Napa

Pairings, Reviews March 5, 2012

Cabernet Marinated Steak with Gorgonzola, Bacon and Shallot Butter Paired with Fiftyrow Cabernet.

I feel the need to start by pointing-out that this was a pretty-special pairing. If you’ve never actually taken the time to prepare one of the recipes featured in these food and wine pairings, I suggest you start right here! I will say that I’ve never actually taken the time to marinade steaks overnight before. I’m pretty old-school when it comes to how I usually cook my steaks, namely; liberally coating them with garlic salt…

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Reviews February 19, 2012

Fiftyrow Spring Mountain Syrah, Napa Valley, California.

Grape 100% Syrah   Facts There was such a huge amount of press over previous years on how Syrah was supposed to be “the next big thing”, and then more recently how that just never really panned out.Personally, I don’t see any need for people to wait around for a grape / wine to be named “so hot right now” before you give it your attention (i.e. hard earned $’s).Look at what happened to Malbec!…

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Pairings February 1, 2012

Chicken Breasts with Spinach, Leek and Saffron Sauce Paired with Freemark Abbey Napa Chardonnay 2010.

“Chardonnay paired with Chicken? Teach you that one at Sommelier school, did they?” Ok, so I won’t say that this is the most adventurous pairing the world has ever seen, but it’s one of only two (I believe) white meat and Chardonnay pairings that I’ve ever posted. As crazy as it sounds, we very rarely eat chicken in my house…chicken wings (of course) being the one BIG exception. It’s not that I don’t like chicken,…

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Pairings, Recipes December 16, 2011

Coffee-Roasted Duck Paired with HeartSmart “For Giving” Mount Veeder Cabernet, 2008.

With December being such a crazy month (my wife works in retail, and I work in a restaurant), eating at home has kind of taken a backseat over the last few weeks. Therefore, I do have to say that these food and wine pairing articles have also been a little sparse. Who wants to get home after working a 12+ hour shift, and cook? Not me! I’m sure we’re not in a minority on this,…

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Reviews December 10, 2011

HeartSmart “Great Dane” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California.

    Grape 100% Cabernet   Facts Peggy Rowan is the visionary behind HeartSmart. This Cabernet was inspired by her love for animals, and specifically the Great Dane breed. “They’re big, bold and beautiful—which happen to be the same qualities I love about Cabernet Sauvignon.” in Peggy’s own words. The 2008 Great Dane won the Gold Medal at this year’s San Francisco International Wine Competition. Ann Ruth, is the remarkable artist behind the HeartSmart wine…

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News October 31, 2011

This Week In Wine – 10/30/11

    To Save Soggy Grapes, Winemaker Looks To Helicopter It’s been raining for days and the crop you’re a week away from harvesting is about to mold. If you don’t dry it quickly, you will lose the crop. What do you do? If you’re Bruce Cakebread, you call in a helicopter to be a giant grape dryer. When rain soaked Napa Valley two weeks ago, Cakebread — the president of Cakebread Cellars in Rutherford,…

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Pairings October 18, 2011

Lamb Meatballs with Cumin, Mint, and Tomato Sauce Paired with Ramspeck Napa Pinot Noir 2009

Cabernet vines dominate the Napa Valley landscape, but everyone (I assume) knows that! What often gets overlooked is that (given half the chance) Napa can still do a decent job with Pinot Noir; even though Sonoma, Willamette (Oregon), and Carneros hog most of the limelight. Now don’t get me wrong, the Pinot’s coming out of “the Valley” are stylistically very different than those hailing from the cooler aforementioned regions; producing wines which are much more…

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Pairings October 11, 2011

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken Paired with Palmaz 2007 Napa Valley Riesling

This recipe is my attempt at killing four birds with one stone; and by “birds” I mean my crockpot, chicken, my bottle of Palmaz 2007 Napa Valley Riesling, and my wife. What do the three have in common, and why do you want to kill your wife with a stone? Well… My slow cooker has been looking kind of sad lately. All lonely, stuffed away in a dark-corner of my pantry, covered in dust, giving…

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Reviews September 1, 2011

Caymus Cabernet 2009 for #CabernetDay

  Grape(s) 81% Cabernet, 19% Merlot.   Facts I was thinking to myself the other day; “I wonder if readers of my website think that I’ve decided to take a stance toward only featuring affordable wines?” Not that this is too far from the truth, but the real reason that I feature a great deal of wines under the $20 retail mark, is that I purchase the wines for review myself. Affordability is therefore key!…

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News August 28, 2011

This Week In Wine – 8/28/11

“Garcon, could you please recommend a wine to pair with the worst tragedy this country has ever seen…” As we approach the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the nice folks at Long Island winery Lieb Family Cellars are issuing a "commemorative" Merlot and Chardonnay released "to benefit the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum”. The wines have approval from the 9/11 Memorial Foundation, with "6% to 10% of the sales" of each bottle, sold at…

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