|
Join The WineKnitter in exploring the world of Wine, Spirits, Food, Travel and much more! |
 Since I launched TheWineKnitter in June of 2014, my posts were mainly focused on wine and knitting. As time went on I drifted away from “knitting” and became more engrossed in writing about wine, food and sometimes travel. Over the holidays, I began sorting through many knitting designs that I created and now feel the need to occasionally bring knitting back into play on my blog.  While visiting Paris a few years ago, I took myself on a walking tour of Le Marais which is an historic district in parts of the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. Amongst the historic buildings and beautiful architecture I stumbled upon a knitting shop. Of course I went in! Thirty minutes later, I departed the shop with a bag full of beautiful skeins of silk, cotton, linen and blends that I hadn’t seen in the US. It was the only purchase I made while in France! When I returned home from Paris, I immediately put my knitting needles to work. This “French” shawl is made of cotton, viscose and linen. The shawl is wrapped around a 1967 Chateau-Figeac and 1961 Chateau Haut-Brion. Both bottles of Bordeaux were opened a few weeks ago and each has a story to tell.  Chateau-Figeac dates back to the 2nd century AD with the Figeacus family and is located in Saint-Emillion. The Manoncourt family acquired Chateau Figeac in1892. Chateau-Figeac became a First Great Classified Growth in 1955. Thierry Manoncourt created a unique grape composition of 30% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon. He was dubbed “Pharaoh of Saint-Emillion” by the press in 1971. Although Thierry passed away in 2010, his wife and daughters, along with a highly skilled wine-growing team, carry on the tradition of wine making today. Tomorrow I will continue my story of Chateau-Figeac and Chateau Haut-Brion and how they faired once opened! Have a great Wine Wednesday! Cheers!
Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com The holidays are winding down and everyone is now anticipating the New Year that is just days away. What cork will you be popping to usher in the New Year?  Traditionally, Champagne and sparkling wines are the “go to” drink at midnight. Just the sound of a cork popping and foamy bubbles being poured into a glass creates a festive aura. However, if bubbly wines aren’t your style, do something different and open that special vintage wine you’ve been saving for a special occasion!  I haven’t decided what wine I will be opening to start off the New Year. For many years we had a tradition in our home on New Years Eve. The evening always started with drinking Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne while dining on roasted leg of lamb with carrots and potatoes. As midnight approached we would then open a bottle of Château d'Yquem to welcome in the New Year. Needless to say, we were quite decadent back then. This year I may pop open a bottle of Cristal for old times sake! But as diets have changed, a fish entrée such as sautéed scallops will be the focus of dinner. And if one of my invited guests is reading this post and has been inspired, please feel free to bring Château d'Yquem! As we get closer to the end of 2016, thoughts turn to embracing the New Year. I’m looking forward to tasting new wines, traveling to various wine regions and meeting more wonderful people as I have this past year that have had a positive impact on my life. Thank you so much for following me and I hope to share many more adventures with you this coming year on TheWineKnitter! Let’s kick off 2017 with a few popped corks and lots of belly laughs!   Wishing you a very happy and healthy New Year! Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com
 Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the holidays so far. All the wonderful posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram certainly depict the joy, love and celebrations that are going around!  I have been doing my fair share of celebrating, dining and wining as well and is the excuse for my absence here for a few days! I have much to catch up on, but the holiday season is far from over, so my posts will be spread out over the next week or so.  To get the season off to a fun start, I had dinner with a friend prior to Christmas at a lovely French restaurant. We ordered a bottle of 2009 Rombauer Napa Valley Merlot that carried us through appetizers and entrees. This elegant Merlot is blended with 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petite Verdot. The color is dark ruby with enticing aromas of dark berries, plum and black cherry. The palate offers juicy notes of blackberry, plum and oak with smooth tannins and a silky mouth-feel. The wine paired beautifully with the appetizer of Mini Pumpkins filled with Mousseline, Wild Mushrooms and sautéed shrimp and the cod and lobster entrees. Koerner and Joan Rombauer founded Rombauer Vineyards in 1980 with first, second and third generation family members running it today. An interesting note: Koerner’s great aunt was Irma Rombauer, author of the “Joy of Cooking”. http://www.rombauer.com Whatever you’re celebrating, I hope it’s filled with love, laughter, family and friends!  Happy Monday! Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com
 In between the snow and frigid temperatures this past weekend, I ventured out for a holiday party and some good cheer. However, most of my time was spent nesting at home and enjoying friends. Since the cold weather had me craving warm and hearty meals, I put my slow cooker to good use. I made vegetable lasagna, red lentil chili and barley and chickpea risotto. If you would like the recipes, please email me.  To accompany the meals, I gravitated towards “generous” red wines. One of the wines opened was a 2014 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon, another wonderful treat from Concha y Toro. Marcelo Papa, one of five lead winemakers at Concha y Toro, makes the Marques de Casa Concha wines. It is also interesting to note that Marcelo Papa is winemaker for the very successful Casillero del Diablo wines which I have tasted and reviewed. The grapes for Marques de Casa Concha are handpicked from single vineyards, except for the Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a blend from the Puente Alto and Pirque vineyards located close to the foothills of the Andes Mountains in the Maipo Valley of Chile. The blend is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot and 1% Syrah. The color is midnight ruby with lively aromas of dark fruit and black cherry. Smooth and silky on the palate, the wine is layered with rich and lush fruit, blackberry, plum and spice. Hints of pepper and fennel mingle with the fruit on a long finish. Needless to say, this wine would pair well with any hearty meal! Alcohol: 14.2% Price: $25 I can’t wait to open the Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Camenere and Chardonnay.  Happy Tuesday!
Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com The arctic blast is upon us and as I sit here sipping peppermint tea, I’m thinking that hot toddies, Irish coffee, spiked cocoa and hot buttered rum are the go to drinks for the next few days. Any hot drink can be transformed into a festive and interesting alcoholic beverage that will warm you and your friends up! If you’re not the creative type, there are a host of recipes to be found on the Internet.   As much as I wanted a hot drink while visiting with friends last night, I was more than happy with the 2012 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir that they served. This Pinot Noir is from the Eyrie Winery in Williamette Valley, Oregon. It is a blend of 84% estate grown Pinot, and 16% is sourced from the Cattrall Brothers, Pearl, and Bishop Creek Vineyards. The color is bright red with intoxicating aromas of dark fruit, cherries, spice and a touch of earth. The palate offers intense layers of dark cherry, dark berry, rich spice, and raspberry coupled with a savory and fruit driven finish. This is a silky and medium-bodied wine with lively acidity and is beautifully balanced. This wine is a true gem! Pairs well with most any food such as fish, meat, fowl, pasta, stews and chocolate desserts! http://www.eyrievineyards.com Alcohol: 13.5% Stay warm and have a great Thursday!
