by Christina Waters | Nov 21, 2011 | Home, Wine |
The countdown is on for a December 2-3 opening of the area’s newest wine tasting room, lodged—logically enough—in the midst of a suite of popular tasting boites at Ingalls & Swift, aka Surf City Vintners by way of Kelly’s.
Arms still aching from a marathon session of sanding, staining and hauling barrel staves down to the new facility, Lore James—Vine Hill’s marketing director—was happy to give me a tour of the emerging tasting room.
“This is where I hope the entire Westside will come and spend their weekends,” she said showing me the clever zig-zag counter design that architect Mark Primack devised to aid in conversation flow and space sculpting. “A stainless steel top will be set in place along the wood top,” James explained.
The new wall sconces were one of her finds on a website called barlights.com. “I wanted something that would be rustic industrial, but not too industrial,” she explained. (more…)
by Christina Waters | Nov 3, 2011 | Home, Wine |
My friend Mateo scarfed down two orders of the Cajun fried oysters while I took my time over this deeply comforting appetizer of sautéed fresh porcinis on toast dusted with parmesan reggiano and topped with a fried egg.
It was all the better with a glass of Birichino Malvasia Bianca, a creation of Soif wine buyer and resident oeno-maestro John Locke, who tells me that his young Birichino wine label will be including two pinot noirs—one from Central Coast grapes and another small batch from Santa Cruz Mountain fruit, along with a malvasia, vin gris and grenache—in its 2011 vintage.
More to drink. More to like.
by Christina Waters | Nov 3, 2011 | Home, Wine |
Write this down: Palacios “Petalos” Mencia.
Now go to Soif.
Say out loud the words you wrote down.
Wait for a glass of scarlet wine to arrive.
Swirl, sniff and drink.
Be amazed.
by Christina Waters | Nov 2, 2011 | Wine |
Big Basin Vineyards winemaker Bradley Brown teams up with Chef Josiah Slone of Sent Sovi in Saratoga next week for a sparklling four-course dinner on Thursday, November 17.
Winemaker Brown will talk about the various wines served, and bring participants up to speed on the current harvest of 2011. The menu is blatantly mouth-watering, and includes smoked, cured and fried appetizer “bites” paired with a voluptuous meritage of grenache, syrah and cabernet. After a butter lettuce, shrimp and fennel salad course, Chef Slone will serve sonoma Liberty Duck with harissa dried cherry compote, destined to be perfection along with two of Brown’s award-winning 2009 pinot noirs. Then there’s a 48-hour short ribs with potato confit and smoked chard (the green veggie, not the white wine) course, joined by 2008 Odean Syrah/Cabernet, finishing up with a dark chocolate spice Marquise cake paired with two (more…)
by Christina Waters | Oct 24, 2011 | Wine |
Come out to Windy Oaks Winery and taste some of Jim Schultze’s Burgundian-style 2010 pinot noirs, at a pre-Halloween Barrel Tasting, this Sunday, October 30th from 1-5pm.
Sample new releases, Corralitos sausages, gourmet cheeses, and other special ‘treats.’ The best thing —other than the luscious wines —is that a portion of ticket sales ($15 adv/$20 on event day) will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.
The views at this spectacular winery are inspiring, the vineyards in their fall glory and the company will be filled with knowledgeable and inquiring wine buffs.
by Christina Waters | Oct 5, 2011 | Home, Wine |
It surprised even me that of oh say a dozen vintages sampled last week of Le Cigare Volant—that sensuous blend of syrah, grenache, mourvedre and cinsault—I would find myself leaning into a glass of one of Randall Grahm’s white Rhônes. But I did. (See post below.)
The single vineyard—Beeswax Vineyard, Arroyo Secon, San Benito County—has yielded a formidable 2009 Le Cigare Blanc, made of 57% Grenache Blanc and 43% Roussanne, loaded with tannin and haunting violets and quince, possibly a hint of madrone, perfume. An autumnal green-gold in hue, this is a Byronic riff on central coast terroir. Well worth sitting down and spending some quality time with.
Try it at the Bonny Doon Vineyard tasting room, if you haven’t already scored some for your home cellar.
