KINTON: The Life and Times

Culinary and Wine Trends

2009-07-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

By Robert M. Parker, Jr.

" The revolution in wine quality has coincided with an extraordinary revolution in the restaurants of the world. Although France and Italy clearly dominated culinary circles 30 years ago, today the finest restaurants are often found in such unlikely places as Las Vegas, Tokyo and San Sebastián, Spain.

When I first began writing about wine 30 years ago, there may have been five or six great restaurants in Washington, DC, and virtually none in my hometown of Baltimore. Today, there are 30 or 40 top restaurants in DC, and even Baltimore now has at least a dozen top restaurants.

Meanwhile, New York City is arguably one of the greatest dining destinations in the world, equaled only, and somewhat surreally, by Las Vegas. (Who in the world could have predicted that?)

One of the biggest myths in wine today, constructed on half-truths, inaccurate observations and journalistic manipulation, is that the wine market has become so globalized that international companies are producing oceans of monochromatic wines from a limited number of grapes that all taste the same. This radical and profoundly false point of view holds that individuality and artisanal winemaking have been replaced by oceans of vapid wines made with little taste or character. This is appallingly untrue. "

Hmmm.
Discuss?

Leaves of Grape

2009-07-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

Perfect Summer Activity: Making Stuffed Grape Leaves

Grape Leaves, Rice, Ground Beef, Allspice, Cinnamon, Salt and Lemon Juice; Made while drinking a glass of Kinton Syrah and listening to The Splendid Table on NPR. What could be better?

1 1/4 lb Beef or Lamb
1 cup basmati rice
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon salt
100 grape leaves (blanch fresh ones or buy in a jar)
Juice from one lemon

Put a plate in the bottom of a sauce pan to keep the grape leaves from burning.
Combine Beef, Rice (rinsed, not cooked), Spices and salt and mix
Set a leaf vein side up and place 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto a leaf and roll
Place into a sauce pan (repeat until the beef mixture is gone)
Place several plates on top of the grape leaves to hold everything together
Fill with water and bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour
Add the lemon juice and let simmer for 10 minutes
Drain and eat.

EWE not EW

2009-07-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

At Alpine Lakes Dairy, it all started with a taste for good cheese, which Catha, the cheese maker, acquired while growing up in Vermont. Catha and her sister knew 100 cows by name back then. Sheep produce much less milk than cows or goats, but their milk is higher in fat and nutrients, making richer cheeses with a mild flavor of the milk.

photo credit: Ben

Dairy products made from sheep's milk are more easily digested than either cow or goat products, and are gaining a loyal following in the United States. It may sound strange to milk a sheep, but most people don't realize they've already eaten imported sheep cheeses like Pecorino Romano or Roquefort Blue.

If you enjoy raw milk dairy and the special richness of sheep milk cheese, you're in for a treat. Alpine Lakes makes four unpasteurized raw milk cheeses: Mountain Tomme, Creamy Bleu, Camembert, and Ottonese.

High End Wine Production down

2009-07-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

image courtesy of KENT PORTER/ PD

With the bad economy affecting every area of life ... High End wines producers are concerned that the current "chic to be cheap" mentality is here to stay for some time. That said, what's YOUR favorite inexpensive wine?

Read the Press-Democrat story here.

EWE not EW

2009-07-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Ben

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

Lambchopper, by Cypress Grove

Born to be mild, this sheep milk cheese is buttery in color and flavor with a long, complex finish. The texture is smooth and soft-firm, making Lamb Chopper™ an enchanting table or cooking cheese. The wheel is finished in natural wax. Made in Europe exclusively for Cypress Grove.

Situated where the giant redwoods kiss the Pacific Ocean in the rugged northernmost reaches of Humboldt County, California, Cypress Grove Creamery gets unique inspiration from the salt-etched voluminous fog that coolly rolls in nearly every day.

In Holland, Mary discovered a gouda maker who works with sheep milk and Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper was born. This sheep milk gouda is a smooth, almost buttery, organic cheese with a light and fruity aroma. One taste will not satisfy you as the surprising sweetness of this cheese lingers on your palate. Though it might be mild in intensity, this thoroughly addicting cheese has great depth of flavor.

Dining and Wining

2009-06-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

The New York Times is running a really interesting multimedia exhibit online. Go see it here.
They asked readers to send in photos of their wedding meals that they planned themselves.

Which begs the question, what wines were served to celebrate the happy couples and their extraordinary menus? If you have an upcoming wedding, consider Syrah.

Here's Why:

An incredibly food-friendly wine, Syrah strikes a balance between power and finesse. Syrah is rarely as tannic as Cabernet, but has an equally deep color and a similar degree of flavor complexity. This combination gives Syrah a food-friendliness akin to Pinot Noir's, thus Syrah can match beautifully with rich seafood dishes as well as robust meats.

EWE not EW

2009-06-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Ben

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

Fleur du Maquis is made in Corsica from the milk of the Lacaune ewes. Its name means "Flower of the Maquis," the maquis being the local term for the typical thickets of rough underbrush where highway robbers and guerrilla fighters used to hang out. This cheese is quite similar to Brin d'Amour, meaning "a breath of love." During production, the smallish wheels are encrusted with rosemary, fennel seeds, juniper berries, and the occasional bird's eye chile. It will pair well with Cotes-du-Rhone and Syrah.

First Washington Syrah - Red Willow Vineyard

2009-06-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

“In farming there is no substitute for the soil, water, and hard work. Inherently, the nature of farming brings a spiritual dimension to our efforts. There is a connection of past, present, and future generations.

For us wine brings the soil, the site, the season, and the efforts of many people together into a single vintage. Later that vintage becomes a cherished memory of that year.” –Mike Sauer

Wine News: David Lake & Mike Sauer wanted to plant syrah in their pet vineyard, Red Willow. It was 1985 - long before that colorful cast of California characters known as the Rhône Rangers had banded together, and all the arguments about heritage and origin had made Syrah a sexy varietal.

What does it all mean? Why celebrate? Whats the big deal? We are just simply honoring the 20th bottling of Washington State Syrah. We are just honoring Red Willow Vineyard. And of course, we are honoring two guys & one dream: Stupendous, Sexy, Sensual, Lip Smackin' Syrah.

Cheers Fellas. Keep Crafting Excellent Wines.

Kinton Sponsors Underground Dinner in Brooklyn

2009-06-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

"Brooklyn, especially Williamsburg, is the epitome of cool and then it leaches out into the world." - Chris, co-chef at Homunculus

So what exactly IS an underground dinner? It's not a new concept at least not on either coast. Outstanding In The Field and Ghetto Gourmet made the concept famous. Guerrilla Gourmet continues the tradition. Bringing together people, chefs, fresh ingrediants for avante garde dining situations in warehouses, art galleries, private homes and outdoor spaces.

But the idea that just about anyone with a passion for food and a tolerance for hard work can spread the word and bring together communities ... is relatively new in our media-driven-freak-everyone-out-society. You're taking a chance by attending an underground dinner.

A chance you'll meet new friends. Try new foods. Go somewhere new. Let down your guard. Be adventurous. Team Sip.Snap.Savor was lusciously rewarded. Kinton Wines laced our table (the dinner was BYOB/BYOW) along with candles and lively conversation.

"Anything you can get in a store, you chould be able to make. I'm making my own sweater from washing, carding and knitting. The whole shebang. I've made my own sake, too" - Cale, Homunculus

Complete Menu:

Bread - Currant and toasted fennel seed white bread

Soup - Cold Celery soup

Beast plate - Cajuned pork, pistachio, thyme soaked veal pate on crostini
Sherry and Cassis chicken liver mousse on a house cracker
Maple candied bacon with almond butter
Foie gras bon bon on shortbread

Appetizer - Red curry and peanut souffle

Palate cleanser - Strawberry and thyme sorbet

Entree - Beef in Barolo, parsnip puree

Salad - Endive salad with fennel shavings, walnuts, chevre, loft dressing

Dessert - Three Layer Tart - Candied bananas, chocolate and cognac custard, black berries. Side of cardamom ice cream

Care to attend a dinner yourself? Email the fellas in Brooklyn and ask to reserve a spot. $40/BYOW homunculuseatez@gmail.com

Mason Jar Butter
Take a clean, Quart Sized Mason Jar with a lid and pour into it Room Temperature Whole Milk or (even better) Cream. Screw on lid. Begin shaking at the jar. At 4-6 minutes you'll notice the milk is thickening. At about 9 minutes of shaking, the cream will start to separate from the sides of the glass. When you get to the half point at 14-16 minutes you'll notice serious solids. At 27-30 minutes it's time to stop shaking and start draining off the excess liquid from your butter. Use cheesecloth to solidly drain your butter and then salt it if you wish. Serve with warm bread.

Currant & Toasted Fennel Seed Bread
3 Cups Artisan Bread Flour
2 Cups Water, 1/2 Cup extra water (reserve)
1 pat of butter
handful of anise seeds
2 handfuls of currants
4 tsp salt
1/2 oz. dry activated yeast
5 tblsp evoo

Activate the yeast in 1/2 cup of water (water should be lukewarm/room temperature). Let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile toast anise seeds in a pat of butter, in a pan on stove, over medium heat. Continue toasting until browned.

Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. Imprint a dimple into the center of the dry goods. Add water, oil and yeast mixture s l o w l y and incorporate all ingredients together.

On a floured surface, knead the dough until elastic and no longer sticky. Grease a bowl with a touch of evoo and put the dough in the bowl and cover with a floured dish towel.

Let rise for 2 hours.

Gently remove dough from the bowl and fold it to remove all air bubbles. Return to bowl and cover with floured kitchen towel. Let rise once again.

After 30 minutes, remove from bowl, place on greased cookie sheet (in desired shape), in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.

Serve piping hot with cool, homemade butter.

Syrah Trilogy Finale!

2009-06-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the video you've been waiting for. The Kinton Finale!

This is a wrap up of everything covered in the first two videos, put into use at Eos Wine Bar in San Francisco.

Again, thanks to the guys at French Press Films for putting this together.

Urban Opportunistic Cooking

2009-06-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

Photo by: Noah Berger for The New York Times

The NY Times recently posted up this story, all about the collection of fruit from trees that would otherwise drop all over public grounds and go to waste. You can find out what trees in your neighborhood are currently spilling over with fresh, local, in-season fruit HERE.

What do you think? In these harsh economic times, is pilfering otherwsie wasted fruit a crime?

By Candlelight

2009-06-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Dinner, even if it's from a box or a bag, seems more romantic if you eat by candlelight. A meal shouldn't be a "fast refueling" but a slow re-energizing.

