Wine Rant

Valentine's Gifts for Wine Lovers

So the story of Laurie Kennedy and I goes all the way back to a stolen kiss behind the Harbor High gymnasium in Santa Cruz, Ca.  It was like the greatest kiss of my life, you know the kind that always leaves you wondering what if...

Fact of the matter is being the marrying type she is happily married and living the American Dream. We have kept in touch over the years, I'm the uncle her kids never wanted.  So on one of my semi annual visits Laurie and I started talking about her setting up an online business.  We definitely share a mutual love for wine, so it was a natural match to combine this with her outstanding ability with people and come up with an online wine gift boutique.  She named it Vinamor.com and she never looked back.  Who would have thought there was so much change in wine gifts?

She tells me that it isn't the products as much as it is the customer service.  When someone orders something for themselves online and it gets screwed up it's one thing, but when you order a gift online... well that is something completely different.  The recipient may be a really important client or an "I'm just waiting for you to screw up so I can have a reason to never forgive you" mother-in-law. So I can understand what Laurie is trying to accomplish.

Anyway I told her once it was up and running and looking pretty good I would give her a plug... so I'm plugging.  So check out her great selection of Valentine's Day Gifts and if you want to find out what I'm recommending then read on my friends:

Coq Au Vin Recipe

This Coq au Vin recipe is one of my favorite snowy winter night comfort foods.  One has to try hard to think of anything better than a bubbly dish of Coq au Vin, steamy peasant bread slathered with butter and a healthy glass of Pinot to wash it all down.  If it gets any better than that I want to know about it.  This recipe was passed down to me from Chef Bill at the Fay Club, a private social club in Fitchburg, Mass.   He wrote a post a while back on Seasoning Food Simply.

Coq au Vin was traditionally made from a 12 month old rooster, preferably one who has become a pain in the butt with his mistimed crowing at all hours of the night and morning. The red wine was needed to tenderize the meat. Since 12 month old roosters are hard to come by down at the local Safeway store one might prefer to hunt down a local organic free-ranged chicken.  They get pretty firm after running around all day. I don't know about you but I'm ready for some Coq au Vin.

Spinich and Cheese Strata

My good friend Sarah came over for a late champagne brunch a couple of weeks ago to introduce me to her friend Mike. They brought a marvolous Spinach and Egg Strata. Sarah knows I love Strata, but she generally make them too spicy for Champagne. This time however she brought one made specifically to work with the Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blanc.

Strata is easy to make and hard to mess up.  Its name refers to its many layers and truly once you put the eggs and bread together just about anything hanging in the fridge can be thrown into the dish.  Now you might notice how Sarah worked my love for Reggiano, we do think fondly of each other. She also knows the house rules and handed over the recipe for publication on Wine Rant once I expressed my eternal love for her and her Strata.  I'm not sure what Mike thought about all of this, but considering he's Sarah's boyfriend of the month it doesn't matter too much cuz by the time he figures it out well... no more Strata for Mike.

The Art of Seasoning Food Simply

Ya know, one would think that with all of the cooking shows, cooking schools, and celebrity chefs around, that there would be more people in the restaurant industry who could cook.  I have seen the industry changed to the point where it is now almost romanticized. 

But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself here.   I’m Chef Bill and contrary to what you may have read in the book “Kitchen Confidential”, I’m not a drug crazed, sex starved, and megalomaniac.  Instead I’m just someone who has raised his family by pursuing what he loves working in restaurants for 20 years.  I've created food in small restaurants, gourmet catering companies, convention style hotels (room service, restaurants, banquets etc…), and currently I’m Executive Chef for the Fay Club, a private social club in Fitchburg, Mass. 

Perhaps I am an exception to the rule, but I am relatively low key, and laid back.  However, I do have my pet peeves, and they usually come up when I go out to eat. So sue me... I think food should have some taste, maybe make a statement, or god forbid take one on an adventure.  If I wanted flavorless, institutional food, I would eat at the local hospital cafeteria. 

