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 Saturday evening was very low key. I was invited over to a friend’s home for pizza, wine and NHL hockey. We watched the NY Rangers lose for the second time in a row. I must admit that I dozed through half the game because it started so late in the evening!  The pizza was good and the wine was excellent! My friend brought out a 2010 Beekeeper Cellars Zinfandel from the Madrone Spring Vineyard in Sonoma. He told me that only 109 cases were made and he had been saving it for quite awhile. The wine is made with 89% Zinfandel and 11% Petite Sirah. Heady aromas of dark fruit and spice transitioned into complex layers of blackberry, raspberry, pepper and hints of vanilla. It was full bodied with medium tannins and it was good to the last drop! Ian Blackburn is the Proprietor and Winemaker. http://www.beekeepercellars.com It’s time to head outdoors and enjoy another beautiful day.
Happy Sunday! Cheers! Penina  Last evening I had a few friends over for “cocktail” hour to celebrate the onset of the weekend and holidays. Even though it was unseasonably warm out, the decorations helped to put us in a more “winter” frame of mind.  In addition to serving other spirits, I opened a 2013 Saddlebred Cellars Pinot Noir from Sicily. This inexpensive 100% Pinot was bright crimson with aromas of cherry and raspberry. On the palate, hints of floral along with dark cherry, pomegranate and strawberry were present. The finish was long with a touch of white pepper. It was a very smooth and silky Pinot Noir. I couldn’t find any info on the vineyard itself, but I will continue to research it.  For appetizers, I served baked Cranberry Brie, Spinach Quiche and assorted cheeses and fruit. I’m off to embrace this beautiful spring day on December 12th!
Happy Saturday! Cheers! Penina  Aside from one soak drenched day this week, the weather has been beautiful. Holiday decorations are going up and some of the homes and properties I have seen are quite magical. I’m starting to think about holiday menus and pairings. The other evening I made a delicious meal of baked Halibut with lemon, olive oil, cherry tomatoes and capers. For the side dish, I sautéed together shallots, sweet potatoes, asparagus and mushrooms. It was a simple dinner, but my guest said it was “restaurant quality”, as he quickly gobbled it all down.  I paired a 2010 Château Lascombes Haut-Médoc de Lascombes to go with the dinner. It is the third label of a Margaux second growth. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. This Bordeaux blend was deep purple with lovely aromas of blackberry, plums and spices. I found this to be an “earthy” wine and full-bodied. The palate offered dark fruit, plum, spice and hints of oak that carried through to a nice finish. I have a few more bottles that will be opened over the next year or two! www.chateau-lascombes.com  The weekend is here and although I have work to attend to, there are a few holiday parties to drop in on! Have a great Friday!
Cheers! Penina  I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I certainly did! Family and friends filled up my home with good cheer as well as the wonderful aromas of food emanating from the kitchen.  As usual, I made more food than was necessary and now I will have fun getting inventive with all the leftovers. Of course I overdid it with the desserts, so perhaps I’ll put together little dessert packages for a few people today.  Two wines graced the Thanksgiving table yesterday. We opened a 2013 Acrobat Pinot Noir from Oregon and a 2011 I Balzini Black Label. Both wines complemented the meal from appetizers to dessert. I reviewed the I Balzini a few weeks ago. You can read it at http://thewineknitter.com/1/post/2015/11/day-375.html The Acrobat Pinot Noir comes from the King Estate Winery, founded in 1991. The color of the wine was cherry red with aromas of expressive berries and spice. The palate offered smooth and velvety flavors of cherry, plum and cranberry with hints of oak and spice. The finish was long. https://www.kingestate.com It’s a beautiful day and time to start changing the décor inside and outside to acknowledge the upcoming holidays.
Have a great Friday! Cheers! Penina  As much as I would have loved to lounge in bed on Sunday morning, I had to be at the office early. So I begrudgingly hopped out of bed to face a few hours of work.  By the time I got home, the sky was already turning pink from the sun beginning to set. I turned on the last quarter of the Jets game and got very comfy on my sofa. My plan was to be a “hermit” for the evening and mellow out. However, a good friend thought I needed his company and arrived with sushi and wine.  Most people enjoy green tea, sake or beer with sushi. But, there are many wines that complement the spiciness and exotic flavors of Japanese food. Dry Rieslings, Chardonnay, dry Rosé, sparkling wines, Gruner Veltliner and Gavi are good matches. Subtle fruit tones and high acid wines are the best go to for sushi pairings.  Last night we enjoyed a 2010 Broglia “La Meirana” Gavi di Gavi made with 100% Cortese grape. This was a crisp wine with subtle flavors of stone fruit and honey. It was very easy to drink and quite delicious! Broglia is considered the oldest winery in Gavi. Check out their website for the history. http://www.broglia.it I have lots to do before Thanksgiving!
