Wine Tasting Notes: 16 May 2004

The Saturday afternoon wine tasting at Pauli’s was fun, as always, even though nothing jumped out at me as a “have to take home” wine. The selection yesterday featured Peter Lehman wines from Australia.

We started with Eden Valley 2002 Reisling, which had a very pale straw colour and a nice nose filled with vine and sharp fruit. The mouthfeel was nice, dry, and filled with pear and green fruit that gave way to wood on the finish.

Next up was Clancy’s 2002 Red, a Bordeaux-style blend of 54% Shiraz, 29% Cabernet Saugvignon, 12% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. The nose was very nice, filled with plums, rich red fruit, chocolate, and a hint of spice. The mouthfeel, however, was medium with a slight bitterness, some fruit, and a small bit of unsweetened chocolate. It is a shame that everything went into the nose, for if it had lived up to the nose this would be a very good wine.

Following that was a 2001 Barossa Shiraz. The nose was earthy with leather, a bit different from the typical Shiraz. The mouth was nice and full, filled with old leather with hints of fruit under, and a suggestion of chocolate on the finish. Not your typical Shiraz on many levels.

The final red wine was a 2001 Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose was quite nice, filled with leather and berries. The mouthfeel was fair, with leather slowly giving way to fruit and a fair finish.

The final wine of the day was a dessert wine, a 2001 Botrytis Semillon. The strong gold colour led to a nose of hay and flowers. The mouthfeel starts sharp, then brings forth sweet flowers and fruit on a fair finish. The floral notes mean that you should pick your dessert with care, to avoid any clash.

[Via http://untourist.net]

Oh Brussel Sprouts, How I Love Thee.

Brussel sprouts prior to their 45 minute long bask in 375ºF weather.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years have passed without so much as a single food-related quip from me.  I assumed that you were all crazy busy with all the family oriented drama the emerges from that part of the year.  Anyway, I figured that I should post a few entries to make up for lost time.

One of my favorite holiday dishes (well, it started as a holiday dish, but then sort of creeped its way all the way around the year) is Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Caramelized Shallots and Toasted Almonds in a Honeyed Wine Sauce.  I put all the capitals letter in the right place just to emphasize how delicious this number is.  I know what some of you are thinking: EWWW, wtf Cho-Cho, I hate brussel sprouts–they’re nasty!!  Well, I urge you to try this dish.  The brussel sprouts turn buttery and mellow in the rich, rounded tangy-ness of the wine glaze, and they’re perfectly complimented by the sweet caramelized shallots and crisp almond slices.  Here’s how to do it:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

For the wine sauce, simply find a nice, cheap wine–I used a nondescript bottle from whole foods (around $5.00), and bring about 1 1/2 cups of it to a nice boil in a small saucepan.  Then, stir in 1/4 cup of dark honey.  Bring the mixture to a boil, again.  Lower the heat and add some salt.

Wash about 1 lb of brussel sprouts thoroughly.  Cut all in half.  Slice 2 shallots very, very finely.

Next, lightly coat a large baking sheet with olive oil.  Arrange the brussel sprouts on the pan, cut side up.  Sprinkle brussel sprouts with the sliced shallots, and then top generously with raw, sliced almonds.  Drizzle with the wine glaze and let sit in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the sprouts’ outer leaves have withered.  In order to keep things from burning and the glaze, optimally glazy, you may need to mix things up a bit halfway through.

[Via http://acrispycho.wordpress.com]

Weekend, briefly

Jan. 8-10, 2010:

Tapas and wine Friday evening at Stone Cutters Coffee. The place was a bit empty, but the rave reviews we’d heard were quite right – pretty nice little cheese plate too.

A belated birthday celebration for the boy. The family came in for a quick showering of presents and late lunch. Birthdays should always last a week in our book.

Cuddle bears. Banner and her friend Stella spent Sunday romping around the house while we did chores. So adorable when sitting still.

Hours and hours (and hours) of lazy TV watching. Mostly football and basketball – with an occasional reprieve for “House Hunters” or “Sarah’s House.” So stereotypical in our preferences.

Also: Making jambalaya, vacuuming (very rare), purchasing new appliances, hosting friends, good conversations.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend as well!

[Via http://tooyoungforthis.wordpress.com]

And the winners are...

Congratulations to Tyler Hagan, Stacy Mello and Lori Reifschneider for winning 4-packs of tickets to the El Dorado Wineries Bring Out the Barrel weekend!

On January 30th and 31st, more than 20 El Dorado wineries will open their cellars giving wine lovers the unique opportunity to talk with local vintners and learn about the winemaking process from vine to barrel to bottle.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. both days and will feature wine tasting, light food pairings and the opportunity to purchase “futures” of limited quantity wines.  There’s still time to purchase your tickets! For prices and more information visit the El Dorado Winery Association Web site.

[Via http://sacfoodies.com]

A Bloodletting

The scene of the original crime?

This was going to be a Saturday Photo entry, but I decided it’s too good of a story for that. So, onward:

Last Tuesday evening, I worked out on my elliptical for an hour, got in the shower and soaped up. Before I had a chance to rinse off the suds, Emma came into the bathroom in a panic.

