My mission is to inspire you to make wine a part of your daily life.  To accomplish this I want to expose you to new wines and deconstruct the complexity of wine.  I hope you learn something new along the way.








New Year's is fast approaching so it seems a good time to discuss CHAMPAGNE

Champagne is a sparkling wine that comes ONLY from the Champagne region of France.  The primary grapes include; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier.  The typical method used to create the fizz is a secondary fermentation process.  This is done either in the bottle or in the barrel and typically a mixture of sugar and yeast are added to the wine.  There are specific rules which govern the length of time to produce the champagne, grapes used etc.  Sparkling wine is the term used to describe champagne like wine produced outside of the Champagne region.  Sparkling wine is produced either in the traditional manner described above or via an injection of carbon dioxide to create the fizz.  Typically, champagne is either white or rose.  Brut is a term used to describe dry sparkling wine and Demi-Sec, Dolce or Doux is a term used to describe a sweeter sparkling wine.

Popular areas for sparkling wine are:
Spain, Cava
Portugal, Espumante
Italy, Asti and Prosecco
US, Sonoma was the area where sparkling wine production first began

Champagne Cocktails seem a good way to ring in the new year and I have a two recipes below:


Traditional Champagne Cocktail

Ingredients:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes Angostura bitters or soak in fresh lemon juice
5 ounces chilled Brut Champagne or sparkling wine
1 lemon slice

1. Soak sugar cube with Angostura bitters or fresh lemon juice
2. Fill flute with Champagne
3. Add soaked sugar cube
4. Garnish with lemon slice


Champagne Cocktail Margarita Style

Ingredients:
1 ounce blanco tequila
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/4 ounce agave nectar
3 ounce chilled Brut Champagne or sparkling wine
Lime Twist or Wheel

1. Fill cocktail shaker with ice
2. Add tequila, lime juice, agave nectar and shake well.
3. Strain into flute and top with sparkling wine
                                             4. Garnish with lime twist or wheel


Champagne Picks:

Chandon Brut California
90 Points Wine Enthusiast $12.99

Gloria Ferrer Brut California
90 Points Wine Enthusiast $13.99 

Mumm Napa Brut Prestiga California
90 Points Wine Spectator $14.99

Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley
91 Points Wine Spectator $18.99

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut France
93 Points Wine Spectator $29.99

Cheers!  



   

My mission is to inspire you to make wine a part of your daily life.  To accomplish this I want to expose you to new wines and deconstruct the complexity of wine.  I hope you learn something new along the way. 






Tips for Giving Wine as a Gift

You may be planning to buy wine as a gift this holiday season for your boss, friends, family or the host of a holiday party.  Since there are many types of wine and personal wine preferences, I would recommend employing the following strategies to make sure your gift is a success.

1. Figure out whether your recipient is a wine novice, expert or somewhere in between.
2. Get information from them regarding their taste in wine.  Some basic questions would be:
preference for red/white wine, favorite wine region or winery, recent travel to a wine region.
3. Identify your budget and stick to it.  There are good wines out there at every price point.
4. If you are bringing a bottle of wine to a holiday party that will be consumed that evening make it a good bottle of wine but don't break that bank as chances are you it will be gone before you get any.
5. If this will be consumed with a special meal, select a bottle that will pair well with the menu. 
For example, Cabernet Sauvingen pairs well with steak, red Zinfendel pairs well with barbeque.  Go online to find out a good pairing for the menu that will be served.


Suggestions for the Wine Novice

I would recommend any of my everyday suggestions for this category of wine drinker.  Simply identify their preference for red or white wine.  Some recent standouts include:

Paringa Shiraz '10

Shoofly Shiraz- 90 Points Wine Spectator
Paringa Shiraz '10 - #52 Top 100 List for Wine Specator 2013

These would also be a great choice for a holiday party if they would be consumed that evening.

Shoofly Shiraz

Suggestions for the Intermediate Wine Drinker

I would recommend going to a wine shop (not a grocery store because they do not have an expert staff available to assist with your wine selection) with information you have gathered on wine preference (red/white), favorite wine region, winery, grape, recent travel.  Give the expert staff this information along with your budget and have them give you several selections to chose from.

A to Z 2011

A to Z 2011 Oregon Pinot Noir #55 Top 100 List for Wine Spectator 2013

Suggestions for the Wine Expert

I would recommend setting a higher price point and following the steps from intermediate wine drinker.  The higher price point will allow you to select a special bottle of wine from their favorite wine region, winery, or recent travels.





No Fail Selection

Champagne or sparkling wine is a festive holiday choice.  True champagne comes from the champagne region of France but there are many other great options including cava from Spain, Processo from Italy and sparkling wine from the US.  Please check back in about 2 weeks for further information on Champagne for my next installment.