Meal time is an experience to share with others and yourself. There is great pleasure to be found in the tastes and textures on your plate. Share words and feelings. Discuss what's in your glass; what's in your world; what's in your mind.

Eat by candlelight tonite and feel the rhythm of your meal change!

slow down

2009-06-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Instead of cursing the slow tractor driving in front of you on an ancient vineyard road. Praise the road. Praise the tractor. Notice the wildflowers that grow between the vines. Smell the fresh cut mustard grasses. See the sun winking between trees. Ponder where the tractor is headed and what it's accomplished already.

Instead of flying through 4 or 5 wineries in a single day. Why not just head to two and really taste through the wines. Picnic. Walk the vineyards. Examine the grapes growing. Decipher what direction the vineyard is facing and make guesses about the sun, the wind, the rain's impact.

Take pictures of the minutiae.

Smile alot. Why not. You ARE in wine country after all.

The Racheal Ray Debate

2009-06-03T00:03:00.001-07:00

Cathy at The Noble Pig brings up a valid point ... she penned an entry about people either loving or hating Racheal Ray. I think the point is moot.

Photo Courtesy of jjdtx61

As long as people are cooking. Playing in their kitchens. Hitting the grocery store instead of Carls Jr or Wendy's. Preparing vegetables, meats and sauces at home. Preferably in front of their children and showing them how much fun it is to cook. Then who cares where they get recipes and ideas?

Right?

2009-05-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

Jasmine Rae deLung
Jasmine Rae Bakery

Blowing minds since 2005. Jasmine Rae, just 27 years old, started very young without any formal training; nevertheless she’s transformed the San Francisco baking scene. She takes wasabi and transcribes it into savory butter cream frosting. Walking into her kitchen you are lambasted with creamy wafts of marzipan, spicy ginger, sweet sugar and you feel like you’ve been transported into a retro Willy Wonka scene.

There are cookies and muffins everywhere and large bowls of frosting jam-pack the counters. Loaves of bread are quietly steaming up their plastic bags in the corner. Jasmine Rae relies on a small team of confidantes and fellow (small, local) entrepreneurs to provide support and inspiration. Operating out of a third floor warehouse space converted into kitchen she has plans to open her own retail space before 2009 finishes.

1. Would you rather star in your own TV show or have your own cookbook series? Cookbook series – it’d be more like a novel that demonstrates my life experiences in relation to food.

2. Who are your heroes? My artist friend Catherine Mackey for her strong sense of self. My partner Rob for his fearless encouragement. My best friend Elsa for her comfort and vulnerability.

3. What are your food policy rules? Not too sweet, use fresh fruits and everything should be homemade.

4. What inspired your sweet path in life? Proving to myself that I can be bold and ballsy. I don’t have formal training and I want to expose people to food experiences that maybe aren’t familiar. Y’know – challenging the concept that basil is a savory herb. Oh! The smiles from my cupcakes.

5. How do you gauge success? By a lack of anxiety! (Laughs). By feeling happy and pleased with what I’m putting out into the world.

6. If someone gave you 1 million dollars for a Small Business loan, how would you use it? I’d open a few bakeries to ultimately fund an alternative school education school. A K-12 school – it’s been a lifelong dream of mine. I’d give the school my bakery so it could be self-sufficient.

7. What’s your favorite dessert? Well my dream dessert would be a manifestation of creamy, crunchy, Meyer lemon, burnt caramel and some kind of herb. Creative combinations.

8. Besides bold syrah, what’s your favorite style of wine? Dessert wines! You need things that sing well together. I used to hate scallops until I had them done really well. Just because you don’t like, say Merlot, doesn’t mean you will hate ALL merlots.

9. What is happy? What’s your happy place? Music is a very happy thing. It could be just driving down the freeway listening to Sly and The Family Stone.

10. What are 3 things you’ve learned on the job?
a. Education comes in all forms b. My time is more valuable than I think it is c. It’s important to work toward happy results above everything else

11. Last meal on earth? My Aunt Julie’s Christmas Dinner! Roast beast, white wine gravy, Yorkshire pudding, creamed onions…vee-rrry New England. Also the meal is very Syrah friendly. Aunt Juli sounds like an amazing cook! .
12. Favorite Travel Destination? Italy! It’s so vibrant.

13. Of all of San Francisco’s quirky holidays and celebrations what’s your favorite? I don’t really go out and do that stuff. But I believe San Franciscans are primed to receive art. Everyone in LA is an actor and everyone in San Francisco is an artist. When it’s hot outside, and you’re in the Mission, and everyone’s out and about around. Nothing is shocking. That is what is great!

14. Obsessed with any flavors these days? Meyer Lemons, definitely obsessed with Meyer Lemons.

Jasmine Rae can be contacted through her website: JasmineRaeBakery.com

EWE not EW

2009-05-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Ben

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

Nancy's Hudson Valley Camembert is a creamy, soft-ripened cheese made from the milk of the Old Chatham Shepherding Company's herd of 100 East Fresian sheep combined with hormone-free cow's milk from a neighbor's farm. A gold medal recipient at the 2007 World Cheese Awards, Nancy's Camembert is meltingly smooth and buttery with the texture of a triple-crème and pairs beautifully with Champagne as well as Syrah.

Chez Daniel

2009-05-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

Grilling gives food a more assertive flavor, so the wine you drink needs to be equally assertive, with lots of fruit. This isn't the time for a delicate older wine that would be overwhelmed. Wines with lots of fruit also hold their own against any sweetish sauces, like many barbecue sauces.

SYRAH: Syrah has become my go-to wine for grilled meat and poultry. The wine's ripe fruit, accented by spicy, sometimes peppery notes, makes syrah the perfect companion. Plus, you can find good examples at a range of prices.

-Laurie Daniel
Laurie Daniel has been a journalist for nearly 30 years and has written about wine since 1993.

photographs by Philip Wartena

Be Bold

2009-05-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

Jasmine Rae deLong is an artisanal baker in Potrero Hill in San Francisco. She combines savory herbs and spicy components into her cupcakes, breads and cakes. She likes surprising people with her illicit combinations like wasabi frosting or raspberry basil filling.

I really enjoyed meeting her in a warehouse space on Bryant Street. She showed me these aprons she makes by hand with leftover fabric from an old upholstry company.

When I asked her how she gauges success she replied "By being as bold as I can be everyday."

Stay tuned for her Culinary Profiles interview, next month. In the meantime her website is: www.jasmineraebakery.com

EWE not EW

2009-05-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Ben

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

Abbaye De Belloc
Provenance: Pyrenees, France
Type: Pasteurized Sheeps Milk

Abbaye de Bel'loc is still made in the traditional manner by Benedictine Monks at the abbey of Notre-Dame de Belloc. A French Pyrenees sheep's milk cheese, Abbaye has a fine, dense texture and is high in fat. The milk comes from the red-nosed Manech ewes (an old local breed) whose milk is brought into the monastery from neighboring farms. Abbaye de Belloc has a true Basque character, and it is believed that many centuries ago the monks from the Belloc Monastery first taught the Basque shepherds how to make cheese. Proper care in the right maturing conditions will accentuate the rich, caramelized flavors that make this cheese so addictive. Pair Abbaye de Bel'loc with Zinfandel

The P0TUS

2009-05-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

A faux "President Obama" responded to us on Twitter that he likes Beaujolais best.
wow.
Some people have the time to not only be themselves but other people as well. If I had a fake Twitter account I think I'd be Regis Philbin. Because that's funny...

Camp Drinkalottawinee

2009-05-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

Syrah: TWO CAMPS ARE EMPHATICALLY EMERGING
What are people's preferred Syrah/Rhone style?

First Washington Syrah - Red Willow Vineyard, originally uploaded by VisitYakimaValley.

We've come to the conclusion that there really are only two Syrah camps.

1. Features Producers like: Alban, L'Aventure, SAXUM, Mollydooker, Torbreck, Red Car and Rhone Valley producers as Cuilleron and Domaine Marcoux. Think of this camp as the thick, dense, VERRRRY fruit forward, ripe and lavishly oaked kids.
THINK: The big kids, sometimes the bullies, the kids who were strong and really good at sports, football quarterbacks and head cheerleaders who usually had the BEST fake i.d.'s.

2. This second camp is smoothly acidic, more edgy, aimed at spice, earthy, leaner, hints of smoke and wood. This camp includes such producers as Peay, Radio-Coteau, Wind Gap, Shane, Sanguis, Lagier-Meredith, Failla, Samsara. This group also includes the Rhone Valley traditionalists such as Chave (JL), Beaucastel, Graillot and Guigal.
THINK: The debate team, the artists, the all star long distance track stars, the kids who could figure out intense math problems but still rock out the school dance.

So we ask YOU. Our readers.

What style do you prefer and why? What is your favorite Syrah?

You're the rhone that i want, ooh ooh ooh

2009-05-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

Paso Robles, California
Hospice Du Rhone

Hospice is the wine festival celebrating Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Viognier and the other 17 varietals from the Rhone. Whole cluster fermentation, de-stemming completely, barrel programs, vineyard designates and vineyard block designates, cheese pairings, swirling, aromatics, terroir expression.

The key take aways are endless, and surely Winemaker Pete will have more technical information for you.

My take away? What did I learn?

I learned that I need to travel with secret weapon Ginger more often. She's 4 years old and is already planning to be a "scary minnie mouse" for halloween. She is sassy and gorgeously cute. She's also the daughter of one of the wine wizards behind the curtain. She's pretty much a mini-wizard. Pure magic.

She loves to dance. We danced to fast songs, slow songs, 50s songs and hip hop. And she owns a dancefloor like a supreme Vegas Showgirl meets Burlesque Pussy Cat. Her signature dance move is the floor slap and she means it. When she slaps the floor you best move out of her way. She is about to unleash a hurricane of twirls that generate enough wind to make your bouffant blow.

She helped me sniper all the pop rocks, pixie sticks, candy lipgloss and candy matchsticks from all the tables. And she did it with sashay style.

Wine events come and go. Vintages wow and disapoint.

But I am pretty sure this Hospice Du Rhone was my most favorite and will stand out for years to come.

2009-05-01T09:21:00.001-07:00

Lauren Danziger
Lauren’s Gluten Free Kitchen

A tough as nails New Yorker producing sweet, sweet treats that are good for your mind, body and soul? Only Lauren Danziger could make such juxtaposition possible. A seamless chef and artful food culturist - Danziger has immersed herself in food for the past ten years.

After serving as a corporate drone for many years, Danziger was laid off and decided to turn the frown upside down. Starting her own enterprise was the best decision of her life and makes her life full and fulfilling.
Her current project, Lauren’s Kitchen is a gluten free-baked goods operation inspired by her own diagnosis of Celiac Disease. She still wanted to appreciate and eat good food and decided to do it the right way with incredible ingredients and a labor-intensive recipe practice.

" Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley -- and any derivative of
them. An estimated 1 in 133 Americans suffer from celiac disease, an
Autoimmune disease triggered by eating gluten. A growing number of people
are discovering wheat allergies and are eliminating gluten as a treatment
for autoimmune diseases and to improve general health. Lauren's Kitchen
baked goods are 100% gluten free. "

1. What are your favorite flavors? Anise & Licorice (I love licorice, but it’s not gluten free), Garlic (I use it like its going out of style) and Ginger (Obsessed!).

2. How do you stay focused and upbeat? The economy makes it difficult right now, but food is like air for me. I love food so it’s easy to stay focused. I enjoy what I’m dong and that makes it easy to get up in the morning. Loving what you do is so important.

3. Where will you visit for your next inspiration? Charleston, South Carolina for Southern Cuisine. My parents live there now and I’m really excited to start delving into that style of food. Also, I’ve re-connected with some of my Brooklyn family. I am really getting into 1940’s Italian Jewish Brooklyn Food Culture.

4. Past, Present or Future who would you invite over for dinner? Ayan Hirsi Ali, Ayn Rand, Julia Child, Michael J. Fox (Sooo Inspirational) and lets seeee... a man, a music man probably.

5. How many versions of a recipe do you make before you consider it yours? It’s only mine if I’ve spun it around and changed it and made it least 10 times. You’ve got to add your own ingredient changes and really practice it.

6. What is your favorite food & wine pairing? A nice, dry Tuscan (Italian) white wine and pears with pecorino. I love the crunch of pears with the pecorino cheese. Only in summer time. It reminds me of being a girl living in Italy. When I was just a hopeful kid living in Italy.

7. What’s the most frustrating thing about baking? *Laughs* Baking is scientific and specific as an art form. Cooking is liberal. I almost failed my baking section in culinary school. Baking is so detailed and creative. Its’ both. But you have to WATCH IT.

8. Why Gluten Free? I have Celiac Disease. I can’t eat anything with gluten in it. I love food and I missed eating pizza, pasta and sweets. I had to find a way to enjoy food again.

9. How does Syrah marry well with your style of cooking? Did you taste my meat sauce?!?! We’re both hearty, bold and vibrant. My food is deep and soulful. Just like Syrah it’s a gooey, fulfilling experience.

10. What is your favorite scent? Most of my memories are based on scent. My favorites are fresh, clean laundry and Spring Days when the scent of bud break and fresh, cut grass permeate the air.

11. Where do you see gluten free cooking and baking going? Up and Out. It’s one of the largest growing populations in the world. There’s very little you can’t do gluten free. It’s healthier, too.

12. You’re stranded on a desert island with magic growing trees that can grow anything. What are your magic trees growing? Hmmm. Magic Trees, eh? They’d be growing these cookies that my great-great-grandmother used to make in the old country. My mother used to make them. I can never have them again and on my desert island I’d eat the cookies and I’d gluten again. Those cookies were so amazing.

Rose Bud, indeed.

Lauren Danziger can be contacted through her website
and she encourages you to test out gluten free baking at home.

Syrah Sweeties

(Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Syrah Sandwich Cookies with Mascarpone Frosting)

Set oven at 350F

7 Tbsp, dark chocolate cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Cup, gluten free flour (I use Pamela's)
5 tblsps butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar, white granulated
1/3 cup, light brown sugar
1/2 cup, low fat, plain yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup, Kinton Syrah
1 1/2, tsp gluten free vanilla

Combine the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda in a bowl and sift
together evenly. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Once melted, remove from heat and add the cocoa powder and sugars to the
butter creating a sand-like mixture. Alternating the yogurt and the wine,
mix into the cocoa/butter mixture; half the yogurt followed by half the
wine. Repeat. Stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet
and stir until combined - do not over stir or dough will become tough. On a cookie pan sprayed with gluten free cooking spray, bake the cookies off for 8 mins.
Makes 30 cookies.

Place cookies on a cooling rack and make sure they are thoroughly cooled
before filling them with frosting.

For the frosting
Mascarpone cheese, 1 8oz container
1 Cup, confectioners sugar (you can add more if you want it sweeter and
thicker)
2 tsp gluten free vanilla
1/4 tsp, cinnamon

Using an electric mixer, combine the mascarpone with the sugar, vanilla and
cinnamon, whipping until just combined - DO NOT over whip! Frosting can be
made ahead and kept for several days.

Take one cookie and using a small offset spatula, smear the cookie with the
frosting. Top the filling with another cookie to make a sandwich. Continue until you have iced two cookies together, using all cookies. Refrigerate the sandwiches to set for an hour. Serve chilled.

###

EWE not EW

2009-04-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Ben

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

The idea to make sheep milk yogurt was borne out of necessity for Willow Hill Farm. They started at home, making it for their dogs who were fed a homemade diet. Soon they began to bring some to local farmer's markets and it was a hit! Thick, tangy, creamy and rich.
Shortly thereafter we had chefs knocking on the door to find out more about this decadent treat. In fact, sheep milk has some very interesting characteristics that make it a natural for yogurt production:

Sheep Milk has more of the vitamins A, B, C, and E than cow's milk.
Sheep milk has twice the calcium and higher levels of the minerals phosphorus, potassium and magnesium than cow's milk.
Sheep's milk has less sodium than cow's milk.
Sheep's milk has more protein than cow's milk.
Due to its inherently smaller fat globules, it is easier to digest than cow's milk for some people.
Sheep milk's make up of short chain fatty acids has also been found to have little effect on human cholesterol levels.
Gluten Free
No trans fats
see www.eatwild.com for additional benefits of grass-fed dairy products

The live cultures in our sheep yogurt allow many lactose-intolerant people to digest the lactose in yogurt. One culture in particular, lactobacillus acidophilus, has been credited with improving intestinal health. However, sheep don't give as much milk as cows and perhaps this is mother nature's way of leveling the field! All this extra nutrition in a much smaller package. Good for ewe too!

Go completely Med and serve slow-roasted lamb with mint & garlic tzakiki using sheep's milk yogurt. YUM!

What the S?

2009-04-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

S cents
S yrah

S exy

S ilky
S erving a purpose

Deconstructing what you put in your mouth is pretty important. It helps you define the flavor and aroma and texture elements that are most appealing for your very own palate.

Our Syrah gives us aromatics and tastes of cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, fresh blackberries, cloves, dried star anise, black licorice, cocoa, vanilla beans, roasted almonds, coffee and pepper (black & white)

Deconstruct something and share with us what you found...

Syrah 102 Video

2009-04-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here's part two in the three part series where Peter and the gang discuss delicious Kinton syrah in all its glory.

Big ups to the fellas over at French Press Films (frenchpressfilms@gmail.com) for putting this together!

Violet! violet

2009-04-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

Purple is a general term for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue.

The word 'purple' comes from the Old English word purpul which originates from the Latin purpura. This in turn is derived from the Koine Greek πορφύρα (porphyra), name of the dye manufactured in Classical antiquity from the mucus-secretion of the hypobranchial gland of a marine snail known as the Murex brandaris or the spiny dye-murex.[5]

The first recorded use of the word 'purple' in English was in the year AD 975.[6]

What shades of Purple are your favorite?

Cerulean?
Indigo?
Red-Violet?
Magenta?
Heliotrope?

Ewe not EW

2009-04-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Ben

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

Roquefort: is a French style of cheesemaking made exclusively from sheep's milk. The cheese is white, crumbly and slightly moist, with distinctive veins of green mold. It has characteristic odor and flavor with a notable taste of butyric acid; the green veins provide a sharp tang.

The overall flavor sensation begins slightly mild, then waxes sweet, then smoky, and fades to a salty finish. It has no rind; the exterior is edible and slightly salty. A typical wheel of Roquefort weighs between 2.5 and 3 kilograms, and is about 10 cm thick. As each kilogram of finished cheese requires about 4.5 litres of milk, Roquefort is high in protein and minerals, notably calcium and sodium (salt).

Yangarra 2009 Shiraz progress tasting

2009-04-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

(Me on left, Michael Lane - Vineyard Manager, Shelley Thompson - Winemaker)

On Wednesday myself and Shelley put together all our Shiraz from the 2009 harvest.

From 10 Blocks of Shiraz we produced 69 individual batches of Shiraz, with included micro cru's of blocks, different treatments such as extended cold soaks, 30% whole bunch ferments, early picks and late picks, pressings and extended drainings and co-fermentation of Roussanne. It took us 2 days of on and off tastings to start piecing together our blending and tagging what could be some very special "Small Pot" releases

Our Block 15 seems to always top the tasting, and it did again this year. Block 15 is in Ironstone gravels and will defintely go into our yet to be released flagship Shiraz called "Ironheart". There is is some wholebunch ferment in it this year, i am really excited about the whole bunch ferments this year. (even less intervention... don't even have to crush those ones! well 30% at least...)

We trialled picking a couple of blocks quite early, to make a very elegant style yet still full bodied, that can have great longevity. The results were stunning, and block 12 was earmarked for this "small pot" release.

We also trialled some co-fermentation with Roussanne, wow so aromatic, so far really quince like aromas added to the berry concentration of the Shiraz, block 10 was the stand out. What's interesting, is these wines are more tannic, in a nice way though.

We also trialled 30% whole bunch fermentation on all our favourite blocks, and wow, we were blown away how exciting these wines are, the tannins are bigger but with an amazing fury texture. This could be a very exciting single release, probably from blocks 10, 12, 17 and 19.

Now we are shuffling the oak regimes, fine tuning how much new french oak each has, how much lees stirring a batch might get. Now the fun of watching them evolve, and in a couple of years you can join us to taste them and watch them evolve too...

Rangers, thats the Rhone Rangers, pal

2009-04-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

Syrah belongs to the Rhone, along with Mourvedre, Petite Sirah and Grenache (to name a few). It's probably a good idea to familiarize yourself with the organization known as The Rhone Rangers.

The Rhone Rangers dedicate themselves to the grapes whose ancestral home is in France's Rhone Valley. The French government recognizes 22 varieties in the various appellations that comprise this large and diverse wine-growing region. Rhone Appellations (including Cote Rotie, Hermitage, Condrieu, Chateuneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Bandol, Cotes du Rhone and several others) each choose a different subset from the collection of grapes known (from their place of origin) as Rhone varietals. For a wine to be considered a “Rhone Ranger” wine, and poured at an official Rhone Rangers tasting, the 22 recognized accepted varieties must comprise at least 75% of the blend.