Cheers! Penina  A few days ago I went to a holiday luncheon. In addition to enjoying some good food and conversation, we played a game of “Dirty Santa” while sipping Cappuccinos and nibbling on dessert. I had my eye on a bottle of Tito’s Vodka and thanks to a few “steals”, I snagged it and brought the vodka home. It’s no secret that I love vodka and I’m very picky when it comes to choosing what brand to drink. Since I usually drink vodka straight up, there are a few criteria the vodka must pass before I imbibe. The vodka has to be clear, smooth and well balanced with hints of sweetness and grain. An oily texture is a bonus as well as a “neutral or very subtle” aroma. Overbearing and abrasive alcohol that causes a fire in one’s throat or nostrils is a no-no! Tito’s Handmade Vodka passed the test with flying colors! Tito’s is corn-based vodka that is distilled six times in old-fashioned pot stills at Texas’ first legal distillery, Fifth Generation distillery in Austin, Texas. They’ve been distilling vodka since 1997. Tito Beveridge is the founder and owner of Tito’s Handmade Vodka. He has a great story on his website that is worth reading. http://www.titosvodka.com  Tito Beveridge Photo courtesy of Tito Vodka Tito’s vodka has just a trace of sweetness on the nose. The palate offers a clean and silky mouth-feel with hints of toast and vanilla followed by just the right amount of oomph at the end. The bottle is a straightforward design and not as fancy as the etched vodka bottles one tends to find on the shelves, but don’t let that fool you. Tito’s vodka can certainly give the fancy bottles a run for their money!   And, I love the holiday bag that Tito’s vodka comes in! Tito’s is great vodka to drink straight or in mixed cocktails. Tito’s Handmade Vodka definitely has Penina’s stamp of approval! Alcohol: 40% 80 Proof Price: $18-20 Happy Sunday! Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com
 When I think of England, images of Stonehenge, Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth, the Royal family, the Beatles and Rolling Stones all come to mind, but certainly not wine!   So you can imagine my surprise when I opened my latest wine delivery of sparkling wines from Ridgeview Wine Estate in Sussex, England!  Mike and Christine Roberts founded Ridgeview Winery in 1994 located in the southeastern corner of England. The original vineyard is located at the foot of the South Downs in Sussex. Thirteen French clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier on three different rootstocks were planted. Since then production has been expanded to include a partnership with growers who are mostly in or adjacent to the South Downs National Park. The winery’s sole focus is the production of high quality sparkling wines using state of the art equipment and traditional winemaking methods. With the champagne region just 88 miles south of Sussex, Ridgeview experiences the same climate which is ideal for growing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Mike Roberts once said “To me, it was obvious that sparkling wine was the way to go because what you get here in Sussex (and in Champagne) is fully ripe grapes with great flavor, but which aren’t high in alcohol, as this prevents fermentation, which creates fizz. Because we get cold nights even in summer, English grapes have super-acidity – the hallmark of a good sparkling wine”. Mike passed away in 2014 leaving the family business in the very capable hands of the second generation. His son Simon, the winemaker for the past fifteen years, his daughter Tamara, CEO, daughter-in-law Mardi who manages marketing and sales, and son-in-law Simon who is technical manager, continue the family’s passion and dedication in producing the finest Traditional Method English Sparkling Wines.  Mike Roberts Photo courtesy of Ridgeview Winery As already mentioned, climate is an important factor in sparkling wine production. The terroir also plays an important role in producing quality grapes for sparkling wine. Sussex and the surrounding regions enjoy the same type soil as found in Champagne, with chalk having a commanding influence that affects the flavor and aroma of the wine. In addition to the chalk of the South Downs, limestone, green sandstone and clay are also key elements of the terroir. It is interesting to note that every bottle of Ridgeview’s sparkling wines bear the trademark “Merret” represented by a gold seal. This is in honor of Christopher Merret, an Englishman who in 1662 was the first person to record the process of the traditional method of making sparkling wines, at least thirty years prior to the technique being documented in Champagne! Ridgeview 2013 Cavendish is the winery’s Traditional Blend. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier dominate this blend with notes of Chardonnay. The color is light gold with subtle aromas of red fruit. Fine bubbles, bright acidity and freshness give way to a long smooth finish with hints of chalk and lemon zest. Alcohol: 12%  Ridgeview 2013 Bloomsbury is the winery’s Signature Blend. Chardonnay is dominant with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier playing a minor role but giving the blend fullness. This wine is also light gold in color. Aromas of citrus, apple and honey segue onto the palate giving way to hints of toast and lemon zest on the finish. Fine bubbles and a creamy mouth-feel persist giving this wine a lot of character. Alcohol: 12% http://www.ridgeview.co.uk  These sparkling wines are very expressive, beautifully balanced and quite elegant. Pick up a few bottles to give out for the holiday or treat yourself and pop open a bottle. England…who’d a thought! Bravo!
