Vindulge

Chardonnays that will keep you warm this winter

It’s true.  I drink white wine in the winter. A lot of it actually.  And I know I’m not the only one.  My friend Ryan even has a whole website devoted strictly to white wines from the Pacific Northwest because he too is a year round fan (check it out!).  There’s something about drinking white wine in the winter that is refreshing to me, often reminding me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, or rather hope for a warm and sun filled summer coming my way!  But more importantly I believe (and want you to understand) these wines are not just for warmer weather, but to be enjoyed throughout the year given you find the right style for each season. 

There are many hearty white wines out there that can comfort you even during a heavy winter snowstorm.  I should know, I’ve experienced way too many of these already this winter.  So ditch the idea that the only thing that can keep you warm is a glass of hearty red wine and a roaring fire.  White wines can be just as comforting and can even go with some of the heavier comfort foods we indulge in during these cold and dreary months.

Just to prove this point I spent last week (where we had two significant snow storms and an average high temperature of about 25 degrees) drinking white wines, most of them Chardonnays, to see which would hold up to not only the weather, but the heartier foods of winter. 

Why Chardonnay?  Well to me Chardonnay is a solid year-round wine.  They come in all different styles, light crisp and unoaked, rich buttery and bold, and those that fit somewhere right in between.  For winter months, I recommend those that lie in the middle to the heavier, richer styles.  I also hope to break some of the bad stereotypes of this popular grape.

I know way too many people who subscribe to the ABC notion of wine (“Anything But Chardonnay”), which is basically a revolt against Chardonnay, thinking it is simply an "old mundane standby".  Mundane? I beg to differ.  There are also those who are anti-Chardonnay as a revolt against a heavy over-oaked style which once plagued California and gave it a bad rap.  But I know better than that.  I am a proud fan of said grape and I truly believe there is a Chardonnay for all palates (just as I do bubbles, but that’s another post), it’s just about finding a style that’s right for you and your own palate. 

Below are three that I recommend, all from California, all around the same price point, and none of them are “oak bombs” proving that even many California producers have moved away from that once popular (now overdone) style of Chardonnay that used to be the norm for the region.

2008 Waterstone Carneros Chardonnay   

Bright, crisp citrus favors on the nose (lemon, pineapple, grapefruit), with some vanilla aromas.  Mouthwatering on the palate with rich flavors of caramel, green apple, apple pie spices, and more vanilla.  The wine is medium bodied, not too heavy but certainly not light, and would be a great match for a hearty pasta dish with a cream based sauce, wine sauce, or even paired with roast chicken. 

Winery:  Waterstone Winery
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Oak Aging: 9 months in French oak
Appellation: Carneros
Alcohol: 14%
Retail:  $18


2008 Double T Chardonnay, Napa Valley, from Trefethen Family Vineyards    

Green apple, fresh lemon, lemon peel, pineapple and vanilla lead the way on this medium bodied Chardonnay.  The wine has a nice richness to it without weighing you down with baking spices and minerals lingering throughout the palate.  Rich and spicy, this wine would hold up to a heavy pasta dish, creamy potpie, or just sipping by the fire.   Good value for taste and richness

Winery: Trefethen Family Vineyards
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Oak:  4 months in French Oak
Appellation:  Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley
Alcohol:  13.5%
Retail:  $17


2009 Franciscan Chardonnay Napa Valley  

Fresh squeezed lemon, pineapple, and apple along with toast, butterscotch and vanilla on the palate.  Dry, rich, medium-full bodied and somewhat fresh and spring-like, yet hearty enough for winter.  This wine has just the right amount of a buttery, creamy, mouthful without getting carried away.  It is the best of both worlds of Chardonnay; creamy, buttery and toasty, yet minerally, fresh and fruity.   Nice and balanced.  Would be great with a salmon risotto.

Winery:  Franciscan Estate           
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Oak:  7 months in small French and American oak barrels (20% new oak)
Appellation: Napa Valley
Alcohol:  13.5%
Retail:  $18

There you have it.  Three wines that prove you can enjoy your white wines year-round, and also showing that there are plenty of great California Chardonnays out there that don't succomb to the stereotypical “oak bomb” style. 