Want to host your own Rhone Party? The Rangers will send you a FREE STARTER kit. Just click here.

EWE not EW

2009-04-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Ben

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

Try Bellwether Farms, for some local California Sheep's Milk Cheeses. The milk for these cheeses comes courtesy of their own flock of sheep. Bellwether Farms is California’s original sheep dairy, and was its only sheep dairy until 2004.

San Andreas
This raw milk farmstead cheese is a Bellwether original. It is smooth and full-flavored and is a delicious table cheese. San Andreas is terrific with an aged red wine. Enjoy it as a table cheese with bread and olives.

San Andreas
This raw milk farmstead cheese is a Bellwether original. Smooth and full-flavored, it’s a delicious table cheese. Try it with an aged red wine, bread and olives.

Pepato
This raw semi-soft sheep cheese is aged two to three months with whole peppercorns throughout. It’s a great addition for a cheeseboard, or shaved on salad or pasta. It’s also quite scrumptious in ravioli or gnocchi. A good Pinot Noir brings out the best in Pepato.

going old-school

2009-04-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

This post is inspired by my grandmother who wrote the book on "how to be fancy without being spendy" ... and in this economy, chicken livers are priced just right!

Buddy's Chicken Livers, originally uploaded by rustyrabbit.

Chicken Liver Pate

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of butter
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 Granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
1 pound of chicken livers, fat removed
4 tablespoons of apple brandy
1 stick of butter, softened

Heat the vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy saucepan. Add onions, apples and seasonings and sauté until lightly brown. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes until apples are soft. Remove mixture from pan and set aside. In same pan, sauté the chicken livers, adding a little more butter if necessary. But do not overcook them. Heat the brandy, set aflame and pour over the chicken livers. when flame dies out, add the onion and apple mixture. Mix well and let cool. Then put mixture into food processor, add the stick of soft butter, a little at a time, and puree until smooth. Put it into a dish or an oiled 2 cup mold. Chill for several hours or overnight. It would keep for 4 days in the refrigerator and it could be frozen. It is much better made a day ahead.

Anthony Bourdain, Maple Bacon Camp & Twitter

2009-04-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

San Francisco played host to Anthony Bourdain the other week. He put in face time the same weekend as Bacon Camp. And some bacon campers, met up with him and even made him a special Maple Bacon Latte.

Tom his producer is a boozer. And a fun time. Bourdain was traveling with wife and kid. He even put in some face time in Oakland.

How do we know all this? How'd we get the scoop?

Twitter.

green bottle glassware

2009-04-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Stumbled upon this site and fell in love.

About the Artist & Re-Purposer

I am a self-taught artist born and raised in upstate New York. There, I was surrounded by the rolling hills and vineyards of wine country in the Finger Lakes region. Growing up, my interest in art became entwined with philosophy and psychology. I recognized the power of art to forge a new mentality within us all.

Green Wine Bottles is inspired by my advanced degree in psychology, interest in art made from found objects and the point at which they intersect. Both the recycling artist and the therapist have as their central intention the goal of renewal and expanding perspective. So it is with the word “green” that I celebrate not only ecological conservation but psychological inspiration towards balance and health. Green Wine Bottles began in Seattle, Washington where they debuted at the historic Pike Place Market. The following year, my fiancée, Sophi, and I moved to the Midwest to get married and start a family. Today, I am at home near Madison, Wisconsin practicing psychotherapy and celebrating the process of renewal through my art.

2009-04-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Jerry Lee
Restaurant Wine Buyer & Manager Extraordinaire

Born in Taiwan, Lee came to the U.S. when he was just 7 years old. His grandparents had Chinese restaurants all over the country. Eventually his dad worked in the kitchen and his mom worked in the front of the house at one of these restaurants. The Lee Family worked very hard because their dream was to open their own restaurant. In 1985 his parents dream came true.

After moving to San Luis Obispo to open their own place -- Jerry became very excited about the wines of Arroyo Grande Valley since it was in his own backyard. Throughout his adulthood, Lee would take weekend trips to wineries and taste what Santa Ynez had to offer. After graduating high school Lee moved to Santa Barbara and landed a great job at Michel Richard’s CITRONELLE.
After 9 years at CITRONELLE, in 2006 the famous dining spot closed its doors. Lee accepted a Restaurant Manager position with San Ysidro Ranch. You might say restaurants are in his blood.

“When I came on board there was not one single lick of juice and they wanted me to build this world class wine list. I was like a kid in a candy store. NO budget and taste every day. As of today I have build this list at the ranch of 1100 selections with wines focusing on local and Europe. I LOVE Syrah, especially local Santa Barbara Syrahs. I have won The Best of Award of Excellence for 2007 and 2008 my goal is to get the Grand Award before I leave.”

1. What has proven to be your biggest obstacle? Traveling the world, finding the wines & seeing where they come from. I am a very visual person, reading books isn’t enough. I have to SEE it for myself.

2. How has wine changed your life? Because of wine I never finished college…{laughs}. It’s changed my life tremendously, I wasn’t big into school, but I grew up in a restaurant world. I’m infatuated with wine, I can relate to it. Constantly evolving, nuanced, changing, different to different people.

3. Do you believe in fate or serendipity? I have to make things happen. Ultimately. I do to a point, believe in fate, but I go back and forth all the time. That’s a grey area in life. I think things come to be, its not a miracle, you have to work for everything. Ya gotta WORK.

4. What’s your favorite place to relax with a bottle of Syrah, say Kinton Santa Barbara Syrah? At my house, with friends, with my barbecue on high and closest friends around. Can’t beat it, good wine and cooking.

5. Living or dead – what 5 people would you like to invite over for dinner? Bruce Lee, Marilyn Monroe, My great-great grandfather (heard so many stories), Thomas Jefferson and Kermit Lynch.

6. What motivates you to get up in the morning? Sunshine and a good cup of coffee

7. What makes you proud? To see the closest people I have around. To see how far I’ve come in life.

8. Where would you like to visit/travel next? Italy & Germany

9. You have the worlds crankiest person send back dish after dish – what do you do when they finally leave your restaurant? CALL them an ASSHOLE! Or, laugh at them.

10. How do you gauge happiness? Smiling, I’m a smiler. When happiness is around me, I’m constantly moving. I’m an agenda guy. The busier the happier.

11. Besides Syrah, what are the other popular bottlings on your list? Pinot Noir (hands down). But everyone should be learning their Spanish wines (Tempranillo, Grenacha) they offer great prices and are great gems.

12. Do manners matter? Yes, it does matter! Formal or informal – the way you present yourself is reactionary to and for the people around you.
13. Why do you work so hard? Because I don’t want to work later on, I work now so I can travel later. I want to see what the world has to offer, seeing everything….

14. Describe a typical Tuesday Night meal at your house… Grilled or seared pork chops with a red wine demiglace, baby bok choy, potatoes and a hearty red wine.

Jerry Lee encourages you to come visit him at his resort, which was just named by Forbes Traveler as the best hotel in America.

Ewe not EW

2009-03-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Ben

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

TODAYS RECOMMENDATION: Torta del Casar is a cheese made from sheep's milk in the Extremadura region of Spain. It is named after Casar de Cáceres, its city of origin. The milk is curdled using a coagulant found in the pistils of the cardoon, a wild thistle. This ingredient lends a subtle bitterness to the otherwise rich and slightly salty tasting cheese. It is aged for at least sixty days. The fully ripe cheese has a creamy consistency in the center, and is traditionally eaten by slicing off the top and scooping out the inside.

In 1999, the cheese was given protected-origin status, regulations that stipulate not only where it can be produced, but also that it can only be made with the milk of Merino and Entrefina sheep. These breeds have a low yield of milk, and it takes the milk of 20 sheep to make a 2.2-pound wheel of Torta del Casar.

Torta del Casar is produced commercially today by eight family-run dairies. Only about 10 percent of the production is exported from Spain.

Fury Friends

2009-03-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

Did You know that Koala's like Shiraz too????

Australian Shiraz Harvest time

2009-03-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

We are getting right into the Shiraz harvest at Yangarra, the really hot January/February brought forward the physiological ripeness while slowing down the sugar maturity. This is a winemkaing dream, because you end up with all the ripe flavours and tannins, dense black colour at lower sugars resulting in wine with less alcohol and more finesse.

We are trialling some whole cluster (25%) fermentation to add complexity to the fruit profile as well as the tannin structure. I've seen some amazing wines done like this both new and old world, PAX is a big advocate of this fermentation technique, so i'm excited about the potential results, and being such an ideal Shiraz harvest the timing is perfect!

Coco Chanel:Paris as Andy Beckstoffer:Napa

2009-03-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

"Andy Beckstoffer has changed the economics of high-end viticulture, but his true legacy will be as a steward of the land."

-- The Long View (Gourmet, February 2006)

Surely, at some point you've had a bottle of wine made with grapes from a Beckstoffer Vineyard. Whether it be a Carneros Pinot Noir or Chardonnay; Rutherford Cabernet; Oakville Cabernet or St. Helena Cab Franc.

Beckstoffer, more than anything else, is a farmer.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Andy attended Virginia Tech on a football scholarship and earned a degree in engineering. Service in the Army brought Beckstoffer to San Francisco, and 3,000 miles closer to winemaking in the nearby Napa Valley. While he returned to the East Coast to earn an M.B.A. from Dartmouth's Amos Tuck School of Business, California was not forgotten. Upon graduating in 1966, he was recruited by Heublein, Inc. as an analyst in production and finance.

At Heublein, the young analyst quickly made his mark by convincing them that the California wine business promised long-term growth. "All the studies we prepared clearly showed where the premium wine market was headed," recalled Beckstoffer. "Heublein was one of the first to discover the super-premium wine potential."

To get them in the wine game, Beckstoffer and his team helped Heublein negotiate the purchase of a majority interest in United Vintners--a wine producer that owned Inglenook, one of Napa Valley's oldest premium wineries. In December 1968, a few months after the sale, a Forbes magazine article reported table wine sales had tripled since 1950 and current wine sales were running 20 percent ahead of the previous year. "The potential for growth is thus breathtaking," observed the investment publication. Beckstoffer was just 28 years old.

Andy Beckstoffer and his family are firmly rooted in the soil of California wine country. After more than 30 years of cultivating Napa Valley grapes, they continue to play an integral role in the evolution of the industry-bringing their viticulture expertise and a passion for premium wine grapes to Mendocino and, more recently, Lake County.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Andy attended Virginia Tech on a football scholarship and earned a degree in engineering. Service in the Army brought Beckstoffer to San Francisco, and 3,000 miles closer to winemaking in the nearby Napa Valley. While he returned to the East Coast to earn an M.B.A. from Dartmouth's Amos Tuck School of Business, California was not forgotten. Upon graduating in 1966, he was recruited by Heublein, Inc. as an analyst in production and finance.

