California Wine: Articles

Aug

19

Take a Hike with this Wine

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The Climber Pouch… from Clif Family Winery, the family that makes Clif Bars and my favorite Luna Bars. Started in 2004, Clif Family Winery and Farm in St. Helena, California ‘extended their passion for all things delicious and natural into the realm of wine and gourmet food.’ And they are now producing five wines including The Climber White Wine and Red Wine.

Then on Earth Day this year, they launched this clever new packaging for The Climber wines, The Climber Pouch. The packaging itself is very cool… perfect to take camping, hiking or picnicking, and its 80% lower carbon footprint and 90% less waste than the glass equivalent. All that and the wine is good too!

I tried The Climber Pouch at last month’s Wine Bloggers Conference during the Live Wine Blogging sessions.

  • The Climber Pouch Cabernet Sauvignon: Full of blackberry jam and black currant flavors with a nice soft finish.
  • The Climber Pouch Chardonnay: Unoaked, tropical, melon, grapefruit flavors that are quite lively.

Retail price is $16.99 with 1% of sales going to 1% for the Planet. The product is hot…it sold out in two months so more had to be produced. You can order directly on line before your next outdoor adventure.

Cheers to good wine for on the go!

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Aug

12

Give Pink Another Think

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I’ll admit that before living in Europe the site of pink wine automatically made me think of a sweet White Zinfandel. And needless to say, I’m not a fan. Now I see pink wine and I think ROSÉ… a lovely refreshing wine made from red grape varieties. The ‘pink’ comes from leaving the red grape skins in the grape juice during fermentation for only a few days to add color and characteristic.

I had tried a few Côtes-de-Provence French Rosés in the past which made me realize all pink wine is not White Zin. Then we moved to Amsterdam in Summer 2006 and Rosé was everywhere. It is the Dutch summer wine of choice so I had to take part. And being in Europe, there was plenty of good Rosé (or Italian Rosato or Spanish Rosado) to enjoy.

This summer Rosé is my favorite and it seems to be everywhere I turn… from Italy to Vancouver to Washington to Virginia.

Here are the top on my list if you’d like to seek one out.

  • Tenute Rubino Saturnino, Rosé, IGT Salento (Puglia, Italy): From Italy’s largest wine producing area and the ‘heel of the boot,’ this Rosé won the gold medal at Consours Mondial de Bruxelles international wine competition in May 2011 in Luxembourg. This gorgeous deep pink wine is made of 100% Negroamaro grapes, native of Puglia. The scent is lovely raspberry and violet while taste is round, crisp and refreshing, helped by its fermentation in stainless steel tanks. My favorite wine of my trip to Puglia in June!
  • Blenheim Vineyards Rosé 2010 (Virginia, U.S.): I’ve enjoyed many glasses of Kirsty Harmon’s fabulous Rosé most recently at their gorgeous winery outside Charlottesville. It’s 100% Merlot, bright pink in color, fragrance of banana and rose with a light, crisp taste.
  • Kiona Vineyards First Crush Rosé 2010 (Washington, U.S.): Just discovered this fruity refreshing Rosé at Urban Enoteca in Seattle. Crushed grapes were left on the skin for two days then pressed and fermented cold to preserve their pure fruit character.
  • 8th Generation Confidence Frizzante 2010 (Summerland, BC, Canada): This sparkling Rosé was the perfect sip for a sunny Vancouver day on Chill Winston‘s patio. Crisp, fresh field berries with a hint of grapefruit and cranberry.

Two others I’ve enjoyed are 2010 Stepping Stone by Cornerstone Corallina Napa Valley Syrah Rosé from California and Crios de Susana Balbo Rosé of Malbec 2010 from Argentina.

So don’t be afraid of the pink! :) It’s perfect for the last month of summer.

Cheers!

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Aug

04

New entwine Made for Food Pairing

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Today is the launch of a new wine label, entwine, that makes pairing wine and food easy. From Food Network and California’s Wente Vineyards, the initial line of entwine wines is now available nationwide with the 2009 vintage of four varietals, including Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, retailing for $12.99 each.

Each wine is presented via the launguage of food and provides suggested pairing on the back of the wine label. We had a fun sneak peak tasting at the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference two weeks ago and I enjoyed the Pinot Grigio.

Keep a look out at your local grocery and also check out their website for recipes and pairings.

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Mar

18

Wine Straight from the Barrel… at Home!

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Red Truck Wines from Sonoma, California this month introduces their new Mini-Barrel. How cute is this little thing!

Red Truck Mini BarrelThis ‘ingenious trademark- and patent-pending barrel design complete with rings, a wood grain look and burned-in imagery’ feels like its straight from the winery to your home. The 3L barrel holds the equivalent of 4 750ml bottles of Red Truck’s Red Wine, a blend of Syrah, Petit Sirah, Cabarnet Franc and Merlot. In 2008, Food & Wine magazine named the wine’s 2005 vintage one of the “Best American Wines $15 and under.”

And this large format is considered to be more environmentally friendly than glass due to lighter weight and lower carbon footprint.

Available in March in Sam’s Club stores across the U.S. (one good reason to visit Sam’s) then nationally later in 2009.

I’ve loved this wine’s personality and brand since it came out in 2002 and now another reason to pick them up… Red Truck, White Truck or Pink Truck.

Red Truck Labels

Cheers to Red Truck Wines!

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Feb

18

And the wine Oscar goes to…

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Sterling Vineyards

So why not serve the same at your Oscar Party!

For the 6th year the Academy Awards will pour Sterling Vineyards’ specially created wines at the after gala ball with Wolfgang Puck’s menu for 1,500 guests and at the evening’s pre show reception.

VP of winemaking Mike Westrick describes the special line up, “The 2005 Red Carpet Reserve Cabernet shows notes of cassis, plum, blackberry and Asian spices. The Gold Standard Reserve Chardonnay offers aromas and flavors of toffee, vanilla, gala apples and Bosc pear. The Muscat Canelli is just luscious, with generous elements of apricot, honeysuckle, ginger and clove.” The Muscat is a new addition to the Oscar line up this year.

Only a few hundred cases of each vintage of Gold Standard Reserve Chardonnay and Red Carpet Reserve Cabernet are produced each year to celebrate the special night. Each bottle bears the winemakers’ signatures and this year is embossed with a stylized bronze cherry blossom to complement the Governors Ball’s Asian theme.sterling-vineyards-our-wines2

Check out their website for all the different options you can bring home.

Founded in 1964 by Peter Newton, Sterling Vineyards sits 300 feet above Calistoga and offers sweeping views over Napa Valley. Take the aerial tram up to the winery modeled after Greek Island Mykonos, where Peter once lived, for a tour and tastings in their upscale facilities.

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