We, like many people we know ‘cellar’ our red wines. I say “cellar” because Houston homes do not have basements so any wine aging room is often custom designed to mimic the temperature and humidity found in a European cellar or a California cave. We do not have that luxury, so our wines aged for several years in a chilled storage facility. After multiple hurricanes and flooding that spared our neighborhood more than it did […]
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Steele Stymie Founder’s Reserve 2016 Syrah
Last night we joined a group of other wine folks for a virtual tasting of Steele Wines with winemaker and owner Jed Steele. With over 50 years’ in the wine industry, Jed started with a cellar position after playing basketball on scholarship for Gonzaga University, then went back to school at University of California – Davis and earned a master’s degree in enology. He gained experience with a number of wineries including Napa’s Stony Hill […]
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Brys Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2016
The 2016 Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery Pinot Noir from Old Mission Peninsula AVA is 100 percent Pinot Noir estate grapes from Traverse City, Michigan. A lighter ruby Burgundian style, it features smoked cherry and cola flavors. We paired it with red lentils and sliced pork belly. 13.5% ABV $32 For more information about Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery, visit their website.
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Cocktails: Lost in Thyme
We met friends Anton and Celia out for dinner at Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar to toast the new year. We started with cocktails, and I chose this gem. Lost in Thyme is a concoction of Old Overholt Rye, aperol, cinnamon thyme syrup, lemon and aquafaba (the foamy stuff on top – it’s vegan). Garnished with a sprig of thyme. Delicious! A bit of a splurge at $11. Get there for Social Hour and enjoy […]
Continue reading2008 Jemrose “Gloria’s Gem” Proprietary Blend
Often when we put together wine and food pairings the food comes first, and then the wine. Not this time. Knowing the intensity and flavor of this 2008 deep red vixen from Bennett Valley in Sonoma County, we needed something with gusto to stand up to it. Enter pork belly. Pork belly is so very versatile and inexpensive — at around $5 per pound locally — but you wouldn’t know it from many a restaurant […]
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Amazing!
Tasting in the Loire
Cooking to Pair with Multiple Wines: Green Valley of Russian River Valley
For many a home chef, it is relatively simple to pair a dish with a wine. You can consult Mr. Google, or visit a variety of wine sites, like Another Wine Blog, for suggestions. But suppose you have a recipe that pairs well with one red wine, but want to serve two different varieties – what then? That was my dilemma for a tasting of 3 wines from Green Valley of Russian River Valley hosted […]
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Always Seasonal: Gallica Albariño Calaveras 2015
Oh. My. Goodness. Look at her shoes. And after Labor Day no less. Shudder. She’s wearing… white! The prevailing opinion, be it for marketing or merely historical convenience, is that for every wine there is a season: Red for Autumn and Winter and Rose for Spring. White belongs to Summer. Nonsense! In the words of my friend Frank Morgan: drink what you like. And might I add, when you like! Many think of Albariño as […]
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