Ok all you wine experts....

Over the weekend, my husband and I went to Jungle Jim's and stocked up on wine. One of the bottles we bought was Fiore Branchetta sparkling red. Here's my question...is this to be enjoyed room temp or cold, and what sort of meal would it complement? I've never seen sparkling red before, so I have no idea what to pair it with...Robin, any ideas?

We had it one time at a social event we were attending. It was served cool (45°?) but not too cold and was served with an appetizer course. I forget exactly what kind of appetizers they were but I believe they were fairly heavy. Probably not a lot of help but at least a little bit I hope.

I'm hoping it's good...it sounded really interesting. For $4 a bottle, I thought, "Why not?"

I'd say around 45 degrees would be good. Take the bottle out of the refrigerator about 20 - 30 minutes before you want to drink it, and it should be fine.

While we are calling all wine experts, what do you do when you buy a bottle of wine that has gone bad? I bought a case of wine at Brown Co a couple of months ago and just opened a bad bottle of blackberry. I noticed a green/gray slime on the cork and inside the neck when opening, but decided to taste it anyway. When I poured it, it was cloudy and did not taste quite right.

Will the winery do anything for me or is that just part of drinking wine?

While we are calling all wine experts, what do you do when you buy a bottle of wine that has gone bad? I bought a case of wine at Brown Co a couple of months ago and just opened a bad bottle of blackberry. I noticed a green/gray slime on the cork and inside the neck when opening, but decided to taste it anyway. When I poured it, it was cloudy and did not taste quite right.

Will the winery do anything for me or is that just part of drinking wine?

As long as you keep the bottle and cork, most wineries (and retailers at that) will gladly refund your purchase, or get you a replacement bottle. I've never seen a bottle with the slime you posted above, but it might have actually had mold growing in it. I don't know enough about making fruit wines, but something must have been going bad when they bottled it. That or the cork was really bad and let a lot of air into the bottle which caused the green/gray stuff.

I guess the big question is whether it is worth the trip back to Brown County to get your money back, or just chalk it up to one bad bottle, and enjoy the other 11. If it were a local retailer, I would take it back, but unless I was going to Brown County for something, I think I would just take the loss. I would however contact the winery and let them know about the issue regardless of what decision you make. I would think that any winery would want to know about that issue. They might also compensate you in some way for the replacement bottle as well. BTW, if you are ever looking for their wine, we do carry quite a bit of their lineup. (/end_shill).

[Robin Garr]

Over the weekend, my husband and I went to Jungle Jim's and stocked up on wine. One of the bottles we bought was Fiore Branchetta sparkling red. Here's my question...is this to be enjoyed room temp or cold, and what sort of meal would it complement? I've never seen sparkling red before, so I have no idea what to pair it with...Robin, any ideas?

Michelle, sorry I didn't see this earlier ... we spent a few days in Florida visiting my mother and my sister.

Branchetta? Could it be Brachetto d'Acqui? If so, it's a red sparkler made from the Brachetto grape in Northwestern Italy.

Do take note that you have to chill a sparkling wine pretty well if you don't want a wine fountain when you open it. I would open it right out of the fridge, then let it warm up a little in people's glasses if they prefer.

I've mostly seen Brachetto drunk alone, as an aperitif, or occasionally with desserts - in Piemonte, one familiar pairing is Coppa al Mascarpone, sort of a bread pudding made with pannetone, fresh peaches and Mascarpone cheese.

Thank you, everyone! I'm sure we'll be enjoying this tonight, after the Journey/Heart concert! A little wine to go with our "cheese."