The weather has been beautiful for the last few days and I have certainly been enjoying the lack of humidity. The early evenings have been perfect for enjoying sunset cocktails on the deck or by the pool. Unfortunately, it isn’t going to last. The hot and humid weather is returning soon. And with that, I will be watching the sunset from the coolness of indoors with glass in hand. The weather and depending on what season it is, seems to be a big factor when drinking wine, even though there is no definitive “winter” wine or “summer” wine. The different seasons tend to influence our diet and thus, our choice of wine. It’s all about pairing a wine with the meal…or pairing a meal around a wine. They should complement each other. In fact, on many occasions I have created a meal just to complement a special bottle of wine. The only “rule” that should apply in choosing a wine is that the flavor of food doesn’t dominate the wine and vice versa. Because we tend to eat lighter fair in warmer temperatures, we gravitate towards chilled wines that make for a better pairing. The colder months seem to call for bigger and heartier wines to go along with more substantial meals. One of my winter favorites is thick homemade soup and a hearty Cabernet. There are a wide variety of grapes that make delightful aperitifs and dinner wines in warm weather. This past spring I jumpstarted the season with rosés from vineyards in California, France, Italy and Spain. The grapes ranged from Grenache, Sangiovese, and Tempranillo to Zinfandel naming just a few. I have reviewed many rosés in earlier posts for your perusal. And I still have a few bottles chilling that I will taste and review before the summer’s end. As we segued into the dead heat of summer, the Rieslings, Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer took over the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. There was an evening or two that I had prepared a meal that demanded a good Pinot Noir or Syrah. But for the most part a clean, crisp white wine is the most appealing in hot weather, especially when it is served well-chilled. Simply refreshing! And let’s not forget about sparkling wines and ice wines that are welcome in any type of weather! In another two months, the leaves will start changing color and thoughts will drift to fall menus and selecting more full-bodied wines such as Rioja, Barola, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. As we start donning more layers of clothing, the desire for warm, rich red wines will be very gratifying. And, alas, the chilled wines will patiently wait for a balmy winter’s day to be uncorked. Remember that there is no hard and fast rule with drinking red or white wine. It is truly a function of what you have a craving to open. No judgment here. So, pick a grape, a country and uncork an adventure! Cheers! Penina Tuesday seemed to fly by without any work drama or otherwise for a change. The weather was nice and I was really looking forward to getting together with friends. The evening began at my home with an aperitif of 2014 Mussel Bay Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, NZ. The color was pale gold with aromas of tropical fruit, citrus and grass. The wine was medium bodied and had a slight effervescence to it. The palate offered an interesting range of tropical fruit with grapefruit and herbs lingering on the finish. This is a nice summer “go to” wine and decently priced. As the sun began to set, we continued on to a friend’s home where we dined and wined. I love these progressive “food and wine” evenings. We drank 2013 La Crema Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley. I guess my host had a few bottles left over from the boat ride we went on a few weeks ago. This is my review from 7/19/15: “It was a beautiful straw color with a nose full of apple, citrus and oak. The palate was layered with pear, apple, toasted nuts, honey and citrus. It was full-bodied and well balanced. The finish was long and smooth. The wine was barrel aged for nine months and alcohol was 14.5%.” http://www.lacrema.com The wine paired beautifully with grilled salmon, corn and tomatoes. I’m going to spend some time later today selecting two of my knitted art wear designs for an upcoming Art Show in early October. In a perfect world, I would have made something just for the show, but I have been inattentive to my knitting needles this summer. There is a full moon tonight and the skies will be clear for viewing! Happy Wednesday! Cheers! Penina The other evening I went to a friend’s home for dinner. He is passionate about cooking and so it is always a treat to dine with him. His creativity in the kitchen transcends to the beautiful table he sets and his detail to presentation is just as appetizing as the food he prepares. We dined on grilled swordfish that had been marinated in olive oil, lemon and herbs, asparagus and grilled baked potatoes. Even though he has a well-stocked wine cellar, I brought a perfectly chilled bottle of 2013 Louis Jadot Macon-Village Chardonnay from Burgundy. It was a perfect aperitif to have with the appetizers and paired well with the main course. The wine is made from 100% unoaked Chardonnay grapes. The Macon Village area is situated in the southern part of Burgundy and close to Beaujolais. The appellation covers about 2,500 hectares of vineyards and is one of the largest of the Maconnais area. The wine was pale straw in color with aromas of citrus, floral and apple. The palate offered lemon, apple, melon and a hint of hazelnut. It was clean, crisp and had a lovely finish. http://www.louisjadot.com I have a busy day and evening ahead of me.
