Wine: Barnard Griffin Reisling

This Columbia Valley Riesling was easy drinking and not atypical. I enjoyed it immensely. I didn't find it dry, nor did I find it sweet. Light fruit notes that are not over powering, this lightly  hued wine is a mellow treat.

Barnard Griffin is very affordable ranging from 10-13 dollars a bottle depending on where you live. It is a nice summer wine, or starter wine for the rest of your evening's wine drinking adventures. I will be buying this wine again.

Wine: 60 Degrees North Merlot 2012

I am normally not to into Merlot. Really, if there was a wine I was not so into, its Merlot. I would rather have Barbera or Sangiovese. I would rather have a Syrah or a Zin. I would rather have a Cab or a Pinot Noir.

60 Degrees North is a California Winery located in  Oakville, which geographically is a bit north of Napa. 

When poured, the wine has a gorgeous deep berry color. The label is fitting - juicy raspberries tumbling into view. I would call this wine juicy but dry.  After noting the color, the nose is the next thing that is lush: those berries make an appearance followed by spicy peppery notes, and more sublte dry woody oak ones. 

Once it hits your pallate it immeadiatly coats your tongue in a light velour of texture. This wine is not heavily tannic. The berries bring a burst of juice to the taste party as far as full bodied taste goes, but there is no sweetness.   The spice and woody notes quickly come into play and though you would think it would make this a dry dry wine it isn't heavily dry.

With all that said, I enjoyed this wine. I found it very easy to drink. I think it would hold up nicely at a BBQ ribs, a steak dinner, or as a simple red table wine. The Hubs was not so fond of it. Maybe it doesn't pair well with ranch dressing (he sipped it after our dinner salad) but it did pair nicely with meat loaf. 

And it defintiely went well with chocolate.

At 11 dollars a bottle I think this was a hit and worth sharing.

Salute!

Bella Vino: Vina Robles Red 4

Bella Vino is a tasting bar in Fig Garden Shopping Plaza in, alas, Fresno. I got to meet up with a friend who recently moved back to the Central Valley from Minnesota. We have a mutual appreciation for wine and good food so it only made sense to meet at a tasting bar.

Bella Vino is a lovely place. It was a quiet afternoon when we entered but it had a romantic and rich ambiance, decked with dark hard wood floors, shelves and tables. And I know they know their wine when I saw bottles of Alban white and red on the shelves (one of our faves!). 

We settled for a bottle of Vina Robles Red 4, straight out of Paso Robles. This 2011 Vintage was a blend of Syrah 35%, Petite Sirah 25%, Mourvèdre 25%, and Grenache 15%. I had had the pleasure of tasting at Vina Robles before, only I was a little too far down on the wine train and can't remember what I tasted, other than that it was very good.

I am glad my "drunk taste buds" hold a good memory because this was an excellent easy drinking blend.  Juicy but still a robust red. Not so tannic, but notes of spice. 

A perfect wine to have with friends.

Home sweet home, California

Pardon the hiatus but I was catching up from a week back home. Getting back into the flow of your usual routine is hard when you spend over a week in another time zone.

I was fortunate to get to spend a lot of time with my family and take a stroll through memory lane with them.  I got to see some friends as well, which was nice too. It's hard making friends in new places but it's nice knowing your life long friends will always be there for you.

I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder lately. Fresno gets so much trash talked about it. I recently spoke to someone who was from the Central Coast area of California who replied "I am sorry" when I mentioned I took a trip home to Fresno. Well, I am not, and I don't think he should have been sorry for me either. 

Every town has it's ups and downs, crimes and beauties. I think it's the beauty you take from it that speaks volumes of personal character.

In any case, returning home in April when the citrus and jasmine blossoms were bursting in bloom, roses scenting the air with their fragrant scent, and hyacinths and narcissus bursting into color, is almost other worldly. I left Minnesota while it was layered with snow and came to a land that was fully immersed in spring.  And the lucky part? Now that Minnesota is budding I get a second spring all over again.  It is absolutely glorious. 

So let me share with you what makes Fresno such a special place.

