Bon Vivant at Basha’s
Wednesday, March 24 4p-6p
1920 West Chandler Blvd
Join KMLE and the Boys and Girls Club of the East Valley as we get ready for the 25th Annual Bon Vivant. We’ll be at Bashas on the NE corner of Chandler Blvd & Dobson from 4-6pm. Stick around and don’t miss our raffel. We’ll be giving away a pair of tickets to Bon Vivant! For more information on Bon Vivant click here.
This is a singular Asian concoction. It’s pretty much what it sounds like: rice wine, with a snake in it. Or maybe two snakes, depending on what you’re drinking. Usually a cobra, or a cobra and a green snake, maybe with some ginseng tossed in. I don’t know what folk medicine beliefs underlie this particular mix, but it’s become rather ubiquitous as a tourist draw in Vietnam and Cambodia. I was able to pick up a bottle from some American importers (I use the term loosely; I don’t think the manufacturers of this stuff actually have international distribution deals, and there isn’t even a label on the bottle) to give it a try. The result of putting a dead cobra in a bottle of rice wine is a dark, burning rice wine with an air of snake carcass (which air is almost pretty much the entire nose of said beverage). It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever drank, but having tried it once, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to drink it again.
Here is the challenge. You are having a dinner, and people will be choosing one of three entrées. How do you decide what wine to serve to make everyone happy?
This is the follow up question to last week’s post The Anatomy of a Wine Pairing, where I performed the same exercise for the appetizer course. And this isn’t just an intellectual exercise. This will be the dinner and wine pairing for a special meal I’m having next week at the SCCC cooking school’s Casola Dining Room.
Here is the menu:
Sauté de Veau Marengo
Veal stewed with pearl onions, tomato, and mushroom. Garnished with heart-shaped croutons.
Saumon á la Florentine
Poached salmon cutlets with Mornay sauce. Accompanied by sautéed spinach and cocotte potatoes.
Poulet Saute au Fines Herbes
Chicken Breast sautéed and finished in a sauce flavored with tarragon, chives, chervil, and parsley. Accompanied by pommes de terre marquis and sautéed haricots verts and carrots tossed in a fines herbes veloute.
It is no easy task. The foods cover a range of textures and flavors. From the rich meaty veal stew to the delicate poached salmon to an herbaceous chicken breast there is not necessarily a lot of common ground.
This is what I see as I look at the food. The wine will need to be able to cut through the richness of the stew, be delicate enough to not overpower the poached salmon, and have some kind of herbal component in order to play nicely with the chicken. Additionally, I think some earthiness would complement the mushrooms in the veal and the potatoes in the other dishes.
Two things will cut through rich foods, acid and tannin. Tannins will primarily be found in the bigger red wines, which would completely overwhelm the more delicate dishes, so in this case we are looking for a wine with lively acidity but without much tannin.
The old standby of red with beef and white with chicken and fish doesn’t really do us much good here.
A lighter red, like pinot noir, is an obvious choice. It provides the acidity we need, and can have the herbal complexity to work with the chicken without overwhelming the fish. But since French pinot noir, which is primarily grown in Burgundy, can be one of the world’s best wines, it is difficult to find a good one at a reasonable price.
But a white wine is certainly a possibility too. The only tricky task for a white wine is pairing up with the veal stew. And I think the acidity of a white Bordeaux, which is made from a blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon, could be up for the task.
What it really comes down to is what my local wine retailer has in stock that will fit the bill.
My preference would be to search for a wine that is broadly connected to the cuisine, so French food would call for a French wine. But if push comes to shove I will demur on country of origin to find a wine whose flavors complement and contrast with the foods being served.
This is where the experts come into play, whether they be your local wine merchant or the restaurant’s sommelier. Experts work best when you can tell them what you are looking for so they can give you a bottle that matches those criteria.
“A wine that goes with veal stew” is a helpful place to begin. But “A light, herbaceous French wine with lively acidity (but low tannin) and some earth that is around twenty dollars” gives the professional a bit more to work with.
Because the truth is that no matter how educated you become about wines, there is no way of knowing what the wine in any specific bottle tastes like without opening the bottle. In theory at least, sommeliers and good wine merchants should know the flavor profiles of everything they sell, and be able to send you home with a winner.
But first you need to be able to speak their language.
Just for fun, let’s share a little:
http://downtownwinstonsalem.blogspot.com/2010/03/updates-barnhills-installs-new-sigange.html
We love the downtown Winston-Salem blog for keeping our name out there while we work on getting open. Thank you!
This article is cool too because they are also supporting Gusto who is in the fabulous building on the corner from us. If you look at the picture, you can see the corner of our blue awning behind the Gusto store.
http://www.winstonsalemskyscrapers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=15155
We’re mentioned in there along with the fact that our building has vinyl siding on it. We have no idea what it looked like before the siding but we have no control over that. That’s a decision for the building owner to make, not the tenant! It doesn’t detract from the charm of the inside of the building and I hope they will come visit us anyway!
http://npaper-wehaa.com/yes-weekly/2010/03/09/#?article=789502 This was a little blurb that showed up in Yes Weekly.
(Press Release) – March 20, 2010- There are many other cafes and restaurants in the area but what makes Wharfsdiecafe different from the other places is due to the beautiful location, great quality food and also the much loved beverages of this place. It is present on the port of Eden which provides a real wonderful view and outlook to this place. People totally adore the appearance and outlook of this place and as they enter inside wharfsidecafe they fall in love with this exquisitely designed and decorated place at once. It is the best place for having a great time with your friends. You can enjoy your conversations and long talks along with enjoying the freshly prepared coffee or other beverages. The whole environment would be filled with the aroma of these hot beverages and you would start to enjoy this atmosphere even more.
Wharfsidecafe promises to bring the best to you when it comes to meals of any kind. You can have the best menus for the breakfast and lunch and that too at quite affordable prices. If you compare the price of these items with their quality and taste, you would feel that you are having a luxurious and most sumptuous meal of the world at very low price. The feeling you can have in this place in superb as the whole environment is made quite romantic and friendly. When you wish to have the best time even if you are alone, you can always rely on wharfsidecafe to provide you with the quality services and scrumptious menus. It is such a restaurant that is one of a kind. It is because of the combination of the outside and inside appearance of this place. One thing for which you can be really sure is the ultimate fun and joy that you would have once you step into this place. Your mind would be relaxed and would forget about the tensions and worries of life. It would be totally lost into the beauty of this elegant and marvelous place.
