I’ll Drink to That!

Before the winemakers can do their magic, there must first be great fruit from great areas. Wineries may source fruit from highly regarded vineyards to blend with their own, or create a “vineyard designated” wine with 100% of the grapes from that vineyard. Recently I went to a tasting of wines created from fruit of the esteemed Larner Vineyard, family run and located on a 150-acre parcel in Ballard Canyon in the Santa Ynez Valley. 33 of these acres are planted to the Rhone varietals Syrah, Grenache and Viognier. At this particular tasting the focus was on the Syrah and Grenache coming out of that vineyard and into the capable hands of a dozen winemakers in Santa Barbara County. These wines were, for the most part, big, dark, full-bodied spice driven wines that made me want to go home, fire up the bbq and cook up some rib-eyes. The one exception to that was the 2007 Montage Grenache/Syrah, the 34% Grenache coming out of Larner. This wine had a wonderful figgy quality to it, and after talking at length to the one of their principals, David Massey, I decided to take a bottle home to pair with a future dinner of grilled veal chops with a fig/balsamic reduction. (More on that in a future post). Kaena represented with a 100% Grenache from a low yielding clone that was rich, dark and full bodied with a wonderful black cherry flavor profile. The 2007 Herman Story On the Road is 55% Larner Syrah and has the wonderful aroma of pine needles, with flavors of cocoa, cherries and pepper. McPrice Myers brought  their 2006 Hommage a Stevan Larner, a wonderfully soft 100% Larner Syrah. The Jaffurs offering was an elegant, dark and fruitful Syrah with aromas of cigar box and delicious Bing cherry coming through on the palate.

The vineyards are where that wonderful wine we enjoy begins. Treat yourself to a walk through some of the local vineyards of the Santa Maria Valley. On September 12 and October 10, Santa Maria Valley Wine Country will host vineyard walks led by a vineyard manager or winemaker, starting at 10:00 am. The tours will provide a firsthand look at different viticulture techniques and stages of grapevine growth. Vineyard walks are free to the public. So pack a picnic and give yourself a day in the wine country. And don’t forget the wine.

I’LL DRINK TO THAT!

Along with the fabulous Rhones they produce, Cass Winery has created this whimsically named wine, Flying Nymph, from a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Mourvedre. Named after the weather vane on their winery, this wine is lush with raspberry and currant flavors, rounded out by silky tannins. Great wine to ward off the chill of a harvest time afternoon spent in the vineyards.

I am blessed for I have been fortunate in being able to share my life with many friends. The  friends from my childhood are a group which to this day I still remember with great fondness and with complete recollect, except that I always see them in my mind’s eye as children. They never grow older - they are always suspended in my memories playing and laughing right where they once did…..we grew up in Hollywood when living in a big city didn’t preclude having  a neighborhood and a community to which one could and did belong. My block of Orange Dr. and the surrounding blocks were full of kids, all of whom I knew because we all went to the same neighborhood elementary school, Melrose Elementary, and walked or rode our bikes to the same neighborhood parks and public pools. (Only one of my friends actually had a pool of their own) My “best friends” lived right across the street and we were always together playing Barbies, handball on the garage door, singing Abbey Road songs into a tape recorder or running through the sprinklers. Birthdays were celebrated in our backyards or Poinsettia Park or perhaps on a very good year, at Beverly Park where guests would be treated to carnival rides and a go ’round on the track aboard your gallant steed at “the ponies”. In those days, girls put on their good dresses to attend parties and cone-shaped party hats or paper princess tiaras were a must. Girl Scouts met once a week, my mom was one of the leaders, and many Saturdays were spent at Tsilah’s house, (her mom was the lead leader), spending hours doing arts and crafts and earning badges.  After school always meant stopping at Rudolph’s Drug Store, on the corner of Melrose and La Brea, to stock up on jawbreakers and Abba Zabas before heading back to the playground for hours of handball tournaments and tether ball till my hands were bruised and raw from hitting the ball or that hard part that connects the ball to the rope. I was quite the “tomboy”. Spring meant a Maypole dance at “the park”, Halloween meant trick or treating and then maybe the carnival at “the park”, and Christmas meant practicing those wonderful holiday songs for the school concert. Rainy days at school were spent in our classrooms playing “Heads Up-7-up”. And best of all, during those blissful, endless summer vacations, kids would gather at Gardner pool to cool off and heat up summer romances - I think those were some of the last times I unabashedly wore a bikini and carelessly soaked up the sun till I was golden brown. The neighborhood movie theaters, The Gordon and The Pan Pacific, were also places to cool off and spend an afternoon watching a double feature. Then in the coolness of the summer evenings, after dinner,  the kids re-emerged from their homes for a game of  “war” when entire neighborhoods were divided into teams and spent long hours hiding and capturing one another. Backyards, front yards, driveways and streets all became our giant playground. So much to do and all the time in the world to do it in. Such is childhood,  and it is there where I can still transport myself  as if no time has passed at all, and a smile comes to my face. But time did pass, and we  actually grew older and moved away, and got jobs and got married and had kids and lost parents…..and then one day we came back to each other. Life had given us a second chance, under new circumstances, to re-connect….and it was like nothing had changed…we were still friends. Clearly our lives have changed and so has our city and its lifestyle. But we make the effort to stay in touch and have gathered many times to celebrate, to mourn - to stay connected and be there for each other…again. To my “Melrose girlfriends” - You have left your hand print on my heart. Thank you and I love you.