The Chaffee Zoo

A few years ago, or more than a few, Measure Z was voted into effect to take a portion of tax dollars and allocate them to the zoo. I got to experience the new Sea Lion Exhibit that was opened in 2012. It's nice to look forward to more exhibits in the future and to see the fruition of those measures that were voted on a few year back.

Baby tigers

A cute sea lion

Some Hungry Giraffes

Nonini Winery

My sister and brother in law indulged me. They took me to my favorite local winery and tasted the wines with me. The owner, Jim, is such a personable man and so passionate about his grandfather's vines and wine making techniques. It's hard to not be enthralled. He ages his wines in oak and/or red wood. He makes good wines from 60-80 year old vines that warm the body and the soul.

Nonini Tasting Room Sign.

Grandma's House

Going to grandma's house rekindles so many memories. Farmland childhood memories. Making mud pies with my sister, or playing on the swing. Eating home cooked meals. Fireworks off by the vineyards.  And her garden, which was full of so many flowers. Naturally, it has reduced in size because of the lack of upkeep that occurs in aging, but it's still a place of memories. And it instills a need in me to cultivate those plants myself, to create a little bit of "home".

Roses

Geraniums

Baby Grapes!

Orange Blossoms

Art Hop 

I have a ton of memories of going to Art Hop in downtown Fresno with my girlfriends; we drank wine, ate a lot of hummus and pita chips, admired local artists while keeping an open eye to  cute guys. There was never any cute guys, but there was great art and the beginnings of a strong appreciation for hummus. I took my mom to her first Art Hop experience recently.  In your late teens and early twenties you are finding yourself. You blow off family to hang out with your friends. You search for love in all the wrong places. And then one day, all the puzzle pieces fit. You marry. Your friends marry. You start your family and they start theirs. But you also remember how special family is. And you savor it.  And you just savor life.

The Grand

Warner's Theater and the Grand

Down Town Fresno as the Mural District

And at some point you realize that "home" is not a place. Home is where your heart is. Mine is spread over California, from the Central Valley to the North. But a big chunk of it is in Minnesota, with my Husband.  Home isn't a place, it's a feeling.

My Mom, myself, and her '73 Chevy Malibu

Wine: Club W Shipment - Cosmopolitan Sauvignon Blanc

 We paired this juicy little treat (yes, juicy) with my ultimate macaroni and cheese.  This led me to a food coma and carbohydrate overload but it was well worth the sacrifice.

Cosmopolitan Sauvignon Blanc isn't a traditional Sauv Blanc. It is juicy with tropical notes that the label notates as mango.  I did pick that up; mango, pineapple, and a soft juicy base.  When I describe this wine as juicy, in no way am I saying that it is sweet. It has a nice dry and crisp finish so the overall fruitiness isn't overpowering..

I am actually pleasantly surprised by this wine.  I was expecting a traditional grassy and herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc. This was more like a wine cocktail gone very right.

This wine is very easy to drink, by itself or with food. Club W did a good job suggesting this wine. At 13.00 dollars a bottle, I wouldn't object to drinking it again.

Wine: Nimble Hill Reserve Gewurztraminer

I have talked about Nimble Hill before. It's a delicious vineyard, winery and brewery in Tunkhannock Pennsylvania.  Every time we visit my in-laws, we either stop here or have my in-laws get a couple of bottles for us.

Buying wines outside of that grapes growing region can be tricky. Red wines don't always grow well in Pennsylvania and can be watered down in taste. But that's not the case with this winery, and certainly not with this wine since we are talking about white wines. Gewurztraminer grows in this region, and it grows well.

Typically, we chill our white wine glasses, and take our white wine from the wine fridge to the refrigerator for optimal chilling.   It helps keep the wine as cold as possible for as long as possible and maximizes your drinking experience.

I had the Hubs pick a bottle of white to pair with dinner - spicy chicken pad thai  - and he did an excellent job with this pairing. I am not sure if he is paying attention when we go wine tasting or if he just got lucky in his pick, but he paired this meal extremely well.

ingredients for the pad thai

This Gewurztraminer was light and easy to drink. Initially, it's a little sweet on the tongue, but soft with notes of lychee and a little peach.  The mouth feel is velvety, and there is a crisp finish that is slightly dry down the throat.  Not too sweet. Not too dry. Perfect.