Contact info:
Wharfside cafe
Shop2/253 Imaly Street.Eden,
NSW,2551, Australia
Phone-+61 264961855
Website: http://www.wharfsidecafe.com.au/
Email: bgljn02@gmail.com
Make your own wine without owning a vineyard? And in Denver? Apparently you can! And put your own custom label on it. Last night the ladies of Mile High Mamas were treated to a private party and tour of Water 2 Wine in Centennial, where we sipped some delicious vino, visited and were treated like royalty by the staff and owners. We learned how juice is shipped from 14 different countries and 100 vineyards around the world and then fermented right on the premises into 85 different wines. My fave was the chocolate raspberry port which smelled like a box of chocolates and tasted like one too. Yum-o!
Not only were we treated to a first-class wine tasting, but our kiddos were entertained next door at the same time! Pump It Up graciously entertained our kids and even walked them over to us at the end of the evening thoroughly worn out and ready to jump into their jammies.
The Colorado Red Cross even joined us for the evening and gave a wonderful presentation on the importance of Infant/Child CPR. Use the code “blogger” at checkout and receive 15% any class. A good opportunity if you need to be certified or renew.
Adding to the fun, Colorado’s own Steve Spangler Science had hidden tubs of Leprechan green snow around the room for us to find in a combination St. Patrick’s Day Easter egg hunt.
At the end of the night, Water 2 Wine treated us all to a bottle of wine custom-labeled just for us. Custom labeling, tastings and private parties are all part of the fun offered at this unique establishment. Already planning our next date-night!
Just when I thought the night couldn’t get any more great, yours truly won a drawing for four tickets to Sesame Street Live! Woot! Here we come, Elmo!
How many cigars do you smoke in a week? How many drinks do you consume in a day?
I ask this question for curiousity’s sake as well as to see where I fit in the moderation spectrum. You see, I recently upped the number of cigars I’ve had in a week from 4 to about 6 and maintained my drink count at 4 drinks a day. Usually two glasses of wine, two scotches.
I asked a few of the smokers I hang out with about their smoking habits and found that most seem to hover around 3-4 cigars a day. If I smoked that much I’d never get anything done!
My cigars and pipe are a relaxing thing for me that keeps me out of the office. Cigars require me to leave the house and be outside at least long enough to head to BART to go to Grants or Tobacco Road. Or at the very least I can sit ont he lake and light up.
Regarding drinks, I just never thought about why I can’t have four drinks in a day. The wine and last scotch of the night is centered around a hearty meal and the early drink I have with lunch.
I drink plenty of water, tea and juice. I eat fairly well and beileve in a good diet all around –which should include fine scotch and cigars!
What say you?
Last weekend I visited the newly opened Big 3 Wine Bar at Sonoma Mission Inn. I read in the local press that Big 3 is focused exclusively on Sonoma wines, which sparked my interest. And I am always looking for more opportunities to taste – and pair – wines before purchasing. Big 3 sounded like a great fit for me. It turned out to be more than I expected.
Renee Bourassa, the Sommelier host of Big 3 Wine Bar, warmly greeted me. The menu features 5 themed flights of 3 wines each. Each pour is an ample 2 ounces. Three glasses are set on a heavy paper coaster specifying each wine, including the wineries’ own descriptions. There is also a small menu of wine pairing appetizers at the tasting bar. Or you can adjourn to the casual dining Big 3 Diner side of the house after tasting. We started with the $10 White Flight. It begins with a 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from nearby Deerfield Ranch Winery, progresses to Atmosphere Wines’ Sonoma Valley 2008 Marsanne-Roussanne, and finishes with 2007 Carneros “XII” Chardonnay from Highway 12 Winery.
White Flight
The Deerfield Sauvignon Blanc was rich yet crisp, with a white grapefruit taste and edgy-ness I enjoyed. Atmosphere’s single-vineyard Rhone-style white shows spice, oak, and characteristic intense minerality. The Highway 12 Chardonnay was tropical on my palette with a pleasant soft viscosity in the mouth. It was the stories Renee told about the wines that intrigued me. Atmosphere is a small Sonoma winemaker with no tasting room – an example of one of the wines you can taste exclusively at Big 3. Atmosphere’s bottle features an etched design, which — according to Renee — glows in the dark!
Big Strategy
As we continued our discussion I learned that Renee is a Certified Master Sommelier with the Sonoma Mission Inn, and worked previously with Michael Mina. A native of Sonoma, Renee returned here after traveling and working abroad and in San Francisco. The strategy for Big 3 Wine Bar is powerful in its simplicity:
Talk and Taste with Renee
My discussion with Renee ranged from winemaking styles of France, varietals of Italy, to local practices and my own taste preferences. Next I tasted 2006 Kunde Primitivo from the PT02 Sonoma Valley vineyard and a 2006 Mayo Family Barbera also made with Kunde grapes. Both wines were purplish and seductive. The Primitivo offered a fruity aroma and flavor with an authentically rough finish; clearly employing a winemaking style like the Italian wines we talked about. Until now, the Kunde Primitivo has been available only at the winery. The Mayo Barbera was highly drinkable and built to age – another example of a classic Italian style.
Finally, reviewing the White Flight led to a Chardonnay discussion. How interesting local Chardonnays have become as winemaking moves away from the heavily oaked and buttered style of the previous decade! During this time I came to avoid Chardonnay entirely. Renee poured me a preview taste of 2008 Kopriva Chardonnay. This is a handcrafted wine made with 100% Carneros Cassidy Ranch grapes and fermented entirely in stainless steel with no oak and no ML. Nearly clear white in color, this wine presents a unique expression of crisp and subtly fruity cool Carneros Chardonnay varietal character. I was ready to change my Chardonnay avoidance habit and buy it, but I’ll need to return this week when Big 3 will stock it as a featured wine of the week. (I’m also planning to taste their “Unusual Suspects” Red Flight on my next visit.)
More than I Expected
Big 3 Wine Bar makes Sonoma wines highly accessible to wine novices and aficionados, locals and travelers alike — by offering a diverse selection at value-based pricing. Some labels – like Atmosphere, Kamen, and Kopriva – are not available anywhere else for tasting on a daily basis. I believe that to address today’s market conditions, wine sales and marketing practices must assertively reach out to consumers. Direct experiences of tasting and food pairing in a purchase environment are optimal conditions. Big 3 is leveraging their guest traffic, highly visible location, and Sante Restaurant recognition to the benefit of the local growers and producers — offering unique Sonoma wine experiences to more people every day.