Fonterutoli 2002 Chianti Classico

The Fonterutoli 2002 Chianti Classicois another regular Chianti that benefited from better grapes destined for Fonterutoi's top cuvee that wasn’t made in ’02 because of the poor vintage. A friend turned me onto the Fonterutoli 2002 Chianti Classico and it was a real surprise. This just unscores my belief there are always bargins to be found no matter how ugly the vintage.

Another bonus is Wine.com has Fonterutoli 2002 Chianti Classico for around $16.00 marked down from $29.00. What a great deal for a chianti of quality. Although it is drinking well right now the Fonterutoli 2002 Chianti Classico has the tannins to make it stand up for a few more years. This is not a multiple case everyday wine, so I would suggest 6 or so bottles for the cellar.

Orecchiette with Lentils

I was flipping through an old Gourmet and saw this recipe for Orecchiette with Lentils and had to give it a try. Orecchiette means ear in Italian and this pasta definitely resembles a small ear. They're about 3/4 of an inch across, slightly domed, and their centers are thinner than their rims. This characteristic that gives them an interestingly variable texture; soft in the middle and somewhat chewier outside. They also act as a little bowl to hold any sauce you might want to serve.

I buy my Orecchiette at iGourmet.com who I found carries a brand La Pasta de Marquisate which uses flour milled from wheat grown on the Marquisate of Crotone which has been growing superior wheat with handcrafted workmanship since at least the time of Pythagoras who origins are part of the areas legend.

I am matching Orecchiette with Lentils to Fonterutoli 2002 Chianti Classico. The 2002 vintage was not a one of the greats, but this wine was the recipient of grapes destined for a top Cuvee' that wasn't made due to the poor vintage. This wine has lots of character to help step up some of the blandness of this dish, and it's big tannins are a great match for the Parmigano Reggiano.

Swimming in Wine?

So this is nuts, but I wish I knew about it before my current girlfriend Kako left for her native Japan. So in the land of the outrageously trendy in general and Kanagawa in particular they have decided to open an amusement park of hot spring fed spas, including, no shit a spa filled with wine. Now that is cool.  I've shared a couple of bathtubs filled with Champagne with a couple of honeys now and again but a freaking swimming pool? Wow, great thinking.  Read more about this at our friends from Jaunted:

Wine Travel: Soaking in Vino in Japan

Better Wine through Biodynamics

The #1 wine, Joseph Phelps Insignia, of Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines in 2005 was grown biodynamically, and everyone started asking what is this biodynamic thing.  Part common sense, part cosmic new age froo froo there are now some 40 biodynamic wineries in the United States,and growing.  Obviously with a serious winery like Joseph Phelps in the play there must be something to the whole concept.  Mother Jones magazine has an interesting article on biodynamics below and I'll be posting more on the whole concept as time goes by.  Enjoy!

The Yield of Magical Thinking: Better Agriculture Through Cosmic Rituals

Vietnam is holding a Wine Challenge.

Wine expert Robert Joseph, acclaimed author and chairperson of the Viet Nam International Wine Challenge 2007, speaks with Caitlin Worsham to discuss food and wine in Viet Nam and what this unique charity event has to offer:

Wine chairman Robert Joseph spills all.

Dry Farming Wine a Better Way?

Once again viticulturists are proving using sustainable methods i.e. saving water produces a better product.  It's interesting that this article states that the wine that helped put Napa Valley on the world map was dry farmed.  Here are a couple of articles put out by our friends at Wines and Vines touting the restriction of water in growing fine wine:

Off-Dry Farming

Dry, Dry Again

Red Wine Headaches - The Truth

The most common (and annoying) conversation I have with people is based upon a myth that sulfites can cause a headache when drinking red wine. I've found people who wish to believe they have an allergy are exceedingly hard to convince otherwise, no matter how much evidence is produced contrary to their belief.  20 years ago the FDA determined approximately 1% of the population of the United States is allergic to sulfites, yet I think about 50% of the women I talk to think they suffer from this sever allergy, and use this as an excuse for the headache they get after drinking a couple of glasses of red.  They should be glad they don't suffer from this malady, as the symptoms are sever and in some cases life threatening. See About.com Article on Sulfite Allergies for more information about sulfite allergies.

