Archive of Barefoot Wine Blog and News | Barefoot Republic

Just because you’ve got your toes buried in the sand doesn’t mean you can’t have a little athletic competition! Last weekend, nearly 100 volleyball players from around the country made their way to Bradford Beach in Wisconsin to compete in the AVP Next Championship Cup.

Players came from amateur leagues in 24 different cities, representing the best recreational players nationwide. They didn’t just play for the amateur championship, though – the winners got to take on Olympic gold medalists Todd Rogers and Kerri Walsh!

It was a long day of fun, sun, sweat and sand, and in the end, two teams came out on top: for the men, it was Colin Kaslow and Tim Wooliver, and on the women’s’ side, Kim McGiven DiCello and Petia Yanchulova took home top honors.

Barefoot would like to congratulate our winners, and everyone else who participated!

Happy Moscato Monday everyone! Monday's can always be a little rough around the edges, but we'd like to smooth your day out with a list of some of our favorite Moscato recipes.

Collected from our recipes section here on the Republic, we think these mouthwatering meals will be great editions to your recipe collection. Perfect for a nice evening at home or entertaining guests at a dinner party, we hope you give these a try and let us know what you think! Don't forget to add your own recipes to the site here and earn some leis! 

BAREFOOT MOSCATO PUMPKIN PIE - A delicious, fall treat to satisfy your sweet tooth!

COCKTAIL WEENIES WITH MOSCATO GLAZE - Serve at your next dinner party and you'll have everyone wanting more!

BBQ CHICKEN A LA MOSCATO - A grilling favorite and sure to be a hit! 

The Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project made a stop in Portland, Oregon to help keep the Willamette River barefoot-friendly! It was our first river cleanup and we had volunteers from all over the Pacific Northwest out to join us.

That evening we had a fun celebration at Aquariva right on the river featuring a performance by Eric Hutchinson. In addition to playing his hits, he sang an impromptu song dedicated to all of the volunteers hard work (despite being attacked by mosquitoes).

We can’t believe the summer is almost over – our last stop is this Saturday in Miami Beach, where we will be working with the Miami Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation on a dune restoration. We hope to see all of your Floridians at the beach!

Champagne cupcakes with Sweet Champagne Buttercream Frosting.... scratching your head a little at the sound of it? We were too until we gave this recipe a try and the verdict is in: INCREDIBLE! A big thanks goes to the fine folks over at Gimme Some Oven for the recipe and photo! 

The best part about this recipe is that it's toe-tally unforgettable. A great dessert for your next party or just a little something to sweeten up your day! We suggest using our Moscato Spumante or Rose Cuvee for this recipe but any Barefoot Bubbly will do! We hope you give this recipe a try and if you ever have any great recipes of your own to share, head on over to our Recipes section here and share them with us! And now for the goods....

Champagne Cupcake Ingredients:

 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1tsp. salt

2/3 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup champagne (the sweeter the better – the Moscato Spumante or Rose Cuvee would be great)

6 egg whites

Sweet Champagne Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons Barefoot Bubbly of your choice, at room temperature

To Make The Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.  (This recipe yielded about 20 for me.)

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend into creamed mixture alternately with champagne.

In another large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites.  Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

To Make The Frosting:

With an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter. Mix on low until well blended, and then on medium for another two minutes.  Add vanilla and champagne, beating on medium for another minute.

***You might want to double the frosting recipe if you like to really cover your cupcakes with frosting like in the picture above!***

Ever poured some champagne into a glass and wondered if you were doing it correctly? Well, according to this new study, champagne should poured the same way you pour beer -- into a tilted glass along the sides. 

Why should champagne be poured this way? Well, it's because you want to preserve those precious bubbles that give you that tingly sensation and pouring champagne gently down the side is the best way to keep those bubbles intact. If you pour into a glass that is straight up, you'll lose more bubbles -- making your bubbly champagne less bubbly. 

So next time you pop open a bottle of our Moscato Spumante, Brut Cuvee, Extra Dry, Rose Cuvee or Bubbly Pinot Grigio, remember to pour down the side of a tilted glass and as always, have a great time!

In the hot summer months, there’s nothing better than a chilled glass of our new Sweet Red to cool you down and put a smile on your face. And if you want a treat to go with it, why not put our newest varietal to satisfy that hungry sweet tooth? 

We absolutely love cooking with our new Sweet Red – it adds that little extra something to our favorite summer snacks. We’ve put together a few of our favorite fruity delights for you to try, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy them as much as we do. Give these recipes a try and be sure to let us know which ones are your favorites! 

Blueberry Crepes - A fun twist on the traditional thin and fruity pastry dish, perfectly paired with our Sweet Red!

Bread & Wine Dessert - Dunk this delicious dipping bread right into the Sweet Red sauce! Yum!

Hey Footers! The Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project will be stopping in Portland, Oregon this Saturday, August 7th.

Click HERE to RSVP for the cleanup and celebration featuring a performance by Eric Hutchinson.

Cleanup at the Willamette River 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Celebration at Aquariva 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Summer is now in full swing with our Beach Rescue Project and  "Soles of Summer" sponsorship of the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour and we’re going to sweeten your summer even more with the debut of a new member of the Barefoot Wine family – Sweet Red. 

What’s most exciting about this new red blend is that you, our beloved Barefoot Fans, inspired the idea for the wine! The #1 request we hear from our fans across the country is the need for a sweet, soft-style red wine.  You've asked for it and soon you’ll have it!  Here’s the story behind this delicious new wine: 

Tasting Notes: Barefoot Sweet Red is a ripe and juicy wine with explosive flavors of raspberry, pomegranate and luscious cherry.  It tastes great chilled! 