Salute!

Wine Clubs: Club W

Over the summer, I vaguely remember reading about Club W. It wasn't until I saw an add in my Facebook feed that I thought "I need to try this".

Club W offers a wine club experience that is not exclusive to one winery. They select wines for you based off of a quiz you take when you sign up. It's personalized to your palate. Pretty cool right? It is.  Their website is pretty slick too, streamlined for ease of navigation and includes a fabulous stockpile of recipes for pairing with the wines. 

I got my first shipment last week. First shipments are discounted, you just pay for shipping and sales tax. So for a total of $28.85 after shipping ($6.00) and tax ($3.85), and a $20.00 discount. I would definitely recommend having it delivered to your place of work if you live in a small town. Since it is alcohol, signature's are obviously required at time of delivery. They shipped this shipment via Fedex (not sure if they consistently do that), which can be a pain if you live in a small town  that doesn't have a Fedex and the closest one is 40 miles away.#smalltownproblems. 

 Anyway, shipping was pretty quick. I am just letting my wines rest a week. I am a firm believing that travel makes the wine disturbed and resting it will allow it to settle, and the flavors to recover from shock.

I am, however, very excited to try these wines:

2012 Oliver Row Cabernet Franc - Columbia Valley WA

2012 Brethren of the Road Syrah - Mendocino CA

2012 Cosmopolitan Sauvignon Blanc - United States (literally, that's what it says for origin).

Keep an eye out for updates!

Recipe: Jalapeno Poppers

This weekend was a nice, lazy weekend. Sometimes you just need a weekend of binging on Netflix and comfort food.

When we lived in California, it seemed like Jalapeno Poppers (or Jollies as my Husband calls them) were a weekend staple with wine and friends. Entertaining weekends and "Comfy Weekends" aren't quite the same thing. But when you are eating the same food you would serve for both occasions, it can take you to a nostalgic place.

At this point in our lives we are still establishing those kind of connections here, so as you can imagine, it's usually just us. In comfy pants. And lots of ice-cream and wine. But I digress.

On a good note that translates to MORE JALAPENO POPPERS FOR ME!

So I decided to post a step-by-step guide to how I make Jalapeno Poppers. I do have some variations, which I mention at the end of the post, but all are equally delicious.

Ingredients:

5-6 large (4-5 inch) Jalapenos

1 block of cream cheese 

1 clove of garlic

1 pack of thin sliced bacon (thick is okay, just a longer cooking time)

1 cup of shredded cheese

10 mushrooms, diced

Olive Oil

pepper to taste

kosher salt to taste

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp tumeric

Equipment:

I have my trusty Santoku knife, but my favorite kitchen hardware for the removing seeds and veins of jalapenos is a melon baller.

I typically line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and let the poppers cook on top of a cooling rack. It helps the little guys cook, and helps with clean-up.

Let's get started!

Turn a pan on medium heat on the stove.

Mince your garlic.

Dice up your mushrooms.

Once the pan is warm, add olive oil. When the oil is heated, add the mushrooms and garlic. Enjoy the sizzle. Stir. Add a pinch of kosher salt. Let it cook until the mushrooms are brown, and have reduced in size.

Start halving your jalapenos, and taking out the seeds and veins (unless you want these puppies hot! then leave them).

When the mushrooms have cooked, remove from heat.

Add cream cheese to a bowl, add the mushrooms (which will incorporate easier as they are warm).  Add the paprika, turmeric, and pepper. Mix until combined. Add shredded cheese.

Start filling up your poppers, and I mean LOAD 'EM UP!

Then when they are all full, wrap with bacon! Note: if you have big jalapeno poppers, the will easily use 1 piece of bacon a piece. If they are smaller, or if you dare to use Serrano Chilies, well, use a kitchen scissors to cut the bacon strips in half before wrapping for Maximum Bacon Usage.