Cheers! Penina  It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! The streets, houses and stores are all decked out for the holidays. Everyone is getting in the spirit. And, the weatherman said that we might be getting some snow next week which will make a perfect backdrop to the décor.  I’ve been busy making hearty one-dish meals and opening delicious red wines this past week.  One of the pours was Inniskillin Dark Horse Meritage 2011 from Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. It is a beautiful blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. All the grapes for this “single-vineyard” wine come from The Dark Horse vineyard located on the Golden Mile in the heart of the Okanagan Valley which is considered one of the best zones for quality fruit. The color of the wine was ruby red with aromas of red fruits and berries, cherry and hints of cocoa. The palate offered lovely layers of dark cherry, juicy plum and spice with hints of oak and vanilla, complemented by soft tannins and a long finish. Alcohol: 14% http://www.inniskillin.com The wine complemented the pumpkin raviolis, sautéed veggies and seared salmon that my friend prepared for us. My only regret that evening was that I didn’t have another bottle of this superb wine to open!  Have a great weekend! Happy Saturday!
Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com  The autumn decorations are being put away until next year. And I’m chopping up the remaining pumpkins for my furry little friends outside.  Now that it’s December 1st, it’s time to move on to the next holiday season. So, today I’m adorning the house with festive little twinkle lights and unpacking ornaments. Before I move on to reviews and suggestions for “winter/holiday” drinks, I want to give a quick mention to a few more wines that I served on Thanksgiving. Frontera After Dark are entry-level “night harvested” wines from Chile, produced by Concha y Toro. The dramatic dark labels with an outline of the Andes traced in gold, were designed to attract the US millennial market, “with research suggesting that they are more receptive to dark labels”. I purposely opened these particular wines for the younger members at the table…the millennials. I was curious to see how the wines would be received. The below reviews belong to my young tasters!   The Moonlight White 2015 is a Moscato based blend of grapes from Central Valley. A pale straw color with aromas of tropical fruit and flowers was followed by a sweet and gentle effervescence on the palate. A hint of pear lingered for a moment. This is a sweet wine and most of my millennial “tasters” preferred to move on to the next bottle. Alcohol: 9.5%  After Midnight Red 2015 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and a touch of Merlot from Itata Valley. The color is cherry red with fruity aromas. This is a medium-bodied wine with red fruit and a hint of vanilla on the palate. They liked that the wine complemented the turkey and side dishes instead of competing with the food. Alcohol: 12% The price of these wines is about $6.00 and sold nationwide. Happy Thursday! Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com
 The holidays are upon us and for the past few days I’ve been immersed in cooking and entertaining. There is nothing better than celebrating with family and friends!  I’m trying to keep the meals as healthy as possible this season while adding a little twist here and there to vegetable side dishes. The roasted brussel sprouts with glazed balsamic vinegar and honey along with fresh green beans tossed with sautéed mushrooms, olive oil, pepper, salt and freshly squeezed lemon were a big hit at a recent gathering. With a few guests under the age of thirty, but over 21, I opened a few “friendly” wines that weren’t too big but went well with the meal and seemed to please all.  One of the wines that I served was a Pinot Noir Rolhüt 2015 Peter Zemmer from the Alto Adige – South Tyrol region of northern Italy. Although this region is ski country, it enjoys 300+ days of sunshine a year, with temperatures averaging 64 degrees during growing season. A perfect balance of warm days and cool nights sets the stage for producing aromatic wines with expressive character.   Peter Zemmer Photo courtesy of peterzemmer.com Peter Zemmer Winery is a third generation wine making family that was founded by Peter’s grandfather in 1928 and is one of the oldest wineries of the Alto Adige region. The vineyards and winery are in the middle of the valley floor located in the tiny village of Cortina. Peter Zemmer’s belief in organic farming and sustainability reflect in his high quality wines.  The Pinot Noir Rolhüt is 100% Pinot Noir and is ruby red with lovely aromas of cherry, red berries and a hint of rosehip. The palate offers a juicy combo of cherry, plum and red berries. Tannins are soft with a hint of spice on a long and silky finish. This wine is easy to drink and complements a wide variety of food. In fact, there was just enough left in my glass to sip with the homemade Key Lime pie! Perfect! Alcohol: 13% http://www.peterzemmer.com  I’ll talk about the other wines that I served in my next post!
Happy Sunday! Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com |
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed