I’ll Drink to That!

This last Saturday was the second annual Pinot Days event held at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica. The Grand Tasting featured over 90 producers from Pinot Noir regions from California, Washington and Oregon. More than 300 wines were available for tasting representing a wide range of styles. It never ceases to amaze me that in a hanger full of wine all made from just one varietal, that there can be so many different styles and flavor profiles. Something for everyone’s taste - that’s why I love wine!

Lisa Rigisich, (center), Pinot Days event founder

This year I had the opportunity to take one of the “regional tours” conducted by a winemaker from each region. I chose the Santa Maria Valley AVA and our tour guide was James Ontiveros of Native 9 Wines. A small group of us gathered as James drew a map and explained all about mountain ranges, coastal climate, rainfall, growing season and alluvial soils that make this AVA good for growing the temperamental Pinot Noir grape. James is a ninth generation Californian, and he and his family have been working the land of Santa Barbara County for a very long time.

James Ontiveros of Native9 Wines

So with much enthusiasm James then escorted us off to our first stop on the “tour”. We would visit 6 wineries/tables in the next hour and a half, meet with their winemakers and taste their Pinot. Our tour took us to Riverbench, practicing sustainable farming, where I liked all three of their offerings, then on to Native 9 where we also tasted his Alta Maria label. The Alta Maria had more of a fruit forward profile, while the Native 9, which is whole cluster fermented, had a more intriguing and very unique profile with smoke coming through on the finish.  At the Hitching Post table we met Gray Hartley, who is co-owner along with Hitching Post restaurant owner Frank Ostini. Gray talked a lot about barrel influence on wine, which I found to be very interesting, and I enjoyed both of the vineyard designates he poured for us.

Gray Hartley of Hitching Post Wines

Ken Brown of Ken Brown Wines has been in the wine business for 34 years. To quote his website, “Most of my career has been spent pursuing the elusive traits that make great Pinot Noir”. Seems to me he has found them. This man knows his winemaking and the two elegant Pinots we tried that day are testament to that fact.

Ken Brown at Pinot Days

Ken Brown wine

Josh Klapper of La Fenetre hardly seems to need any introduction at all. His name and wine pop up at all the tastings, and write-ups abound. And for good reason. This very likable young winemaker has been recognized for quite some time in the food and wine scene and now is  is making some wonderful wine, negociant style, and in small  case production.  As we tasted through 3 vintages of Pinot, the ‘05 and ‘08 being my favorites, he spoke about how he loves the 2010 vintage, stating that it was great “stem vintage”. Josh was one of the winemakers at this event whose enthusiasm about what he does was surpassed only by his desire to share his wine with others.

Josh Klapper of La Fenetre Wines

Our last stop was with Joe Wagner of Belle Glos Wines to taste  his Clark and Telephone Vineyard Pinot, 2008. This big wine with great concentration of fruit and very soft tannins, offered brown spices like nutmeg and cloves with a bit of vanilla right into the finish.

Joe Wagner of Belle Glos Wines

Our Santa Maria tour was over but the day certainly wasn’t. There were many more tables to visit. Londer Vineyards from the Anderson Valley in Mendocino, an area I also like very much for their Alsatian whites, came through with a couple of elegant Pinots with plenty of soft fruit. Enjoyed meeting and talking at length with Rosalind Manoogian and her husband James of Fog Crest Vineyard and I tasted both of her Russian River Valley offerings including Fog Crest’s  inaugural vintage of their Estate Bottled Pinot. This small production Pinot, (75 cases), had lots of bing cherry and blackberry in the nose, cola and spice nuances and medium tannins.

James and Rosalind Manoogian of Fog Crest Vineyard

I especially loved listening to Greg La Follette of La Follette . Talk about enthusiasm! He was making the ins and outs of wild fermentation seem fascinating. His offerings from Sonoma and Mendocino were very interesting to me with complicated, yet well balanced flavors including bacon and smoke, which he attributed to the wild fermentation. A lot of information in a very short period of time left me hoping to have more time some day in the future to speak further with this knowledgeable winemaker.

Greg La Follette

La Follette Pinot Noir

So much Pinot, so many styles, wonderful group of winemakers - it all makes for a great way to spend a few hours. Thanks to the producers of Pinot Days for bringing us this opportunity to learn, taste and compare. Cheers!

Just back from another one of my whirlwind 30 hour trips up to Paso Robles and back. I always have so much I want to accomplish and there is never enough time! I’ve made so many wonderful friends up there and there are always so many new wineries to visit.

Started this trip with a good long visit with Paso’s very own Matt and Annie Browne of Hoot ‘n Annie’s blog. Annie made us a wonderful Creole style dinner with which we enjoyed a Zinfandel from Poalillo and a Mourvedre from Opolo while we talked about…wine of course! For dessert Annie pulled out a real treat that I had not seen before, Red Soles Winery “Bootlegger”.

This unique dessert wine is made in the “solera” style aging process like the Sherry’s of Spain. This process involves the blending of vintages in oak barrels -  each year as a portion of the oldest barrels is bottled, they are replenished with wine from the next oldest barrels. The resulting product is an aged wine with depth and character and no vintage. This Red Soles wine is made from Viognier and  unlike a “late harvest” Viognier should be served at room temperature as opposed to chilled. While late harvests reflect a brighter, sweeter wine with apricots and peaches on the palate, this solera Viognier is a richer, more complex wine with nuts and caramel and a long finish. Red Soles only bottles 40-45 cases of this decadent elixir per year in these really cool bottles brought in from France.