Cheers

Spaghetti, Turkey Meatballs, Bacon Goodness, and a Delicious Sangiovese

I am a huge proponent of eating healthy (yet delicious) when I can, often altering recipes to make them healthier, and that almost always includes substituting ground turkey for beef when called for.  I have dozens of recipes for turkey burgers, turkey meatloaf, turkey chili, turkey tacos, and yes turkey meatballs. And just when I thought my spaghetti and turkey meatballs couldn’t get any better I discovered an ingredient that brought them to a whole new dimension.

The secret ingredient?  Bacon! 

No I am not, and have never been, a bacon freak that loves to discuss the subject on a daily basis, twittering about bacon, joining bacon fan clubs, etc.  Heck, I barely ate the stuff until very recently, but I have to say, I am quickly discovering the secret of bacon.

A recent edition of Bon Appétit magazine included a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs with a bacon tomato sauce; with bacon both inside the meatballs and in the sauce.  After reading the recipe I was struck with curiosity and decided to give it a try (of course substituting the suggested beef for turkey).  What sparked my interest is that I often run into a common dilemma when cooking poultry… drying out.  Turkey can easily dry out creating a product that is not as desirable for a carnivore to eat as its juicy beefy counterparts. But, when I tried the bacon paste (below) mixed into the ground turkey it added the missing component; fat, which added a much-needed moisture to the meatballs.  End result? The meatballs don’t taste bacon-y, just moist and delicious!  And the amount of bacon added is so minimal that you have nothing to worry about.  Believe me, it’s still a healthy meal!  Below is my usual recipe for my red sauce and meatballs; only I have now added the bacon to both, inspired by Bon Appétit.   I can’t wait to try the bacon paste in other turkey recipes, including my Gorgonzola stuffed turkey burgers!  Yum.

  
 

Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs with Bacon Goodness 

This may seem like a lot of instructions, but don’t worry, it is very easy and your reward at the end will make it all worth it!  And if you don’t feel like making the meatballs, the sauce is a great, easy, red sauce for any type of pasta. 

Serves  4

Meatballs:

• 3 slices peppered bacon
• 1 package ground turkey (approx 1.25 lbs)
• 1 lg garlic clove, finely minced or pressed with garlic press
• 1/3 c. Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup panko or regular bread crumbs
• ¼ cup onion, finely diced (or grated as suggested in the Bon Appetit recipe)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt
• Pepper

Sauce: 

• *3 strips of bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small-med sized red onion, diced
• 2 med garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
• ½ cup red wine (Sangiovese works well for this recipe)
• 1 (28oz) can whole tomatoes (quickly blended to take out the chunks)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 dried bay leaf
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions for the whole shebang (meatballs and sauce together):

Starting with the meatballs:  Place the bacon in a food processor and pulse it until it turns into a paste.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add all other ingredients and gently combine together being careful to not overwork the meat.  Roll into golf ball sized balls and set aside.

In a large pot over medium high heat cook remaining bacon until crispy.  Remove bacon bits and set aside.  Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the bacon drippings.  Add meatballs and cook one side until brown, approx 4 minutes.  Be careful not to move or turn the meat prematurely.  Turn meatballs and brown other sides. Continue to cook until all sides are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes total. Remove meatballs and set aside on a tray.

Using the same pot, with all the goods inside start on the rest of the sauce: 

* My normal sauce usually doesn’t start with the bacon, but I couldn’t resist, the addition is so good.  Typically, my sauce (without doing the meatballs) starts out by cooking up 2 spicy chicken sausages (removed from casings, and broken up into bits, and cooked until browned).  This time I substituted the bacon for the sausage, but the remainder of the sauce is made the same way.

Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook 1 minute. Add the celery and carrots and sauté until all the vegetables are soft, about 7 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and wine and let reduce for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.  Add the meatballs to the sauce and allow them to reheat in the sauce and simmer for about 10-12 minutes.

Pasta:  Cook pasta according to box instructions.  I always use whole wheat pasta because I love the added benefits of the whole wheat and added protein.