While amines are not a definitive culprit because there has not been a scientific peer reviewed study conducted on this subject most of us believe this to be the cause as everything else has pretty much been eliminated.  So now that we know the cause, how about we go for a cure. Claritin taken an hour before drinking red wine works wonders.  If you need a more natural solution Black Tea contains Quercetin, a bioflavonoid found in black tea, significantly inhibits the headache/flush response (which is an inflammatory effect from histamines), and drinking a cup or two before heading out to imbibe will do the trick for a lot of people.

Finally researchers at the University of California Berkeley have developed a machine that will measure the amount of biogenic amines, such as tyramine and histamine naturally found in wine and other fermented, aged and pickled foods.  It is about the size of a suitcase at this point but an inventor and entrepreneur Richard Mathies is working to develop one that is smaller than a PDA so those of us suffering from OCD can test our foods before enjoying them. You can read more about this here:

Red Wine Headaches: The Real Culprit Caught at Last!

Organic Winemaking Gaining Ground in Napa Valley

Napa Green and a companion program — Napa Green Winery — are being driven by an advisory committee that has been meeting monthly for the past year to develop a sustainable system that is flexible enough to meet winery needs and at the same time compliant with federal, state and local regulations and objectives. Here is the low down:

Napa Green organic system gaining ground in valley

Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blanc

Starting off a day with sparkling wine is my idea of a sunny day. Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blanc is a double winner, not only earning a 89 from Wine Spectator magazine, but it's only around $10 bucks.   So I can act the consumate host and pour multiple bottles at Sunday Morning Brunch and not have to worry about going broke. Like the winemaker says, if your looking at picking a straight chardonnay, especially one that is aged in stainless, then look at Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blanc instead.  I especially like it with Tapas, and in fact I paired it up with my Russian Salad Recipe.

Wine.com has Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blanc for around $10. Remember Christmas and New Years is coming, so if you like it you might want to stock up.

2007 California Wine Harvest Report

Our friends at Wines and Vines have posted a wonderful report on the 2007 California Wine Harvest: Califonia Vintage 2007: A Tale of Three Harvests.

The Report is long and intensive with comments from many different vintners. If your feeling lazy here is a chart they provided of how the different AVA's survived the 2007 California Wine Harvest:

2007 CALIFORNIA WINE HARVEST AT A GLANCE

County/AVA	Good News	Bad News
Alexander Valley	"Ideal growing season"	Sauvignon Blanc off 25-40%
Carneros & Sonoma Valley	Small Pinot clusters, good numbers	Chardonnay down 10%
Dry Creek Valley	Great balance, big wines	September dehydration
Lake County	"Incredible" Sauvignon Blanc	November weather in October
Mendocino County	"Interesting odyssey," "European harvest"	Pinot yields off dramatically
Napa Valley	Quality should be very good	Will vary in late-harvested Cabernet
Paso Robles	High acids, Brix levels	Some freeze damage, west side
Russian River	Pinot, Chard "acids are lovely	Very light Pinot crop
Santa Barbara	Excellent color, flavors for Pinot, Syrah	Yields down 30%
Santa Lucia Highlands	Darkest Pinot seeds "ever"	Tonnage off by half
Sierra Foothills	Very little rain damage	"Rolling the dice" with late Zinfandel
Temecula	Higher yields	Worker shortages

Cop a buzz and feel food about it.

So this is a pretty cool thing.  In case you have been living outside our wonderful milky way galaxy you'll know about the Newman's Own Brand launched by Actor Paul Newman.  Starting in 1982 with salad dressing in old wine bottles with parchment labels, Newman's Own donates all profits to educational and charitable causes in order to use "Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good." Now they have paired up with Rebel Wine Company to create a Chardonnay and a Cabernet at around $16 a bottle to further their good works.  So now I can get cop a buzz and help the world at the same time.  Righteous!