Cheers!       
 

My mission is to inspire you to make wine a part of your daily life.  To accomplish this I want to expose you to new wines and deconstruct the complexity of wine.  I hope you learn something new along the way.






 Chardonnay to pair with Thanksgiving Dinner

The chardonnay grape is a neutral grape with flavors being derived from the terrior and oak.  Chardonnay is originally from Burgundy France but is now grown widely in other countries including Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.  To provide further guidance you will find Chardonnay described as "oaked", "unoaked" and balanced. 
Oaked would be best described as having flavors of vanilla, toast, butter and nuts.  This style of wine would be aged in oak barrels.
Unoaked would describe a wine that is made and matured in stainless steel barrels and would have flavors described as clean, crisp, fresh fruit notes.
Balanced would best describe a style of wine that has some portion aged in oak and another portion aged in stainless steel to decrease the oak flavor.

For Thanksgiving dinner I would recommend an unoaked or balanced Chardonnay as a heavily oaked wine may interfere with the food flavors.  Below would be a few suggestions to pair with your special meal:

Marimar Estate 2010 Acero Don Miguel Vineyard (Russian River) unoaked style $29.00

Fritz 2010 Russian River Valley Chardonny unoaked style $20.00

Roar 2010 Sierra Mar Vineyard Chardanny (Santa Lucia Highlands) balanced style $45.00

My mission is to inspire you to make wine a part of your daily life.  To accomplish this I want to expose you to new wines and deconstruct the complexity of wine.  I hope you learn something new along the way.

 

 

 

Pinot Noir the Perfect Pairing with Thanksgiving Dinner

Pinot Noir is a black wine grape variety.  It is grown in cooler regions and considered to be some of the finest wine in the world.  Pinot Noir is also known to be a difficult variety to grow.  The yield is lower than other varietals due to the growing conditions and this wine will therefore have a higher price point.  The most well known region for Pinot Noir is Burgundy France.  Great areas in the US for this variety are the Willamette Valley in Oregon and the Russian River and St. Rita Hills in California.

Recommendations for Pinot to pair with Thanksgiving Dinner:

Being from southern CA, I have visited St. Rita Hills on numerous occasions and I think there is consistently great Pinot Noir at several wineries including: Melville, Au Bon Climate, and Curran.
Here are a few other picks:

California:
2010 J. Lohr Fog's Reach Vineyard, Arroyo Seco $35.00
2010 Belle Glos, Las Alturas Vineyard, Santa Lucia Vineyard, Monterey County $44.00
2006 Holdredge Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $34.00

Oregon:
2011 Winderlea, Maresh Vineyard $48.00
2011 Coattails, Two Messengers $30.00
2010 Andrew Rick, Verbatim $30.00

Burgundy:
2005 Vincent Girardin Santenay Les Charmes $31.00 (from Burgundy village of Santenay)
2005 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin $40.00
2005 Taupenot-Merme Gevrey-Chambertin $44.00

See my next installment for pairing white wines for Thanksgiving dinner.


Recipe for this month will be a Thanksgiving Side Dish: Cornbread Dressing

 













Ingredients:
corn bread mix (such as Trader Joe's)
sweet onion x1 medium size
bell pepper red x1 medium size
celery 3 stalks
frozen corn 1/2 lb (thawed)
sweet sausage x 1 lb
turkey broth 2 1/2 cups
salt 
pepper

Directions:

Prepare corn bread mix as stated in box and bake.  Let cool and put in bowl and mash gently.
Dice the vegetables: onion, bell pepper, corn and celery and saute 5 minutes.
Dice the sausage and brown 6-8 minutes.
Combine the corn bread, vegetables, sausage in baking dish.  Gradually add in the turkey broth until desired consistency (easy to spread and has plenty of moisture).  Salt and pepper to taste.
Bake at 350 degrees or until heated through about 30 minutes covered, remove cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

 
Everyday Wine Picks
Here are my picks for everyday wines under $20.00:

Reds:

Rancho Sisquoc Pinot Santa Barbara '09
90 Points Wine enthusiast $19.99 (BevMo)

Haraszthy Old Vine Zinfandel '10
93 Points Beverage Tasting Institute $12.99 (BevMo)

Fattoria del Cerro Vino Nobile '09
92 Points Wine Advocate $17.99(BevMo)

Artezin Zinfandel '11
92 Points Wine+Spirits $15.99 (BevMo)

Montes Cabernet Alpha '10
91 Points Wine Advocate 16.07 (BevMo)

Tilia Reserve Red Blend '11
93 Points Wilford Wong $22.95 (for two bottles) BevMo

