Sitting at long tables with bibs on as big pots filled with lobster, potatoes, sausage, artichokes, corn, garlic and shrimp were spilled out in front of us, it was on! Everyone grabbed a lobster and was almost ready to go. What else did we need? A glass of wine, of course! And the wine for the night was the Chamisal Vineyards 2015 Estate Chardonnay, a perfect pairing for lobster and hence the Please The Palate pick of the week.
This story originally appeared in California Winery Advisor.
A trip to wine country is for wine tasting, of course. But in between winery visits, there are restaurant stops, perhaps an afternoon at the spa and shopping. Why not go on safari while you are there are well. Yes, a safari, just like in Africa!
Safari West is a 400-acre wildlife preserve located in the heart of wine country in Santa Rosa. Founded in 1993 by Peter and Nancy Lang, Safari West is a privately funded property that focuses on conservation and preservation of endangered wildlife animals. Currently, there are 90 species on property and 900 animals, ranging from giraffes, zebras, and monkeys to hyenas and cheetahs. Except for the international birds, all the animals are originally from Africa.
I remember the very first time I had that "a-ha" moment with a food and wine pairing. They are not easy to come by. Of course, finding good wine pairings with a dish is not the challenging part, it is finding that elusive pairing in which you just have to pause for a moment and say "oh my!", "wow" and "A-ha!" When you do have one, you remember it all so clearly. And just this past week, while on a wine trip to the Nahe and Mosel regions of Germany, I had one of those incredible "a-ha" moments during a dinner with winemaker Ernest Loosen of Dr. Loosen wines. That is why it is the Please The Palate pick of the week.
My week was spent exploring the amazing, delicious riesling grape in all of its manifestations - dry, off dry, sweet, sweeter and sweetest. And Ernie Loosen is one of the iconic winemakers of the Mosel, the oldest wine growing region in Germany. And we were lucky to be invited to his home for a tasting and dinner.
Food and wine pairing is like a good marriage. It is about balance, harmony and complimenting each other, although it is never perfect. At Primo Italia in Torrance, husband and wife team Lou and Grace Giovannetti share their passion for Italian food and wine offering monthly wine pairing dinners in one of their private rooms.
Opened in 2016, Primo Italia is a collaboration and partnership. Lou is the restaurateur and Grace is the sommelier. They have created a restaurant that is warm and inviting and in a way, an invitation into their home. From their Campania and Sicilian roots, Primo Italia is an homage to Grace's Italian family heritage with family photos that line the walls. And their wine dinners are an opportunity to share their passion for food and wine.
Their most recent wine dinner was with Tenuta San Guido, as estate located in Maremma, a coastal region in Tuscany. Tenuta San Guido is the estate that produces the iconic Super-Tuscan Sassicaia, as well as other wines.
I love basil. I love the aroma of fresh basil on a margarita pizza, on top of a caprese salad, in a pesto sauce or in a Thai dish. But never did I realize how many types of basil exist, more than forty varieties! Leave it to Maude, who picked basil as the featured ingredient for the July tasting menu.
Holy basil, cinnamon basil, lettuce basil, sweet basil, lemon basil, Lesbos basil, opal basil, African blue basil and more, each has its own appearance and aroma. And we were in for a treat with the Maude July menu!
Two of us sat down for dinner and as we waited for our dining companions, wine director Kevin Caravelli poured us a small glass of Domaine Julie Benau Picpoul de Pinet “Cuvée Libero” 2015 from Languedoc France. What is really cool about this crisp mineral-driven wine is that is it aged in barrels underwater. The delicate fresh wine was a perfect start to a meal that would also be fresh and delicate.
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
#DrinkPink #ThinkPink #PinkWineMakesMeHappy #RoséTime #RoséAllDay #RoséEveryday – The hashtags for rosé wine abound! With summer here, the shelves are lined with various shades of pink.
Rosé is so refreshing, so delicious and the perfect wine to pair with just about anything. Rosé wines are made all over the world but the home of rosé is Provence, France. As the sun shines, the temperatures rise and I open a bottle of rosé, I recall my recent visit to Provence and to Chateau Gassier.
Provence is a large region in the southeast of France. There are three main AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) in Provence: Côteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, Côteaux Varois and Côtes de Provence.
Marseille, France, the second largest city in France after Paris, is known for its busy harbor and urban energy. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, visitors come for the beaches, the port, the ancient history, the cultural diversity and the food. So, when I had a day in Marseille, we wandered the streets stopping into boutiques, walked along the port and enjoyed some meals. And then we happened upon a winery in the middle of the city.
As we walked along Rue de l’Évêché, we passed a market, a salon, a few restaurants and then, surrounded by these businesses, was Microcosmos Chai Urbain, an urban winery owned by Fabienne and Lukas Völlmy. Originally from Burgundy, Fabienne, who holds a B.S. in chemistry and a master’s degree in enology, and her husband, Lukas, opened Microcosmos Chai Urbain in 2012 in the old part of Marseille. Buying a winery can be cost prohibitive to a young winemaker starting out and Fabienne was inspired by the urban wineries in San Francisco and Abe Schoner’s maverick, one-man wine-making Scholium Project.
Invited to a wine dinner at Crossings Restaurant featuring The Terraces wine from Napa Valley earlier this week, I braved the heat and the traffic to get to South Pasadena on time. It was pushing 90 degrees, and more than an hour in my car did not have me in the mood for the red wines I was anticipating. But, as we sat down for dinner, the first glass of wine was poured, The Terraces Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg 2016. In general, I am a fan of the easy-drinking chenin blanc with floral and fruit notes and delicate acidity. But, The Terraces chenin blanc blew me away. It is an exquisite wine and hence the Please The Palate pick of the week.
The Terraces is located in the eastern foothills of Rutherford in Napa Valley. The vineyard dates back to the 1870s and has, in fact, been producing fruit continuously since then. The winery was started in 1985 and Sharon and Tim Crull purchased the ranch in 1993 and the winery in 1999.