Note:
Big 3 Wine Bar is open 11am-8pm daily (later than the 6:30pm published time), at the corner of Highway 12 and Boyes Boulevard. According to Renee, Big 3 is not an SVVGA tasting bar, but many of the winemakers carried are members of the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance.
I’m getting the hankering to go on one of my vegan diet stints, if only to reprogram my brain to become more aware of what I’m eating. It’s a habit that always elicits the “What do you eat?” question, so here’s my answer. I could exist on quinoa, asparagus, and cereal alone and be totally satisfied. But on a broader scale, I tend to eat a lot of the following:
edamame, soy milk, tofu, ground black pepper, cauliflower (I love the purple ones), nuts (walnuts are my favorite), spinach, quinoa (has as much protein as chicken), oranges, zucchini, sea salt (sparingly used), tomatoes (heirloom and roma are my favorite kinds), basil (all-time favorite herb), asparagus (all-time favorite vegtable), wine (I LOVE the fruity organic Green Fin white table wine), tortilla chips, garlic, broccoli, whole wheat and brown rice pasta, red potatoes, avocado, lemon, Earth Balance buttery spread, Asian pears, green/black/white/peppermint tea, brown rice, black beans, veggie burgers, strawberries, almond milk, soy “yogurt” (some brands are really gross, but O Soy is okay), grapefruit, applesauce (great egg replacement for baking), peanut butter (made from peanuts and nothing else), blueberries, vegan bread, almond butter (made from almonds and nothing else), cereal (Kashi makes the world’s most perfect breakfast), rice milk, agave syrup/nectar (great sugar replacement for baking)
I also really want to get this cook book from Babycakes, which specializes in vegan, kosher, gluten-free, sugar-free sweets.
I found a couple recipes here.
-Lo
Old Irish Blessing: You can’t drink all day, if you don’t start in the morning.
Certified Irish Whiskey Taster
This weekend we drank all day, both days at Thomson Vineyards. On Saturday we searched for the reason why green beer flows endlessly around St. Patrick’s Day, but green wine has yet to be invented or marketed. And on Sunday, rather than barrel taste with the masses, we held our own elite blind barrel tasting in Orinda. Here’s a brief time line of what went down and when (including tasting notes)!
Saturday
8 a.m. - Book it down California Street to catch the appropriately themed 44 O’Shaughnessy bus. Greeted by MUNI driver who waves me and my pass by as he bumps beats of KMEL Jams in the drivers seat wearing gold aviators. Yeah, these drivers are over indulged and over paid.
9 a.m. - Arrive in the Mission at 24th Street BART station. Out of my element. Danny boy dangling from my COACH purse as I emerge from underground into the Saturday Farmers market, reminiscent of little Tijuana, complete with empanada and tamale carts, police cars, and no sight of Guerrero Street. Where am I?! Settle into my obnoxiously green and very Irish attire grab my purse and jet up the hill arriving at the affectionately named “Hobbit Hole” just as the first round of coffees are being served.
Tasting Notes: Original Buena Vista Irish Coffee
Aromatic. Big. Creamy.
Recipe follows:
1 1/2 oz Jameson Irish whiskey
2 white C&H sugar cubes
6 oz hot coffee
Dollop of heavy cream
Danny Boy & Donkey
10 a.m. - Several rounds with Mexi-rish Donkey Pinata reveals mini bottles of Jameson Irish Whiskey and Baileys Irish Cream!
Tasting Notes: Jameson Irish Whiskey
Waxy orange skins. Linseed oil. Leather.
11 a.m. - Stash several Baileys Irish Cream mini bottles in purse for walk to BART.
Tasting Notes: Baileys Irish Cream
Classic. Creamy. Lingers on the back palette. Perhaps a bit too long.
11:30 a.m. - While boarding rowdy BART train to downtown Civic Center Plaza, discover I have been left in charge of Guinness rations. Sweet!
Tasting Notes: Guinness
Bitter, burnt, dark-roasted flavors. Reminiscent of coffee. Would pair nicely with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
12 p.m. - Guinness, more Guinness, SFPD at Temple Bar outdoor block party, Irish reveler offers to buy me a Smithwick’s .
Tasting Notes: Smithwick’s
Full and smokey on the nose, and has good body but lacks both breadth and depth. Flavor is pleasantly bitter. Who am I kidding, it tasted like beer at this point. Nothing else!
Sunday
7:30 a.m. - Depart from Napa with The Farmer for his close up and 15 minutes of fame. Tell him “work attire okay” for this interview with the California Agricultural Communications Commission at UC Davis. He counters, “coveralls?” Denied. Discuss “Faces of Farming” campaign with him, i.e. media training on the go. Sidenote: winemakers, farmers media training is a good investment. Recommend redirecting small amount of funds going to social media mavens back towards good old fashioned PR.
8:15 – 10:30 a.m. - Drinking Timeout – Interview with AdFarm for California Farmers piece. “To Know Me, is to Like Me” promotional campaign giving consumers insight beyond a carton of eggs, packaged tri-tip and the overly glamorized wine industry.
Thomson Vineyards message, “Beyond the slick wine label, underneath the over the top retail price, just next to the ambitious winemaker is 12 months of farming. Farmers battle weather, pests, equipment malfunctions, early morning hours, long days, and hard labor for 12 months to grow the fruit before it can even begin to be considered what we will eventually know it as – California Wine.”
10:30 a.m. - Starbucks 1/2 pump black cherry mocha. Extra shot.
Tasting Notes: Sugar.Chocolate. Zero coffee flavor aroma or profiles. Sugar. What black cherry!? Sugar.
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. - Thomson Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay Blind Barrel Tasting Notes:
All the elements of an elite tasting
A Nice nose. Needs oak. High Malo. Apple. Most complex blend of flavor notes in the nose of all samples. However this winemaker achieved this – it’s very nice.
B Sugar. Alcoholic fermentation possibly not completed. Nearing noble status.
C Distinctive Chardonnay. Light. Classic. Crisp. Mineral.
D Yeast on the nose. Light. Classic. Substantial, yet pleasant finish.
E Mineral. Light. Classic. Smooth butter.
F Neutral. Light. Classic.
G High SO2. Sharp nose. Light color.
Certified California Wine Taster
H Pleasant nose. Butter. Balanced acid/fruit/minerality.
I Burnt popcorn butter. Balanced, but distracting on the front.
J Classic. Mineral finish. Would pay $30-$40/bottle.