At Heublein, the young analyst quickly made his mark by convincing them that the California wine business promised long-term growth. "All the studies we prepared clearly showed where the premium wine market was headed," recalled Beckstoffer. "Heublein was one of the first to discover the super-premium wine potential."

To get them in the wine game, Beckstoffer and his team helped Heublein negotiate the purchase of a majority interest in United Vintners--a wine producer that owned Inglenook, one of Napa Valley's oldest premium wineries. In December 1968, a few months after the sale, a Forbes magazine article reported table wine sales had tripled since 1950 and current wine sales were running 20 percent ahead of the previous year. "The potential for growth is thus breathtaking," observed the investment publication. Beckstoffer was just 28 years old.

In 1994 Andy was a founding member of The Rutherford Dust Society and served as its initial President. He remains on the Society's Board of Directors and is the current President.

Beckstoffer was bringing basic business principles to agriculture. As a leader in modern viticulture practices, many of his ideas from irrigation to vine spacing were considered radical when introduced. Time has proven them beneficial from a farming and financial standpoint.

Andy Beckstoffer and Betty, his wife of 45 years, share more than their viticulture expertise with others. In 2000, they were jointly awarded "Citizens of the Year" by the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce for their dedication and active participation in the community.

In September of 2005 Andy was awarded the Grower of the Year award by COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts during its annual Jefferson Bacchus Gala & Auction.

In May of 2006, the Napa Grapegrowers Association awarded its first Grower of the Year Award to Andy.

In 2007 the Napa County Farm Bureau acknowledged Andy as Agriculturist of the Year, and that same year he also received the first ever U.S. Congressional Wine Caucus Commendation.

The Moral? Always keep exploring and always preach and practice what you believe!

Happy Saint Paddy's Day!

2009-03-17T12:22:00.001-07:00

Nothing matches the salty, briny, greasy deliciousness of a corned beef sandwich quite like a glass of Kinton Syrah!

Wine Tip of the Day

2009-03-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

Once you put a bottle of wine into the fridge and chilled it down (or ice chest or wine ice bucket) make sure you maintain its temperature. Once its cold it should never return to being warm.

Otherwise the wine's very texture, flavors and consistency will morph with the change in its temperature.

With all this sunshine we're enjoying on the West Coast, it made me think of outdoor grilling and picnics and I just thought I'd warn you all.

2009-03-01T05:46:00.000-08:00

Luis E. Reyneri,
Majestic Fine Wines

Born in Havana, Cuba – Luis’ family emigrated in 1968 to NY and then in 1976 to Florida. Luis is a Boston University graduate and completed a semester abroad in Belgium where he caught the wine bug in Europe. During a 9-month sabbatical in 2004 with his wife, Jen (a photographer), and their 9 month old son, they jaunted through the vineyards of Europe recording their inspiration along the way. Luis worked harvest in Germany and in Burgundy (France). The Reyneri’s have two sons: Makani Kai 5, years old, and Luke Ezra, 1 year old.

He loved his experience working with the House of Blues – Las Vegas. “So much fun,” he said. In 2001 he heard about the Court of Master Sommeliers and began his journey towards the Master Sommelier diploma for which he is a candidate in 2009. Luis is the East Coast Prestige Account Manager for Jackson Family Wines.

1. What are your inspirations? Having been born in Cuba, I am very appreciative of the hospitality industry’s opportunities that exist. I enjoy traveling with my family when I can. The food and wine culture and community really are exciting– I try to teach my sons how to appreciate life.

2. How did you get started in the wine industry? During my semester abroad in Brussels, I worked at the Sheraton as a busser. We had a culinary class and tasted a ’45 Cheval Blanc. It was that epiphany moment. Later I had a candlelit dinner at the cellar at Mumm in Champagne and I knew this was the industry for me.

3. What expressions or words do you exclaim most often? Come on! (Said with a blended New York/Florida accent). All the Best!

4. How do you gauge happiness? For me, it’s very familial. My two boys – every day that I can see them and be with them is a lucky day.

5. How do you prepare yourself for tastings? Well preparing for blind exams – I ask the good lord to give me the sense of sight and taste.

6. If you could only pick one extravagance to take with you on the proverbial desert island what would you pick? An abundance of shrimp and champagne. I love shrimp. I’m a scuba diver.

7. What is your greatest love? In addition to My Wife, spending time with my boys on the water. I live near the beach in North Palm Beach, FL.

8. What is the most important issue that just doesn’t get the attention it deserves? Common Sense – if I could bottle common sense, I’d be a rich man. People have just lost track of politeness and traditional values. Please and thank you, hold the door open, let people in, in traffic. Hospitality teaches you to be graceful and respectful.

9. How has the world of wine changed since you started? The Internet, {gives} more accessible education means to empower the consumer that puts a greater emphasis on winemakers to create better and better wines.

10. How do you think you’ll know when you’ve achieved enough? The road to perfection is always under construction. I was brought up to continue to strive. Success is a journey not a destination. “There is no joy in smooth sailing”

11. What tickles your fancy? To one day own a place in Cuba, go fishing and diving with my family and enjoy a fine Cuban cigar.

12. Which celebrity, past or present, do you most identify with? Bono – he’s doing great things.

13. Last meal on earth would be…? A typical Cuban meal cooked by my mother. Every day is a celebration. Why deal with bad people, bad food, and bad wine.

14. What is the next stepping-stone for you? To achieve the Master Sommelier diploma, I’d like to be the first Cuban Master Sommelier and one day is able to help the Cuban people in our industry...

Luis Reyneri can be contacted at Luis.reyneri@mtnvyds.com
###

Tom Wark's Fermentation Wine Bloggie Awards

2009-02-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

Look Tom, we love what you're doing over there on Fermentation. Honest.
We love the blogs you've nominated for awards. HONEST!

But we can't help but ask you to create a new blog category for us people, you, me, everyone. Coolest Winemaker Blog. Best Place to Waste Work Time. Best Single Varietal Blog. Best Nonsensical Wine Blog. Hottest Contributers to a Blog. Something!

Shhhh.....Single Vineyard wines bottled

2009-02-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

These are secrets... shhhh

We bottle a very small quantity of two single vineyard kinton wines... They are in unlabelled bottles destined for the dungeon for a year or so. We'll label them up next year, maybe we can put your name down for some

2007 "Neilson Vineyard" Syrah - This is SOOOOOOO peppery

2007 "Hampton Family Vineyard" Syrah - So rich and plummy

Don't tell anyone yet...

relax, two-buck chuck will remain two-bucks

2009-02-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Read about the California State Tax Package here.

Leave it to Jancis to give us the goods in a straightforward manner.

hidden items

2009-02-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

In alot of internet meme's, one question inevitably is "Whats Under Your Bed?"

And I want to address whats IN my bed today. Thats right IN IT.

- Current issue Bon Apetit magazine
- Gold, glittery sparkly ball from the San Francisco Exploratorium
- 2 Sparkly barrettes that I wore two days ago
- 2 books: "Arriving at Your Own Front Door" and "Anne of Green Gables" (hey I LOVE Marilla Cuthbert)
- Bottle of Fiji Water that never made it over to bedside table
and
-Hello Kitty Calculator

I think that will tell you more than if we peered under my bed (Two plastic storage drawers filled with tax receipts and returns & scarves).

Happy now Internet Meme's?

How can we (I) convince The Girl Who Ate Everything to only drink Kinton?

2009-02-17T22:43:00.000-08:00

The Image Formerly Known as Ren & Stimpy, Here.

Seriously. How can we?
They had a dumpling making and Ren & Stimpy marathon.

Syrah 101

2009-02-12T19:59:00.000-08:00

Here is the first in a series of videos highlighting the merits of syrah. Look for a special guest appearance by our very own Peter Frasier. Enjoy!

(I always feel like) Somebody's Watching Me

2009-02-12T10:03:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Chinese New Year, I went with some friends to (here it comes, wait for it) CHINATOWN. I brought a bottle of Syrah with me. Normally I wouldn't think of bringing wine, especially a red wine, with me to a Chinese restaurant. But these economic times call for it.

There was no corkage fee. Brilliant. And the plummy, jammy Syrah paired well with all the intricate spice combinations, black bean curd sauces, pork, fatty duck and fresh vegetables. If it was Summer I might have reached for a bone dry Gruner Veltliner.

But since this day was cold and overcast, we were all glad to have a little warmth.

Global Fusion, baby.
Santa Barbara Syrah & Chinese food is heaven.

Here are some more photos from the adventure. . .

New Proposed California Tax could cause loss of 7,000 Wine Jobs and the creation of Three Buck Chuck

2009-02-11T10:35:00.000-08:00

Read about it HERE or HERE

Syrah Mascot

2009-02-03T17:24:00.001-08:00

RacySyrah has a new mascot... pebbles

Pebbles in an Australian Kelpie, they are a working dog used for hearding cattle and sheep.

Pebbles willl be trained to herd vineyard workers during picking and pruning, she might even steel their lunch if they are not careful!

Virgin Blogger

2009-02-03T17:11:00.000-08:00

I am posting my first blog... oooh ahhhh

It's been a crazy week! We are having a heat wave at Yangarra in McLaren vale of enormous proportions, reaching day time temperatures of 115F/45C, and nights as warm as 93F/34C. The Shiraz with some irrigation seems to love it, it's defintely opposite to the Santa Barbara Syrah conditions!! It hasn't been so kind to our poor dry farmed old vine Grenache, because they are bush vines they are closer to the dirt which is sand, which reflects the heat and scorches the fruit, in a normal year this helps with tannin and flavour ripening, doesn't look like we will make a 2009 Grenache. I sopek to the Bernard Smart who planted the vines with his father in 1946, and he said he has never seen the Grenache effected so severly!

The shiraz is just finishing verasion, so propbably around 6 weeks from harvest here, which is about 2 weeks early.

February Profile: Margaux Pierog

2009-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Margaux Pierog
Regal Wines

If you were ever in search of a knowledgeable real sommelier type, someone who could really lay out the facts with finesse and an unstodgy vocabulary, then Margaux Pierog would end your search. Done and Done. She is young, she is intelligent. She is pretty, she is also pretty smart. And best of all, Pierog can name & define 10 obscure wine appellations faster than you can recite “Peter Piper Picked a Pickled Pepper” three times fast.

Pierog grew up in Dana Point, California – a relaxed beach community. Her family encouraged her to seek the keys of the world and unlock secrets. And that’s just what she’s done, as a wine educator, for the last two years for Regal Wines.

