Holiday Food & Wine Pairing GuideBy Lauren Chalupsky-Cannon:Owner & Operator of The Secret Cellar Wine & Gift Shop in Shueyville, Iowa The holidays are a time for family, friends, food, and frivolity. Choosing the perfect wines to serve during your special gatherings can be stressful. Forget the worry and leave this detail to me! During my six wonderful years of operation at The Secret Cellar, I have had the privilege of providing many food and wine pairing suggestions. I stock hundreds of quality wines to make your food and wine pairing a breeze. Here are some of my top, sure-win recommendations to help you plan your holidays like a pro!Guests are Arriving: What do I Pour Now?Whether you are the host or a holiday guest selecting a bottle to bring to the party, there is no better way to jump-start the evening than with a bottle of sparkling wine! No need to agonize about which wine will please the entire crowd: pop the cork from a delicious Spanish Cava for bubbles without the bitter bite. I recommend Poema Cava Extra Dry to serve as soon guests arrive, which also pairs perfectly with party appetizers and light cheeses.HamDepending on how it’s prepared, ham can bombard your palate with a combination of sweet, salty, & smoky flavors. Some people think ham needs an equally powerful wine to match its boldness. However, one of my shop’s best ham pairings is 94 point-rated by Wine & Spirits: 2008 Eroica Riesling: an exciting, semi-sweet crowd-pleaser. The sweetness and crisp acid levels enhance rather than clash with the savory ham, especially if you’ve used a sweet honey or mandarin glaze. Roasted Fowl or SalmonOne of the best French Reds I like to pair with fowl is my 2007 Chateau des Capitans Julienas Beaujolais. This lovely Gamay is soft and light, but still retains presence of smoky, black currant, and a hint of cinnamon. My second recommendation for salmon or turkey is Willamette Whole Cluster Pinot Noir. This wine is alive with bright strawberry and black cherry fruits, and finishes with brown-sugar, cloves, and earthy nutmeg spices. If you’re looking for an exciting variation to your normal recipe, use this wine to make a Spicy Cranberry Pinot Noir Sauce to titillate your turkey! Beef Tenderloin, Prime Rib, Ribs, or LambEven the most discriminating palate will sing when served a glass of 2007 Groom Shiraz alongside hearty holiday red meats. Rated 93 points by the Wine Spectator, this spicy, savory Shiraz is vibrant with juicy black fruits clinging to its powerful, fleshy backbone. Deep and intensely spirited, this Shiraz takes on peppered red meats like a galloping brawny steed. Another fantastic wine pairing for beef and lamb is my robust 2006 Dry Creek Vineyard Cabernet. Like all great recipes, this Cabernet has a secret ingredient: traditional Bordeaux blended in the mix! Rich and bold, with sweet smoky oak, there’s no question why it was named “Top Value” by the Wine Spectator. For an added twist, use this wine to make a shallot and Cabernet wine sauce to accompany your dish. Cheers!
Lauren Chalupsky-cannon - Secret Cellar owner’s heart forever a part of hometown
By Suzanne Barnes- The Cedar Rapids Gazette suzanne.barnes@gazettecommunications.com
The wine at The Secret Cellar in Shueyville is effervescent, and owner Lauren Chalupsky-Cannon fits that description, too.
Although she lives in Cedar Rapids now, part of her heart remains with her hometown.
Chalupsky-Cannon grew up about a mile down the road where her parents own and operate Chalupsky Landscaping and Nursery.
“Shueyville is a great community,” she said. People are supportive of her business and, “lucky for me, the attitude is growth,” she said.
“The community needs more services and wants more.” Sometimes they come to her for those services. In addition to wines, custom-made gift baskets and all the gourmet cheeses, crackers, chocolate and other goodies that go into them, The Secret Cellar also offers dry cleaning pickup, propane and bags of ice.
The dry cleaning driver tells her she has more cleaning than some of his Cedar Rapids stops.
The Secret Cellar, which she opened in 2004, is not all that takes Chalupsky-Cannon’s attention. She also teaches several courses at Kirkwood Community College on business writing, wines and other alcohols.
Shueyville’s “beverage oasis,” though, is her passion.
Once a month in the warm months, she has an outdoor wine-tasting event with music and a theme, like Full Moon in June or Hot August Nights.
A couple of the events are dedicated to charities, such as Dr. DeAnn Fitzgerald’s non-profit Spanda Inc., which provides services, equipment, resources and training in eye care and general health for at-risk populations, and Witty Kitties, Inc., which provides care and shelter to cats with specific chronic medical needs as well as rescue, care and appropriate housing for a variety of reptiles. Witty Kitties is located a couple of miles from The Secret Cellar.
She likes using her business to help others, she said.
“It’s a win for everyone.” At one time, Chalupsky-Cannon couldn’t wait to say “so long” to Shueyville. After earning an undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa, she headed west to Arizona. While working on her master’s in English at Arizona State, she was employed at the Hiatt Regency in Scottsdale.
She said it was important for hotel employees to know wine and wine and food pairings. However, she also went to every educational program offered and volunteered to work every time a wine maker came in to speak. She was fascinated by the different kinds of wine, she said, and also did a lot of reading on her own.
After she completed her degree at Arizona State, Chalupsky-Cannon taught at an international school in Chicago, then spent a year in South Korea working on promotional materials for the government and teaching law students conversational English. She smiles as she said when she left, she told her parents, “I’m never coming back.” She’s learned, though, there is no place else she’d rather be than Shueyville.
“This is the best place to live in the world,” she said.
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