Newman's Own(R) Introduces New California Wines

Russian Salad

Russian Salad Tapas Recipe

From Wikipedia: The original version of the salad was invented in the 1860s by Lucien Olivier, the chef of the Hermitage Restaurant, one of Moscow's most celebrated restaurants. Olivier's salad quickly became immensely popular with Hermitage regulars, and perhaps, the restaurant's signature dish. The exact recipe -- particularly that of the dressing -- was a jealously guarded secret, but it is known that the salad contained grouse, veal tongue, caviar, lettuce, crayfish tails, capers, gherkins, cucumbers, hardboiled eggs and soy beans. Other reported ingredients included truffles, cubed aspic and smoked duck, although it is possible that the recipe was varied seasonally. However, the dish certainly did not contain potatoes -- the main ingredient in today's Salade Russe a/k/a Salade Olivier.

The version I am posting here is an evolution of the original version which uses Yukon Gold potatoes which are my favorite potatoes for texture, taste and ease to purchase.

Wine Pairing for Russian Salad: Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blanc

Tortilla Espanola

Tortilla Espanola - A Tapas Recipe

Most Americans, whether from the north or the south think of tortillas as a flat corn or wheat based thin wrapping used for tacos, burritos and enchiladas.  In Spain a tortilla is a thick, creamy, potato omelet which mostly resembles a frittata.  Tortilla Espanola is also known as a Spanish Omelet this dish lends itself to all kinds of additions and changes.  The recipe I'm posting is traditional and is many times eaten on top a piece of grilled bread. Served as tapas add gherkins and olives in addition to the grilled bread.  If your making this recipe for as a main course instead of tapas, Chorizo, garlic, mushrooms, spinach and asparagus are all popular additions.

Wine Pairing for Tortilla Espanola: 2005 Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha

Mirepoix

The holy trinity of French cooking is the Mirepoix a really fancy term for sauted or roasted onions, carrots and celery. Although I have to admit, Mirepoix is probably a good word to pull out on a first date. As I've said before chicks dig men who can cook. When creating soup, stews, braised meats, sauces, or stock we start with a Mirepoix. Usually I saute' the mixture in butter and / or olive oil, but if I'm making stew or brown stock I'll roast the Mirepoix with the bones to caramelize the veggies and impart an earthier flavor and sweetness. If you really want to impress someone this is called the Maillard reaction which is a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a sugar and a form of non-enzymatic browning.  The result is flavor compounds are released by the score, and your cooking takes a step up.  Also some cooks use bacon or ham to increase the flavor, but I don't because I don't eat pork and you obviously wouldn't want to this ingredient to your Mirepoix if you are creating a vegetarian recipe or cooking for any numbers of individuals from other cultures. In these cases try throwing in some mushrooms to achieve a similar effect.

The usual ratio of ingredients for a Mirepoix is 2:1:1 onions, carrots and celery, although this can also be adjusted depending on the recipe. When making a white sauce parsnips are substituted in Mirepoix as to eliminate the color imparted by carnitine. For cook times under and hour I usually dice the vegetables as shown in the picture. Over an hour I don't worry about it and just chunk it up and strain it through a china cap after your done.

Kim Crawford 2006 Sauvignon Blanc

The Kim Crawford 2006 Sauvignon Blanc is a great chick wine and another in a series of perfect Sauvignon Blancs made by Kim Crawford. As those of you who are regular readers know I'm not a fan of wine rating systems that give wines like the Kim Crawford 2006 Sauvignon Blanc 90 - 92 scores out of 100 just because they are Sauvignon Blancs. This wine is a perfect example of what a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc should be so why not give it a 98+. Anyway I was looking for a great little bottle to pair with my Lobster Thermidor recipe, and this wine popped into my head. Usually I would look for something rich and creamy (possibly a California Chardonnay or a Washington Vioginer) to go with lobster, but this dish is so damn rich it demands the opposite in a wine. Something crisp and cleansing with lots of fruit and the Kim Crawford 2006 Sauvignon Blanc is the ticket to ride.