Place a layer of pasta on your plate and top with a few meatballs and extra sauce.  Shave some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top, serve, and enjoy with a delicious glass of Sangiovese.  

Leftovers?  Use any remaining sauce and meatballs to make a delicious meatball sandwich the next day.  Add a slice of mozzarella cheese on top and place the sammy under the broiler to allow the cheese the melt and enjoy more meatball goodness for the second day in a row.

Wine Pairing:

For an acidic and somewhat heavy dish like red sauce I recommend a wine equal in acid and weight, and a typical sidekick for red pasta sauce is Sangiovese and I recently discovered a delicious new Sangiovese made by the owner of one of my go to wine shops.  

2007 VIOLA Sangiovese, Nicolas Cole Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, WA

Retail:  $24  
Where to purchase: cork • a bottle shop

This wine was made by Darryl Joannides, owner of cork • a bottle shop, with grapes from Walla Walla, Washington.

This Sangiovese had plenty of dark berry fruit with some roasted meat aromas along with spice and vanilla.  The mouth was rich and bold with some pretty spice characteristics with medium tannins and strong acidity.  

The pairing: Now let me tell you, this is precisely why the Italians know what they are doing.  Red pasta sauce with Sangiovese = happy marriage.  I can’t really think of a better pairing to demonstrate how acid in wine paired with equal acid in food work together to create a perfect harmony.  The acidity in both dishes complimented each other very well.  The pasta and meatballs brought out a smoky characteristic to the wine that wasn’t as distinct before.  The spice and richness of the sauce was right on balance with the weight of the wine.   Mmm mmm good.

Please try this for yourself.  And even if you don’t feel like making the recipe exactly, consider adding a bit of bacon paste to your next ground turkey recipe.  It’s pretty awesome and gives you the moisture often missing from lean meat like turkey!

Oregon Zinfandel to Pair With an Oregon Snow Storm!

This month for Wine Blogging Wednesday #65 wine bloggers were asked by Michelle Lentz from the blog  Wine-Girl to write about “Snow Day Wines”:

 “I want you to look out your window and imagine Snow. Snowmen, snow balls, igloos, snow trucks, snow … cold, cold snow. Then I want you to imagine what that makes you want to drink.”

Michelle also encouraged participants to include a snow day story from their youth.  Quite frankly I grew up in Phoenix, AZ, and therefore have no snow stories to tell from my youth!  However, this week I’ve been working on an article I am writing for a regional magazine on the Columbia Gorge Wine Region, and after hearing the theme for this month I was immediately reminded of my only major “snow day” experience in recent adult history.  Coincidentally, it happened here in Oregon, in the Columbia Gorge.  The event that will forever be known by locals as “Arctic Blast 2008”. The storm that shut down schools, businesses, and pretty much a good chunk of the city, for almost an entire week. 

I happened to be working in Hood River, OR (50 miles east of Portland) when part one of the storm hit. Hood River was the opening round for the whole area, leaving a couple feet of snow on the ground, but the worst was yet to come.  I was at a local Columbia Gorge wine event the night before the larger, more news worthy, part of the storm hit, drinking the very wine I will describe below. 

The view from our Hood River house, the day before the "big storm"

The next morning I had planned to stick around and visit a few wineries but something told me to head back home to Portland.  Just minutes after I returned home they shut down highway I-84, the only major highway connecting east and west from Portland, in both directions due to ice and hazardous conditions. 

The view from the drive home on I-84

I-84 was closed, indefinitely, just days before Christmas. It continued to snow throughout the region, causing numerous traffic accidents, road, school and business closures.  Unlike other parts of the country where snow storms are the norm, Portland was not equipped with the necessary resources to plow roads for safe driving conditions.  I was lucky enough to make it back to Portland safe, and since I couldn’t get back out east to go to work I was able to enjoy a few “snow days” while the city of Portland was virtually shut down.  Even the mall… THE MALL… had half its stores closed the Sunday before Christmas because nobody could drive on the roads, and thus get to work.  I remember thinking, “only in Portland would a snow storm cause Victorias Secret to close during the busiest shopping days leading up to Christmas.”