The next morning I was off early for coffee and a goodie at my favorite bakery, Cider Creek. While I was there I made sure to pick up a couple of jars of F.R.O.G. jam - basically a marmalade from figs, raspberries, orange and ginger. I use this in all kinds of recipes, some of which are mentioned in other posts on this blog.

Later that morning I had an appointment to tour the new winery site for Epoch Estate Wines. As fate would have it, this new winery is being built on one of the most historic winery properties in the Paso Robles area. This last summer, owners Bill and Liz Armstrong purchased the York Mountain Winery property off of Highway 46W in Templeton, that was founded by Andrew York  in 1882. They also own and have overseen the restoration of the historic vineyard owned by the philanthropist and musician Ignacy Paderewski, that was dedicated to Zinfandel in the early 1900’s. While restoration of the winery continues, a brand new tasting room has been built and is scheduled to open mid November. Epoch’s inaugural release this last summer was a sell out and received very high ratings. Tasting these wines will be a pleasure as the site is majestic and beautiful, tucked away under towering redwoods in the hills separating Paso Robles from the sea at Cambria.

The road to Epoch Winery

Liz and Bill Arnstrong of Epoch Estate Wines

On my way back down into Paso Robles, I stopped by Jack Creek Farms to look at the incredible myriad of gourds and pumpkins for fall cooking and decoration. Other Fall treats include cider and pumpkin fudge!

Next up on my way down Highway 45 W was a stop at Booker Vineyards. With harvest in full swing and it being the middle of the week, I knew the tasting room would not be open. But a couple of friends of mine made some calls and the lovely Addie Pitts left her position at the sorting table to come out to the tasting room and pour me the line-up of Bookers’s wines.

Addie Pitts of Booker

First wine to try was their 2009 Pink, a heavyweight unfiltered 50/50 blend of Grenache and Syrah. With baked cherries and strawberry rhubarb in the nose, this wine has a fuller body and more spice, maybe anise, than most blush wines. Always looking for a wine for Mexican food since I ‘m not much of a beer drinker, so I bought a bottle of this one.

After tasting through three wonderful red blends, the last two wines were 100%ers. The 08 Fracture is 100% Syrah aged 24 months in barrel. Lots of aromas and flavors going on in this one including a nose of tobacco, coffee and black fruits, and a palette with hints of chocolate, smoke, cherries and cassis.  The 08 Ripper, a 100% Grenache, also sees 24 months of oak giving it a full body with nice length. Lots of red fruit like strawberries and dark cherries.

Booker is a beautiful winery with a great vibe and wonderful wines. Don’t miss this one on your next visit.

Fracture gets its name from the fractured shale soil it comes from.

A stunning view of Booker's vineyard at harvest time 2010

My short Paso visit ended with a good long lunch to catch up with my dear friend, Melinda Laraneta of Laraneta Vineyards in Templeton. We discussed wine and olives and chestnuts and plans for their new winery. I wish her the best of luck with all the many steps involved even before ground is broken.

The driveway up to the site of Laraneta's new winery.

It takes plenty of perseverance to open a  winery, plant and care for a vineyard and produce and market wine. But how we enjoy the fruits of their labors, and how I do respect and admire the people that choose to do this. Cheers to all of you. And a big thank you to everyone in Paso that made this trip so pleasurable.

I’ll Drink to That!

Last November we had the pleasure of a visit with Denis Degher of Mojo Cellars. After a tour of his estate, (see previous post). we were treated to a tasting of his wines. One was his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, 100%, made from fruit from Latchford Ranch off of Hwy 46 W. As much as we liked it then, he suggested laying it down for a year, which we did. So with much will power, I resisted the urge to open it until a few days ago. I should mention that during this past year, the wine has won a Gold Medal at the California Mid State Fair and was also named a San Francisco Chronicle Award Winner. And, yes, it was worth the wait to drink! This wine had mellowed and the tannins had softened to a rich, viscous, beautifully balanced blend of yumminess! Chocolate, tobacco, eucalyptus, cedar - all  in there. Enjoyed this with a grilled New York steak with a Dijon glaze and  a mash of potatoes and parsnips on the side.

Domaine Deger 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

People often ask me about Viognier. When I try to explain it to them, I am reminded of all the many styles in which it can be made. It can be perfumey or redolent of tropical fruits. It’s mouthfeel can be thick and rich or light with crisp acidity. But whichever style you prefer, there is a viognier for every palate, and finding the style that’s right for you is half the fun. Although this grape is the star of Condrieu in France, California is making some shining examples, many from the Central Coast. Many wineries blend their Viognier with Rousanne and Marsanne, creating a white Rhone blend that I find absolutely delicious!