4 – 5:30 p.m. – Vertical Pinot Noir tasting commences (2006-2009) Miraculously I get every vintage right, upon bottle reveal. Apparently pre-gaming on Saturday has allowed me to focus better at the Big Game on Sunday. Merlot LiquidLuv Napa winemaker vs. Undisclosed winemaker championship round occurs. No competition. The fruit is king. Short wrap up on Thomson Vineyards Chardonnay fruit characteristics: Mineral and acid. All other flavor profiles contributed by winemaker, barrel, yeast, etc. Pricing run-down. Check, check. Sales strategy approved by Rockstar Local Celebrity – The Farmer.
7 p.m. - San Francisco H2O Tasting Notes: Cool. Refreshing. Hint of lemon. Hydrating.
Red Norland potatoes from Olsen Farms. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.
You will need lots of these Red Norland potatoes from Olsen Farms this week to cook with your corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day, that 1,600-year-old holiday that celebrates St. Patrick running the snakes (read “Pagans”) out of Ireland (as if), leaving behind Catholicism, which ultimately led to all that much more brutal oppression of the Irish by the English hundreds of years later when the Pope wouldn’t let England’s king get a divorce, and the king kicked the Church out of the British Empire. Of course, my Irish ancestors who helped colonize New York in the late 1600s after being thrown out of the old country by the Brits ended up giving up their Catholicism anyway, since it was no more legal to be Catholic in the 13 colonies than it was in England or Ireland. Thus, St. Patrick’s Day has become for my family, and for most other folks, really, a celebration of our Irish heritages and all things Irish. And that is fine, I suppose, as long as we never forget that the holiday has as its foundation genocide. (And now you know why we Irish drink so much on St. Patrick’s Day.)
Desiree potatoes from Olsen Farms. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.
But I digress. (No kidding, you are thinking.) Good, firm red potatoes like the Red Norland, or these Desiree potatoes, also from Olsen, are a must for cooking with your corned beef, both for tradition’s sake, and because you need a potato that will hold up to a long cooking time in salty water with the beef without crumbling to starchy dust. These to kinds of spuds fit the bill, and lucky for you, Olsen has them on sale today — 5 pound bags for $6! Yukon Golds, too, which you will need for latkes for Passover and boiled or mashed potatoes for Easter. Olsen Farms also has plenty of briskets for Passover and Easter, and they have sirloin tips on sales this week for $9/pound.
Various cabbages from Nash's Organic Produce. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
You’ll need cabbage for your corned beef, too. For that, check out Nash’s Organic Produce (above). Green cabbage is most traditional, but I like using Savoy cabbage because it is less dense and full of lots of crinkly pockets that allow it to cook more quickly in the hot, salty, spicy beef broth, where it soaks up all that brothy deliciousness.
Freshly harvested rutabagas from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
It is also traditional to throw some lovely winter roots into the pot with the beef. They cook nice and slowly, and they, too, soak up all the spices from the broth. Carrots are commonly used, but I like tossing in rutabagas, like these from Alm Hill Gardens. Their denseness holds up well to the long cooking time, whereas things like turnips and parsnips turn to mush, and rutabagas balance well with the flavor of the rest of the meal. Besides, rutabagas are about as Irish as potatoes. The Vikings left them behind in Ireland forever ago — longer ago than potatoes. In fact, in Ireland, they simply call rutabagas “turnips”.
Milk, cream and butter from Golden Glen Creamery. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
What is St. Patrick’s Day without butter? Lots of butter to slather all over those boiled potatoes and rutabagas. Butter is sacred stuff in Ireland. In Irish lore, there is an entire type of fairies that are dedicated to butter. And if you make fresh soda bread or brown bread (which you can make with flour from Nash’s, by the way), you will need even more butter. Get that butter from Golden Glen Creamery. And if you are making a famous chocolate wafer cake, too, you will need heavy cream for whipping, which Golden Glen also has, as well as lots of other milky goodness to aid your Irish Coffees and homemade Irish Creams.
Wine and hard cider from Rockridge Orchards. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.
And what is St. Patrick’s Day without that aforementioned drinking, right? Well, it is also tradition at my St. Paddy’s Day table to raise a glass of Rockridge Orchard’s finest and toast Wade & Judy Bennett for making it for us. So pick up a bottle or three of hard cider or wine and party like its the Stone Age, just like the Irish have been since the Stone Age!
Chicken poo compost from Prana Farms. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Here is something many folks think we Irish are full of when they hear us waxing poetic about just about anything. It is “Very, Very Potent Chicken Poo Compost” from Prana Farms. It is some serious fertilizer, folks. If only I could package some of the bovine feces that comes out of my mouth. I’d be a gagillionaire!
Wild morel mushrooms from Foraged & Found Edibles. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Hey, there is other stuff to be had at your Ballard Farmers Market this week, and hopefully that will include some more of these lovely morel mushrooms from Foraged & Found Edibles. Unfortunately, while our warm winter led to these bad boys being at the market last Sunday, the cold week we just had might have set them back a few weeks more, so check with them early if you have any hope of getting any.
Goat cheeses from Port Madison. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Port Madison returned to your Ballard Farmers Market with their lovely goat cheese last week, so if you were in serious chevre withdrawal, you are in luck. Their girls have begun producing milk again for cheese making.
Dandelion greens from Stoney Plains. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Stoney Plains continues to roll out more and more early spring greens. Check out these dandelion greens. Cleanse that liver with a dandelion green salad tonight! (It’ll get it ready for all the damage you are going to do to it on Wednesday.)
French Breakfast radishes from Full Circle Farm. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Another sure sign of spring are these French Breakfast radishes from Full Circle Farm. Add them to the salads you will be eating in abundance on either side of St. Patrick’s Day, or just eat them straight, with a little truffle salt. Oh, yeah. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.
A selection of frozen, prepared meals from Cibo Pronto. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
And if you just don’t feel like doing any cooking yourself, why not pick up one of these tasty frozen prepared meals from Cibo Pronto, based right here in Ballard. I enjoyed some of their Split Pea & Bacon soup this past week that was out of this world.
And remember, your Ballard Farmers Market is chock full of all sorts of goodness for your kitchen, from meat, seafood, poultry, cheese, to all sorts of fruits and veggies, baked goods, sauces, confections, fresh-cut flowers and fresh milled flours, plants for the garden, wild mushrooms, and on and on. For a fuller accounting of what you’ll find at the Market today, go to “What’s Fresh Now!” in the upper right-hand corner.
So, this is my blog where I will be very honest about myself. I have gone on too long like this and I don’t even know how to get help or change this messed up life I exist in these days. Maybe If I talk about it, I will find the path I need.
I am afraid to weight myself. I think I may be at 290 pounds. I can’t believe it…but at the same measure, I have no desire to change this. It’s like I live in two places..the inner me that rules the roost and the outside me that everyone sees. We battle often. I hear inner, but I ignore it, I hear Ty, but I ignore him…it fails to penetrate my skull. I think I am trying to kill myselp slowly and painfully with food. I can’t stop binging and eating, it’s driving me crazy. I have consumed so much sugar I can’t believe I haven’t slipped into a diabetic coma. The sad part is I truely wish I did have something wrong with me so I would have a reason to lose weight.
Today’s Food: egg mcmuffin, sausage mcmuffin, chips and dip, yogurt, 4 wagon wheels, broccoli and cheese soup, small french bread loaded with butter. The day is not done. I expect the wagon wheel count to go up and there will be more chip and dip consumption.
I am drinking a fine bottle of Australian red wine. Oh how I love my Aussie wines. I drink too much on weekends. I need to stop this destructive behaviour because it depresses the crap out of me when the week starts. Just talking about it depresses me. I think I need an other glass of wine and I going to roll a joint.
I wish I were joking…
Yesterday launched what will be my new schedule, at least a few days out of the week: I worked at SoMar in the morning and early afternoon, and then headed to Gervasi Vineyard for a later shift. This will not be typical, as I am staying loyal to SoMar on Friday and Saturday nights, but I figured I might as well take this opportunity to work a large, private party (200 people!) at Gervasi before they officially open so I can get some practice. It was an insane evening, but overall, was lots of fun! I ended up being there until about 1am, but this is also atypical, fortunately. I do hope that once Gervasi opens and we welcome a winery crowd, rather than just large parties, then I can take the opportunity to discuss the history of the property and the winemaking process, which is my true passion. Although it is OK being a bartender, I signed on to this because I want to work at a winery, not a bar. Gervasi has been extremely well-received, and you should check out their website and Facebook fan page for pictures of their gorgeous property. I also promise I will take my own photos soon! The food is amazing, and I strongly suggest making reservations soon so that you can be one of the first people to experience it. And actually, their wines aren’t bad, since for the first few years, they are sourcing most of their grapes from California and Oregon. After that, it will be a mix of those grapes and their own, which will feature the hardier, cool-climate grapes, such as Frontenac Gris (yes, you have likely never heard of it!). For now, we can enjoy the Sangiovese, Pinot, and Cabernet. 
Most importantly, the owners are passionate and amazing people, and I know that Gervasi will be a huge success!
jamelle and i just went to a local wine shop’s free wine-tasting. we learned a few things
1. they pour not just wine, but beer as well
2. the wine is not only fantastic, but so cheap that i felt like i was stealing
3. the wine shop is staffed with cute cashiers. hello. i will be returning.
so now we have wine, and bread, and cheese, and old movies. and y’all, if that is not a recipe for a fantastic friday night, i do not know what is.
xo
the baking goddess
Barely after catching its collective breath from the Olympics, Take One, Olympics Take Two, the Paralympics, are upon the city of Vancouver and its residents. Lucky for all the people traveling here to participate or observe, the world’s food and restaurant critics seem to have agreed on one thing…that Vancouver is second to none when it comes to dining out in Olympic cities. High, low, North, south, Local, ethnic, Fast or slow, Vancouver has the food that you crave right now.
We won’t, however, even attempt to say it better than NY Times food critic, Sam Sifton, did at the beginning of the games. We just urge you to click on over>>>
“The most ravenous visitors to this marvelous, temperate city will begin their culinary touring almost from the moment they land at Vancouver International Airport on Sea Island in suburban Richmond, where a vast Asian enclave is growing.” The complete article can be found at http://nytimes.com/2010/02/03/dining/03note.html?ref=dining.
Market at Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver
For a New York take on Vancouver Restaurants, be sure to click HERE. It will take you to a sort of cheat-sheet of excellent Vancouver Restaurants. Such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Market at the Shangri-La Hotel…
Vancouver Food And Wine * Okanagan Food And Wine Local Food And Wine
I’m getting ready to join my family in Florida to celebrate my mom’s 90th birthday. This should be a joyous occasion, but I’m feeling a little weak-kneed. It probably has something to do with the fact that I will need to get up in the middle of the night to make my 6am flight. I’ve not flown since the Christmas undie-bomber incident, so god only knows how long it will take to get through security.
No direct flights means that I have to change planes in Salt Lake City. I always get a little nervous in Mormon country, but it’s better than flying with Continental and changing planes at George Herbert Walker Bush airport in Houston.
For this milestone event, we will be not just my stepfather, mom, brother and sister-in-law, but will be joined by my stepfather’s two daughters and their husband and friend, respectively. I’ve not seen these women in 40 years.
So how will this shake out? Meals and naps are very important. We will eat too much and drink way too much red wine. My stepfather won’t speak, at least to my brother. My sister-in-law will get angry, my brother drunk and my mom can’t hear so she will miss all of the excitement. This is my family, and I love them.
Lucas & I went to Mamma Mia the other week in the city – it was fab! We hit the red carpet and had a lovely night out. Not long before that, we attended the Stoneleigh Pop-Up Bar on Swanston St. It was absolutely lovely with everything from fabulous wine and people through to great entertainment. The Sundance Kids performed and kept both the VIPs and the public plebs entertained. Check out this post about the night featured on Style Melbourne & check the social pages in the Herald Sun.
{PICTURES COMING}
Like a marriage, the UG relationship has to every once in a while be rekindled. Our schedules have been insane and we have only recently seen each other for events. The two of us have not sat down for a meal in a very long time. Fortunately, things are changing as tomorrow Josie will return to the UG Global Headquarters on a regular basis but this last Friday we had a romantic dinner together with a few more couples. In this last year we have had a fantastic relationship with Fleming’s Steakhouse it started with a contest we won via Twitter and then a burger mania night. We were invited by the restaurant’s PR company, Ink Foundry, to go to their special Go Green Dinner. The concept of the dinner was “Irish hospitality with a magnificent menu in the spirit of the Emerald Isle and a treasure trove of “green” earth-friendly wines.”
MENU PASSED HORS D’OEUVRESWe arrived in two cars and I had my CFO with me, I mentioned that this was going to be my first dinner just with Josie in a while and I asked her to text Josie something sweet while I was driving. When I got there we were escorted to the outdoor area of the restaurant in LA Live and were treated to cheese, Irish Soda Bread, and the most delicious Riesling.
We were laughing, tweeting, eating, and having a lovely time. Suddenly several other couples joined us outside and I realized that this was going to be a joint dinner. Perhaps it wasn’t the intimate night we were hoping for but these joint dinners are SO much fun. After cheese and wine we were escorted in to the backroom and we were seated with two other couples.
The potato boxty was delicious and for once I was jealous of Josie’s seafood allergy as she got Fleming’s delicious beef carpaccio appetizer.
We began talking to the couples at our table and they were all friends as the married couple met at the party of the engaged couple. They were the kindest people and we loved that they were Angelenos who love the Eastside/Downtown and beer. We all got lost talking tacos, Highland and Echo Park, bars, floors, and puppies. Josie and I were talking later at how much we love these dinners. They seem awkward at first and you sit with strangers but over the course of the night you have new friends. We cheered to their upcoming wedding and they cheered to our upcoming reunion in our office and our business venture.
I don’t know if my life has been sheltered but I never noticed Lent until this year. All of our interns are Catholic and I am learning so much about the sacrifice that they make, including no meat on Fridays. Our table mates that were married were the ones excited about the dinner since they were at Fleming’s for Valentine’s day. They knew the menu for the night but it wasn’t until their gorgeous medium rare Filet Mignons arrived that they realized they couldn’t eat it because it was Friday. I felt bad eating my steak in front of them but they were good sports and they got it to go declaring it would be their breakfast in the morning. I like steak a lot, but I am just not a steak ordering kind of gal. It is always a nice treat because it’s not normally something I would make or order for myself.
I also like my desserts like I like my men, fruity. However, the chocolate Guinness cake was delicious. Josie, who for years has been using cool whip and claiming it is chantilly cream, made sure the waiters brought us some of the real deal when it wasn’t on the plate. It was at this moment when I remembered how much I missed Josie and was grateful for her being the chantilly cream on the cake.
Flemings is everything and more of what a good steakhouse should be. The food was delicious and so was the wine with a zero carbon footprint. I loved the Riesling and Josie loved the Merlot. Josie and I are both not that crazy about “green” or “organic” but when you can say that it just tastes better, we can’t argue. It was a great night of meeting new friends and reconnecting with your best friend. If you want to have this same delicious dinner head to the Woodland Hills Fleming’s this Tuesday for this same “Green” dinner, I can’t guarantee a reservation but I can guarantee great food and conversation.
Here are some more upcoming Fleming’s events:
Filet and Lobster for Two, $99 – Our New Memorable Meal
Exclusively for Friends of Fleming’s: Savor a 3-course dinner for two, featuring Filet Mignon and Australian Lobster Tail for each guest, plus appetizer, side dish and dessert. $99 for two, and also available at $49.50 for one guest. This Memorable Meal is exclusively available for Friends of Fleming’s and is not offered on our regular menu. Available through March 31st.
View menu and reserve
Easter Brunch with the Family, Sunday, April 4th
We’re opening early at 11:30 am on Easter Sunday to welcome you and your family for an exceptional meal in celebration of the holiday. It’s the perfect time to enjoy all your classic brunch favorites, including Filet Benedict, Stuffed French Toast and Smoked Ham Chop. $29.95 per guest, including appetizer and dessert. View menu
$39.95 Winter Prix Fixe Menu – Final Weeks!
Savor the bold and satisfying flavors of a 3-course dinner with three exceptional entrées to choose from: Braised Boneless Short Rib of Beef, Seared Scallops Peperonata or Roasted Half Duckling. This exclusive Fleming’s Prix Fixe menu ends March 29. View menu and reserve
Authentic Irish Cocktails for St. Patrick’s Day
One night only — March 17th — we’ll be serving up a pair of cocktails that are truly worthy of an Irish toast. Our Bushmills Irish Coffee and Jameson Whiskey Sour are the latest cocktail creations by our Director of Wine, Marian Jansen op de Haar. We’ll be serving them up on St. Patrick’s Day for just $6 each. And if you take a fancy to them, you can make them at home any night with Marian’s Irish cocktail recipes.
When I reviewed Cafe Bink for PHOENIX Magazine, I concluded that Binkley’s Restaurant’s younger sibling was a class act — a lovable, casual American French Bistro, aptly run by Chef Brandon Gauthier and Amy Binkley. You might know Amy’s husband, Chef Kevin Binkley.
The haute Binkley’s gets lots of attention (deservedly so, Kevin is up for a James Beard Award again this year, and will be cooking at the Beard House on May 3, the night of the awards ceremony) but Cafe Bink is the kind of restaurant you visit more than just on special occasions.
Not to be outdone, Cafe Bink recently hosted its own “special occasion,” a Dogfish Head Brewery vs. Joel Gott Winery dinner, pitting one of the country’s most innovative breweries with a well known (especially for Zinfandel) winery from Napa Valley.
An informal polling of attendees before the dinner revealed that victory predictions were firmly in the Gott camp.
How could beer compete with wine when paired with sophisticated cuisine?
Each of five courses was paired with both a Dogfish beer, introduced by Arizona Sales Manager Louis Dolgoff, and a Joel Gott Wine, introduced by none other than Joel Gott himself.
1st course: (actually a reception with passed hors d’oeuvres) included polish sausage atop brioche toast with mustard seed creme fraiche and Belguin endive stuffed with curried shrimp salad.
Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA vs. Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc.
Round 1: Dogfish Head
2nd Course: Caramelized Pear stuffed with foie gras mousse, and served with apple buter smear, baby arugula, crystallized ginger strips and roasted hazelnuts.
Dogfish Head Pangaea vs. Joel Gott Chardonnay
Round 2: Joel Gott
(For the record, I voted for the ginger spiced Pangaea. The Chardonnay, made in the crisp, Chablis-style (vs. a buttery, oak style), didn’t enhance the flavors of this dish for me.)
3rd Course: Poached Salmon with coriander cous cous, charred scallions, sugar snap peas, and beurre rouge (a luscious, red wine butter reduction.)
Dogfish Head Red & White (11% alcohol, by the way) vs. Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon
Round 3: Joel Gott
(Something tells me that Gott had a leg up on this one, perhaps the red wine sauce was made with the Gott wine?)
4th Course: Braised short ribs with baby turnips, baby carrots, roasted fingerling potatoes and pearl onions.
Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre vs. Joel Gott California Zinfandel
Round 4: Joel Gott
(If you’ll notice, the baby vegetables, passed around in bowls, never made it to my plate. After one bite of the fall-apart ribs coated in a rich veal demi-glace, I decided vegetables would only detract from the fork tender ribs. But that’s just me. My dining companions said the vegetables were lovely.)
5th Course: Mexican Chocolate Torte with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, blackberries and chocolate sauce.
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout vs. Joel Gott “Dillian Ranch” Zinfandel
Round 5: Dogfish Head
(I wasn’t surprised. When pairing wine with dessert, it should be at least as sweet as the dessert. The Chicory Stout beer was dark enough to match the depth of the chocolate, and since it, too, has chocolate notes, it paired perfectly.)
The take away from this fun, interactive beer vs. wine dinner is that beer is not just a bottle of hops, barley and fizz.
Dogfish Head Brewery beers are crafted with fine ingredients that pair just as well with food as wine, and in some cases, even better than wine.
It’s a given that wine pairs with food, and for the 65 people who attended the Cafe Bink dinner, it’s safe to say that they now think beer is a natural partner for exquisite cuisine, too.
What do you think of pairing beer with more than just burgers and brats?
Cafe Bink
36889 N. Tom Darlington, Carefree, AZ
480-488-9796
You’ll find Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA and Raison D’Etre on tap and Joel Gott Dillian Ranch Zinfandel on Cafe Bink’s everyday menu.
While some of my American friends will surely quip that this is a blog about the fine art of pairing wine with marijuana, I assure you that they are wrong. Although, somebody is probably going to make a lot of money on that idea one day. If nothing else, a good coffee table book. I’ve suggested it to a lot of my friends who like wine and pot, but they have all shown an unsurprising lack of followthrough.
Enough of that. This is a joint blog in that it is an association of winemakers who want to blog but don’t have the time to constantly write and upkeep a website. Nothing’s worse than an expired blog. Gets you all hopeful that you’ve found another winemaking blogger only to let you crashing down when you realize it was last updated seven months ago.
So we’re going to gather up some of our friends and our favorite winemakers. And we’re going to aggregate those blogs into one place. And we’re going to see how that goes.
I hope you like it. I hope you at least pretend to like it. Because the truth is I have terrible self-esteem and I need to think people like the blog or it will wither and die. So come by, water the blog with your comments, shower us with your praise, link to us from your blog.
And if you’re a winemaker who wants to participate in this, email ryan@ovineyards.com
Today, a young man from Grassy Creek Vineyard out of Elkin, NC came by and we had a wine tasting to see which of their wines we want to carry in the store. I’m a complete wine novice, my basic staple of wine consumption and history started at an age when I shouldn’t have been drinking anyway and consisted of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill.
I’ve grown up since then.
Kinda.
Anyway, I really don’t drink much, anymore. I had a bottle of wine that my boss gave me on New Years Eve, 2008. I had one glass of it that night and then I poured the rest of the bottle out when I moved in February 2010, so I guess you can say I’m not much of a drinker.
Today, I drank from 13 bottles of wine. No I wasn’t falling all over myself or anyone else. It started with Grassy Creek coming to the store so Thais could sample the wines. He brought six bottles and they were wonderful. They even have a wine that is sold in a glass milk bottle in reflection of the dairy farm that existed before it became Grassy Creek. The samples consisted of about an ounce of wine poured into a dixie cup. It’s very difficult to see the clarity and color of the wine and the weird part is you can’t smell the wine as well when you’re tasting them from a dixie cup. We’re going to carry all six of the grassy creek wines we sampled. I’ll keep you posted on when they will be the winery of the week.
Later in the evening, Thais and her husband and my husband and I went to Yadkin Valley to visit the Sanders Ridge Vineyard which we will also carry at Barnhill’s. This was my first trip to a vineyard and winery. The grape vines were all bare sticks poking from the ground and tied to guide wires but I could easily imagine them bright with large green leaves and heavy with grapes. The wine tasting room is in a beautiful log cabin which seems enormous on the outside but is cozy on the inside. A pathway leads to a dock and gazebo by a lake and it was lovely, even still held in the stark grasp of winter, the trees waiting much more patiently than I am for their leaves to emerge and beckon the warmth of spring.
Neil gave three of us a glass and poured the first of seven wines. My husband didn’t sample the wares because he drinks even less than I do and he isn’t a fan of wine. He was also our designated driver (see? I told you I grew up). The interesting thing about my husband, Tim, is that he smelled each of the wines I sampled and he could smell the parts that make up the blends. We may make a wine connoisseur out of him yet!
The wines were all very good. I think I prefer the white wines over the red wines, but I also think I may prefer different wines whether I am eating or just having a drink. Some wines are very earthy and some are sweet. They’re all a little different and I’m learning what those differences are. At Sanders, I also tasted my first Muscadine wine and it was a taste unlike any of the other wines I sampled. At this point, it may be my favorite so far because it’s just so different from anything else I’ve tried.
When we left, I even got to keep the pretty wine glass with Sanders Ridge written on it. My first wine glass. There are over 90 wineries in North Carolina and I plan to amass an impressive collection of wine glasses!
The 2009 Vouvray is ready! Vincent Raimbault, Vouvray opens his doors this Easter with his annual Portes Ouvertes. Not only some lovely wines to taste, but also the troglodyte bread oven with be working again, cooking fouaces, brioches and bread with vine prunings and roots. You can watch (and taste) the delicious Rillons and Rillettes de Touraine being made in the traditional way. There’s fouaces with rillettes, goats cheese and garlic butter to try too.
Vincent Raimbault is a long term favourite of ours, both for classic and sparkling Vouvray at sensible prices. The 2008 Vouvray Sec and Demi-Sec gained a Silver Medal Au Concours des Vins du Val de Loire à Angers this February.
With wine tasting in the cave, there are exhibitions from three artists: Julien Hebras, furniture renovation, marquetry and wood turning, Carine Lepretre, painter and decorator from l’Atelier du Galet Rouge, and Yvette Kulwikowski, a local artist.
I started some water boiling in a skillet for the carrots, and sliced and salted the zucchini. Once the water was boiling, a threw in the baby carrots and put on the lid. I put a little oil in two cast iron skillets, put the tuna steak in one and the zucchini in the other. I broiled them while the carrots were pan steaming. When the carrots were done, I put them in a glass bowl, added a spoonful of apricot fruit spread and some Ceylon Cinnamon. I put the lid on the bowl and shook it to coat the carrots. I put some lemon juice on the tuna and plated it with the zucchini. I transferred the carrots to a regular bowl and served it all with a Mendocino Castle Rock “Pinot Noir”. Pinot Noir is in quotes because I have doubts about whether it is actually Pinot Noir. I’m quite the Pinot fan, and this doesn’t taste like any other Pinot I’ve ever had (it reminds me of a Merlot).