Now, the most important part was that I was safe and that I had plenty of wine to keep me warm during this Arctic Blast.  I assure you I did.  And the wine that most reminds me of this incident was the wine I was drinking on the eve of that memorable storm, The Pines 1852 Old Vine Zinfandel.

The Pines 1852

To many people in the Pacific Northwest the wine “Old Vine Zinfandel” is often associated with cult winemaker Peter Rosback of Sineann.  What many of them don’t realize is that the Old Vine Zinfandel grapes come from The Pines Vineyard in The Dalles, OR, owned and managed by Lonnie Wright who also makes an Old Vine Zin, from the same vineyard, for his own winery The Pines 1852. 

Lonnie Wright learned the art and science of grape growing in the 1970’s helping to build 2,000 acres of vineyards for Columbia Crest (a winery now owned by Washington’s Chateau St. Michelle) in Patterson, WA.  In the two years it took for the vineyard to be built Lonnie learned from many viticulture experts in the region, and eventually became the area manager for 650 acres of grapes and supervised the first harvest there. 

A few years later, in the early 1980’s, Lonnie met his wife in Hood River, and wanting to settle in the area had heard about an orchardist in The Dalles (20 miles east of Hood River, 70 miles east of Portland) needing help renovating a century old vineyard that had been neglected for over twenty years.  Lonnie stepped right in and help to revitalize this vineyard that was almost dead and eventually brought the original eight acres of century old vines back to life. 

Soon after, Wright decided to follow his gut and his dream by starting his own vineyard management company in The Dalles, and eventually moved his family onto the original property to manage “The Pines” Vineyard, and continued to plant more and more vineyards.  Back then, when very few vineyards were planted, he saw the potential for world class vineyards in the Columbia Gorge.

Wright began selling his Old Vine Zinfandel grapes to winemaker Peter Rosback of Sineann who has made a cult following of his Sineann labeled “Old Vine Zin”, and also sold other grapes to various local wineries.  By 2001 Wright decided it was time to start his own winery.  Since Rosback had been doing such a great job with his Sineann label, Wright asked him to be the winemaker of “The Pines 1852” wines. And with the shake of a hand the deal was done, and Rosback has been making the wines for The Pines ever since.

A few years later they opened up a tasting room in downtown Hood River.  Managed by Wrights daughter Sierra, the tasting room not only provides an elegant showcase for their well-crafted wines, but has also has become a favorite local spot for watching live music on the weekends, events, and gallery displays by local artists.

Today Lonnie Wright manages over 200 acres of grapes in the Columbia Gorge and consults for many other vintners in the region. Over the last 25 years Wright has become an integral part of the growth and success of the Columbia Gorge Wine Region.

Although The Pines produces a wide variety of beautiful wines, if you ask both Lonnie and Sierra what wine they are most proud of, of course they will say their Old Vine Zinfandel.  This is their flagship wine.  A wine you are not likely to find outside the winery, as this limited production wine sells out quickly.  But you can still find some of the 2008 Old Vine Zin through their tasting room or website. 

To me this wine represents a speck of what is possible in the Columbia Gorge and will also be an ever reminder of my experience during the Arctic Blast 2008.   It is not only a great “Snow Day” wine, but also a great Oregon Zinfandel.  And if you are one of the many people thinking “What? You can’t grow Zinfandel in Oregon!”, then I challenge you to try this wine!  A wine that could easily stand up to some of its California counterparts.

2008 Old Vine Zinfandel

This wine is one of the few using the alternative glass closure.

Immediately this wine hits you with a bouquet of dark berry fruit, rich black cherries, plums, and freshly ground black pepper.  A deeper sniff will introduce intriguing roasted meat and bacon fat aromas. The mouth is full-bodied with rich cherry and more black berry flavors along with a dark chocolate cherry lushness, with a velvety smooth finish.  The wine has a nice balance of fruit and spice without being a “fruit bomb”. 

With the fruit coming from the oldest Zinfandel vineyard in the Pacific Northwest this is definitely a wine any Northwest wine enthusiast (or one wanting to learn more about Northwest wines) should experience…. Snow day or not! 