I first started drinking Viognier when I began to see them popping up more and more on my winery visits to the Santa Ynez Valley. The nose on most of those wines was very floral and perfumy. Not my favorite attributes and they carried over into the flavor profile as well. But because the wine itself was so clean and crisp with a lovely full mouthfeel, I persisted,  tasting as many examples as I could find. Eventually, over not too many years, I noticed a trend. More and more of the Viogniers I was tasting had lost that perfumy component while maintaining a wonderful honeysuckle nose. Ahhh, now I was obsessed. Viognier, and Rhone white varietal blends became a passion, and I was thrilled whenever I found one in a winery’s tasting line-up.

One of my “go to” Viogniers comes from Bridlewood Estate Winery, whose gorgeous tasting room is located on the Eastern edge of the Santa Ynez Valley. No visit to this wine region would be complete without visiting this beautiful property, and no visit complete without tasting their Viogniers. Using fruit sourced from the Central Coast, Bridlewood’s Viognier expresses  an aromatic bouquet of honeysuckle and nectarines, with a flavor profile featuring guava and nectarines. The wine is well balanced with a rich creamy mouthfeel. This versatile wine drinks great before a meal, and pairs beautifully with fish with a cream sauce, scallops, chicken and pasta with a brie cheese sauce and chives.

Also in the same area Tolosa Winery, along with their wonderful pinots, is making some nice Viognier. Their 2009 is 100% Viognier made with fruit  sourced from the Edna Valley AVA. It is fermented in stainless steel and then bottled to preserve freshness. This wine exemplifies the varietal with orange blossom and peach in the nose, medium acidity with a full mouthfeel, and finishing with a bit of lemon.

One of my very favorite Viogniers is from Cass Winery in Paso Robles. I have been a fan of their wines for a number of years and last year I had the opportunity to help bring in their 09 Viognier harvest. What fun that was! It was a warm August morning as I entered their vineyard on the East side of Paso, where I met up with Steve and Ted, owners, Ted’s wife Lisa, the winemaker Lood Kotze and the rest of the Cass harvest team. As I spent the next couple of hours sorting through bins of sweet viognier grapes, I became acutely aware of the event’s significance. This is the moment when a year’s worth of tending, nurturing, worrying, watching, waiting, hoping and praying comes together.  When that tenuous partnership between mother nature and farmer survives another year of negotiations and deal making, the fruit of that relationship is harvested, with a sigh of relief and a heavy dose of gratitude, not forgetting for one moment that this is the wine we’ll be drinking next year. Oh how much more wonderful that Viognier tastes this year! Must try this one with the famous crab cakes served every day at the Winery.

So give up the Chardonnay just for a while and venture into the world of Rhone white varietals. You won’t be disappointed. Cheers!

Chef Jacob’s Crab Cake Recipe

1 lb. Crabmeat (Phillips Crab)
½ cup Cooked Corn (frozen petite white corn)
¼ cup finely diced onion
½ cup finely diced green, yellow, red, or orange bell pepper
½ cup finely diced celery
½ cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup smooth Dijon mustard
Dash of Sirachi hot sauce
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups Panko bread crumbs (1 cup in mix, 1 cup for coating)

*Preheat oven to 425

Combine all ingredients and mix until ingredients are evenly incorporated without over mixing. Form crab mixture into eight balls/patties. Carefully coat the patties with the remaining 1 cup panko bread crumbs and chill covered for at least 30 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-size skillet. Cook patties over medium heat until golden on one side (about 3 minutes) then flip to other side and place entire pan in oven for about 4 minutes.

Makes 4 lunch sized portions. Serve with side of remoulade and enjoy!

Chef Jacob’s Remoulade Recipe
1 cup Mayonnaise
¼ cup smooth Dijon mustard
1 minced shallot
2 Tbsp non-pariel capers, chopped
1 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
½ tsp siracha hot sauce
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp smoked paprika

Mix all together!

I just got back from a whirlwind 24 hour trip to Paso Robles, and I thought I would let you know about some of the interesting people I met there and what they are up to in their wonderful wine country town.

First off, Spring has sprung. The vineyards are awakening from their winter slumber and bud break has occurred. The blue lupine and the yellow wild mustard intermingle,  painting the green rolling hillsides with spectacular color. The apple trees show off with their delicate pink flowers.

Your next glass of Sangiovese?

Apple blossoms at Laraneta

This last week the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce put on their Business Expo, Mission Possible, bringing together many of the local businesses to showcase their services and meet the residents of the city.

I was very happy to finally meet longtime Facebook friend, Dina Mande of Juice Marketing, a company specializing in website, print and video for wineries.  She has recently designed the beautiful new website for Mojo Cellars, a Westside winery owned by Sleepy Guitar Johnson, Denis Degher.

Sleepy Guitar Johnson, Denis Degher of Mojo Wines, performs regularly at Vinoteca Wine Bar in downtown Paso Robles

We walked around the event for about 2 hours, while tasting some wine from Sylvester Winery,  Eberle Winery and Sculpterra Winery and Sculpture Garden. We met the folks from The Paso Robles Inn, La Bellasera Hotel & Suites, Hunter Ranch Golf Course, Taylor Party Rentals and tasted some goodies from the famous Chef Andre of Dining with Andre catering company. I especially enjoyed having a look at some of the wonderful and creative items produced by Marv Kohlman of California Barrel Crafts. He makes furniture, bottle racks and murals all out of recycled wine barrels!