1. What single person, place or thing has most significantly altered the course of your life? Studying abroad in Paris, really took me out of my element. Living there allowed me figure out what was most important in life. There was so much out there to take in each day and new parts of the city to explore. I had to be bigger than my realm of comfort.

2. What is your greatest passion? Learning, without question. Not just about wine, but surrounding things that I don’t know much about. Also, my family and maintaining a close group of friends who keep me centered and laughing!

3. What makes you happy? Mad? Mad? People who don’t laugh! Laziness!! It’s horrendous! Happy? Knowing that what I’ve been a part of is better off than before I started being a part of it.

4. Has the economy affected your job in any ways? Not really. People always want to learn and there are so many ways to share education. But I have had to re-focus on the more popular classes though. Classic topics.

5. What have proven to be the hardest pieces of the wine puzzle to learn? Italy. Sometime I think that the Italians makes rules just to break them. I adore Italian wines since they are so food friendly. But trying to delve into Italy after France and California is difficult.

6. What is your favorite food & wine pairing? Anything with champagne. Do you really even need food? I also like Kendall-Jackson Late Harvest Chardonnay with Caramel Corn. Mmm I like Spanish Cava, too.

7. What’s your next destination or just your favorite destination? My dream is to visit Greece and Portugal. Oh! The wine and culture there. I need to make it happen before I’m 30.

8. Tell us about one of your secret cheap thrills? Sancerre, a baguette and goat cheese. That’s perfect for a simple lunch or dinner. A complete thrill.

9. Which country or varietal is your specialty? Wonderful. Priorat. It’s in Northeastern Spain. Priorat are blends, usually of Mourvedre, Carignane and of course SYRAH! They are brooding, complex and delicate all at the same time.

10. Top advice for an up and coming aspiring sommelier? Check your facts. It’s important. So much wine info is out there is wrong. So have due diligence, Become an expert, a real expert on world wine. Constantly reading and learning.

11. Would you rather be caught in granny panties in public or paying corkage on a bottle of 2-buck chuck at an upscale restaurant? Granny Panties as long as they aren’t orange or yellow. People might get the wrong idea from yellow granny panties.

12. What is the most overlooked varietal? Syrah! Wholeheartedly. It’s not just pure black pepper and spice. It has a myriad of nuance – chocolate, raspberry, leather and mint.

13. And the next thing on your learning radar? Greece… there is more there then Retinsa.

14. Leave us with a quote… I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. ~Abraham Lincoln

Margaux Pierog recommends you read A History of Food by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat
###

Eighty Nine Points (Wine Spectator)

2009-01-27T18:33:00.000-08:00

KINTON Syrah Santa Barbara County 2006 (89 points, $19)

Serves up a tasty mix of blackberry and wild berry flavors woven in with mineral and pebble notes, ending with a touch of tobacco and sage. Drink now through 2012. 5,400 cases made.

--James Laube

just asking. . .

2009-01-27T10:02:00.001-08:00

What are you most likely to order off a wine list?
How do you decide what to order?

I just read this dude's blog about ridiculously long wine lists. I agree, TMI (even when it's food related) can be overwhelming. Not all of us are going to plunk down a housing payment to try a once in a lifetime bottle of wine. Although if you know a single man who is willing to do this, send him my way!
I know how I order wine.
Varietal followed by Price followed by Appellation.

So if I'm doing some serious oyster damage I know I want a $25-$30 bottle of either something French from the Loire or I want a domestic Pinot Gris or even maybe a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

But how do you figure out what to order?

Super Bowl

2009-01-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

Thats right. It's THAT time of the year, to figure out how to wow everyone with fingerfood that packs a punch.
Superbowl food should be tasty and be made on a grill to capture that gritty, smoky, MANLY flavor.

How about Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp - which would do really well with beer from a keg or a juicy glass of Syrah.

24 count, cleaned, shrimp tails
1 can sliced jalapenos, drained
1 package thin cut bacon, sliced in half (to create 3-4 inch wide slices)
toothpicks or skewers

Fire up your grill and bring the temperature up to 350 degree's, roughly.

Meanwhile, tuck a jalapeno into a shrimp tail and wrap them together in bacon. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with all 24 shrimp.

Smoke on your barbecue until bacon is crispy on the outside and transfer to a plate. Bring inside and get ready for compliments and orders for more shrimp!

Felice Super Bowl!

Flowers

2009-01-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Flowers Winery of Sonoma has come under a new majority ownership. It will be interesting to see how it's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production either improves or declines in quality and quantity in the coming years. Historically, once a winery comes under new ownership it's the old Hublein effect. Poorer quality and more of it.

Right?

Miel

2009-01-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

Honey pairs so well with so many dishes. It's also all-natural and if you use the unfiltered version its chock full of pollens, and flower detritus that will help you combat the common cold.

Try Honey Draped Pork Chops with dried golden raisins and black mission figs. Try Lady Finger Sandwiches comprised of Brillat-Savarin and Honey Comb with lavendar sea salt. Compose a soup of carrots, curry and honey with creme fraiche and chives as a decoration. Stuff a chicken breast full of shallots, cumin and honey - when its fresh out of the oven add arugula and dress it in a summer vinaigrette.

Mmmm.

And don't forget to add a nice accoutrement of Kinton Santa Barbara Syrah ...

Is it really wiping the slate "clean"?

2009-01-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

If your past felonious record is wiped clean vis a vis a presidential pardon from one of the most hated presidents, George W. Bush, is said record really "clean"?

Is it like a tree falling in a forest and no one being around to hear it?

Click here to read about Fred Franzia's attempt at starting really fresh in 2009.

enjoy!

geniousity

2008-12-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

This blog spawned an idea that may lead to a movement. What is the most interesting idea, most innovative suggestion, most forward thinking reduce-reuse-recycle project you can think of, involving corks?

the mis-education of Garry K. McGuire, Jr

2008-12-22T10:41:00.000-08:00

Copia needs to go away ascertains George Rose in todays Press Democrat. Agreed.

While it is a wildly decadent idea, a foodie's wet dream. It just never caught on.

When I lived in Napa I never once was enticed to visit Copia. My own loss. But at the same time shows a glaring problem. If you can't even get someone who lives three miles away and is a glorified soulful food enchantress to enter your doors - someone who LIVES for food and wine - how the hell can you get Joe 6-Pack into your gates?

Sadly, perhaps like everything else that is "Americana" the copia concept needs to be dumbed down to a Wonderbread and Concord Grape Jelly level. Because the multigrain farmstead loaves with organic stevia-seeped ollalieberry compote doesn't seem to be catching on . . .

Under 30

2008-12-16T09:06:00.000-08:00

This article, from the Boston Globe, very credibly discusses the preconceived notions diners may have when encountering a wine sommelier who is young, say under 30 years old.

I am more likely to listen to someone who speaks my language despite age. Someone who can cleanly and succinctly describe a wine to me with words I understand. I respect someone who has taken the time to learn the wine inside and out and isn't relying on information passed down to them from mouth to mouth form vineyard to marketing firm to sales person.

A sommelier shouldn't be stuck in the 80's and recommending Chardonnays and Cabernet's left and right with wild nods to the old school big wineries from old world and new.

Give me someone who has taken the time to hunt down a true gem that stands out in price point, taste and food pairing compatibility.

Urban Wine Association

2008-12-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

San Francisco recently launched their own Wine Association and I especially loved their rootsy, folksy, back to basics mantra

"You don't need the big chateaus and the estates and the fountains and the tasting room. You need great grapes, great winemakers, and you're going to make great wines."

Often, when anything gets too popular and too successful - what gets lost is the fundamentals that got you the attention and acclaim in the first place. So this dreary Monday, lets all salute small winemakers with a mission. A mission to produce quality wines n a small scale that are terroir driven and hand crafted.

SF Chronicle Top 100 Wines

2008-12-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

Jon Bonné and his team of taster's top picks are out. These are some of my favorites that made the list. What are yours?

NV Domaine Carneros Cuvee de la Pompadour Carneros Brut Rosé ($36) Though the Domaine Carneros wines can sometimes feel a tad subdued, veteran winemaker Eileen Crane seems to have brought a bit more edge to the winery's fine rosé, which gives it lovely vibrancy. Clean notes of strawberry and peach are highlighted by a chalky mineral tone. Lifted acidity and the weight of 58 percent Pinot Noir fruit yields a wine with significant depth and versatility.

2006 Alma Rosa El Jabali Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay ($30) Richard Sanford shows his longtime talents with this lavish, ripe single-vineyard Chardonnay. Limpid, orange-driven aromas presage honeyed fig and citrus, with a bit of dry wood presence and a pleasing touch of sweetness on the palate, matched by firm, minerally bite. Balanced, well-defined Chardonnay from a parcel Sanford has farmed since 1983.

2006 Varner Spring Ridge Vineyard Home Block Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay ($39) Twin brothers Bob and Jim Varner harness their dry-farmed Portola Valley parcels to make some of the most taut, expressive Chardonnay in the country. This release from the original block is serious and tightly wound. White blossom, citrus and golden apple, bolstered by pitch-perfect acidity, wrap around a firm mineral core, giving it tons of aging potential.

2006 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($45) Combine a solid, ripe growing season with Veronique Drouhin's Burgundian winemaking talents and you get a taut, perfumed wine, with darker fruit notes than some - blue plum, blueberry - a minerally edge and a touch of that quintessential barnyard depth. Generous, grippy, seamless Pinot.

And a big Hooraaah, to a great friend of mine, Jeff.
2005 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Branciforte Creek Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir ($32) Winemaker Jeff Emery originally apprenticed under founder Ken Burnap, whose pioneering work helped establish the area for Pinot. This bottling's profile is downright aggressive - the tannic grip isn't shy - but gorgeous aromas of pine needle, mint, gray mineral and vibrant red fruit help round out the minerally texture and lifted acidity. By no means the most approachable Pinot, but raw and complex in its expression.

2005 La Sirena Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($150) As plush and refined as Heidi Peterson Barrett's Amuse Bouche wines have been lately (and as much as we want to cheer for Merlot), it's still hard to outpace her latest release of La Sirena, which showcases her talents with a pitch-perfect Cabernet vintage. Big, sweet blackberry, rolled tobacco and a bit of roasted almond start things off, with high, taut tones of currants, a chamomile hint and those bold, silken tannins that Barrett finesses to perfection.

Dear Santa Baby,

2008-12-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

Every year it's the same old, same old.

And we know, it's our fault. Our letter doesn't arrive in the North Pole in time. If only our emails to SantaBaby@Gmail.com actually didn't bounce back.