If you need to purchase this online once again I'm going to point you to Wine.com because from what I gather they bought a ton of the Kim Crawford 2006 Sauvignon Blanc. However this wine is pretty common with 86,000 cases imported so you'll probably be able to find it locally at a little better price. Where ever you buy it, get a bunch. This wine is a secret weapon in matters of the heart.

Lobster Thermidor

1941 Lobster Thermidor Recipe from Gourmet Magazine

First appearing in Gourmet magazine in 1941, this Lobster Thermidor Recipe has been the mainstay of restaurant and home chefs for over 6 decades. I substituted Madera for Sherry in the original Lobster Thermidor recipe because it adds a bit more flavor.  I also add saffron to punch up the color.  Other than that everything is the same as the original recipe.  There is a rumor this dish was served first to Nepolean Boneparte and he named it after the 11th month, Thermidor, of the French Revolutionary Calender. This is an interesting story but wikipedia has it's 1894 conception in the kitchen of Marie's, a Paris restaurant near the theatre Comédie Française, to honor the opening of the play Thermidor by Victorien Sardou. Who knows and really who cares... this dish is food sex.

Lobster Thermidor Wine Pairing: 2006 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

Lobster Bisque Recipe

Cheryl's Favorite Lobster Bisque Recipe

I always know it's going to be a good meal when Lobster Bisque is one of the starters on the menu. Lobster Bisque turns out best when provided an inordinate amount of attention.  It's well worth the extra effort so it turns out smooth, rich and just a shade of burnt orange.  The 2005 Etude Carneros Pinot Noir is the perfect match for this dish with it's earthy tones reminiscent of mushroom that matches well with the seabreeziness of the bisque itself. Yes it is expensive, but good Pinot tends to be expensive and the last thing you want is a fruit bomb with this dish.  So give yourself permission to splurge, and remember to share.

Wine Pairing for Lobster Bisque: 2005 Etude Carneros Pinot Noir

New Touring and Tasting Room Map of Carneros Wineries

Before your next trip to the mecca of all things wine, Napa Valley, pick up the new Touring and Tasting Room map of the wineries of Carneros. This easy to use and pleasing to the eye creation is now available for The Carneros Wine Alliance free of charge per your request to info@carneros.com or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope with 41 cents first class postage to: Carneros Wine Alliance, 4048 Sonoma Highway, Napa, CA 94559.

Have fun and remember to hug your designated driver.
 

Pinot Noir gets caught in it's underwear

Findings confirm Pinot Noir contains more genes than human DNA By Jenny Barchfield, Associated Press

PARIS - Critics who praise the "complexity" of red Burgundy and champagne are on target. A team of French and Italian researchers has mapped the genome of the pinot noir grape, used to make bubbly and many red wines from France's Burgundy region and around the world - and it has about 30,000 genes in its DNA. That's more than the human genome, which contains some 20,000 to 25,000 genes.

The team published its findings in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, saying it identified the nearly half a billion chemical building blocks of Pinot Noir DNA. Certain sequences of these building blocks form genes, like letters spelling words.

New-age biodynamic wine production grows

More on the thoughts of using a 100 year old system that appears to be voodoo to some while appearing perfectly natural to others.  All I have to say on the matter is that I have visited biodynamic farms in the Midwest and they are some of the most productive I've seen.  Biodynamics takes organic one step further and the results are fascinating.  It is my belief that biodynamics creates a greater focus on the plants specifically and on the farm in general.  Rather than spraying with organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertiliziers and then going on to mass production farming as usual, biodynamics focuses the farmer on the specific needs of the plants... and maybe that is what helps with production.  Anyway this article is a good read:

Biodynamic Wine Production Grows

Planet Earth Award Goes to Bald Hills Pinot Noir

I wish I could get a hold of a bottle of 2005 Bald Hills Pinot Noir. If anyone happens to runs into a bottle or 6 let me know because I would like to review it, and put some away in the casket.