I baked these guys up for 30 minutes at 390 degrees.  I rotated the baking sheet once, halfway through the cooking time.

These turned out to be cheesy, crispy, savory perfection. Paired with a couple of Yuenglings, who wouldn't be content?

Lets talk about alternative fillings. Are you not a fan of mushrooms? That's okay. I think artichoke hearts, minced up and seared in olive oil, would be just as fabulous (and add a little bit of a buttery texture. Yummo!) Or even artichoke hearts and chopped spinach! If that is too fancy, try simply caramelizing some shallots and garlic.  I think the "extra fillings" add a little extra something special. You can add whatever spices you want too. Just be careful with Cayenne ad Chili powder. I added them one, and it made pretty fire-y poppers. They were almost too painful.

Looking for something lighter than bacon but with some crunch?

Typically, I usually skip the bacon and just coat the top of the popper with Panko Bread Crumbs - for that crunch without the fat of a deep fryer. When we do have bacon in the house - all bets are off though. It usually is devoured pretttttty quickly.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this step by step how-to for Jalapeno Poppers. It's not too labor intensive, and it's so worth it in the went.

And you don't need to pair these with just beer; White Wine (Viognier and Pinot Gris) or Red Wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zin, Barbera, Sangiovese) pair excellently. I know. Because I drank just about everything with them.

Salute!

Wine: Eberle's Better Half

My Valentine's day was very nice.

After a year of complaining about our mattress, the Husband finally caved and agreed to take me mattress shopping a week ago. Our delivery of the new, miracle, super comfy Sealy Posturepedic was set for Valentines day. How Romantic! But over joyous too, you see, the Husband is a huge cuddle, which means I turn into his Human Body Pillow. We had a knock-off sleep number bed that didn't move from rental to rental to rental to our final home, very well (the foam topper ripped in two....) and eventually the dreaded "crack" was formed in our bed. This is when most nights, I, the Human Body Pillow, would unknowingly end up in "the crack" and awaken with 190 lbs of male on top of me, a stiff back, and 30 lbs of puppies blocking my roll away escape technique.

Needless to say new bed saves me from the nightmare of a stiff back.  Really, who needs flowers on Valentines day when you can finally stop dreaming of the day you can go to bed comfortably? 

End mattress rant. 

We made a simple dinner of T-bone Steaks, hassleback red potatoes, salad, and dun dun dun DUN, Eberle's Better Half wine, a yummy blend of 51% Zinfandel, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon. 

It's a nice hardy red, with a dry finish that I will attribute to the Cabernet, some berry notes that keep it juicy, and a little bit of leather. It has a beautiful dark cranberry color, and a spicey nose that resonates and balances with the taste of the wine itself.  In other words, its good wine and it's easy to share a bottle.

Eberle's Better Half. Share it with your better half. 

Wine: Wine Twist tops, an Essay

I have had a long time bias against twist top wine, versus the traditional cork.

Usually, I associate it with cheap vintages, or a lack of vintage, and cheap, steel-vat mass produced poppy cock-ery. 

One such wine, Big Kahuna, carried at Fresh and Easy, is just not my favorite, and that's being polite.

So when I ordered wine from the last wine tasting at Crescendo, I was slightly disappointed to receive bottles that were twist tops. Which was completely silly; I had sampled the wines and liked them enough to purchase them. So why did it matter?

It was a perception based on bad previous tasting experiences.

And then, it seemed fate crossed this article right into my cross hairs which has seemed to help legitimatize the "non- corked" wines.

It's enlightening to learn that this screw tops are recyclable (but not biodegradable) and a step in the direction of creating a greener function in the industry versus corks which are a limited natural resource.

The point of this essay? Maybe give screwy, twisty tops more of a chance. Especially if you typically purchase wines in the price range of less than $30 dollars a bottle. 

Now, to the wines that have surprised me in the most pleasant of ways:

Charles Smith is a fun Washington State vinter I have talked about before. I just love his wines. I think he knows his stuff, and it helps that the vintages I have had have been super delicious. And hello, it's Washington State, right up there with Argentinian wines, yo!

