My Favorite Kind of Evening

If you have littles, you know how hard it can be to make plans ahead of time.   The best laid plans are easily derailed by a runny nose or a meltdown brought on by a missed nap.  My good friends understand this, so we are all fans of the last-minute plans.  One example, that is quickly becoming a tradition with my sweet neighbor, is the last-minute potluck. The conversation usually begins like this. “I need to get out of my house.  What are your plans for dinner?”  And it usually ends with, “I’ll be over in 30 minutes.” 

Now, if asked to describe my ideal evening, it would be good food, good wine, good friends, on a good porch.  We had all of those last night.  We must have been on the same wavelength because we were both planning on Portobellos for entrees and a tomato salad.  Our combined effort became a delightful Italian feast, alfresco. Our spread included:

Grilled Portobellos marinated with balsamic, olive oil, and herbs

Sautéed Portobellos with fresh mozzarella

Tomato Basil Salad

Tomato, Cucumber, and Olive Salad

Roasted Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes

Grilled Ciabatta with Goat Cheese and Grilled Red Pepper

Arugula Salad with Parmesan and Lemon

We paired the meal with a  2007 Wellington Meeks Hilltop Zinfandel.  Gorgeous berries and just enough spice.  Black pepper and licorice.  Intense fruit and soft, smooth finish.  Super yum.  A good rule of thumb when pairing food and wine is to match regions.  Cheese from the Loire Valley?  Open a Vouvray or Cab Franc.  Paella on the menu? Rioja or Granacha should work. Central Italian fare?  Primitivo, Zin, or Sangiovese if you are looking for a red.  Of course, this isn’t a “rule,” just a starting point.  As your palate develops, you will know just what you want, which may or may not be a regional match.

I love a good Merlot with good chocolate and that is exactly how we ended our evening.  After a rousing game of flashlight tag, complete with an Opossum sighting, we opened a 2007 Pellegrini Cloverdale Ranch Merlot to have with a bar of Patric 70% Dark Chocolate.  The wine brought out the berry in the chocolate; the chocolate enhanced similar notes in the wine.  A perfect pairing and a perfect way to end my favorite kind of evening.

Cheers to “Fewer Tensions”

Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.
~Benjamin Franklin

Things have been a crazy here lately, so posts have taken a back seat.  They are always a little crazy… okay… a lot crazy, but this month has been a rough one.  I spent May with sick children, house guests, and purging for a charity garage sale.  I have spent June on pain meds, messing with Insurance companies, and trying to replace my totaled car after getting rear-ended.  This is my first car accident and what a mess. Thank God that my children were fine.  I can’t say the same for me, but I am getting there.  Needless to say, with all of those “tensions” I have needed a little “more tolerance.”  Here is a quick recap of some recent findings.

My husband had to do the grocery shopping the first weekend after the accident and he picked up some Bison Ribeyes.  They were delicious.  We paired them witha 2009 Gundlach Bundschu Tempranillo- a meatier Tempranillo with a big dark berries, a hint of spice and smoke, and a long sweet finish.  It paired really well with the earthiness of the grilled meat.  Super tasty.

June 16th would have been Robert Mondavi’s 99th Birthday and the fine folks at Folsom and Associates provided me with some of his wines to share in the live toast.  We opened the Riesling.  The toast was a poignant tribute to the man who helped put Napa Valley wines on the map.  I encourage you to read up on his story and his contributions to the wine world and the community.  The Riesling paired really nicely with the smoked cheddar.  Fuller in body and not as sweet as some, this wine had a very nice balance of fruit and floral.  A great Monday wine.