The pony rides next to Beverly Park where the Beverly Center now stands

Birthday party in our summer dresses

My mom, my sister and me in front of Melrose Elementary School

Some of the girls at my birthday party

Some of us Girl Scouts celebrating our leader, Adinah's (center), birthday

Girl Scout Troop #421 at Camp Wakonda - Dec '68

The girls today

I’LL DRINK TO THAT !

Deep into a hot August night a rendezvous with “Agent V” produces a bottle of  a luscious elixir known as My Generation, produced by the very popular Vines on the Marycrest in the not too distant land known as Paso Robles. I quickly return to my headquarters, grab a glass and a hunk of cambezola,  and with great anticipation I pour a few precious drops of the deep purple juice into my glass. I gaze, I swirl, I sip….round and full, ripe with the fruit of the vine, my thoughts turn to….. Barbara. (Yes, this is one for you) More on the not so elusive “Agent V” in future posts.

Vines on the Marycrest - “My Generation” - ‘05 - Paso Robles - 45% Zinfandel, 28% Syrah, 18% Mourvedre, 9% Petite Sirah - $25.00

You guessed it - just saw Julie and Julia last night. Loved it- loved it-loved it! From the moment Paul Child’s classic, gorgeous, couldn’t believe my eyes blue Woodie drops into the scene, a smile is fixed on my face that doesn’t leave until emotional tears take their place at the end of the movie when Julie and Julia’s dreams are realized. Meryl Streep joyfully and brilliantly introduces us to Julia and her joie de vivre. Julia was a woman who clearly understood how to savor “the perfect bite”, how to live in the moment, how to figure out what it is that you love and how to get it. She learns to chop mountains of onions, (with carbon steel knives), keep a beurre blanc from separating, create the perfect Boeuf Bourguignon. Her contemporary counterpart, Julie, realizing she needs more in her life, jumps way out of her comfort zone and commits to a year of cooking and writing, both of which she already loves to do, but has up to this point, pursued without real conviction. She creates a blog, writes every day and cooks recipes with the French techniques laid down by Julia in “the book”. She simultaneously wonders “is anyone out there” reading her blog, while she worries how she will be able to cook a live lobster and bone a duck. Both women set goals and with the realization of those goals comes the realization of what this movie is really about - passion. Passion is the common ingredient that runs through the recipe of this movie - passion for food, for love, for butter, for having fun, for following your dreams, for connecting with and helping people, for brie cheese, (in my case, Cambezola), for family, for friends…for life. When we don’t allow for passion in our lives, we end up making hats in a cubicle. Or something like that. This movie was an inspiration for me to continue to pursue my passions…and I hope you will too.  On a personal note, I had the opportunity to meet Julia Child in 2002 when she attended a book-signing reception thrown by the cooking school I was attending. She was gracious and friendly and took interest in my name. The book that had just been released was “Cooking at Home”, co-written with Jacques Pepin, and offering a unique format of commentary by both chefs on traditional French techniques and recipes.

I’ll Drink to That!

If you’re whipping up a souffle with creamed crab in honor of Julia Child, why not try a delicious French white wine from the Loire Valley. The Bailly family have been winemakers in Sancerre since 1700. Domaine Sylvain Bailly Sancerre Terroirs is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc with a bouquet of honey, apple and lemon. It is full bodied with crisp acidity and a minerality to the finish.

Bon Appetit!

(Oh and by the way…is there anyone out there?)

This last Monday night, I’ll Drink to That! - A Business Networking Group for Wine Enthusiasts, held its inaugural event at the charming Artisan Cheese Gallery in Studio City.  The concept and format of this networking group was created out of a desire to connect people in a way that would work to promote their businesses  and support the pursuit of  their passions, while giving them an opportunity to learn about and taste new wines.  Over 30 people attended creating an eclectic and very interesting representation of businesses large and small. After a brief welcome, Lindsay Dodson-Brown of Cass Winery in Paso Robles spoke about the winery’s Rhone varietals and the newly opened creamery. The tasting included three Cass wines and a new member to the lineup under the second label name of Flying Nymphs. Also included was a tasting of the creamery’s first release, Truffled Fresh Goat Cheese. Absolutely delicious.  A tantalizing array of appetizers created by Artisan’s executive chef, Tori Rodriguez, were passed by the very competent Artisan wait staff.

Finishing off the evening, Debbie Miller of Logo Woman, spoke about the importance of maintaining market share during these challenging economic times through branding and merchandising. It looks like this group is going to have some fun - future events will include wine-maker dinners, special wine classes and weekend trips to local wine regions.

Debbie Miller of Logo Woman

Barbara Cohen of The Worth Collection and Diane Fonteboa of Two Tomatoes Boutique

I’ll Drink to That!

Any launch deserves a bottle of the bubbly, and this one was no different. We indulged in a bottle of Veuve Cliquot Champagne, Yellow Label. This delicately bubbled, yet perfectly balanced wine is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a touch of Pinot Meunier. Cheers!