If you get this. Can we switch up from the usual?

Wine
Cheese
Jam
Nuts
Chocolate
Olive Oil

Wait.

On second thought. Are you going to bring these things for us for a Christmas Gift? Because if you are, we don't mean to be -- pushy. (We have been good girls and boys this year)
But we're a little bit special and we'd like more than a little bottle of over priced imported EVOO. Can we have the whole tree? Just adopt it for us, kay?

Thanks Santa Baby.

Don't forget to slip a sable under the tree, for me.

;)

Not Guilty

2008-12-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

La Crema is hosting the kind of party that won't cause you to wake up, heart pounding, at 6AM, worried about the three wine glasses you broke, the 6 people you offended, the stain on the carpet, the tasteless joke you told your host's mother or all the "dancing" you did by yourself on the front lawn to the Say Anything soundtrack you blasted from your car stereo.

Instead you'll learn something and connect with winemaking technique.

Try it.

Uruguayan Tannat

2008-12-01T21:09:00.000-08:00

You made room for Chilean Carmenere and Pinot Grigio's. There's always space on the shelf for Argentine Malbec.

So how about Uruguayan Tannat?

Acidic and very, very tannic - Tannat is now recognized as the National Grape of Uruguay. It's grown in France, Spain, Australia and in Virginia, here in the States. Used as a blending grape in most places to lighten the load of its astringent body and tight tannins --- in Uruguay the traditional, savory meats of the barbecue are a perfect match for this bold wine.

We like trying new appellations and grapes. You know, being a from a new world appellation ourselves. It's important to open up doors to horizons you've never tasted before.

Crottin

2008-11-25T19:40:00.000-08:00

Crottin is fancy french for an exclusive goat cheese, that can be aged or served raw. It is, without a doubt, delicious.

A crottin is also a term for horse dung which looks similar in shape to a Crottin goat cheese.

Crottin is a great Syrah cheese and it's also an excellent conversation starter at any Thanksgiving Table.

Spread the Crottin Love.

dis and dat

2008-11-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite french wines in my collection was of a vintage and vineyard that everyone "detested" and thus the wine was reduced dramatically which prompted me to buy a case of it. I'm chancey like that.

So even though French newspapers are disparagingly calling the 2008 harvest a failure. I'm going to keep my eye's open for deals. And if any of you have a '94 Duhart Milon laying around, I'll come over and share it with you ;)

Château Duhart Milon, 4th Growth A.C. Pauillac

The Rothschilds bought this château, which is separated from the vineyards of Château Lafite only by the small hamlet of Milon, in 1962, and since then much has been done to re-establish the reputation of its 4th growth wine. The 50 hectare vineyard is planted to 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 21% Merlot, with a tiny proportion of Petit Verdot.

Château Duhart Milon has the same family feel of perfume and suppleness as the wines of Lafite. Aged in oak barrels from Lafite, this wine has a fine aroma of black fruits, cedar and minerals, with blackcurrant flavours and plenty of subtle wood, hints of liquorice and mocha.

cork savvy

2008-11-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

There are many applications on Facebook, these days. I have 146 "requests" sitting in my status updates, because I'm mostly over adding new boxes, bells, whistles and stuff to my profile.

The exception is a reading application that tracks books I've read and books that my friends are reading so I can find new books to read later.

I wonder if this concept will transfer over to wine ... will people track wines they've liked and abhorred and share notes online?

This cork savvy application is a worth a whirl, just to see what other people are drinking. And of what they drink - see what they love and what they detest. I worry people will lie about the price per bottle of what they're actually drinking. But that is overshadowed by my own eagerness to see what people write about wines.

You know, how they describe them.

I really, really like adjectives.

Would you drink it in a can? Would you drink it with flan?

2008-11-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

Alternative packaging is enticing, especially if it has environmental merits.

Wine for one, in a can, means less waste, easier to recycle, less cost of freight/shipping.

But do bells and whistles equal less quality product?

We'll get our hands on some soon and taste test it for you. But if you beat us to the punch, let us know how it TASTES.

In the end, isn't that what matters most?

Tres Preguntas

2008-11-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

This blog, posed three questions to a revered winemaker.

But if WE were asking the questions ... we might ask:

1. What were you listening to while you crushed the grapes?
2. Whats the dirtiest part of the job?
3. How do you know when you are in the midst of a making a GREAT wine?

Also, we might ask, what the winemaker was doing later. You know if he was good-looking and, ahem, single.

Cotes Du Rhone

2008-11-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

PBS and the most famous Syrah region in France (Cotes Du Rhone) are putting together a reality show to launch the ambitions of potential winemakers.

I f I was competing, I'd want to create a wine brand called "DeMystify" and all the wine labels would be written in super easy to understand, straight-forward language. Bordering on American Ghetto Fabulous meets Appalachia.

What would you create?

Race to Thanksgiving

2008-11-06T08:06:00.001-08:00

Aaah, Turkey Day. Much discussion about the correct wines to pair with all the diverse Americana dishes. Reds? Whites? Sparklings?

Here's a quick guide, over at our friends Richard Leahy's place. He makes a valid point about drinking locally.

Right on, man, Right on.

Drinking locally means less freight/shipping waste on gas, airplane maintenance, truck drivers, refrigeration and packaging used for transport. It also means supporting local business and tasting your very own backyard.

You never know you may discover an amazing treasure.

Sunday - Now just another fun day

2008-11-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

In Michigan, in 1976, a ban on alcohol sales went into effect. Let the party begin, because on Voter Tuesday that ban was given the hammer by 67% of the populace.

So if you are looking for a good old fashioned vacation spot, Holland, MI is your man.

Behind the Scenes

2008-10-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for a hilarious Sarah Palin/Palin Syrah video, in time for election day.

Body, body, rock that body

2008-10-17T11:49:00.001-07:00

I was watching Everybody Loves Raymond last night - and just about giggled out loud when one of that characters lamented their lack of motivation to work out after they've been drinking wine. Another character said "I love my body when I've been drinking wine. I feel good."

I came across this article about lack of health benefits associated with drinking wine and supposed reduced brain size. And if you do a google search there are articles and research data to support both the benefits and drawbacks of drinking red wine.

In this month's Bon Appetit there is an article explaining the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, focused mostly on consuming Olive Oil. By the way, the Med Diet also touts red wine as a health benefit.

Somewhere, always there is someone telling us not to do this or that or that that or THAT!

Hot Baths - NO!
Meat - NO!
Fats - NO!
Sugar - NO!
Carbs - NO!

In the end, I'm just going to make my way as best I can in this lovely world and do everything in moderation. So pass the steak, the red wine and daaaaahling, draw me a hot bath. Life is just too short to always be worrried and fretting.

Enjoy your Weekends:)

mix'n'match

2008-10-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post commented on the practice of mixing grape varietals together to create unique blends

Who doesn't love a serene Viognier/Syrah/Zinfandel blend, right?

Back on earth where we speak a more commonly lay version of language -- I want to know what unusual pairings are popular?

Personally, I love this with this:

I learned how to make it as a young girl, living in Spain. Sacriligious, sure. Tasty, sure sure. Perfect AM wine beverage? Absolutely? Probably going to get me in trouble with wine snobs everywhere, probably.

How to make Kalimoxo.
(see, now don't say I never taught you anything!)

Legacy of Martini

2008-10-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

Do you know your family significance and history?

Three wineries in Napa in the 1930's: Beaulieu, Inglenook and Martini all began illustrious post-prohibition journeys. Today the Napa Register is celebrating the life and times of Louis Martini.

As times change and as time passes, new pioneers become important and interesting (Santa Barbara Syrah, anyone?). But it is always important to reflect and look back at once was -

Is wine worth losing a limb for?

2008-10-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

So often I hear of winemakers waxing poetically about the grandiosity of the grapes, vineyard techniques, sturdiness of a their swiss bottling line or the purity of a cooper's barrel from a special forest in a special micro-climate.

And it is possible to get swept up in the headiness of dreams and ambition. Causing one to forgo safety in the name of product.

Our hearts go out to this man.
And at the same time, our hearts ask ...
Have you ever forgotten to protect yourself in the name of inspiration?

traveling the world, one bottle at a time

2008-10-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Key Syrah Locations

• France: Northern Rhône Valley
• California: Central Coast, Napa Valley,
Sonoma County
• Washington: Walla Walla, Columbia Valley
• Australia: Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Heathcote,
McLaren Vale

Whats your favorite region to drink?

Well, what do YOU call it?

2008-10-02T22:14:00.000-07:00

Syrah Pseudonyms

Shiraz, Schiras, Sirac, Syra, Syrac, Sirah, Hignin Noir, Candive, Entournerein, Antourenein, Serene, Serenne, Serine, Marsanne Noir and Balsamina.

No matter what you call it, it always looks just about the same. Glorious, plump, juicy, inky, dusty and fragrant. It's harvest time, the fruit is coming in and staining hands a glorious fuschia color.

Artful arrangements of naked stems are appearing all over the cellar floor and crush pad.

It's almost too tough to sweep them up into the trash.

Everything associated with SyrahShirazSchirasSiracSyraSyracSirahHignin NoirCandiveEntournereinAntoureneinSereneSerenneSerineMarsanneNoirandBalsamina is beautiful.

Sacrificing Canes for Quality

2008-08-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Sacrificial Cane experiment is a technique used by Peter Fraser and the Santa Barabara County vineyard team at the Barham Ranch. This technique is employed to develop small, concentrated, dark Syrah berries with riper tannins and more elegant fruit flavor profiles.

How it works: At the beginning of the season the vines are trained to produce additional fruit on two extra canes. The vines are kept healthy and strong from budburst to flowering to encourage high yields.

Water is kept very tight from fruit set to verasion. Since the vines carry more fruit that needs to be ripened, the vine naturally limits the size of the individual berries, which is exactly what we want.

At close to 90% verasion the two sacrificial canes are cut and, in some cases, drop more than 1/3 of the crop. The timing is crucial on when to remove the canes. Cut them too soon and the berries will become fat. Cut them too late and the plant has been robbed of vital verasion energy.

The final and crucial part is irrigation from full verasion to harvest. The extra watering slows the ripening and the sugars began to plateau. If everything goes as planned, the vines will produce top-notch Syrah – bright fruit; the ripe tannins with concentration and lushness.

Vineyard Characteristics

Barham
Is the backbone, theBarry Bonds of the team. Dark, blackberry fruits. It
has big chewy tannins. And consequently dominates the team.

Neely
Is the spice, the finesse, dark cherry. The tannins are grainier and silky. This
is the "queer eye for the straight guy" part of the blend, the style police.