Having walked the entire expo, we were quite hungry and decided a visit to Good Ol’ Burger was in order. For years we have been coming to this place after hours spent tasting the big red wines of Paso. That’s when we are seriously craving meat and this place is conveniently located on 24th Street right off the 101 and at the crossroads between the East and Westside winery areas. They moved into shiny new digs a couple of years ago from their original, shall we say, more “rustic” location, but the food remained the same. Great burgers and the best onion rings, period! Don’t forget the ranch dressing on the side. Just give it up and splurge. Although, for lunch we usually split a cheeseburger and a small order of rings. Plenty, trust me, especially if you’re planning on dinner in town in the evening.

Friends enjoying post wine tasting repast at Good Ol'Burger

Clearly, no longer hungry, it was time to head to town to Vinoteca Wine Bar where we were going to meet up with the popular Matt and Annie of Hoot ‘n Annie’s Blog fame. Vinoteca, located right across the street from the park and within walking distance of many of Paso’s finest restaurants, is the place to stop by after dinner to enjoy a glass of wine and mingle with the locals. Its cozy atmosphere  creates the perfect ambiance for an evening of meeting up with friends, old and new.

Friends at Vinoteca Wine Bar

Friday nights they feature live music, (see Denis above),  and on  Winemaker Wednesday,  one of the local wineries pours flights of their featured wines and can be paired with savory tapas. On the night we were there our friends Melinda and Joe Laraneta of Laraneta Vineyards were pouring their wines and the place was buzzing with activity. We totally enjoyed meeting Matt and Annie, chatting with them about wine, food and their Paso Robles lifestyle. We met many others who call Paso home including Daniel and Corrine Appelbaum, proprietors of Safe Haven Wine Services. These two have figured out the solutions to many of the shipping issues for the wineries themselves and for the consumer, not only increasing cost effectiveness of shipping and storage, but making it “greener” as well. If you’re planning a touring and tasting vacation in the Paso Robles area, give these people a call to find out how easy they can make it to ship your treasures home for you. Cyndee Smolik provides vital services of another nature to the wineries with her Uncorked Compliance Wine Industry Consultants company. She helps them stay on top of all the governmental compliance issues - no small task. It was also fun to meet Ashley Rae Fischer and her mother Becky Zelinsky of First Crush Winemaking Experience. First Crush offers wine lovers the opportunity to try their hand at crafting their own wine through a variety of interactive, wine-related learning experiences. We talked about the possibility of bringing their blending seminar to I’ll Drink to That’s members in the near future as a special event. Sounds like fun!

The next morning we had some errands to run in town so we first stopped at Vic’s Restaurant for a hearty breakfast. Delicious omelets, tender hash browns and tall buttery biscuits were just we needed to get us through the drive ahead of us. Then off to Safe Haven to drop off wine shipping inserts that I had been saving to recycle. Next, the mandatory stop at Cider Creek Bakery to restock on F.R.O.G jam. Fig,raspberry, orange and ginger marmalade, really, a pantry staple in our house. Great all by itself on toast, it is also so good mixed into dressings and marinades, for sauces, on top of a baked brie, and mixed into mashed sweet potatoes, with a little bourbon. We  come up with new ways to use it all the time.

We had only time for one tasting, so we stopped at Kiame Wine Cellars, whose tasting room is in the downtown area. I wanted to pick up a couple bottles of their White Kuvee, Proprietary White Blend, which is a favorite of mine. A delicious blend of 60% Roussanne and 40% Viognier from the Westside Derby Vineyard, this wine has scents of honeysuckle and lemongrass and a minerality component that makes this wine a great change-up from the heavy, oaky Chardonnays. We also picked up a bottle of their 06 R’Own Style Blend, comprised of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 8% Zinfandel and 2% Viognier. Give this one some air to allow the bright strawberry and rhubarb flavors to unfold, finishing with cinnamon spice.

Finally it was time to head home from our short trip, but happy to have met many more of the great people from this wonderful wine making area. See you soon, Paso Robles…..

Just south of Paso Robles in an area known as the Templeton Gap, there is located a small family run winery - Laraneta Winery. They don’t have a tasting room, yet, and are not open to public tastings, so you would drive right by the property on Templeton Road going to and returning from the many other wineries in the area.  But if you’re lucky enough to have received an invitation to visit or are in need of lodging, at the end of the Liquid Amber tree lined driveway lies Honey Oak House and B & B where Melinda and Joseph Laraneta warmly welcome their B & B guests to old fashioned hospitality and, of course, a glass of their wine.

Liquid Amber lines the drive

Joe and Melinda Laraneta

My husband and I were lucky enough to be on the receiving end of all that hospitality when, on one beautiful Paso Robles day last Autumn, they invited us to taste their line-up of award winning wines.  I had tasted a few earlier in the year at a tasting in the LA area, and was anxious to spend some time with the Laraneta’s learning about them and their wine making adventures. As we entered the drive, we noticed the olive orchard situated opposite the vineyard. They also have a line of hand-crafted olive oils, which we tasted that afternoon as well. The Laraneta’s and their dog Peaches greeted us and brought us in to meet some friends and we spent the next hour tasting and chatting. The Laraneta’s enthusiasm and passion turned into an invitation to take a golf cart tour of their estate which we eagerly accepted.