Happy Monday! Cheers! Penina As it happened, I managed to step back into the out of control car again on Friday. I thought perhaps I had been transported onto the game show “Let’s Make a Deal”…yes, let’s, let’s not, yes, no, yes and finally no! By the time I regrouped from my crazy day, it was too late to go for a swim. So I headed out to meet a friend for drinks and dinner. It was a small Italian restaurant with excellent food, including delicious homemade pasta. Since I was the only one interested in drinking wine, I looked at their small selection of wines by the glass. It was not exciting. Nothing appealed to me. Alas…I drank water. However, I have a wonderful bottle of chardonnay chilling in the refrigerator for tonight’s dinner party. I’ll let you know all about it tomorrow. I’m hoping for a “smooth” ride today…no bumps, no curves and definitely no roller coasters! Have a great Saturday! Cheers! Penina Wednesday turned out to be a day and evening full of surprises, not all good, but manageable. At times, I felt as though I was navigating an unwieldy car through hairpin turns with no brakes! I went from the shock of losing a friend and saying good-bye to a chapter in my life to gaining insight and embracing the new paths ahead…and so the day unfolded. However, it all ended in a magical sunset sail with good friends! Wine and dinner overlooking the harbor was beyond perfection. We drank 2012 Chardonnay, Hess Collection Napa Valley. The color was light straw with lovely aromas of citrus, apple and pear. The palate offered green apple, citrus, pineapple and a hint of oak with nice acidity. It was a medium finish at best. http://www.hesscollection.com And now, on with the day! Have a great Thursday! Cheers! Penina It has been quite a challenge dealing with the high heat and humidity for the last few days. There seems to be no let up. A few nights ago, I planned a “deck party”. However, with the soaring temperatures, I decided to move it indoors where the central air conditioning was blasting! Instead of wine, friends gravitated towards drinks with ice cubes. The “go to” drink of the evening was my invention of vodka mixed with orange juice and pure pomegranate juice. I guess you could say it was my version of a tequila sunrise. I’m calling it the “the Vodka Sunset! In addition to drinks, I kept the fare light, but satisfying. I prepared a platter of fresh mozzarella with my homegrown tomatoes and basil. The shrimp was cold and succulent with a tangy sauce. I also served a delicious chopped salad, finger sandwiches and fresh fruit salad. Good friends, music and the perfect lighting were the final ingredients for a wonderful indoor summer garden party! Have a great Wednesday!
Cheers! Penina The weekend was filled with social and work obligations. So I am remiss in not posting anything for a few days. I need to catch up on reviews and some fun moments, but not today. Well…I will give you a quick review on a wine I had the other evening. It was a 2013 Palazzone Terre Vinate Orvieto Classico. This Orvieto blend comes from a small estate in Umbria. The blend is 50% Procanico, 20% Grechetto, 30% Verdello, Malvasia & Drupeggio. It was a perfect sunset drink before dinner. The wine was pale gold with fruit and flowers on the nose. On the palate it was dry but refreshing with hints of nuts and peaches. It definitely had a “bite” to it, but the finish was delightful with floral and pear lingering. http://www.palazzone.com I have much to do as I’m hosting a little get together this evening. I have shopping to do and food to prepare. However, the wine and vodka are already chilling! Happy Monday
Cheers! Penina It’s Friday and the start of a fun but extremely hot weekend. My plan is to stay indoors with the A/C blasting or seek shade poolside! I’m finally winding down from quite a busy week. Although most of it was work related, I did take a few hours the other day to do my favorite volunteer work with Puppies Behind Bars. I spent a very sweet time with sixteen-week-old Mabel, who is in training as a service dog. She fed my soul! www.puppiesbehindbars.com Speaking of winding down… I got together with a few friends last evening and enjoyed cocktails by the water. I decided to honor the sunset by ordering a Tequila Sunrise. It should really be called a Tequila Sunset, but who am I to argue the point. Supposedly, the cocktail was created by Gene Sulit in the 1930s or 1940s and was first served at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. The original recipe contained tequila, crème de cassis, lime juice and soda water. In the 1970s Bobby Lazoff and Billy Rice of Sausalito, CA created a more modern version with tequila, orange juice and grenadine. It seems that Mick Jagger tried a Tequila Sunrise in 1972 during his American tour and liked it so much that he started ordering them all over America. Here is the recipe: 2.5 oz tequila 5 oz orange juice 1 tsp of grenadine Ice cubes Have a great Friday! Cheers! Penina As predicted, another rainstorm came through towards the end of Tuesday. Fortunately, I had already finished grilling the vegetables. After the storm passed, the sun finally came out to give us a beautiful and dry evening. I wrapped up the grilled veggies and drove to my friend’s house for a relaxed evening of good food, wine and laughter. We ate baked salmon en papillote, grilled vegetables and roasted potatoes. The wine was a 2013 Liquid Farm White Hill Chardonnay. This wine comes from the ancient terroir of Sta. Rita Hills, located on the Central Coast of CA. Although the wine is named for it’s “Chablis-like characteristics”, it should not be confused with Chablis. This is all chardonnay! The color was soft gold with a nose full of citrus, earth and flowers. The palate was multi-layered with lemon, grapefruit, stone fruit, honeysuckle and a hint of nuttiness. This was a well-balanced wine with a long finish. www.liquidfarm.com My “vodka guy” made a delivery today! Hooray…the freezer is stocked again. And, I’m looking forward to an end of the day swim and cocktail! Happy Wednesday
Cheers! Penina Rain, rain, go away! I woke up this morning to a torrent of rain. But, that didn’t stop me. I donned my raincoat and rain boots, then headed out the door to complete my “to do” list, wishing I had grilled vegetables last night instead of waiting to do it today. Ugh… I had so much to do yesterday, that by the time I arrived home, I was feeling sluggish from the heaviness in the air. When “cocktail hour” rolled around, I thought ice-cold vodka would be nice. However, I forgot that my freezer was “vodka” empty. And my “source” was not delivering more for at least another day. I settled for juice. Later on in the evening a friend came over to watch a movie with me. As the hour seemed too late to open wine, we decided to sip on some 1992 Fonseca Vintage Porto. I have reviewed this delicious port a few times. You can find the reviews in the Archives. Alas, this is my last bottle. It’s time to buy more port. By the way, we watched St. Vincent. Good movie… It has stopped raining and I need to get the grill going before the next round of storms come through. Baked salmon, grilled vegetables and a good bottle of wine are on the menu for this evening! Happy Tuesday
Cheers! Penina |
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