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Thursday, March 11th Fritz Winery is bringing Sonoma County’s famed
Barrel Tasting Weekend to Press Club!
Join Fritz Winery President, Clay Fritz as he samples the Fritz 2009 Estate Reserve Zinfandel and 2008 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon direct from the barrel and to your glass. Samples are FREE with glass purchase of the current vintage. So…buy a glass of 2006 Estate Reserve Cab Sauv or 2007 Zinfandel and get a barrel sample of the 2008 Estate Reserve Cab Sauv or 2009 Zinfandel Free!Tasting will be available all evening-from 4pm to 9pm.
*This post belongs to this week’s edition of Wine by Cush Magazine blog and published early in World of Cush also.
Yup! I keep right on sipping the fruit of the vine! 
And as a result, here’s my take on another Merlot – this one from Chile.
Vineyard: Frontera (Concha Y Toro)
Wine: Merlot
Vintage: 2009
Appellation: Rapel Valley – Chile
Price: $7.99
Notes: Primarily plum aromas turn to jammy blackberry flavors with hints of cherry and toasty spice. It’s a simple medium-bodied red that is straightforward and enjoyable. Modest tannins bring a touch of chlorophyll (at times I thought even eucalyptus) in the finish.
Important: I am not a professional sommelier or wine connoissuer. I have taste buds, however, and know what I like. Please do not consider my thoughts to be an endorsement or diminution of any particular wine. You should always judge for yourself as likes, dislikes, and taste are very subjective.
After frequenting the same grocery store for over three years, I was almost brought to tears of happiness and disbelief one day after I heard someone say, “Hey Caro! How are you doing?” Now, this wasn’t just anyone. It was an EMPLOYEE!!!! An EMPLOYEE recognized me, used my first name and made me, for the first time ever since living in this town, feel like I actually existed while shopping for groceries. I have ranted with my best friend in the past about how sad it is that we go the same places and do the same things EVERYDAY, yet we rarely make connections with the people we see “in passing.” And my rants were well-founded because I was beaming for at least an hour after this friendly, personal exchange from someone who noticed me as a regular customer.
Now, sure. It did happen to be wine guy, but I don’t think that matters. I mean, I am a self-proclaimed wine snob(1) of sorts. Oh, and beer snob. And as such, I have spent some time in the wine aisle. But I had also spent some time hanging out at Bel Air on Thursday nights.
Ah, Thursdays. Remember when you were in college and Thursday night was THE night?? Who has parties on Fridays when they could on Thursdays? Yep! Well, Thursday nights are back, ladies and gentlemen! They are back and appropriate for us [insert age decade here]-haven’t-been-an-undergrad-in-quite-some-time-somethings. Or maybe the fact that I get excited about this just shows how lame I am on weeknights. (But you should SEE me on weekends!!!)
Well, the real reason that Ron the Wine Guy (holla!) knew my name is because 1) he’s got an AMAZING memory 2) he actually cares about getting to know his clients 3) he’s a really great guy, and 4) he sees us frequently for the Thursday Night wine tastings at the cafe in Bel Air. (I actually don’t run into him that much in the wine/beer aisle.)
Now, this applies to some of the local Sacramento Bel Air and Raley Markets, as detailed in this press release from earlier this year. Live elsewhere? I suggest that you check your local Bel Air or Raleys (or Nob Hill if you’re in the bay area) because many of these stores do these wine tasting events. Here’s how it works in the Sacramento area stores.
From 5:30-7:30pm on either Thursday or Friday (depending on your store), the store will do a winetasting with one of the distributors of a winery. Usually they’ll taste around 5 bottles total (sometimes more) from one or more wineries. Each flight costs $3. With this $3 you get the flight of wines being tasted, appetizers made freshly at the deli (they usually are quite unique and delicious), and a $3 coupon off your next “wine purchase”(2) of $10 or more. The coupon lasts for a month from the date of purchase, so if you might break down and buy a bottle of wine within the next month, that winetasting you had (and appetizers) was money well spent!! Additionally, if you like beer, they will sometimes do a beer tasting along with the wine tasting (see March 11). Now this is another $3 fee, but you get the same coupon and they’re usually tasting microbrews, which makes it WORTH IT!
I really enjoy going, and there is quite a scene there — truly, friendships have been made there and it’s interesting seeing the same people come back and eventually getting to know them through side comments/jokes and perhaps a conversation somewhere in there. Hey, I’m all about community, and I feel that it is not present most of the time so anything that resembles it makes me happy.
But, alas. It’s the Lenten season and hubby and I have tossed aside alkihol. So we won’t be able to make it to this month’s tastings, so go for us. Tell Ron we sent ya! At our local Bel Air (Bel Air – 3250 Arena Blvd. in Sacramento), Ron is tasing the following during the month of March:
March 4…………..Ghost Pines and Gascon Malbec Wines
March 11………….Chateau St. Michelle/Anatori Wines and Guinness Beer
March 18………….Matchbook Wines
March 25………….Acacia and A by Acacia Wines
The following is a list of stores in the Sacramento area that offer wine tastings on Thursdays or Fridays. Call them to see what’s on your menu:
Thursdays
Bel Air – 2760 East Bidwell in Folsom
Raley’s – 692 Freeman Lane in Grass Valley
Bel Air – 3250 Arena Blvd. in Sacramento (Natomas)
Fridays
Raley’s – 3935 Park Dr. in El Dorado Hills
Raley’s – 25025 Blue Ravine Rd. in Folsom
Raley’s – 6845 Douglas Blvd. in Granite Bay
Raley’s – 4000 Lake Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe
Cheers!!
(1) [this is my attempt at a footnote] snob (n): one who engages in the criticism of something or others on the basis that he/she/it simply exists. But I’ll still drink bad wine occasionally, and I definitely won’t criticize wine unless it’s in the privacy of my car, home, around loved ones (usually only to the ones who didn’t bring the wine in question), or I’m put in a position when I feel it’s my duty to evaluate (i.e., winetasting). I’m no rampant snob. I keep it real.
(2) We’ve encountered different opinions about whether or not “wine purchase” meant total wine purchase, or the purchase of a $10+ bottle. Not that it matters. No one likes wine less than $10 anyway, right. 