Scoop: Sustainability Proves Winning Path for New Zealand Winery Bald Hills

Wine is constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy

I was born in Toledo (don't let that get around), so you can imagine how proud I am to see the Toledo Blade write an article damning the evil empires.

toledoblade.com -- Stomping on consumer choice

Wine shipping bill signed by governor of Illinois

So if you have friends, family or business clients in Illinois forget sending them a wine gift this holiday season.  Brick and mortar retailers that are out there lobbying legislatures in this and many of the other states are missing the whole point of the Supreme Court decision two years ago.  The idea is to not restrict commerce, but to allow a free flow of all goods and services across state lines.

So here's the bad news:

The Stew - A taste of Chicago's food, wine and dining scene | Chicago Tribune | Blog

The good news is Wine.com has told me it is opening a store in Illinois to circumvent the law.

Wine Clubs to Raise Money for Dogs

Last week a potential investor inquired as to why I would chose to involve myself in the wine industry. My answer was simple: I like the buzz of helping friends come together with food and wine.  After all the best times of my life have almost without fail involved these three elements.  We also talked about the popularity of wine clubs, and their potential for the 2000 to 4000 case producers who aren't big enough to catch the attention of the evil distributors.

So imagine my interest when I saw this article: Two Buck Mutt – A Must Have Holiday Gift for Pet Lovers and Wine Enthusiasts.

Now we can party and do good things for the planet... what an outstanding idea, I think I'll get started on Monday.

Don Rodolfo Malbec 2005

The Don Rodolfo 2005 Malbec is the perfect little bottle of red for those hard to pair mexican dishes such as Chili Rellenos. Mexican food is always a challenge to pair with wine becuase of it's unique flavor combinations. With the exception of big meat dishes like Carne Asada where a big red goes best, I like a lighter bodied red with substance to go with mexican dishes. The Don Rodolfo 2005 Malbec fits this bill perfectly.

Don Rodolfo 2005 Malbec can be found at Wine.com. for around $10.00. I've looked for this in other places but haven't been able to find it. If you find it somewhere else at a better price please leave a comment so everyone can find it.

Irish Beef Stew

So you have bought yourself a couple of bottles of Red Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon and you're ready to make amends to your friends for doing an Irish gig in public. This is the Irish Beef Stew recipe I promised would be the centerpiece of a dinner your friends will be raving about for months.  If you really want to impress I suggest you serve it with Irish Brown Bread with a artery clogging portion of Irish butter.  Don't skimp on the traditional ingredients, it far to easy to plan ahead a bit and to achieve the authenticity required to take your cooking from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Notice this recipe of Irish Beef Stew calls for Guinness Stout. This replaces the sugar found in most traditional Irish Beef Stew Recipes. I would suggest you drink wine with this meal, not beer... unless of course you don't like wine. Wait a minute, you don't like wine?  Why are you reading this blog? Oh, you want the recipe? Well here it is:

2004 Red Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon

The Save 20% when you buy 6 or more wines from a selected list at Wine.com. Enter promo code TODAYSDEAL. Offer valid: 10.04.07 – 10.31.07. is such a sweet deal for a rock star bottle of juice you might just want to bust out into a jig. Of course your friends will make fun of you. So if you do happen to spontaneously find your Irish roots, grab a couple of bottles of Red Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon and have your friends over for a nice Irish Beef Stew, served with a steam coming out of the middle fresh loaf of homemade bread slathered with real butter and  partake in the feast of the senses. I promise all will once again be well with your social world.

Wine.com has the 2004 Red Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon for under 10 bucks by a few cents. Plus there is a 10% discount for case orders, so this is a perfect wine to serve often. Did I mention it's a great food wine? It's also inexpensive enough you can buy a few cases and use it as one of the reds at your next Christmas party type event.

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates buys California Icon

Once again Washington is showing it's willingness to play with the big boys by buying the love of California wine icon Warren Winiarski. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates owns more than 3,500 acres of vineyards in the Columbia Valley, and is known for producing Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Its Washington vineyards include Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, Northstar and Spring Valley.  See the article:

Ste. Michelle estates, Italian partner buy Napa Valley winery

I've been saying for a long time Washington State wineries arguably make some of the best wines in the world, and now the best of them are starting to reach out into the global market.

