Saturday, September 15, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A perfect pairing
The picture speaks for itself - which is a good thing because i took this photo so long ago that I've forgotten the name of the wonderful cheese. The wine is a Merlot Port from Steltzner Vineyards that has an amazing balance without being overly sweet.
Remembering France
Where did the year go? We realized a few weeks ago that we were hitting the year anniversary of our wonderful trip to France. (Which of course reminds me that I never did finish blogging that trip.)
As I wind down on the last week (more like a head on collision) of the current show, I think about all the things I'd like to catch up on during my upcoming six weeks off.
Back to the point - we are working our way through the whites from Bordeaux currently stocked at Total Wine.
This one was an incredibly pleasant surprise - and at a price point that cannot be beat. It makes me hesitate on my decision to stock up on Spottswoode Sav's for the summer (one of the few Sauvignon Blanc's that Chris enjoys).
I leave it to him to make comments and tasting notes.
Chris's Mom was in town and we decided it only proper to enjoy this wine with one of our treasured cans of Foie Gras we brought back with us - délicieux!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Monday mixology - The Pisco Sour
Pisco - it's been in the news a lot lately. Well, maybe not the news, but with the resurgence of classic cocktails, it has been getting a lot of attention.
For those new to the liquor, it is a grape brandy, traditionally made with Muscat.
I was
somewhat unprepared for my impulse buy at Bevmo (incidentally they only
had 2 brands in stock) and landed with a bottle of Alto del Carmen -
which is actually from Chile.
One cannot be too picky at 5:30 on a Sunday night.
We picked some fresh Meyer Lemons from the garden and Chris went to work.
The result was a refreshing and delicious drink that cleansed the palate for the night's sushi dinner.
Please excuse the lack of proper glassware. My ever long quest for just the right set of coupe glasses is still going.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Spring has sprung!
It's only supposed to hit 64 today, but there is not a cloud in the sky. The garden is slowly waking from its winter slumber with explosions of color.
Last month's ridiculous warm spell brought the grapevine to life.
This vine was on our property when we moved in. Cut to the ground but apparently quite old. We fought with the bunnies last spring as they chomped every sprig that emerged and now have a true main trunk.
It flourished last summer, but produced no fruit. (Not unlike most first year vines.)
I assumed since the base was old that it must be a non fruiting variety; however this photo shows that my assumption may have been wrong!
I've photographed a leaf, now we just need to find out what grape it is.
Last month's ridiculous warm spell brought the grapevine to life.
This vine was on our property when we moved in. Cut to the ground but apparently quite old. We fought with the bunnies last spring as they chomped every sprig that emerged and now have a true main trunk.
It flourished last summer, but produced no fruit. (Not unlike most first year vines.)
I assumed since the base was old that it must be a non fruiting variety; however this photo shows that my assumption may have been wrong!
I've photographed a leaf, now we just need to find out what grape it is.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Saturday Sidenotes - The White Lady Cocktail
I'm working six day weeks now and I find that the work/life balance is in critical shape. The internet is my window to the outside world (I supposed I should be grateful our machines at work aren't locked down).
While waiting for a render, I find myself perusing Liqurious - as I often do on a Friday or Saturday - in search of inspiration for the weekend's mixology.
Today I cam across a post bashing the wave of girlie booze out there and I couldn't agree with it more.
It's deserving of a repost.
Credit to The Sweet Burn and the post The White Lady Cocktail
While waiting for a render, I find myself perusing Liqurious - as I often do on a Friday or Saturday - in search of inspiration for the weekend's mixology.
Today I cam across a post bashing the wave of girlie booze out there and I couldn't agree with it more.
It's deserving of a repost.
Credit to The Sweet Burn and the post The White Lady Cocktail
Delicious Simplicity on a Sunday night
Beer can chicken, home made mac'n cheese with white truffle oil and a bottle of Spottswoode Sav. (And yes, that is the pooch in the background, hoping we turn our heads for a split second so he can steal some chicken)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The sun sets on a beautiful vintage
Te Awa Pinotage holds a special place in my heart as the first case of wine we ever purchased.
