Uncorked Answers – Wine Not Ask Monika?
Your pressing questions answered!
From bottled mysteries to corked curiosities, Monika is your guide through the wonderful world of wine. She’ll help you raise a glass with confidence, grape expectations included, and decant the details you need to know. So go ahead—wine a little, learn a lot, and let’s get sippin’ through terroir!
Wait, who is Monika?
Meet Monika — the Market Basket’s resident wine expert and the go-to guru for all things poured, corked, or capped. With 24 years at Market Basket and a WSET Level 3 certification, she brings world-class expertise to the aisles of our Waltham MB Spirits location. As an Assistant Store Manager and Wine Specialist, Monika knows her way around everything from a bold Bordeaux to a crisp sake — and yes, she can even steer you toward the perfect local pick for your Friday night unwind.
Beloved by the Waltham community, Monika’s got a knack for matching every occasion (and personality) with the perfect bottle. Whether you’re toasting big wins, pairing dinner perfection, or just trying not to panic in the Pinot aisle, you can count on Monika to make it easy — and fun.
So next time you’re in Waltham, wine not ask Monika? If you can’t go visit the Waltham store, don’t worry, she has a few questions answered below to get started.
The Q&A Pour:
Q1: What’s a good wine for beginners?
A: Approach with curiosity. What you like is personal. My personal philosophy is to drink what you like, like what you drink. For beginners, I would recommend starting out with light bodied wines with lower alcohol content with little to no tannins (bitterness) such as Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, or a fruit forward red Zinfandel.
Also explore bubbles like extra dry prosecco, Brachetto d’Acqui, Lambrusco, Spumante, Champagnes with sec or doux in the label, or Crémant d’Alsace.
Q2:What’s the best wine under $15/$20?
A: A few of my favorites to grab are: Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Montepulciano, Valpolicella, Chianti, Beaujolais Village, Macon-Villages Chardonnay,
Mendoza Cabernet, Alsatian Pinot Blanc, Finger Lakes Riesling, Oregon Pinot Gris
Q3: How many bottles of wine should I buy for dinner?
A: Each bottle of wine is 25 oz, some suggest 5 oz pours, 5 pours per bottle but who measures? With generous pours, that would make it four glasses per a bottle, half a bottle per person. Two bottles for dinner would suffice for a party of two, 4 bottles for a party of 4 and so on..
Q4: What wine goes best with Thanksgiving Turkey?
A: Red Pinot Noir – red fruit forward, light, subtle spice, cranberry, earthiness pairs extremely well with turkey and sides. Others you could try are: Red Zinfandel, Cotes du Rhone (GSM), Beaujolais-Villages or another Gamay producer. All these wines would work with vegetarian dishes as well.
For White wine, try a dry Riesling like Alsatian or ones from the finger lakes
There are some local wines that produce cranberry, rhubarb and blueberry wines that would be fun to have as well, such as Nashoba Valley Winery.
Q5: What type of wine should I get as a gift?
A: Champagne! Honestly, think about the person or people you are buying for. Would they prefer red or white? Sweet or dry? Opt-in for well known varietals from well known locations like Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Red Zinfandel, Provence Rosé.
Q6: Are boxed wines any good?
A: Yes! The stigma around boxed wines are fading. Many high quality producers are opting for boxed packaging. The wines also lasts longer due to air tight preservation.
Q7: What’s the difference between dry and sweet wines?
A: Residual sugar content. During the process of fermentation, yeast consumes grape sugar to create alcohol. If the process stops early, sugar remains, resulting in sweeter wines and perception. Dry wines have little to no residual sugar, giving them more of a crisp, clean and sometimes bitter taste. Also – a wine’s perceived sweetness or dryness can be influenced by things like acidity and tannins. The sensation of astringency or grippy tannins make a wine seem drier even with sugar present.
Check back here for updates and more questions answered by Monika! Be sure to stop by our MB Spirits stores to pick up our Mix & Match Magazine, where you’ll get all the latest selections and deals in our store!