Food Pairings: Fire up those grills because our Sweet Red goes great with spicy beef kabobs, juicy marinated flank steak and grilled vegetables! 

Varietals: Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Barbera, Grenache & Petite Sirah 

If you and your friends like Moscato you’re going to LOVE Sweet Red! 

Forget watermelon and cantaloupes. Put down the strawberries and ignore the pineapples. Our summer fruit obsession this year is with juicy, succulent mangoes!

A recent Miami Herald article lists our Moscato as a perfect wine pairing with this decadent fruit, so in honor of this, we've created the perfect summer drink: Mango Moscato Champagne! Give this recipe a taste and let us know what you think! Have any other mango recipes? Share them here!

INGREDIENTS

- 1/2 pound frozen mango chunks, slightly defrosted

- 2-3 tablespoons sugar or honey if you prefer

- 1/2 cup Barefoot Moscato

- 1 bottle of Barefoot Bubbly Brut (or skip the Moscato and Brut, and just go with a full bottle of the Bubbly Moscato Spumante)

DIRECTIONS

Combine mango and sugar in a blender and pulse to puree. Add the 1/2 cup Moscato and blend briefly. Fill a chilled champagne flute halfway with the mango-Moscato mixture. Fill the rest with chilled champagne and stir gently to blend. Enjoy! 

Yields 8 servings.

Pirates, smugglers and good old fashion swashbuckling fun. Nothing completes a great summer like the perfect book. Here's a list of CNN's "Ten Great Adventure Books For The Beach" and our picks for which wines would best accompany these classic page turners. Have a great beach read suggestion? Head to the comments section and let us know!

'A Voyage For Madmen' by 
Peter Nichols, 2002
:  In 1968, nine men set out on a dangerous (and in hindsight disastrous) race to be the first to sail solo around the world non-stop. It had never been done before and nine months later, only one man made it across the finish line. Full of tension, Nichols' authoritative account chronicles the journeys of nine men and their quest for glory. Wine Pairing: Zinfandel

'Life of Pi'
 by Yann Martel, 2003
:  A gentle yet gripping story about a young Indian boy drifting helplessly across the Pacific Ocean with only a 450-pound Bengal tiger for company. If it sounds surreal, it is. But this has not stopped the book receiving critical acclaim, winning the Man Booker prize in 2002. Written by Spanish-born Canadian Yann Martel, the book could best be described as part fable, part spellbinding adventure. And it even has a clever twist at the end. Wine Pairing: Pinot Grigio

'Treasure Island' by 
Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883:  
Hidden treasure, peg legs and parrots -- Stevenson's classic novel is the quintessential pirate yarn. Written in 1883, it follows the adventures of young Jim Hawkins as he searches for treasure buried by the notorious and brutal Captain Flint. It's a favorite for both adults and children and has done more to influence the popular perception of pirates than any other book. Wine Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon

'Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe'
 by Laurence Bergreen, 2004
:  Filled with suspense and drama, Bergreen's book retells the story of Ferdinand Magellan's 1519 expedition to the Spice Islands, which ultimately led to the first known circumnavigation of the globe. It was an ill-fated journey undone by Magellan's inflated ego and obsessive quest to find the Islands. Wine Pairing: Zinfandel

'Moby Dick' by Herman Melville, 1851:  
"Moby Dick" considered by many to be a literary masterpiece, secured a place for Melville as one of America's greatest writers. Written in 1851, it is the story of Ishmael and the hunt for the great white whale. Some would say the book is dauntingly long, but if you've the stamina, you'll be justly rewarded with an epic tale. Wine Pairing: Merlot

The 'Aubrey-Maturin' series
 by Patrick O'Brien, 1969 - 1999:  
Many of the novels in this series by acclaimed English novelist Patrick O'Brien have hit The New York Times Best Seller list. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, they chart the exploits of Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, as they fight the French and discover new lands. The books, with titles including "Master and Commander," "HMS Surprise" and "The Far Side of the World," are a fascinating insight into the 19th century world of sailing and warfare, spun around absorbing storylines. Wine Pairing: Chardonnay

'Sailing Alone Around the World' by 
Joshua Slocum, 1900:  
The story of seaman and adventurer Joshua Slocum, the first man to single-handedly sail around the world. Now considered a classic, Slocum's autobiography recounts his arduous three-year journey from 1895 to 1898 aboard his 37-foot sloop, "Spray." Although published more than 100 years ago, it remains an enthralling and funny read. Wine Pairing: Shiraz

'Coconut Chaos'
 by Diana Souhami, 2007
:  A mix of autobiography and historical retelling, "Coconut Chaos" follows the exploits of the inhabitants of Pitcairn Island, past and present. Diana Souhami recounts and reinterprets the famous story of the "Mutiny on the Bounty" on the island, while weaving in her own personal experiences of the place and her romance with a woman known only as the mysterious Lady Myre. Wine Pairing: Moscato

'Sea of Poppies' by 
Amitav Ghosh, 2008
:  An enthralling 17th century saga about a motley crew of sailors, stowaways, convicts and passengers from across the world aboard the converted slaving ship, "Ibis," now used to transport opium to China. It brings to life beautifully the culture and politics of the time, offering enlightening details into 1830s Calcutta, the production of opium and the dangers of 19th century seafaring. Wine Pairing: Riesling

'Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage'
 by Alfred Lansing, 1959:  
This best-selling book recounts Sir Ernest Shackleton's failed attempt to cross the Antarctic in 1914 at the head of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. It recounts the two years Shackleton and his 28-man crew spent fighting to escape the icy grip of the Antarctic. Diary excerpts and lengthy interviews with surviving crew members keep the account accurate and enthralling. Wine Pairing: White Zinfandel