Owl box

Who knew chestnuts come from a crazy looking pod?

View of the Laraneta estate from the front veranda

We learned about planting, harvesting, owl boxes, protection from cold and wind and birds, and even what chestnuts look like just off the tree.  We saw the different kinds of olives and Joe proudly explained about the many varieties of shrubs, trees, flowers and roses he had lovingly planted about his property.We left, glad to have made new friends in the Laranetas and making the commitment to “stay in touch”.

As luck would have it, Melinda and Joe were planning a visit to family and were going to be in the LA area for just two days in March. We asked them if they would like to come to our home and share some of their wines with a few of our close friends who really appreciated wine and those whose passion it is to create it. They said yes, and a week later we were hosting them and a small group of eager tasters.

We greeted each guest with a glass of Segura Viudas Cava to set a festive mood for the evening. Being a strong believer in food and wine bringing out the best in each other, I decided to create a tasting menu pairing an appetizer or dish with each of the 6 wines they would be pouring. They also brought four different olive oils which I put out for tasting with bread dippers.

After all the introductions were made Melinda poured their first wine. Cameo is made from  Vernaccia, a white wine grape from the San Gimignano area of Tuscany. It is  crisp, clean and a bit lemony with a buttery mouthfeel and a slight vanilla finish.  The guests were offered  rich, creamy Clam Fondue on sourdough toast. They happily noshed while Melinda elaborated further on the background of the grape and how they came to plant it.

Next up was their Vera Sano Rose, which is an unusual blend of  80% Vernaccia and 20% Sangiovese. One taste of this delightful wine had us all thinking “salmon”. So luckily I had made  salmon salad with Dill nestled in Endive leaves with a drizzle of the Laraneta’s Lemon Olive Oil.

Their Merlot, which they call Sa Va, is actually the wine that  attracted my attention to Laraneta in the first place. Dark and full bodied, this 100% Merlot is layered with black cherry, roasted coffee, sage and red currant. For this wine, I made a Merlot Risotto, then shaped it into bite size cakes, pan fried them and topped them with a dollop of aioli made with Laraneta Rosemary Olive Oil. What a beautiful color these tasty morsels were!

Red wine risotto cakes with Rosemary Aioli

Next in the line-up was the Sangiovese, and of course I thought, pasta! So a quick pour, some education on Italian wine, and everyone grabbed a plate of  Baked Rigatoni with Sausage and Mushrooms served with some good crusty rosemary/olive oil bread.

With everyone well fed and feeling good, we moved into the “decadent” portion of the evening, and the last two pairings. First, the cheese course served with Laraneta’s Cabernet Sauvignon. This elegant cab, enhanced with Merlot and Sangiovese, was extra yummy paired with Cambezola and an aged Gouda. We all had great fun determining our opinions of which cheese was more delicious with the wine, and of course we had to keep trying them just to make sure. It was a task happily taken on with much gusto.

Wine, bread, pasta, cheese - only one thing was still needed. Yes, chocolate! And lucky for us the Laraneta’s had brought with them their ‘05 -No. 5. This is also a blend with the predominant grape being Merlot at 75%, supported by 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Sangiovese.  This velvety wine boasts characteristics of dried cherry, plum and toasted hazelnuts with aromas of cocoa, blackberry and sweet spices. All that was needed here to compliment this delicious wine was an assortment of chocolate truffles, and I was happy to oblige.

The tasting line-up

So…if you plan on visiting the Paso Robles area for a special event or festival, or just need a weekend away, consider Honey Oak House and Laraneta Winery - good wine, good friends, good times!

I’ll Drink to That!

To quote Sid Goldstein, author of “The Wine Lover’s Cookbook”, “Pinot Noir is, in a word, a wonder. It is a mysterious and seductive wine that echoes the smell of the earth from which it comes.”

Sometimes referred to as the “heartbreak grape”,  it is difficult to grow, and demands great attention both in the vineyard as well as the winery. It is the coveted grape of Burgundy, and currently widely planted in Oregon and California. Although I enjoy a bottle of Pinot every so often, I don’t drink a lot of it. Pinot Days, held here in Los Angeles for the first time last weekend, was a real eye opener for me, introducing my palate to many different styles of Pinot ranging from dry and austere to fat and juicy. I was happy to meet and learn from producers from many prime pinot growing areas including Washington, Oregon, New Zealand and California.

My Pinot adventure started with an impromptu winemakers dinner held at Upstairs 2, the restaurant that is, you guessed it, upstairs over the Wine House wine shop. I had received an e-mail from Lisa and Steve Rigisich, the producers of Pinot Days, informing us that they and several of the winemakers in town for the festival were going to put on a small winemakers dinner a few days before the festival and limited reservations would be taken on a first come, first serve basis. Well the dinner sold out in half an hour - we were among the 80 or so lucky ones that secured a reservation.

Each table was set for 8 with a “winemakers chair” at the head of the table - winemakers would be rotating to a different table with each course so we would have the opportunity to speak with a number of them before the night was through.