To Cork or Not to Cork.... this IS the question.

From the Portland Oregon Business Journal half the people don't care what the juice is closed with they just want it to be good.  12 percent said they have better things to worry about (like getting a buzz?).  Lots of comments and I think the tide is finally tuning against the failure rate of one out of every 20 bottles of fine wine.

Here's the scoop:

Poll: Wine screw caps OK

Global Warming - Time to Move?

Living in North Idaho so I'm both close to Washington Wine Country and several major ski resorts, I'm ready to grow some Cabernet... although that may interfere with skiing.  Geez... can't we just have our cake and eat it too?  After all what good is cake unless you eat it (ducking as someone throws one at me.)  Anyway a funny little read:

Napa Valley Register | On Wine: Global warming

Technorati Tags: global warming, viticulture

Luxury Wine Spas - An Oenophile's Dream Come True

Need I say more?
10 luxury wine spas - MSNBC.com

Technorati Tags: Wine Travel, Luxury Travel

Pacific Rim Established as Independent Winery

Randell Grahm and his newest, latest, greatest obsession.... Riesling.  Now I happen to be a fan of Riesling and I think Washington State is producing some of the best in the world,  my question is... Randell are you going to put those cool spaceships on the label?
Pacific Rim Established as Independent Winery


Technorati Tags: Randell Graham, Bonny Doon Winery, Riesling

Sidetracks to Great Wine

An article by Michael Franz from winereviewonline.com comments on ten great places to get yourself sidetracked next time your traveling on business or pleasure. Being who and what I am, I am always traveling with a wine destination in mind, so it never occurred to me to write an article on finding wine diversions when traveling for other reasons.

Sidetracks to Great Wine: Ten Top Destinations

New Book About the Rise and Fall of the Mondavi Family

This book by Flynn Siler contributing editor to the Wall Street Journal is a modern day tale of flying to high toward the sun.  Flynn spent over 525 hours conducting interviews with more than 250 people, including the principal members of the Mondavi family.  She also spent hundreds of hours pouring through 10’s of thousands of pages of court and corporate documents.

The book can be pre-ordered online at Booksense.com, an independent retailer, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

For more information check out: Wine Business.com - Wine News.

Braised Short Rib Recipe

So why a braised short rib recipe? Well yesterday afternoon, a sloshy Sunday with just enough cold in the air to warrant a fire, I had a bottle of Hogue 2003 Genesis Cabernet Sauvignon decanting on the wine table. Catching myself ruminating over spring, the time change and all things non winter, I decided it was time for a couple of friends and some comfort food. So I opened another bottle, called Mary and Todd and went to the store to pick up some short ribs. Braised short ribs are right up there with chicken and dumplings when it comes to comfort food, and this braised short rib recipe is the shit. So immediately upon returning home I pour myself a glass of the Hogue Genesis Cabernet Sauvignon and headed to the kitchen to rattle some pans.

Penley Estate 2004 Hyland Shiraz and Rosemary-Roasted Lamb With Pan Juices

This weekend was a time to "spring-forward" both in time and out of the deathly blanketed doldrums of winter. I felt like celebrating myself and all I have accomplished in the previous year so I roasted a leg of lamb, and paired it with a Connawarra Shiraz that has all the spit and spat of a $40 bottle for less than half. I'm talking about Penley Estate 2004 Hyland Shiraz and ohhh what a way to roar like a lion. This incredible value bottle of wine (scored 95 by James Holiday and 91 by Robert Parker) when paired with lamb is a complex crimson calvary of culinary collusion. With it's huge cherry, current and bramble berries flowing into plenty of oak with a rich, velvety medium bodied finish this wine is the perfect companion for the lamb. Kym Tolley has been involved in winemaking for over 25 years, and has been directly involved in many of the vintages of the category leader Penfold's Grange. This wine will be drinking well for at least a decade so I suggest buying a case of the Penley Estate 2004 Hyland Shiraz you'll kick yourself if you don't.