It was 2005, Chris and I were living in New Zealand working on King Kong and discovering wine for the first time.
Sure we had each drank some swill (and some good swill) prior to our Kiwi adventure, but this was the first time in our life that we truly explored wine.
Before the insanity of production set in, we had spare time to enlist in our first tasting classes and visit wineries.
In relative terms, New Zealand is an infant in the wine world; yet there is quite an assortment of regions to explore.
One day I hope to have the time to sort through the gigs of photos and post some of my fondest memories of visiting the various areas.
Back to the Pinotage. I am shocked that after all the wine we had on that night and since then, I remember the first time I tasted it.
We were out with a group of friends at Arbitrageur, one of the few restaurants at the time that had an incredibly extensive list of wines by the glass as well as some great tapas.
Someone ordered a "taste" of the Pinotage and I believe by the end of the night we had ordered at least one bottle of it.
Peppery on the nose and mouth with a velvety smoothness and that gorgeous ruby red color.
It was not the easiest to find and the case was not acquired until months later when Chris was touring with his folks and Te Awa was a stop on their journey.
We had discovered that the '03 vintage did not have quite the same magic and the '02's were almost gone.
If I remember the story correctly, the owner had to do quite a bit of digging around to find a case for us.
We have never seen the Te Awa Pinotage for sale in the states and have fallen victim to our own frugality. It is such a double edged sword when collecting wine of trying to find the balance between "saving it for later" and waiting too long.
I fear this is the last (and possibly one past the last) year for this vintage.
The nose was still quite impressive, and the essence of its younger beauty sill there, but the magic has gone.
I believe this to be our last bottle from the case.
It was 2005, Chris and I were living in New Zealand working on King Kong and discovering wine for the first time.
Sure we had each drank some swill (and some good swill) prior to our Kiwi adventure, but this was the first time in our life that we truly explored wine.
Before the insanity of production set in, we had spare time to enlist in our first tasting classes and visit wineries.
In relative terms, New Zealand is an infant in the wine world; yet there is quite an assortment of regions to explore.
One day I hope to have the time to sort through the gigs of photos and post some of my fondest memories of visiting the various areas.
Back to the Pinotage. I am shocked that after all the wine we had on that night and since then, I remember the first time I tasted it.
We were out with a group of friends at Arbitrageur, one of the few restaurants at the time that had an incredibly extensive list of wines by the glass as well as some great tapas.
Someone ordered a "taste" of the Pinotage and I believe by the end of the night we had ordered at least one bottle of it.
Peppery on the nose and mouth with a velvety smoothness and that gorgeous ruby red color.
It was not the easiest to find and the case was not acquired until months later when Chris was touring with his folks and Te Awa was a stop on their journey.
We had discovered that the '03 vintage did not have quite the same magic and the '02's were almost gone.
If I remember the story correctly, the owner had to do quite a bit of digging around to find a case for us.
We have never seen the Te Awa Pinotage for sale in the states and have fallen victim to our own frugality. It is such a double edged sword when collecting wine of trying to find the balance between "saving it for later" and waiting too long.
I fear this is the last (and possibly one past the last) year for this vintage.
The nose was still quite impressive, and the essence of its younger beauty sill there, but the magic has gone.
I believe this to be our last bottle from the case.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Thoughts on the new year
I am a bit miffed at myself for not completing the France coverage while I had the summer off and it was fresh in my mind. But then again I had that pesky screenplay taking up most of my time. Oh. And the puppy.
Anyhoo - let's get on with it.
I open this years chapter with a big thank you to a dear friend for a lovely holiday gift. It is always wonderful to have friends who are super creative in the culinary arts.
Shelley was so very generous to share bottles of her home made vodka infusions. Bloody Mary's anyone?
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