Our first course was a salad of Arugula, Frisee and Belgian Endive with Duck Confit and a Pinot Noir Lingonberry Dressing. With that we were poured 2007 Inman Family Russian River Valley. Owner, winemaker and all around lovely lady, Kathleen Inman, also shared with us her 2006 Olivet Grange Vineyards Pinot Noir. Both were my favorite style - dry, earthy, elegant and well balanced with bright natural acidity. The second estate wine served with this course was the  Suacci Carciere Wines -  Suacci Vineyard - 2007.

The second course was a wonderful dish of Wild Mushroom Crusted Halibut with a red wine sauce. Mushrooms are so delicious paired with Pinot Noir and the first of two wines served with this course was the Lachini Vineyards Cuvee Giselle - 2007, Chehalem Mountains, Washington. Ron Lachini explained to us the intricacies of  bio-dynamic farming techniques and the reasons he and his wife chose to go that route. Oddly enough his wine had a very strong grassy aroma. Both his and the Willamette Valley Vineyards, Tualatin Estate 07 paired nicely with the fish.

Next up was Grilled Free Range Veal Chops with Herbs du Provence and Veal Demi-Glace.  The first wine poured was a Fess Parker Winery - Ashleys Pinot, Santa Rita Hills 07. This was one of the biggest pinots I have ever had, having even Syrah like qualities.  I figured this one would pair nicely with the chops, but obviously it did not behave like a Syrah and it flattened with the food.  A better choice was the 07 C. Donatiello Winery - Maddie’s Vineyard. Still a bigger and bolder style of Pinot than I normally choose, it held it’s own with the grilled meat and potatoes.

The dessert course was two cheeses served with fig bread and candied walnuts. Ana Keller of Keller Estate joined us at our table for this course and shared with us her family’s history in the wine industry. I enjoyed her 07 “El Coro” , a fleshy wine redolent of cherry, plum and currant flavors mingled with spice and tobacco. Also enjoyed with this course Perception Wines Russian River Valley 07.

This would have been a nice enough event by itself, but it was just a prelude for so much more Pinot yet to come.

Trade tasting gets under way

The festival was held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, a venue I had visited once before for the Make-a-Wish annual winetasting fund raiser. It’s big and roomy offering plenty of elbow space for thirsty tasters. So much Pinot, so little time as there were over 75 wineries represented and the walk around trade tasting was a mere 2 hours. A quick perusal of the offerings and off we went. A couple of  producers had Chardonnay or Pinot Gris tucked away under their tables and I was glad I had a bottle of SanTasti palate cleansing beverage with me - yes you really can go back and forth from red to white with optimum enjoyment and appreciation. Highlights for me included:

Carr Vineyards & Winery: 07 Pinot Noir, Three Vineyards, Sta. Rita Hills and 07 Turner Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills

Clouds Rest Vineyards: Tried and enjoyed 4 vintages from Sonoma: 02,03,04,05

Bouchaine Vineyards: 2006 Carneros

Demetria Estate: 2006 Cuvee Sandra, Sta Rita Hills

Kindred Wines: 2007 Pinot Noir Amber Ridge Vineyard, Russian River Valley

Papapietro-Perry: 2007 Russian River Valley

Kindred Wines,member of SFWA

Besides tasting some very interesting wines and meeting the creative men and women behind those wines, it was nice to catch up with friends. Eve Bushman of Eve’s 101 and Denise Lowe, the “goddess of vino”, were on hand for a photo op.

Denise Lowe, Xochitl Maiman and Eve Bushman catch up at Pinot Days in Los Angeles

At 1:00 sharp Los Angeles Pinot fans, and there are thousands of them, converged on the festival, not letting the approaching storm keep them from the task at hand. I left with a new appreciation for this intriguing grape, respect for the fortitude of those who make the wine and a strong craving for a steak. However, one of my favorite recipes to go with Pinot Noir is this one shared by Chef Douglas Keane of Cyrus in Healdsburg, CA. Kathleen Inman likes this one too.

Truffled Red Wine Risotto with Parmesan Broth

I’LL DRINK TO THAT !

A couple of years ago I was treated to a wonderful weekend driving through the beautiful Sierra foothills, just outside of Sacramento, trying some of the wines of this historic area. Once busy with gold mining towns and prospectors anxious to become rich with their gold discoveries, this  is now a 14K area perfect for growing grapes and turning them into liquid gold - premium wine.

Boeger Winery sits on an 1850’s site that was homesteaded by the Fossati-Lombardo family. The original house, cellar and distillery are still used today. Greg and Sue Boeger purchased the ranch in 1972 and started planting vineyards and built a new state-of-the-art-winery the following year.  The old Fossati-Lombardo house was converted into a tasting room and was opened to the public in 1974. For over three decades the Boeger family has dedicated themselves to crafting some of the Sierra Foothill’s finest wines.  The old cellar has recently been restored and is now used for special events and private gatherings.

While there tasting, I picked up this recipe for Red Wine Cake and I think it would be a great dessert for any  holiday dinner. Enjoy with some red dessert wine or Port.

RED WINE CAKE

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

2  1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup Boeger Red Wine

4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

TOPPING:

1 jar of Trader Joe’s Morello Cherries

1 bottle (375ml) of red dessert wine or Port

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cocoa. Set aside. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar till smooth. Add eggs, one at a time till incorporated. Add vanilla. In two parts each, alternatively add flour mixture and red wine,  till just mixed in.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to one hour or till tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove and finish cooling on rack.

