The FLEXX Sales Team recently had the opportunity to create our own custom wine! Paul, with Vintages, lead us in a wine tasting and taught us about different varieties of wine, as well as how to distinguish their different properties and flavors in order to aid us in blending our perfect bottle.
Though our team has events as a commonality, we really differed when it came to our preferences in the tannins, acidity, sweetness and body of wines. It was hard to choose one wine that we all favored, though with our feedback on each Paul knew exactly how to start blending varietals to craft a wine that we would all enjoy.
Step One: Smelling, swirling, tasting, blending, and more blending! After trying Paul’s different balances, creating more concoctions, and having fun together we finally found our perfect blend—the Tipsy Tent!
Step Two: Bottling and corking the wine!
Step Three: Vintages even allows you to design your own labels!
Tipsy Tent is a blend of the following: 50% Malbec, 30% Carignan & 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. If you’re looking for a meal to pair with the tones of our red, Paul recommended a Thai Beef Stew. Find the recipe below!
Slow-Cooker Thai Beef Stew
Serves Approx. 6-8
Prep Time: Around 20 mins
Cook Time: 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low, or until beef and vegetables are fully cooked
Ingredients Needed:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 3 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed of fat
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup Thai red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups julienned carrots
- 1 cup peeled and julienned jicama
- fresh cilantro, for garnishInstructions:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat in batches until browned. Then, add the meat to the crockpot.
- Add the other tablespoon of coconut oil to the saucepan and sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger for around 5 minutes.
- Pour in the coconut milk into the skillet and stir into the sautéed mix.
- Add the tomato paste, curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice, and salt. Then add to the slow-cooker.
- Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours. Add the broccoli, carrots, and jicama during the last 30 minutes if cooking on high, or the last hour if cooking on low. Serve garnished with cilantro.
- Pour a glass of Tipsy Tent, and enjoy!
Thank you again to Paul, Lino & the team at Vintages for assisting us in making our perfect wine! Be sure to stop by their Tasting Room located at 1312 Blue Spruce Dr Unit 2 Fort Collins, CO 80524, where you can enjoy a wine tasting or create a specialty blend of your own!