Monday, April 2, 2018

How to Choose the Perfect Wine for Any Occasion


Wine expert and enthusiast Stephen Iwerebon provides a basic guide for choosing the right wine for any special occasion from birthday celebrations, weddings, date night, impressing the in-laws and beyond.

Many individuals consider themselves casual wine drinkers and can select wines they like to go with dinner or a glass or two of in the evening. Buying wine for oneself isn't so stressful but having to pick out a wine for a special occasion or for someone else can be a bit overwhelming. 
Throughout his college years and career Stephen Iwerebon has had the opportunity to travel to many parts of the globe. During his travels, he has spent ample time sampling different wines and learning about their different flavor profiles and categories. This experience has allowed him to gain insights on which wines work best for specific occasions and for specific individuals. Check out some of his tips and advice below for choosing the perfect wine for any occasion. 
Stephen Iwerebon Wine Enthusiast

Date night or first date

The best wine to impress your date is, Pouilly Fume. If one wants a dry taste and the other wants a taste on the light side the Fleurie is a red wine with a light fruit flavor for both of you.


Meeting the parents or impressing your in-laws
Here some wines that are sure to win them over:
  • Champagne or Prosecco – champagne mixed with orange is a great Mimosa for brunch. Prosecco mixed with orange and cranberry juice makes a Holiday drink called Poinsettia.
  • The Italian white wine Cutizzi is a favorite for Stephen Iwerebon. It is made from Greco di Tufo Grapes and is rich with a full bodied flavor. This wine is best served with grilled fish, roast pork with vegetables, or a pizza made of seafood.
  • Rhone wines are best served in the winter months. The reason being is it’s a sun filled, fruity red wine. You can eat just about anything with this wine. Rhone complements steak very well.

Summer Wedding
Most likely a white wine will be served at a summer wedding. Keep in mind Champagne is a great drink to serve for the toast. If the menu for the day has fish and seafood you might want to have a Rosé wine.
If the wedding is in the fall or winter than its best to serve a red wine, though it is always a great idea to have both to please the preferences of all the guests.

Giving Wine as a Gift
Stephen Iwerebon would have to suggest the Magnum bottles as a great size for a gift. You might choice to give your friend a bottle filled with a sparkling wine to lighten the mood of the party and most guest will enjoy the bubbly taste. If the magnum bottle is not to your liking you can pick a standard-sized bottle for gift giving after the party. Also a good bottle of Bordeaux Grand Cru wine from 2005 makes for a great gift for a collector.

The Wine for Every Occasion
Stephen Iwerebon's recommendation is a bottle of Barolo straight from Italy. Some of the best foods to have with this bottle is wild duck, quail, grilled steak, sweetbreads, truffles, risotto cheese and more.
All of these wines can be bought online or likely in your local supermarket or liquor store. Stephen Iwerebon encourages wine enthusiasts to step out of their comfort zone and try different wines they wouldn't normally buy. This is the best way to develop a taste and understand which wines pair up with different occasions. 

Friday, January 5, 2018

Top Wines to Try This Winter

Best Wines for Cold Winter Months


Most people have a change in preferences for wine with the change in seasons. In summer usually crisp wines are preferred and in winter it is the heartier reds. 
Stephen Iwerebon Winter Wine Enthusiast


Of course everyone will have their own personal preference but usually this is the base to pick a wine for the winter or any other season.

The winter wines are full bodied reds and they also pair well with the heartier dishes preferred in the cold winter month. As a home chef, Stephen Iwerebon loves experimenting with different pairings. Some of the sparkling wines are also consumed in the cold season.

Here are some of the top winter wines recommended by wine enthusiast Stephen Iwerebon.


  • Syrah
  • Zinfandel
  • Cabernet sauvignon
  • Malbec
  • Sparkling wine
  • Oaked chardonnay
  • Bordeaux blend

These are the wines that are used at home and also when entertaining the guests. With winter comes the holiday season and a lot of entertaining needs to be done. So you need to stock up your wine as a good host and serve the best of wines to the guests.

Usually people go directly to the wineries to taste and then buy the wines to stock up for the year or season. There are different wine holidays each year. These are the best times to buy the best of wines and some special kinds of wines too. For your winter stock you can shop for your wine during the national zinfandel day that falls on November 19.

To get the best of wines you need to be a good wine taster. You should know the technique how to taste and tell the difference between an average wine and a great wine. Also you can tell the amount of alcohol content in the wine using this tasting. You just have to follow the three S’s: the swirl, sniff and sip.

Then you need to store the wine carefully so that it retains its aroma and taste. After taking so much effort to taste and buy wine from some of the best wineries you do not want all the wine to go waste for want of some good storing facilities and methods. Wine is best stored in a dark room at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Also the bottles are kept on their sides to preserve your wine the best. You can also keep the bottles pointed downwards so that the cork does not dry up preventing the air from making an entry into the bottle.


Making wine is an art and best left to the connoisseurs. There are several steps in its making and each of them have to be followed without any error creeping in so that the best of the wines are made and the taste of the wines do not change. Also it will be good for you to know these enthusiasts so that you can get the best of wines from these experts.