Cake is great like this, but I have also added the following embellishments.

While cake is cooling, reduce in small pan, the liquid from 1 jar of Morello Cherries (available at Trader Joe’s), with 1/3 bottle (375ml) of red dessert wine or Port. Cool. Poke holes in cake with toothpick. Carefully drizzle from a spoon red wine/cherry liquid reduction over cake and into holes.

To serve: Warm cherries in remaining reduction. In separate pan warm hot fudge sauce. Pour a bit of each over cake slices and serve with more of the red dessert wine or port.

I’LL DRINK TO THAT!

The hills of Paso Robles are alive with the sound of music.  It seems everywhere you turn there is either a musician orchestrating a wine making venture or a winery treating their patrons to the talents of  local musicians. Jazz, country,  rock and roll and even classical all have a place in this sprawling wine making community.

Just this last weekend Paso Robles played host to the Paderewski Festival with concerts and competitions honoring Ignacy Paderewski, virtuoso pianist and composer from 1879-1941. He purchased land in the Paso Robles area in 1914 and for the next 25 years planted almond trees, fruit orchards and Zinfandel grapes. Friday night  Cass Winery played host to a classical piano recital of Paderewski’s works performed by William Koseluk  and on Saturday welcomed their club members to a “pick-up” party featuring the sounds of “Funk 30″, a local band playing funk, R&B, blues and rock.

Funk 30 playing at Cass Winery pick-up party

Since music has been an integral part of my life, and since I’m always anxious to try new wines, I set out to visit a couple of wineries where music and wine are the perfect pairing.  My first stop was at the D’Anbino Vineyards and Cellars tasting room located in the historic train depot in downtown Paso Robles.

There we were warmly greeted by Joannne Rubino, one of the owners of the winery. Her husband, Carmine Rubino, and his partner John D’Andrea both have had long successful careers in the music recording industry, film and television. The walls of the tasting room, which looks more like a very hip nightclub, are lined with photos and awards including a couple of gleaming Emmys in a glass case.  Career memorabilia also adds character to the space, including a Bay Watch pinball machine and a Roman helmet given to Carmine from HBO as a gift for his work on the series “Rome”.  Most of the family are musicians and when everyone’s schedules line up just right, D’Anbino fans are treated to concerts in the tasting room often paired with their wines and a generous helping of Italian comfort food.

Joanne Rubino at D'Anbino tasting bar

Paying homage to the family’s musical background the bar is embedded with a half  dozen piano soundboards, genius idea of Mike Rubino, a composer working in the Los Angeles area. The large space, comfortably appointed with couches, and some high rise cocktail tables and chairs, is perfect to accommodate the crowds that gather when the family band plays or when they bring in a guest artist. (Check the Events page for their upcoming dates.)

The lineup of wines all feature the D’Anbino family band depicted in a colorful watercolor image on the label. We tried them all, but a few were standouts for us. The Syrah Rose had plenty of rich color to it and good body to go with. Full flavored, this is one of the nicest roses I’ve had in a long time. Four varietals make up Quadraphonic, a juicy wine with Cabernet Sauvignon as the lead grape, accompanied by Merlot, Cabernet Franc and earthy rich Syrah. Wonderful layered finish. Their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, a bronze medal winner, is fruit forward with smoke in the mid-palate and vanilla in the long finish.  For those of you whose favorite wine pairing is port and chocolate, their Cabernet Port is a must. (Pun intended) It is not syrupy or over sweet and is delicious all by itself. Pair it with a chocolate mousse or just some good dark chocolate and you have the perfect ending to a special occasion or holiday meal.  Speaking of entertaining - their Cabernet Wine Jelly is delicious with a little goat cheese on a salty cracker. What wine would you pair with some cool jazz?

What would you pair with “roots and blues”? Something with a little mojo perhaps? Domaine Degher is offering both. Denis Degher started writing songs as a teenager. Attaining  recording and engineering skills was the natural progression and brought Denis  successful careers in the music and recording industries. For the last decade he has been recording under the Sleepy Guitar Johnson moniker, and it is under that name that he performs with his trademark red Gibson in and around Paso Robles  when he is not tending to his new-ish winery located in the north-western part of the area.  Denis, after being bit by the wine-making bug and  with a growing appreciation for wine, decided to purchase land in the rolling hills of Paso Robles to plant his small organic vineyard. There, with his young black lab, Coltrane, Denis  has created a horticultural symphony with the vineyard section accompanied by a colorful ensemble of trees, shrubs, herbs and flowers. To walk the estate with Denis is to truly understand this man’s commitment to heartfelt and intelligent farming.

Denis Degher

By day, Denis is a gracious host, proudly pouring a tasting of his small but impressive lineup of red wines. His 2005 Mojo is my favorite - a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sangiovese.This is a lush wine with soft tannins and a wonderful long finish. We also took home a couple bottles of the 2007 Cabernet. Although a little young right now, the beautiful fruit and tannins will clearly meld into a fabulous wine with a little cellaring.

