Big 3 Wine Bar: Exclusively Sonoma Wines

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:

• 100% focus on Sonoma wines, including labels which may have limited or complete unavailability for tasting anywhere else.
• Renee meets with each winemaker to understand their intention for the wine and the winemaking style employed.
• Each wine is selected based on how it rounds out the Big 3 shelf, resulting in a diversity of winemaking styles for each varietal.
• Big 3 provides easy access to new wine experiences by offering well-priced flights and glasses, and bottles at retail pricing.

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.

[Via http://kparkerk.wordpress.com]

Vegan shopping list

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

[Via http://thegirlsinboots.com]

You Can't Drink All Day

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.

[Via http://thomsonvineyards.wordpress.com]

Sunday, March 14th: St. Paddy's Day, Daylight Disorientation, err, Savings Time & Planning Ahead for Passover & Easter. So Many Major Eating Holidays, So Little Room In My Fridge!

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.

[Via http://ballardfarmersmarket.wordpress.com]

Here I Go

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…

[Via http://defectgirl.wordpress.com]

First Night at Gervasi!

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!

[Via http://woowinegirl.wordpress.com]

adventures in wine

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

[Via http://bakinggoddess.wordpress.com]