“Lily’s bleeding from her head and her back and there’s blood all over the living room!” she told me.

I rinsed off, grabbed a towel and ran downstairs. Emma was holding Lily, holding a towel to the wounds. And then there was the blood. Apparently, Lily thought my living room would look much better with red walls and carpet because she used what turned out to just be a scratch on her ear to paint the living room. Red droplets covered the entire carpet and a few spots on the off-white flat painted walls.

One of the "painted" walls.

Chris was out, so I called and asked him to pick up some OxyClean spot carpet cleaner — at least three bottles, please. Not to brag, but I know the stuff works. This, you see, was not my first time having to scrub blood out of my living room carpet. Although, last time, there was a lot less of it. That’s a story for another time and involves a large black cat rather than a small, obnoxious dog.

Although, for all I know, this incident also involved the same large black cat. Or a small white one. Or a small Siamese mix. I’m not sure — and will probably never know — which cat inflicted the mortal wound. It doesn’t matter. Lily hasn’t learned to stop chasing them, even after this particular incident.

I couldn’t do much until Chris got home, so I went back upstairs, finished my shower and then proceeded to clean what I could with the tiny bit of OxyClean I had in the house. Chris showed up shortly after with three bottles of OxyClean … laundry stain remover.

This, my friends, is probably a godsend if you have several loads of blood-stained laundry. It does not, however, work on carpet. Chris thought since it said it removed blood, it would be just fine.

Off to the store, which was ridiculously busy considering the time of night, but I guess it was just my luck. Three bottles of the correct cleaner later, I changed into shorts and a T-shirt, threw my hair up in a scrunchie and set to work with the carpet cleaner and what eventually turned out to be two old towels.

A trail leading to the victim? Or culprit?

It took a total of four and a half hours, but the carpet no longer shows a single sign that it was once the scene of an attempted murder. I tried to clean the walls, but only managed to fade the spots. Someone suggested I try the Mr. Clean eraser. I’ll let you know if that works. It is flat paint, after all. Did I mention that? Nothing cleans flat paint.

And for those readers who like to drink, I’ll add that the Oxy stuff works on red wine, too. I learned that when a poor dinner guest spilled hers on my carpet. She panicked. I reached for the bottle. Everything turned out fine.

Splatter

[Via http://lifeissweet16.wordpress.com]

One Week In

And I already feel behind! Wow, Friday already?! Time flies.

Most of my courses are the usual run of mill sciences courses, but there’s one I’m excited for. Can you guess what it might be?

Let me give you a clue…

Still not sure? ok ok, here’s one more clue…

Think you got it?

Yep, I’m definitely in an Intro to Wine Science. aka, wine tasting for labs.
Guess the alcoholic foodie in me is coming out. I wasn’t originally in this class, but the elective I did have didn’t count as a restricted elective. Instead of fighting it I decided to just find a different course (if one interested me) that would let me in. This one did, and I got in! yay!

My weekend is looking pretty busy… with HOMEWORK. EGAHDS?! is this term starting quickly or is it just me?
I am going out tonight, but just for dinner, and maybe I’ll study up on my wine tasting.

Hope you guys all have more exciting weekend plans then I do.

[Via http://workforpeanutbutter.wordpress.com]

Veramonte - 2008 Ritual Pinot Noir

There’s something about Pinot Noir that can be downright inspirational when it’s made right. When the fruit is allowed to shine and enhanced rather than burdened by oak and its purely Pinot it can be quite magical. At least I know that’s how I feel about Pinot. While I rarely turn down the opportunity to sample one, my expectations are tempered with the knowledge that it takes a lot to impress my palate when it comes to this grape. Today I’m going to look at a brand new release from Veramonte in Chile. Their varietal wines, particularly the Sauvignon Blanc have been consistent values and Primus, their proprietary blend is often a category stand out.

The Veramonte 2008 Ritual Pinot Noir is produced using fruit sourced in the Casablanca Valley of Chile. This selection is 100% Pinot Noir. Barrel aging occurred over 12 months in exclusively French oak; 40% of the barrels were new. Highly regarded winemaker Paul Hobbs was a consultant on this project. The suggested retail price for this wine is $17.99.

Ripe wild strawberry, cherry, and fleshy plum aromas waft enticingly from the nose of this South American Pinot Noir. These are joined by hints of rhubarb. Black cherry and strawberry flavors intermingle throughout the gentle but full flavored palate of this wine. A terrific spice component kicks in around mid-palate and continues through the finish which features hints of cocoa, light cherry cola, white pepper, mushroom and emerging earth notes. This wine has silky tannins, excellent acidity and terrific length. It drinks marvelously on its own and will also pair with a wide array of foods. Roast Pork Loin and Mushroom Risotto are the first to spring to mind.

As I mentioned I think good Pinot Noir can be tricky to find. That’s particularly true in the under $20 category. That said, Ritual from Veramonte is one of the best under $20 Pinot’s I’ve had in ages. The price says $17.99 but when you taste it you’ll find it compares favorably to many Pinots in the $30 price range. If you’re a Pinot Noir fan, this is worth making a special effort to seek out.

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