine goes with everything. Champagne or Prosecco are great ways to kick off the appetizers or meal. Then with turkey, I recommend a White Burgundy or a light red such as Pinot Noir. A good holiday wine splurge, if you’re feeling up to it, is Brunello, I recommend that but you don’t have to go that costly to impress your guests,” insists Conrad Hunter.
He pointed out that holidays tend to revolve around heavier foods such as turkeys and hams, having a light wine to offset some of the heavier food will help refresh the palate. Keep this in mind when shopping for your holiday wine selection.
We moved on to discussing his favorite topic, more wine! He shared great advice on how to go through your wine ventures. “Keep it simple. Don’t complicate it. Find a wine you like to drink, work with a local wine store, develop a relationship so they know your palate and offer suggestions for wines for you to try,” states Hunter.
Speaking of finding a wine you like to drink, we were interested in finding out Hunter’s current wine of choice, after some thought, because it is a challenge to pick just one, Hunter told us that is favorite wine (right now) was Sangiovese and Pinot Noir was in a close second. But, if he were to pair the wine to his favorite tapas on his Foxcroft Wine menu he stated, “Keep it traditional. If you’re going to have tapas, why not have Spanish wine. If you like white wine, for a bottle of Albariño with our Uno Al Volta ricotta spread, which is local from Huntersville. For a red wine lover, I would go with a good red and our lamb sliders, traditional.”30
If you haven’t gotten into wine yet, that is okay because there is a wine out there for you. But, you have to come in with an open mind, trust your server or your local retail person, they will take you to a place you have not been and open your experience to a wider world of wine.