Winery:  The Pines 1852 (tasting room located in Hood River, OR)
Region:  Columbia Valley (the winery, however, is a part of the smaller community within the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers Association.  Technically the vineyards in The Dalles are considered within the larger Columbia Valley, AVA, just a few miles east of the Columbia Gorge AVA cutoff)
Grapes:  Zinfandel
Retail:  $38
Alcohol:  15.3%

The Columbia Gorge is an exciting and quickly growing region and The Pines 1852 is definitely a winery to keep your eyes on.   For more information on this diverse region please continue to check in here as I continue to write about Columbia Gorge wines.  And for more information on the family behind The Pines check out this video.

Cheers

Winter Solstice & Celebration Worthy Wines

This month, for Wine Blogging Wednesday #64, wine bloggers were asked by Jeff "El Jefe" Stai of Twisted Oak Winery to write about the following theme:

"Pick any winter holiday or observance EXCEPT Hanukkah, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, or New Years Day or Eve, and choose a wine to celebrate it! For purposes of this WBW, the holiday date chosen must be between December 7, 2009 and January 7, 2010. You may also pair a food with your chosen holiday and wine, but that is optional." 

Although those who know me know that I think about few days during this time period besides Christmas, I could indeed think of another wonderful day to write about.  Winter Solstice.   You see, as you may know, I am in no way shape or form a fan of winter.  It is cold, it rains a lot, and it is dark. What is there to like? And it just keeps getting darker and more gloomy until this magical day in the middle of December.

Winter Solstice occurs each year around December 21^st or 22^nd (in most years) and is the day where the sun’s daily maximum position in the sky is the lowest.  It is considered the shortest day with the longest night.  To some it represents a celebration of rebirth giving a reason to gather and celebrate a new beginning.  For after that day, the sunlight starts to reappear for longer and longer periods each day. I live in the Pacific Northwest, which means it is darker here than many other locations in the US because we are so far north.  This is why I chose to celebrate Winter Solstice this year.  Because I want my sunshine back!!!

So I invited a good friend over who shares my dislike for rain, cold, and darkness and we had a winter feast involving some amazing wine, food, and a couple holiday movies.  

We started out with a super easy and delicious appetizer: 

Goat cheese topped with caramelized shallots.

Basically, all you do is thinly slice a shallot, put it in a small pan with about a ½ tablespoon of butter and a drip of olive oil over medium heat and let them cook for about 12-15 minutes (or browned/caramelized).  Then add a pinch of brown sugar and salt and let them incorporate with the shallots.  Then serve over a log of goat cheese with crackers or toasted baguette slices.  Deeeelish.

 

The Wines

 

 

We nibbled on the goat cheese with shallots while sipping on a celebratory bottle of 1998 Argyle Knudsen Vineyard Brut which was tasting delicious!  Argyle is one of my favorite bubbles producers in Oregon and for good reason.  Their bubbly is consistent and delicious year after year.  The Knudsen Vineyard Brut, which is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, has been one of my favorite wines of theirs since I moved to Oregon and started drinking Argyle.  For being over 10 years since its vintage, this wine was toasty with a beautiful body and texture, with crisp yet delicate bubbles.  If you haven’t had any of Argyles bubbles before, please seek them out. They are reasonably priced and can stand up to some of the best sparkling wines in the world. 

As we continued to nibble on our appetizer, we moved onto a 2005 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet, from Burgundy France.   In the celebratory mood, I wanted to open something that reminded me of my trip to France a couple of years ago.  Burgundy was a truly amazing region to visit and gave me an intensely deeper understanding of why that small wine region is one of the most important in the world.  This white wine is made of Chardonnay grapes and was beautiful, floral, with green apple and lemon, along with mineral notes on the palate with a long balanced finish.  I had this same wine about a year ago and this time it seemed much more balanced and had mellowed out a bit. 

Not quite ready for dinner yet we moved onto a most delicious bottle of 2007 Chateau Montelena Potter Valley Riesling.  On my what a beauty!  This is what Riesling should taste like.  Bright and perfumed with honeysuckle, dried apricot, and honey on the nose moving into a very well balanced and refreshing mouth with more honey, and a very teeny tiny touch of sweetness.  This was a fresh and refreshing Riesling and I want more… now!  You may know of Chateau Montelana for their mesmerizing Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignon but you should really seek out this beauty.  I bought it last summer for about $20 when visiting the winery for the first time and am now kicking myself for not buying more.