For Father’s Day, we went to the Farmer’s Market and picked up some Grass-Fed tenderloin, wax beans, and tomatoes.  What can I say?  My husband likes red meat.  I try to limit him to once a week max, and he makes sure he gets some on holidays.  We wanted something big enough to carry the beef, but not over power the vegetables.  We went with Wellington’s Grenache (2007).  They call it a “two-day wine” so I knew we had to aerate.  I poured it through the Vinturi (Thank you , Tony!) and into a decanter.  This was a gorgeous wine.  Cherry, red berries, a bit of tobacco and a super long finish.  About a minute after a sip, I got a ton of rhubarb.  I wish I had another bottle so I could see where it was going, but I don’t.  They are out of stock on it, too.  It was great while it lasted. 

We will have to open something special when I find a replacement for my poor “baby.”  I hope she was able to give her parts to a deserving Volvo wagon.  I’ll keep you posted.  In the meantime, cheers to “fewer tensions”!

Another Victory for Wellington

My Brother-in-law is in town this weekend, which always means that we will be eating well.  Since we were celebrating his birthday, we chose to open something fabulous: a 2005 Wellington Victory Reserve.  This is a super special bottle of wine.  Wellington Vineyards has only done six Reserves in the last seventeen years.  They only do so when they can make a blend they deem “markedly superior” to the single varietal Cab or Merlots.  This 2005 flagship wine is composed of 70%Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, and 10%Merlot.

The boys in my husband’s family like their meat, so we had Filet Mignon with mushrooms which I sautéed with garlic, thyme, a splash of wine, and I poured the meat drippings in the pan at the end.  I made a pretty classic Caesar dressing (sans anchovies) and mashed potatoes.  Nothing fancy, a typical “man” meal in this house.  The wine paired really nicely with the meal.

On the nose, I got blueberry, cassis, cedar, and spice.  A lot going on.  We chose to aerate it since it was so big and not too old.  Huge muddled fruit on the front. I got blackberry, blueberry, and spicy wood- cedar or eucalyptus?  Softer notes like vanilla and violet came through in finish.  My BIL described it as “fat daddy” and my husband said a “banker.”  This wine is not shy.  And neither was I when my glass was empty.  Want to share those last sips with me, honey?  (Insert eye batting) Delicious.

We just received the 2006 Victory Reserve which is a different blend altogether.  Cab Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.  They say it is their best yet.  And we are supposed to cellar it?  That will be tough.  It is definitely a special occasion wine at $50.00, but worth every bit.  As usual, Wellington wines are a value no matter what the price point.  Another Victory for Wellington Vineyard.

Weekends are for Wellington

I have been trying to cook Vegetarian more…about 3 nights a week.  Organic/grass fed meats are really expensive, and I believe that eating less meat is better for my health and better for the planet.  But after three veggie meals in a row, my hubby was begging for meat.  His entire “request” list from the store was meat.  So I figured it was time for a steak.

Friday night is usually our “date night.”  We feed the kids, put them to bed, and then open a favorite bottle.  One of the clubs that we belong to is Wellington Vineyards, a small winery in Glen Ellen, CA.  They don’t distribute to stores, they are a “green” business, and a really good deal.  We get 6 bottles, twice a year (but frequently add to the order.)  They have some really unique wine…a white port (YUM!) and Noir de Noir (Alicante Bouchet, double yum!) are two stand outs.

Last night we opened a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon.  I know, I know…too soon.  But as mentioned in a previous post, I have trouble being patient with wine sometimes.  And I really wanted a Cab, so I opened the “less special” one.  Which was, and wasn’t a mistake.  Yes, it was a bit young, but after a trip through the aerator and some time to open, it was really prefect with the dinner.  DH grilled a T-bone and I just made some quick horseradish potatoes and grilled asparagus.  It was full, but not heavy.  Great finish, good fruit, light on the oak.  The middle was a little rough at first because of its age (or lack thereof) but smoothed out as it opened.  We enjoyed it thoroughly, as we always do with a bottle of Wellington, but I can only imagine how delish it would have been in five years.  I think we may be adding another to the next order so that I don’t have to wonder.

Wine-really tasty, but a bit young

Pairing-A, big enough for  a steak, but not as big as many Cabs so the perfect match for an unadorned steak when it is 105 degrees.