Duck Pond, of Fries Family Cellars, is a delightful Pinot Gris out of Oregon State. There's a pattern here, I seem to be paying homage to my West Coast Roots. In any case, it's wine well worth it, for regions  that have similar climate conditions to Napa Valley, but with less value per acre to keep the cost of the wine down in an  affordable bracket. But that's a different essay. Back to the subject of Cork VS Twisty Top.

Twisty Tops: give them a chance.

Wine: Sea Glass Pinot Noir

Normally I find Pinot Noir's mellow and easy to drink; usually meaning its so good, I easily drank the whole bottle.

This was not so much the case with Sea Glass's Pinot Noir. I find this wine super dry, and lacking any flavor notes that I particularly enjoyed. Once in corked, It survived a week on the counter, and out of the 3 nights I drank this wine, it did get better. Maybe it needed to breath? 

This wine retails at about 15 dollars. I would give it 2.5 stars and wouldn't purchase it again.  My snacks (deer sausage, lefse, smoked cheese, and chocolate) were the most exciting part of this wine and cheese night.

Wine: Chento Malbec

In the winter months there is this wine tasting class that meets at my favorite restaurant in town. I adore it. You pay $5 to sample 8 wines that you most likely have never had before. What's better than that? I mean, when I am at a liquor store, I usually go with "who has the prettiest picture" if I have never had the wine. Then I go by the description.

Then, in theory, if I actually paid attention to vintages and what a "good year" was, I would theoretically go by that year.

These classes take the hastle out of all that thinking.

Enter Chento Malbec. This is an Argentina Malbec, rich, full bodies and beautiful in color. The color is a dark deep red.  It would pair well with beef dishes, or hearty pastas, but I do think it would pair nicely with a crusty loaf of bread and artisan cheeses.  Be prepared for warm, lovely tannin's coating your mouth. This is a well rounded red wine.

Wine Wine Wine + Crescendo Fine Dining Review

I have had a few whirl-wind-weeks, all were tremendously fun.

This past week my husbands' parents visited us, my father-in-law helped us insulate our garage and install some new rain gutters, and my mother-in-law helped me in the kitchen, and puppy sat (and drank with me too!).

Somewhere amidst the fun we killed several bottles of oh so delicious wine... Maybe more than several. But all I have already reviewed in some way with you before; whether I discussed the wine or the winery.

Really, I would like to talk about my surprise over a fun sparkling wine - Montcadi's Cava. It's a sparkling Spanish wine. I purchased this wine from Fresh & Easy, in 2011 for our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. We never ended up drinking it because we had far to much champagne left over from our wedding to kill...

2 years later, and ironically the perfect aging recommendation as well, I popped open this bottle as a pre-dining aperitif paired with Manchego, Buffalo Mozzarella, and a Spicy Buffalo Wing Cheddar cheeses with my favorite Fresh & Easy crackers that I sent home to myself from California.

This wine is light, bubbly, and has a night citrus bite. I was floored at how good this wine was. Floored! I feel cheated that I never opened it. I could have enjoyed it and a lot of other bottles sooner, 2 years ago to be exact! Perhaps the aging (and 2k miles of travel) have helped this wine along. At 6-8 bucks a bottle I think it's a steal.  But from what I can figure you can only get this brand from a Fresh & Easy Distribution center. 

Following champagne and artisan cheeses, we headed over to Crescendo. This marked my 3rd visit, I had dined one other time, and attended a wine tasting class. I love this restaurant. Did you hear me? I love this restaurant. The owner is the only chef, and opens his doors 3 days a week. He stocks exceptional wine, and creates a seasonal menu that is absolutely outstanding. 

We started the night with a bottle of Chilean Concho y Toro Casillero del Diablo Privada Reserva and finished our meal with 2003 Las Rocas Garnacha.  It's absolutely flooring and comforting to have amazing wine stand up to amazing and beautifully palatable food.  These were both beautiful red wines and I feel fortunate to have enjoyed them at my father-in-laws recommendation and wine knowledge from his time in South America.

Now. Lets talk about food!