After our refreshing treat it was finally time for dinner.  My friend, who is also an amazing cook, made the Lasagna with Mushrooms and Lamb Sausage, featured in the current Food & Wine Magazine, and paired it with a wine she brought, the 2005 Domaine Serene "Two Barns" Pinot Noir, from the Dundee Hills in the Willamette Valley.  The wine had toast, spice, rich cherry, dark berries, lush, and a touch of vanilla. At one point I announced, “wow, it smells like everything that’s yummy about a good Pinot Noir”, and the body matched the nose.  Rich and beautiful and amazing with the sausage and mushrooms in the lasagna.  

As we finished up our evening we ended with another recipe featured in this months Food & Wine Magazine, Chocolate Pots de Crème with Maple Caramel and Salt.   WWWOOOWWW!  All I have to say is rich and delicious.  I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, there are really few culinary things better in this world than salt and caramel together.  It is an amazing match!  I am just sad we forgot to take a picture of it.  We were too busy devouring each bite.  

All in all I’d have to say it was a nice way to celebrate the end of the nights getting darker and the beginning of the return of sunlight for us here in the Pacific Northwest, and the rest of the northern hemisphere for that matter.   It was also a fun excuse to break out some lovely wines that have been hiding away in the basement. 

 Cheers

Baby It's Cold Outside

In the summertime my husband and I spend our evenings outside, coming up with new creations on our grill or smoker. In the winter, I stay indoors where it is my time to get creative inside the kitchen, because it’s either cold or rainy, and I look for hobbies to keep me busy in order to keep my mind off the gloomy weather.  Right now, however, is one of my favorite times of the year (yes, the Holiday Season), and that means holiday get-togethers. 

Now, contrary to popular belief, I don’t always drink bubbles and Champagne cocktails at holiday events (like this post), and I do know quite a few people who just don’t love bubbles as much as I do (shocker!).  So for those occasions I make another fun winter wine drink, Mulled Wine.  If you haven’t tried this, you’ll be amazed at how comforting this drink is.  Even non-wine lovers will devour this recipe, so you may want to make a double batch.  

The great thing about this recipe is that you probably already have all of the ingredients right inside your pantry, so it is an easy one to whip up on a week night with short notice, but can be elegant enough for a cocktail party. 

Mulled Red Wine

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 cup sugar (1/4 cup more or less depending on how sweet you want it)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (750-ml) bottle, or the equivalent, dry red wine (Zinfandel, Syrah)
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise (optional)
• Zest of one orange

Directions:

Gather your spices

Wrap cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, and cloves in cheesecloth and secure them with string. If you don't have cheesecloth and string, then use a tea ball.  Just cut the cinnamon stick into smaller pieces and fit all of the spices into a tea ball and secure it shut. 

In a medium to large sauce pan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then add spice bag, wine, vanilla bean, and orange zest.

Simmer, uncovered, on low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 20 more minutes.  Remove spice bag and fruit.  Stir well.  Serve warm in a glass or mug.  Garnish with sliced oranges and a cinnamon stick and enjoy.

This is a great recipe for many reasons: 

• If you ever should be in the situation where you have a lot of left over wine (I know, I know, it's rare, but I hear it does happen).  Perhaps you had a party the night before and opened up too many bottles for guests to consume.  The best part is that you can mix wines, you don’t have to use all of the same wine in this recipe. 
• If you are gifted a bottle you don’t really wish to drink by itself.  Use it to make Mulled Wine!
• If you have had a bottle open for a couple days and it has lost its charm. 
• If you open a bottle that you bought but don’t love (make sure, however, it isn’t flawed; i.e. smells musty, moldy, or like vinegar) … You can’t mask a flawed wine no matter what, your Mulled Wine will just concentrate those undesirable flavors.
• The rule with cooking with wine is the same as Mulled Wine, make sure it is one you’d want to drink (or is at least "drinkable"), you will change the flavors of the wine a lot by adding the sugar and spices, but you still want to start with a drinkable bottle. 
• Or, if you just feel in the mood for a nice warm glass of comfort!

 
Try this recipe this winter, and adjust the spices and sugar to your liking.

Cheers

Pomegranate Mimosas

The Holiday Season is officially here (wohoo), and along with that comes the decorations, music, lights, shopping, and my favorite part, the holiday parties!  Parties filled with good friends, good food, good wine, and holiday cocktails.  Now we all know sparkling wine is one of my favorite beverages, but this time of year I like to jazz up my bubbles with champagne cocktails, and Pomegranate Mimosas have become one of my favorites to share this time of year (thanks to a good friend who introduced me to the idea years ago at, yes, a holiday brunch).  First of all, pomegranates are in season right now, and second when I think of the typical orange juice mimosa I am reminded of brunch, so this is the perfect alternative for not only a holiday brunch, but also a cocktail party.  It is festive.  It is beautiful.  It is delicious.  It is bubbly.   What more could you want?

Let's first take a look at... The Pomegranate

Your first option is to use a fresh pomegranate and seed it.  But be warned, they can be very messy and are prone to shoot fast bursts of deep colored red juice on your clothes or in your eyes, so cover up with an apron and work slowly. 

However, if you live near a Trader Joe's you can trade in the fresh pomegranate for a pre-seeded container.  They cost about a dollar more than a whole pomegranate and all the work is done for you.  Voilà.  Now let's mix.

Pomegranate Mimosas

Ingredients

• 1 oz chilled pomegranate juice (recommend POM)
• 1/2 oz Cointreau (or other orange-flavored liqueur.  optional.)
• 1 glass well-chilled Sparkling Wine (recommend brut or demi-sec)
• 1 teaspoon pomegranate seeds (for garnish)

Directions

Pour pomegranate juice and Cointreau into a champagne flute. Eyeball how much you want. If you like it sweet add the full 1 oz. of juice.  If you like it less sweet, add less juice.  Top glass with sparkling wine.  Add pomegranate seeds for garnish. (If you don't have Cointreau then orange juice may substitute, although I will often omit the Cointreau all together if there are no alternatives available).

One of my favorite things about this drink is that it is simple and different.  It’s not your typical mimosa; it is very festive and as easy to make as mixing orange juice and sparkling wine together. 

When selecting the sparkling wine I recommend using something dry (or brut) so that you are in control of how sweet the end product is.  You don’t have to choose an expensive wine either.  One of my favorites to use for this the Cristalino Brut Cava, simply because you can find it almost anywhere and it retails for around $7.99 (often lower)!  It is one of my favorite bubbles for mixing in mimosas or other Champagne cocktails.

*Tip:  If you have guests at your party that do not drink wine, just substitute sparkling water, soda water, or lime flavored soda and just add extra pomegranate juice.  You could even try sparkling cider instead of wine.

Most importantly, try them for yourself this holiday season.  You may even impress your friends.

Cheers

Ideas To Get You Through Winter

It’s no big secret that I’m not a fan of winter.  The Holiday Season? Yes, of course I love that, but once January hits, it seems as if it’s just long months of cold, darkness, and long hours spent anxiously awaiting next summer to arrive while daydreaming of tropical beaches and Mai Tais.  A couple of months ago, however, a good friend and I were talking about creative ways to get through this upcoming winter (she shares my extreme dislike for winter) and one of her ideas was to form a book and wine club (a little twist on your traditional wine club if you will).  Along with the chosen book of the month we would also have a wine and each member would bring a bottle of the pre-selected varietal (or theme) and one person would be nominated to speak about the wine. 

I love wine, and books, so I thought this was a brilliant idea… and thus the Wine & Book Club was created.  Since the two of us were discussing the idea she decided to host the first month at her house and asked me to present the first wine, which we decided to be Malbec.

We had an excellent turnout for our first meeting, with around 13 guests.  Guess you don’t have to twist a lady’s arm to come to an event filled with girlfriends, good food, good books, and good wine.  Once everyone arrived and poured herself a glass of Malbec I spoke for a few minutes on the wine of the month.

A little story about Malbec:

Malbec, once popular in Bordeaux, is still permitted by all major red Bordeaux appellations, but it is now usually more of a minor blending grape (usually less than 10% of the blend).  The grape became less popular in Bordeaux after 1956 when frost killed off around 75% of the crop, becoming replaced with other varietals less susceptible to frost.  Malbec, which was at one time planted in nearly every area of France, began losing acreage to other more popular varietals, like Cabernet Franc in the Loire.

Although Malbec (which has hundreds of local synonyms) has lost significant popularity in France, it still remains the backbone grape in Cahors (located in Southwest France), where the grape is known as “Côt”.  Here “Côt” must constitute a minimum of 70% Malbec (with Merlot and Tannat usually making up the remainder).
 
These days the word Malbec is synonymous with Argentina where it is the major red varietal planted.  In fact, Argentina is the worlds fifth largest wine producer with over 60% of wine production being red wine (and a majority of that being Malbec)… basically, there’s a lot of Malbec being produced in Argentina!

Malbec was introduced to Argentina by French agricultural engineer Michel Pouget in 1868.  However, for the next 100+ years the wine being made was basic jug wine, with no real worldwide popularity or accolades.  In the late 20th century things changed when Argentinean wine producers shifted their focus to exporting and Malbec there increased significantly in quality and finally hit its boom. 

Today, Malbec is most widely planted in Argentina with Mendoza being the most important wine growing province, accounting for about 70% of all Argentina’s wine production.  The grape grown is different from Malbec in France in that it has smaller, tighter, clusters and creates dark color with intensely ripe fruit flavors with a velvety plush texture and light tannins and goes down way too easy.  One of my personal favorite things about Argentinean Malbec is its incredible value!  You can find absolutely delicious bottles easily for around $10 a bottle making it one of my favorite everyday wines year round. 

Outside of Argentina and France, Malbec is also planted in Chile and small amounts in Australia and the US where it is more often used as a blending grape in Meritage (Bordeaux style) blends.

So there you have it.  Malbec, in a nutshell.

At the book club I had actually made a false assumption that most people would bring an Argentinean Malbec, but instead we had quite a variety represented.  I brought a Cahors (since I’m such a French wine whore), and surprisingly we also had a Seven Hills Malbec from Walla Walla, WA, a Steltzner Vineyards from Napa, along with a selection of five different Argentinean producers.  This provided a nice spectrum of flavors of Malbecs grown in different regions.

All in all, wine was an excellent addition to a book club and I’m already debating wines to bring for the next one, where we will actually have two featured wines during the evening - Sparkling Wine & Pinot Noir!  I have a feeling the book discussion may take a far second in importance to the wine discussions for this next event. 

So, if you’re looking for a way to spark up your gloomy winter months, I highly recommend something like a Wine & Book Club!   It’s a great excuse to get together with friends and enjoy an evening together.  And you DON’T have to know a lot about wine either.  Start with a grape or region you are interested in and do a little bit of research.  Or have somebody volunteer to do the work and speak about the wine.  Or if you don’t even want to go that far, just assign a type of wine and have everybody bring a bottle and just sip and discuss the different flavors and enjoy while talking about your book.

Finally, just in case you were curious, here is a list of the wines we had represented at our inaugural Book & Wine Club.  As for where to purchase these wines, I am not positive on all of the wines, as I did not get the information from each member.  The prices below represent average retail prices I found online.

Argentinian Malbecs:

2008 Gouguenheim Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina,  $10.99 (Whole Foods downtown Portland & cork • a bottle shop)    3 bottles (highly recommend for this price point)

2008 Gascon Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, avg. retail approx $10.00

2008 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, avg. retail approx $12.00

2006 Vistalba "Corte C" Malbec-Merlot, Mendoza, Argentina, avg. retail approx $12.00

2008 Doña Paula Estate Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, avg. retail approx $13.00

Outside Argentina:

2005 Cosse Maisonneuve le Combal, Cahors, France, $18.75 at cork • a bottle shop

2006 Seven Hills Malbec, Walla Walla Valley, WA, $28

2005 Steltzner Vineyards Malbec, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley, CA, retail approx $36