In these tough economic times we are all facing these days, we know we need to cut back on things, so we have been looking for some everyday good drinking wines to share with you that are very reasonable priced. A Wente Vineyard 2005 Sandstone Merlot was recommended to us by our local wine manager. This Merlot is estate grown in the family’s sustainably farmed vineyard in the Arroyo Seco, Monterey, California. Wente also has vineyards in the Livermore Valley. Wente was established 125 years ago and is still a family run winery with the fifth generation now in charge. For those of you that don’t know, Wente also has a world class 18 hole golf course winding through the hills of the vineyard. Several years ago, Wente partnered with professional... »View More
Added Saturday, February 28, 2009
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With another California grape growing season beginning will the controversy over “hang time” come up again. Hang time, or extended hang time is a relatively new term referring to the amount of time growers allow the grapes to hang on the vine before they harvest. This issue was big in recent years mainly for two reasons. The first being grape growers felt they were being cheated by the longer hang time. Ed Weber, the Napa County viticulture advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension, conducted a study on Cabernet grapes. Weber concluded that for each degree of brix, or sugar over 26 degrees, a Cabernet grower’s tonnage would decline by 5% due to dehydration. Since most growers are paid by the ton for their grapes they... »View More
Added Saturday, February 28, 2009
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Looking for an interesting recipe for company? We just prepared this Mediterranean Pot Roast that was outstanding, a recipe from Betty Crocker. We paired it with Italian style green beans, potatoes, gravy, salad and some biscuits. The best part of this dish is that the pot roast is done in the slow cooker for 5-6 hours so the meat is extremely tender. Also a good portion of your prep is done long before your guests arrive, so you can concentrate on your side dishes and enjoy your company. We used the below recipe but added our twist with a bit of red wine added to the broth. We also saved the drippings from searing the meat and mixed them with some broth, store bought gravy mix (McCormick to be exact), again adding a little red wine to... »View More
Added Tuesday, February 17, 2009
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The effects of the recession continue to be felt by charity wine auctions. The annual Naples Florida Winter Wine Festival and auction held the weekend of February 6th-8th, sold 65 lots in a live auction for $5.06 million, a 64% decrease from last year when 14 million was the total. Organizers said considering the state of the economy they were still happy with the results.
Money raised at the event goes to the Naples Children and Education Fund which supports local children’s charities. The auction was started nine years ago and has raised $74 million for charities since its inception.
Global Wine auctions were down a reported $25 million in 2008. With the Naples auction an early in the year event, the results suggest potential trouble ahead... »View More
Added Monday, February 16, 2009
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Well this weekend was Valentines Day on Saturday and while most of the population was craming into restaurants, we ordered pizza. Yes, pizza. I have to say we tried going out on Valentines Day for a few years in a row, but we were actually really turned off by the whole thing. Many restaurants only serve a limited menu. I walked in expecting to order one of my favorite dishes only to find out it is not on tonights “special” menu… what is so special about that? The idea of the “special menu” which I affectionately call the short menu is so the restaurant can maximize the amount of meals they can serve in one night and the chef can keep up. This also results in meals being served faster and tables being turned... »View More
Added Sunday, February 15, 2009
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For all you wine lovers that missed the movie Bottle Shock when it was out in theaters, it has now been released on DVD. Being a wine lover and Napa Valley dreamer I knew I had to see the movie and seeing it in the theater on an Imax screen was incredible. I remember the opening scenes as you cut across the Napa Valley in a helicopter flying low over the vineyards and trees, I actually lifted my feet as it appeared you were about to clip the top of a tree. I can tell you it felt like I was right there in that helicopter. The views were breathtaking and for just a moment in time, I was back in Napa. Well, as Bottle Shock went to DVD my wife ran out and purchased it. We again watched it and while there was some minor disappointment without the... »View More
Added Sunday, February 15, 2009
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Napa 2009 is on! The airline and our Inn reservations were made this past week. We were able to reserve our favorite garden patio rooms at the Wine Country Inn. I am excited and ready to start searching out new places to visit. The economy shows no sign of improvement and my personal situation a little worse with my company laying us off every other Friday. I just refuse to let all that put a damper on our trip. Job or not we are going, and will definitely do our share in trying to stimulate the local Napa economy with some serious spending. We decided on a July trip this year and will be leaving on July 3rd and returning on the 10th. We are again planning a day trip out of Napa and after last year’s experience it will not involve the Pacific... »View More
Added Saturday, February 14, 2009
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Earthquake…Petite Sirah is the February wine of the month. Petite Sirah is not a common varietal that one would purchase, however, I highly recommend trying a bottle. The 2005 Earthquake is a California wine from the Lodi Appellation, produced and bottled by Michael and David Phillips. At first the wine was a bit tight when tasting, but soon opened up beautifully. Deep rich color, with ripe fruit and spice on the nose, and a bold almost peppery finish. Reasonably priced around $20, this is an outstanding value for this wine. For the full line of Earthquake wines including, Zinfandel, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the other labels in the Michael David family of wines, check out lodivineyards.com.
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Added Sunday, February 1, 2009
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