Happy Monday! Cheers! Penina In between errands yesterday, I was glued to the news with updates on the tragedy that took place in Paris. I was relieved that my niece and cousin were okay, but I still felt unsettled about it all.  At the urging of my friend, I finally relented and agreed to join a few people for a low-key evening. I’m happy that I did. Soft music in the background and wonderful aromas emanating from the kitchen put me in a good mood. I brought homemade whole wheat Cuban bread that was still warm from the oven. My host provided the food and wine.  We drank Santa Barbara Winery 2008 Stolpman Vineyards Santa Ynez Valley Sangiovese. The vineyard is located in Ballard Canyon, which is known for the production of Syrah wines. Although Sangiovese is historically the prime grape of the Chianti region of Italy, the warm climate of Ballard Canyon is nicely suited to growing this grape. The wine was ruby red with heady aromas of cherry, raspberry, a soft floral bouquet and spices. The aromas segued onto the palate with more “jammy” flavors of cherry, red fruit and spice. I wouldn’t normally choose a Sangiovese grape for Thanksgiving, but this particular bottle might be a consideration. It had soft tannins and didn’t challenge the flavors of the food. It is perhaps past peak, but still very drinkable. http://www.stolpmanvineyards.com Have a peaceful Sunday!
Cheers! Penina  It’s a very rainy day here and as much as I would like to snuggle in for the day, I have much to do.  However, before I run off, I’d like to tell you about a wine I had last evening that would pair well with any Thanksgiving feast. We opened a 2009 Ketcham Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley. The color was deep ruby red with delightful aromas of cherries, strawberry, a bit of raspberry and spice. This medium bodied wine offered ripe fruit, black cherry and subtle spice on the palate with a long fruit filled finish. Soft tannins, balanced acidity and smooth texture had us all agreeing that this would make an excellent wine to serve with the assortment of food that usually graces the Thanksgiving table. http://www.ketchamestate.com I’ll return tomorrow with a fantastic side dish recipe!
Happy Wednesday! Cheers! Penina  Sunday was a beautiful day and perfect for outdoor activities. It began with a brisk nature walk and taking in the last of the leaves that were still clinging to the trees. Although I had much to do that required me being indoors, I found an abundance of reasons to keep me outside.  As the sun began to set, I turned my thoughts to creating a seasonal dinner for my friend and I. It was too late to start making bread and soup, so I went “simple”. I baked acorn squash with cinnamon and maple syrup; roasted brussel sprouts in olive oil and tossed them with toasted almonds. I then seared sea scallops with capers and shallots. The whole dinner took about 30 minutes to prepare!  We opened a 2014 J. Lohr Riverstone Chardonnay from Arroyo Seco Monterey, Central Coast, CA that complemented the meal beautifully. I reviewed the 2013 back in June and this vintage was just as good. The color was pale yellow with aromas of peach, strawberry, honeysuckle and nuts. The aromas carried over onto the palate with a hint of oak and a smooth buttery feel on the finish. I have a few more bottles, one of which is already in the refrigerator on standby! You can’t go wrong with this chardonnay or the price. It retails for around $14.00. http://www.jlohr.com I’m off to the city on an adventure!
Happy Monday! Cheers! Penina  Friday turned into a serendipity day…my favorite kind! After meeting with a client in the morning, I was all set to work on some projects. However, a phone call from a friend veered me in another direction and I was off on an adventure that included a beautiful fall ride, lunch and wine.  We each had a glass of 2012 Navarro Vineyards “Mendocino” Chardonnay with our lunch. The color was pale straw with pear, honeysuckle, and a hint of citrus on the nose. The palate offered pear, oak, apple and lemon. The wine was crisp with a medium finish and paired nicely with the crab cakes and salad. http://www.navarrowine.com  As I was finally making my way home, another friend called to invite me over for a quick drink of Zodiac Vodka. Trust me…I only had a sip or two, but the vodka was good! It seemed to have more “perfume” on the palate than I recall from my last review, but it was delicious and it is quite different from most vodka that I’ve tasted. I reviewed it on Day 132, 11/11/2014. Here is the review from one year ago: Day 132 on 11/11/2014 The name of the vodka is Zodiac…American-Made in Idaho. It is one of the better potato vodkas that I have had! They originally launched 15 years ago and then re-launched this past October. The vodka is made with regionally sourced potatoes and water from the Snake River Aquifer that runs beneath the distillery. It had a slightly sweet and much cleaner smell than grain vodka. The sweetness extended into the taste, which again, was clean and very smooth. It had a very pleasant aftertaste. Zodiac is also 100% gluten-free! I’m definitely going to add Zodiac to my freezer collection! http://zodiacspirits.com Happy Saturday!
Cheers! Penina It was a long but productive Wednesday. I managed to squeeze in a photo shoot, meet with clients and write a story. By the time I got home it was dark…and not even 6:00 pm yet! Ugh!  While waiting for my dinner guest to arrive, I opened a bottle of 2011 D'Isanto & D'Isanto I Balzini Black Label Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT. After having tried and reviewed their White and Red Label, I was anxious to finally taste the Black Label. Made with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this bold wine was the color of deep purple. Aromas of dark berries, spice and cocoa were present. A quick sip and swirl upon opening, told me this was going to be a treat. The wine had a rich mouthfeel with concentrated berries, dark cherry, plum, licorice and dark chocolate on the palate. As the wine opened over the course of the evening the flavors became more intense. The tannins were soft and the finish was long with cherry and pepper lingering. I think the Black Label is my favorite so far! You can read more about these wines on my previous posts: Day 347 9/22/15 and Day 230 3/19/15. http://www.ibalzini.it  In anticipation of traveling a lot over the next few months, I finally got my flu shot this week. If you plan to travel by plane, subway, train, etc., I would suggest protecting yourself, by getting a flu shot soon!
Happy Thursday! Cheers! Penina |
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