The meals at Crescendo start with bread and aromatically delicious olive oil. It's elegantly simple in preparation but an extremely high end dining experience. From there an appetizer or salad whets the palate - I had sweet potato ravioli, sautéed in brown butter and topped with toasted sage and pine nuts. These are heavenly pillows of sweet starchy perfection.  My entree was a Creamy Wild Mushroom Ravioli, with a mushroom cream sauce (which had wine in it as well).  I am a huge mushroom fan and this dish did mushrooms justice. 

Alas, I have no pictures of what I ate. I have too much respect for this establishment to pull out my camera, but even more so, the food and wines provide such a oral sensory overload you really can't think of pictures at a time of such pure sensation. 

I am excited for a taste of the Winter 2013 menu. And I am excited for more amazing wine. 

Winery: Four Daughters Winery and Vineryard

It has been awhile since I have been to a winery. And when I say awhile, I mean about 2 months.


Moving to Minnesota was a culture shock of experiences for me. Once I got beyond the feelings of "I can't see my friends and family whenever I want" grew to "What do you mean there is no Target in this town? And I have to drive <i>how far</i> to get to a winery? Can they even grow grapes in the Great North???"

Four Daughters Winery and Vineyard

Well, it turns out, there is a winery less than an hour away from where I live. And yes. The University of Minnesota viticulture/enology department actually grows cold hardy vines.

The product is Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, La Cresent, and Marquette vines. And they are all pretty outstanding. And all, are vines that Four Daughters grows.

Four Daughters provides a neat, and what I like to consider, an "California Authentic" wine tasting experience.  Their tasting room is very spacious and warm in color.  They have a full menu to take advantage of during your tasting as well (and let me say I only shared a Pizza Margarita with the Hubs, but man, was it really, really good).

As explained to me, they typically have a red tasting menu, and a white, but with this past weekend being the harvest weekend, they made a special tasting menu to showcase the wines that were made from grapes grown at the winery.

We started with a Brianna, 2012. This was white wine, slightly sweet, with a grassy nose that reminded me of a Sauvignon Blanc. There was nothing Sauvignan Blanc about this wine. Smooth, easy drinking, and not too sweet.

We followed that with a gorgeous amber colored 2012 Frontenac Gris. This wine was almost as syrupy as a late harvest reisling, rich and decadently smooth, with notes of apricots.

Following next was a Frontenac Rose, something I have never had. This was very fruity and smooth.  I think it's a great wine to introduce to non-wine drinkers, actually, as it is a little bit more "juicy" than wine-ish.

aren't those the cutest little glasses?

I have to say, I wasn't sure if the North could produce a robust wine like the Napa Cabernet's and Paso Robles Zin's I have grown to love and adore. But, they can and do. Marquette is a really lovely wine. It smells peppery, and a little leathery, like a good, good, Syrah, and it delivers on that tannin mouth feel with a warm close at the back of your throat. There are hints of berries throughout the wine, but I was amazed at the pepperiness. A nice red, dry, but perfect for the long winters ahead of me.

Lastly we finished with a Sparkling Pinot Noir. While I was very excited to try this wine (I had exclaimed, "It's Pinot Noir and Sparkling! What will I not love about it?") but.... It didn't quite meet those expectations. The sparkling isn't too pronounced, and I am not certain I tasted a distinct Pinot Noir flavor. The wine itself was a little jammy, but didn't have a jammy wine texture. It was light. It did pair nicely with food, because I polished off half a pizza with that last glass of Sparkling Pinot Noir. I just wasn't as captivated by this wine as I was its predecessors.

After lunch and tasting, we tood a self guided tour to sample grapes in their raw form, before the wine making process. It was very neat to see, and to see an actual difference in the hardy vines of Minnesota, sort of trim and with less foliage than the fuller California vine counterparts. I think it's important to remember that these are rather young vines though, no more than 10-20 years old.

grapes in the "raw" and the final product

All in all, this was a very good tasting experience and I am excited to try more vintages from the other wineries this state has to offer.

We purchased a Marquette, and a bottle of the Brianna, but I will be back; I am a believer in sampling all that is offered.