Tepusquet
Is bright, perfumed and red fruits, acidity and length. I can’t think of a
celebrity for this one? Definitely metro sexual too..., maybe the style
police travel in twos.

Put this all together to get a young George Clooney style

TOP 10: Racy Pairings

2008-08-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

With a bold, jammy, exotic forest floor type of Syrah, you need matching bold and exotic food pairings. Here are our top ten racy pairings ideal for a glass of Kinton Syrah.

1. Warm Lamb and Mint Spring Rolls with a Peanut Plum Hoison Sauce

2. Pancetta Shiitake Mushroom Burger with fresh Homemade Mayonaisse Schmear

3. Pasta Carbonara (Easy, No Fuss - just like our Syrah)

4. Old Fashioned Macaroni & Cheese and Barbecued Ribs with Greens and Sweet Rolls

5. Black Pepper Crusted Steak with Roasted Rutabegas and Yukon Gold Potatoes

6. Thick Cut Pork Chop with a Candied Pear Glaze

7. A BLT: plenty of Smoked Bacon, Sliced Heirloom Tomato, Crunchy Ice Berg on Fresh Baked Sourdough

8. Seared Filet Mignon with Sheeps Milk Feta over Mache and Fresh Spring Greens

9. Cajun Andouille Sausage over Red Beans and Rice

10. Grilled Eggplant Lasagna with Hearty Meat Sauce served with warm French Bread

Et Voila!

TOP 10: shuffle, repeat

2008-08-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

The Kinton Playlist
(available here as an Imix from Itunes)

1. Ella Fitzgerald, Black Coffee
2. Beck, Where its at
3. Seal, Violet
4. Elliott Smith, Memory Lane
5. Stereo MC's, Get Connected
6. James Brown, I got you I feel good
7. The Isley Brothers, Its your thing
8. Maria Creuza, Berimbau
9. George Michael, Careless Whisper
10. Bill Withers, Lovely Day

The 2005 vintage invoked beautiful rootsy notes in the nose (coffee and earth) followed immediately by luscious red and black fruit - enough balance to make you exclaim "This is where its at!".

The color, clarity, volume, textures, aromas and flavors make a smooth sail through your body. Experience it and enjoy.

Available at a market in your neighborhood, nearby!

wrap it up (I'll take it!)

2008-08-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting year between bowling at Hospice Du Rhone, star gazing at Gen Art film Festival & enjoying the views and aromatics at the SB VIntner's Festival.

Here's a cassette tape wrap up, for those of you who couldn't make it with us every step of the way.

Miami Herald --- Heralds Peter Fraser and Kinton Syrah

2008-05-23T10:11:00.001-07:00

Check this out ---

Posted on Thu, May. 22, 2008
Surfer sorts out syrah, shiraz
By FRED TASKER
Paul Fraser, 34, is a surfer dude of sorts. He spends half the year near the beaches of his native Australia, half near the Pacific swells of California.
He doesn't get as much hang-ten time as he'd like, however. He's the full-time winemaker at Yangarra Estate Vineyard in Australia, helping to oversee its harvest in March. And the full-time winemaker at Kinton Vineyards in California, working with its harvest in October.

Fraser has another distinction I like. He makes shiraz in Australia, syrah in California. So he's the perfect person to grill about what the heck is the difference, if any, between those two grapes and their wines.

The back story: The syrah grape for centuries has been the mainstay of the best wines from France's Rhne Valley. Then about 100 years ago growers took syrah from there to Australia, renaming it shiraz along the way.

Today the Rhne's syrahs are big, powerful and worthy of aging; Australia's shiraz wines are soft and ripe, ready to drink upon purchase.

To add to the confusion, some California winemakers now are growing syrah grapes but calling the finished wine shiraz. As if wine fans aren't already adequately confused.

So: Are they the same wine?

Fraser shrugs: ``It's just marketing.''

He pooh-poohs the notion that the Rhne's syrah grape has mutated into something different in its 100 years in Australia.

``There's such a mish-mash of clones that the two are virtually synonymous.''

The biggest difference, he says, is that Australia is warmer, so shiraz gets riper, softer, sweeter. He says it can be seen in his 2006 Yangarra Shiraz and his 2005 Kinton syrah -- the same grape, the same growing and vinifying methods, yet the shiraz is riper, softer. Case closed.

Fraser is free to experiment because both wineries are owned by Jess Jackson, the iconic California wine pioneer who founded the Kendall-Jackson winery in 1982 and today is in charge of a wine empire.

''Jess wants gems,'' he says. ``He encourages experimentation, he gives a free hand, and he understands that it takes time and money. He's very inspiring.''

Even if it keeps Fraser from his boogie board.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

• 2006 Yangarra Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia: ripe black cherry and bittersweet chocolate flavors, ripe, soft tannins, smooth; $23.

• 2005 Kinton Syrah, Santa Barbara, Calif.: aromas of roses, tar and cassis liqueur, crisp acid, big, ripe tannins, powerful; $16.

• 2006 Yangarra ``Cadenzia'' (grenache, shiraz, mourvedre grapes), McLaren Vale, Australia: hint of oak, very rich black cherry and mocha flavors, smooth, ripe tannins; $26.

• 2006 Old Vine Grenache, McLaren Vale, Australia: concentrated, intense black cherry liqueur flavors, opulent and smooth and rich; $26.

RECOMMENDED

• 2007 Yangarra Grenache/Shiraz Rosé, McLaren Vale, Australia: crisp and tart, with maraschino cherry flavors and a hint of tannin; $15.

• 2007 Yangarra Viognier, McLaren Vale, Australia: crisp and fresh, with flavors of tart peaches and nectarines; $23.

• 2007 Yangarra Rousanne, McLaren Vale, Australia: peaches, minerals and spice, crisp and lean; $23.

• 2007 Yangarra Unoaked Chardonnay: McLaren Vale, Australia: crisp and creamy, with delicate citrus flavors; $14.

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Hospice du Rhone

2008-05-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Rhone n' Bowl : The 16th annual Hospice du Rhone, Rhone N’ Bowl, was a 1st annual for Kinton Syrah. Who would of thought that bowling and prestigious wines would pair well. Apparently they do! Winemakers, sommeliers and consumers from all over the world attend this event.

Kinton syrah was so lucky to be drunk next to the best. We won’t talk about our bowling scores, since bowling and drinking wine is not an easy feat, but we will say if you’ve never attended Hospice du Rhone you’d better book your seats for next year. Hospice du Rhone is a world renowned event and if you’re a fan of Rhone wines this is one event not to miss. The 2009 dates are, April 30th – May 2nd. www.HospiceduRhone.com

Santa Barbara County Vintner’s Festival 2008

2008-04-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

The SB Vintner’s Festival was one windy and cold day in Lompoc, CA, but the elements didn’t stop the enthusiasm people have for wine tasting. Wine drinkers from across the country came out in droves to taste Santa Barbara County’s best wines, which include our favorite little wine that could….. Kinton Syrah.

It seems we have a common theme no matter where we travel—people love our Syrah. We actually overheard these comments at the event.
** “Great wine for the money”
** “WOW this is a different Syrah.”
** “Great aroma and texture”
** “This wine is creative and different from every other Syrah that is at this Festival.”

And our favorite………..
** “WHOA! Your winemaker is hot!!!!! Is he single???? Can I give you my card to give to him so the next time he comes to town he could call me?” Yes it’s true:)

Bamboo Club and Kinton

2008-04-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Attention Kinton Syrah fans in Arizona, Florida and Michigan---The rumors are true, the little-wine-that could is making a debut at The Bamboo Club Asian Bistro. The Bamboo Club is an upscale, yet casual, Asian Bistro with a menu that offers authentic flavors from across the Far East including; Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The Kinton Syrah is offered by the glass and it's sure to pair with any of the "non" spicy beef dishes. Enjoy!

Signing Off, Over and Out

2008-04-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Your two favoritest guest bloggers are signing off (for now) but not forever. We had so much fun with Kinton in New York. Truly, the little Santa Barbara wine that could, overtook the scene in just a week. To recreate these events at your home simply open a few bottles of Kinton Syrah and pair it with:

Fromage D'Affenois, herbed fines, and pair with a Blenheim Apricot/Green Curry Chutney over plain baguette crostinis.
Slow Roast 1lb Apricots on a baking sheet (150 degrees for 3-4 hours). Let cool. In a large bowl, add 3 tblsp brown sugar, 3 tblsp honey, 3 tblsp. green curry powder and a splash of apple juice. Slowly add in Apricts. Toss to coat and spoon over the D'Affenois. A delicate blend of international spicy with downhome sweetness. Unusual and Unexpected.

-or-

Cashel Blue Cheese, and pair with Walnut/Honey/Black Currant Chau Chau over water crackers.
Simply, blend equal amounts of honey, fresh cracked walnuts and dried black currants. A pinch of coarse sea salt and cracked pepper will add a new dimension to the chau chau. Layer over the Blue Cheese for a tangy blend of stinky and sweet. Of savory and fruity. Perfect for the roundness of the Syrah.

Delicious! Happy Entertaining!!

Love,

Closing Party

2008-04-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Two Shots from Closing night at GenArt by Angie Vetter.

Two from Opening Night

2008-04-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Kinton Rocks the After Parties

2008-04-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

Film Festival Premiere

2008-04-07T08:33:00.001-07:00

Kinton Syrah @ Touch

2008-04-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

Film Festival continues

2008-04-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Starting to feel like Paris Hilton. These films and after-parties are so glamourous, exciting and full of beautiful people. Each night is more glamourous and socially intoxicating than the night before.

Tonight, is supposed to be the best night of the entire week. We shall see....

Here is a rewind of last nights party and whirlwind:

Kinton Kiss N Fly

2008-04-04T11:22:00.001-07:00

Kiss and Tell Fly

2008-04-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

After a sombering film involving crystal meth addiction, the Gen Art'ers came out in full force to Manhattan's meat packing district for a dazzling circular experience at Kiss & Fly, a new club on West 13th Street.

It must be said, first and foremost that Kinton Wine Drinkers were the life of the party because noone else sipping beer or whisky came near the dance floor. While Sexy Syrah Drinkers got things going to Al Green and Motown.

Californians know how to do things right. From crafting perfectly balanced wines to crafting perfectly disarrayed dance moves. Whether in a tank, barrel or dance floor - Californians know how to have a good time.

...

Last Night's overheard adjectives:

"Silky

Sexy and Spicy

Nice Squared + Infinity

Juicy and Oaky

Langous on the finish

This tastes so good!

Delicious

Warm and filling

good to the last drop

jumps with pounding black cherries

really good and really nice!"

Kinton at The Park

2008-04-03T16:15:00.000-07:00