Avante Tineta Ribera Del Duero '12
91 Points Intl' Wine Cellar $13.99 (BevMo) 

d'Arenberg Laughing Magpie '09
91 Points Wine Advocate $19.99 (BevMo)

Perdriel Coleccion Malbec '09
91 Points Wine Enthusiast $18.99 (BevMo) 

3 Rings Shiraz '08
91 Points, Editors Choice, Wine Enthusiast $11.97 (BevMo)

Whites:

Frei Brothers Sauvignon Blanc Res '12
92 Points Tasting Panel $14.99 (BevMo) 

Roederer Estate Brut NV
91 Points Wine Spectator $18.99 (BevMo)

Gruet Blanc de Noirs
#43 Top 100 of 2011, 90 Points Wine Spectator $14.99 (BevMo) 

Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wine Va de Vi
92 Points Wine News $14.99 (BevMo)

White Oak Chardonnay '10
92 Points Wine Enthusiast $19.99 (BevMo)

Ch Ste Michelle Riesling Erocia '12
91 Points Wine Advocate

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc '12
91 Points Wine+Spirits $12.99 (BevMo)

Justin Chardonnay '11
91 Points Wine+Spirits $16.99 (BevMo) 

Donovan-Parke Sauvignon Blanc '10
Gold Metal, 2012 San Diego Intl' Wine Comp $14.95 for two (BevMo)

Cambria Chardonnay Katherine '11
90 Points Wine+Spirits, Best Buy $16.99 (BevMo) 




     

GSM a STELLAR RED BLEND

Becky Stahley

My mission is to inspire you to make wine a part of your daily life.  To accomplish this I want to expose you to new wines and deconstruct the complexity of wine.  I hope you learn something new along the way.







 Grenache Syrah Mourvedre

We discussed Syrah in my first post but I wanted to follow up with a bit more wine education with the other two varietals in this blend.

Grenache: This grape ripens late so it needs hot, dry conditions.  This grape is typically found in Spain, south of France, and California.  It is typically used as a blending grape and is spicy, berry flavored with a high alcohol content.

Mourvedre:  This grape prefers hot sun but adequate irrigation.  The typical region for the grape is Spain, France, California, and Washington State.  It is also used as a blending grape and may have flavors of wild game, earthy notes, and red fruit flavors.

While I can not find any of these blends in the $8 - $13.00 range, I do have a few recommendations for this wine.

Linne Calado

Paso Robles, California is coming on strong with the GSM blend.
Check out GSM wines from some of my favorite wineries:

Tablas Creek ( A French wine maker who came to Paso Robles)
Tolo ( small boutique winery)
Linne Calado (reservations required for visiting)

Southern Rhone Valley also boasts excellent GSM blends.






Food Pairings would be identical to the Syrah suggestions.
Here is a comfort food recipe to try out, just in time for fall.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Sweet Potato Chili

 Sweet Potato Chili:

Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
1 large sweet onion
1 large red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves
2 Tbs tomato paste
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tsp each ground cumin and dried oregano
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice (14oz)
1 lbs dried red beans, soaked overnight
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped in 1/4" pieces
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water

Instructions:

In dutch oven warm oil and add ground turkey and stir until browned, season with salt and pepper
Add chopped onion, red pepper, garlic and stir until softened about 5 minutes
Add tomato paste, cumin and oregano and stir 1-2 minutes
Add tomatoes, beans, sweet potatoes, stock and water and bring to simmer
Transfer to slow cooker and cover and  cook on high 4 hours or continue cooking in dutch oven on high heat for at least one hour or until beans are cooked.
Garnish with green onion, shredded cheddar cheese.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Mid Month Red Wine Finds:

Worth an extra splurge for the weekend

Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti
#47 Top 100 Wines 2012, 90 Points Wine Spectator
$15.99 (BevMo)

3 Rings Shiraz

3 Rings Shiraz
Barossa Valley, Australia
91 Points, Editors Choice, Wine Enthusiast
$11.97 (BevMo)


Columbia Crest H3 Chevaux Red
90 Points Wine Spectator
$11.99 (BevMo)

Shoofly Shiraz '10
90 Points Wine Spectator
$9.99 (BevMo)

Peirano Estate Immortal Zinfandel '11
91 Points Beverage Taste Institute
$9.99 (BevMo)


_________________________________________________________________________________

Mid Month White Wine Finds:

Bex Riesling '10
90 Points Tasting Panel Magazine
$8.99 (BevMo)

Peirano Estates Chardonnay '11
90 Points, Best Buy Beverage Institute
$8.37 (BevMo)

Luisi Moscato d'Asti '12
92 Points Wilford Wong
$19.00 for 2 bottles (BevMo)

Stateland Cellars Chardonnay '12
93 Points Wilford Wong
$20.00 for 2 bottles (BevMo)

Crios Torrontes '11
90 Points Wine Advocate
$12.99 (BevMo)
_________________________________________________________________________________

My mission is to inspire you to make wine a part of your daily life.  To accomplish this I want to expose you to new wines and deconstruct the complexity of wine.  I hope you learn something new along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Varietal Of The Month

Syrah and Shiraz... they are the same grape

Facts about the varietal:
It is the 7th most grown grape in the world. Syrah/Shiraz is a dark skinned grape that is used both as a varietal and blending grape. It tends to be a powerful, full bodied grape with tasting notes that are often described with blackberry and pepper.