Back to the recipe:

So do yourself a favor and have the man in white with the long, sharp knifes butterfly the leg of lamb for you, then when you get home you can enjoy your first glass of Penley Estate 2004 Hyland Shiraz while putting together the marinade your going to dredge the lamb though every once in a while over the next 24 hours.

A Week in LA

The first two days it was all about sun and spray. Considering the amount of skin I'm shedding probably a bit too much of each for my less than protected head. Erin, my daughter who is going to school 500 miles up the coast in Santa Cruz, met me at LAX. No baggage emotional or otherwise was checked this weekend, so it was off to pick up the Sebring convertible I rented for the two days we were to be together. Top down and meandering aimlessly up the coast toward the unknown we found a great little sports bar to slam down hot pastrami and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It certainly felt rich to be at the beach and the views (human and otherwise) were sensational. It may seem a strange twist therefore when one learns of our destination for the evening. We were on a quest to meet a fellow wizard, and when meeting a wizard is on the agenda, one takes whatever risks necessary to complete the stated goal.

New York Strip Steak with Olives Provencial

Last night Amore' came to visit in the shape of a 5'10 inch brunette haired, blue eyed goddess named Bridgette. I met her on the Quad at Schweitzer and we spent the afternoon chasing each other through several inches of powder, ear to ear grins frozen on our faces. So I thought dinner was in order... and I offered a New York Strip at my place. She accepted.

This dish is typically made with pitted, brine-cured black olives (Kalamata or Niçois work well). Accompany the steaks with Plantin Dried Forest Mushrooms rehydrated in a bit of red wine and sautéed in butter with garlic and herbs. I served them with truffle whipped potatoes and tender asparagus with butter. For dessert.... I just happened to have some strawberries and I always keep a jar of Knipschildt Spiced Chocolate Sauce around for special occasions such as these.

The wines were easy... Veuve Clicquot Brut before and after, Col Solare 2002 during.

Daily whine 2/20/07

So today we are looking at wine travel and the coming of the year of the pig. 3 new wineries are opening on Bainbridge Island outside of Seattle, Washington wines just seeming to keep coming and coming and coming and coming... sort of like the energizer bunny except red (and some awfully good whites). There is also an article on how your Chinese astrology sign effects your wine tastes... hmmmmmm.

On the blog side of things Wine-Girl takes a look at how we travel for food and wine, and finally an article on Tapa's... a wine friendly diet.

News Articles

Cheers! New wineries to open! - bainbridgereview.com
What's Your Sign/Wine? - thestar.com.my

Blog Postings

Will Travel for Food (and Wine) - wine-girl.net

The tapas diet - Hamoptonroads.com

That's it for today... Enjoy and Salud!

Valentine's Daily Whine

So what I'm doing today is saving your butt. Face it... it is Valentine's Day and if you haven't put together your menu yet.... well let's just say your not working real well with Cupid! Lucky for you I'm in between sweethearts this year so I'll be spending my evening with Logos and Sophia... my very amorous cats. This leaves me plenty of time to post a few, easy yet awesome recipes so you can look as if you've put a lot of thought into you evening.

Don't forget to pick up some roses and candles when your out getting the ingredients for one or more of these recipes. And just in case your really lame... the rose petals go on the bed, and the candles around the bed. Get this one mixed up and things could get quite a bit hotter than you may want.

Mags and Rags

Poached Salmon with Caper-Butter Sauce - PostCresent.com

The article below has some great pairings!!

A marriage sure to last: Food and Wine - DemocratandChronicle.com

The Blogosphere

Poached Pears and Moscato d'Asti - SoGood.tv
TOE NIBBLERS. A Valentine’s Day Chocolate splender - SoulDish.com
Happy Valentine's Day: What's For Dinner My Love? - TeamSugar.com
Romantic Recipes - D.C. Gastronome
Houstonist Cooks: Valentine's Dinner No. 2 - Houstonist.com

That's it for today... Enjoy and Salud!