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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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)
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| 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)
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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)
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