 

Primary Syrah Regions: France and California

France, Northern Rhone will find Hermitage
France, Southern Rhone will find Syrah used as a blending grape for Chateaunef-du-Pape, Cotes du Rhone

 

Primary Shiraz Region: Australia 

 

Food Pairing:

Syrah or Shiraz works well with most grilled meats; lamb, sausage, pork, barbeque, and hearty stews.  Try out this recipe for Kofta Skewers:

 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground lamb
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper

 


Preparation:

Mix all of the above ingredients together and form into 4" long cylinder by 1 1/2" wide and then mold onto skewers.  Prepare grill and grill 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Serve with warm pita, hummus, rice, lettuce, tomato, cucumbers and enjoy!

 

 

Top 10 List

Anyone with a little wine sense can pick a good bottle of wine with a $50.00 budget, but we can't spend $50.00 for a bottle of wine every night.   Here are my picks of the month for your everyday wine which are in the $8.00-$13.00 range.  These wines wines are great with dinner and won't break the bank.

Pillar Box Shiraz Reserve '09
Australia, Padthaway
Wine Spectator 92 points and Robert Parker 92 points
$19.95 (BevMo 5 cent sale) buy two bottles $10.00


Chateau de Nages Buti Nages Nimes Rouge '10
France, Rhone Costierees de Nimes, Syrah
Wine Enthusiast 90 Points
$10.99 (Total Wine)


Gerard Bertrand Tautavel '08
France, Rhone, Cotes du Roussillon Villages, Syrah
Wine Spectator 90 Points
$19.95 (BevMo 5 cent sale) buy two bottles $10.00

Lehmann Clancy's '09
Australia, Barossa, Shiraz
Wine Spectator 90 Points, WS Top 100 Value Wines
$12.99 (Total Wine)

Las Rocas Garnacha '09
Spain, Aragon Calatayud, Grenache
Wine Advocate 90 Points, Robert Parker 90 Points
$12.99 (BevMo)

Lalande Malbec '11
Argentina, Mendoza
Wilford Wong 92 Points
$16.95 (BevMo 5 cent sale) buy two bottles for $8.50

Norton Cabernet Barrel Select '10
Argentina, Mendoza
Wine Enthusiast 90 Points, #24 Top 100 Best buys Wine Enthusiast
$19.95 (BevMo 5 cent sale) buy two bottles for $10.00

Reserve des Vignerons Saumur Champigy '10
France, Loire, Saumur-Champigny (Cabernet Franc)
Wine Spectator 90 Points
$12.99 (Total Wine)

Valserrano Rioja Crianza '09
Spain, Rioja (Tempranillo)
Wine Advocate 92 Points
$11.99 (Total Wine)

Catena Cabernet '10
Argentina, Mendoza
Wine Advocate 92 Points
$12.47 (Total Wine)

 

 

Plus 5 White Wines

 

Kung Fu Girl Riesling '11
Washington, Columbia Valley
Wine Spectator 90 Points
$10.99 (BevMo)

Kaikoura Estates Sauvignon Blanc '12
New Zealand, Marlborough
Wilford Wong 93 Points
$18.95 (BevMo 5 cent sale) buy two bottles for $9.50

King Estate Pinot Gris '11
Oregon
Wine and Spirits 91 Points
$12.97 (Total Wine)

Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier '11
California, Napa Valley
Wine Advocate 90 Points
$10.99 (Total Wine)

Martin Ray Chardonnay, Russian River Valley '10
California, Russian River Valley
Wine Enthusiast 91 Points
$8.99 (Total Wine)

 

 

Author: Becky Stahley

About: I have been an avid enjoyer of wine for 25 years and a daily drinker of wine since 2006.  My wine education has been largely self guided with experiences from many wine experts along the way.  I have traveled to various wine regions including France (Champagne and Burgundy), Oregon (Willamette Valley), California (Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, and Santa Inez).  I have also participated in a local wine group for 8 years and  taken more than 25 cooking and wine classes through the Laguna Culinary Institute.