That night, Denis performed at Vinoteca, a cozy popular wine bar located right across from the park in downtown Paso. We met up with some old friends and made some new ones as we sipped one last wine for the evening and listened to the sounds of  Sleepy Guitar Johnson. With roots firmly planted in music and terroir, Mojo is the perfect pairing of wine and music.

Denis Degher at Vinoteca Wine Bar, Paso Robles

Friends share a nightcap at Vinoteca Wine Bar

On the other side of the park from Vinoteca is the tasting room for Vihuela Winery. Vihuela, (also the name for a Spanish Renaissance guitar), offers up some big spicy red wines, one of which is named after the hot and spicy musical group, Incendio. Vihuela’s association with the group inspired this firery Syrah based blend and recommends enjoying this wine with the Incendio cd, a blend of the  exciting sounds of 3 spanish guitars. Incendio wine and Incendio the group - whip up some tapas and it’s a party. Vihuela shares digs with Vivant Fine Cheese, so it’s easy to find all the gourmet goodies needed for an impromptu gathering of friends. Their location also has an inviting patio where patrons can enjoy a glass of wine and cheese plate along with live music, often featured on the weekends.

Cheese selection from Vivant

Music, wine and friends - it’s all there in Paso Robles!

I’ll Drink to That!

This recipe was sent to me from Opolo Vineyards in Paso Robles. I’ve been a fan of their line-up of zins for a long time so this recipe sounds really good to me. I’ll be adding it to my Thanksgiving menu this year. I’ll let you know what I think of it - please let me know if you try it and what you think.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups Opolo Mountain Zinfandel

2 cups sugar

2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar

12 whole cloves

12 whole allspice

4 cinnamon sticks

2 - 3×1 inch strips orange peel

2 - 12 oz bags fresh cranberries

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients, except cranberries, in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain syrup into large saucepan. Add cranberries t syrup and cook over medium heat until berries burst, about 6-8 minutes. Cool. Transfer sauce to medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cold. (Can be made 1 week ahead. keep refrigerated.)

Note from the winery: Unless your family really loves cranberry sauce, you might want to cut tis recipe in half.  The best part about doing that is that you’ll end of with half a bottle of Mountain Zinfandel left over to drink while you cook!  Happy Holidays!

I wish you all a joyful Thanksgiving - there is so very much to celebrate and be grateful for. I am thankful to all of you who have come along on this writing journey with me the last 5 months - I look forward to many more things to raise a glass to. I’ll Drink to That!

Opolo Mountain Zinfandel - 2007

The ‘07 Mountain Zinfandel is loaded with gobs of boysenberry, wild cherry  and blackberry. Rustic anise and ripe velvety tannins on the finish.

The crowd excitedly gathered , willingly casting aside their silver stakes and ropes of garlic in exchange for wine glasses from which to taste the tantalizing wines of Vampire Vineyards. As the sun was setting and the darkness of night loomed, the  October networking/tasting event of I’ll Drink to That! was visited by Michael Machat, owner of Vampire Vineyards and Anthony Pescione of Mega Wine Distributors. Together they took eager tasters on a tasting frenzy of 9 wines, mostly made from grapes from the Paso Robles region of the Central Coast of California.

Tasting lineup....

Michael showed his “coffin” wine boxes he had originally designed in the early years of the brand, and dropped the names of some of his first victims, I mean clients, such as Alice Cooper and the Anne Rice Fan Club.

Michael casts his spell on Debbie Miller of Logo Woman

Anthony Pescione of Mega Wine

Anthony also brought two special vodkas to show our now satiated group of tasters. He explained, (we did not taste the vodka at this event), how the red Vampyre Vodka was the perfect vodka for making the ultimate “Bloody Mary”.  He also brought along Blavod Black Vodka, which I had tasted at another event mixed into a cocktail called “The Black Dahlia”. This is one delicious cocktail - perfect for greeting your guests when they come visiting on All Hallows Eve.

Ingredients for "The Black Dahlia" cocktail

Recipe:

For each cocktail, stir together in cocktail shaker or pitcher filled with crushed ice,  3 oz Blavod Black Vodka, 1/2 oz Chambord black raspberry liqueur, 1/2 oz Kahlua and a twist of orange peel. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a twist of orange peel.

Artisan created a sumptuous array of “finger foods” including these crostini with roasted pumpkin, roasted shallots and pepita garnish.

Melody Dosch, owner of Artisan Cheese Gallery

Vampire t-shirts were given as door prizes, but the big winner of the day was Debbie Miller of Logo Woman who won a basket of 5 bottles of Vampire wines.

The evening concluded with the IDTT Wine Swap, allowing guests the opportunity to do some networking and take home a new wine to try.

Wine Swap Networking

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

I’LL DRINK TO THAT !

Vampire Vineyards - Dracula Syrah - Paso Robles - 2005 - $17.99

The bottle reads, “reminiscent of the Master’s true love, this wine is exquisite. This Syrah has black cherry and dark chocolate flavors that launch into an intense, dark, rich and flavorful wine. Its texture and balance of spices set up a silky texture and balanced jammy finish.”

I paired this wine with slices of rosemary roasted pork loin with a crust of onions, bread crumbs and parmesan along with fresh corn and pancetta bread pudding and haricots vert with thyme. Bloody good pairing.