Brussel sprouts and wine?

 

2012 Laurel Grove Pinot Gris

Columbia Valley, WA

 

 

 

I normally wouldn't choose a Pinot Gris but I had this on my wine rack as a  monthly wine from my happy place and thought why not try it?

 

It has aromas of fresh lemon and apricot with a hint of grapefruit.

On the palette I get melon, peach and lemongrass with a slight tartness and refreshing minerality.

It is not overly" mineraly" - just a hint and very light.

 

 

The best part about this wine is that I found it pairs well with creamy brie cheese on sourdough rounds, roasted brussel sprouts and "The Legend of Bagger Vance".

 

 

Brussel sprouts? Yes, brussel sprouts. I think they get a bad rap. My rabbit loved them raw, but I never tried them until they showed up as a side at my favorite restaurant in Alexandria about seven years ago.  My happy place often has them on the side of an amazing dish as well.

 

Today I decided to roast them myself and they were a delicious treat!! I just bought a handful and cut them in half. I put them in a mixing bowl with Wegmans Basting Oil (olive oil wtih herbs infused) to soak them. Toss them on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes in a 425 degree oven and that's all there is to it!.

Keep an eye on the time though because depending how crisp you want them they cook quickly. You don't want to burn them but just enough brown to give them a crunchy outer shell.

 

Let them cool just slightly in a bowl and they are ready to pop in your mouth!

 

 

 

 

"Interesting match... I always thought so."
-The Legend of Bagger Vance

 

 

Memories with every sip...

2011 Karia Chardonnay

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Napa Valley

I first had this wine two years ago and it will always be special to me. When I came down with a glandular virus and lost my wine taste for almost six months, this Karia is the white wine that brought my taste back.  For that, I will always be grateful because at that point in time I was fearful that I would never be able to taste wine again.  (I could not distinguish between whites, reds or whites and red. Everything tasted like acid or gasoline to me.)

On the nose, I get butterscotch, toast, vanilla and a tad bit of oak. As I smell the wine, I fill with anticipation to taste it. I smelled it, sighed, and said "ahh, everything is going to be alright now."

The beautiful color is reminiscent of liquid gold. 

 

 On the palette I get vanilla bean, toast and enough oak with a hint of tartness on the end to make me want more. This wine is very smooth, and "heavenly" is the word that comes to mind.

One of my favorite lines on a wine label..... perfectly described in such simple and appropriate words. 

"A mere butterfly kiss of oak"

The first time I had this wine was memorable and the last time I had this wine was also memorable. While my grandmother was in the hospital last year I often would spend time with a friend until the wee hours of the morning in order to "escape" even if just for "a moment".  With him I could just "be" and at that moment in my life that feeling was very hard to come by.  During one of my "escapes", as a surprise, he had bought this wine for me and had it open when I arrived.

 

 Drinking this wine is like a walk down memory lane. The memories linger with every delicate sip.

"You can talk with someone for years, everyday, and still, it won't mean as much as what you can have when you sit in front of someone, not saying a word, yet you feel that person with your heart, you feel like you have known the person for forever.... connections are made with the heart, not the tongue.” ― C. JoyBell  

Hauntingly beautiful on this Good Friday

On this Good Friday, I am mellow and humbled. Mostly, I am overwhelmed with passion and blessings. I absolutely loved this song the minute I heard yet it still gives me chills every single time I hear it on the radio.  The words, the voices, the music, and the hauntingly beautiful sound causes such a stir in my soul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw

 

Oceans (Where Feet May Fall) – Hillsong United

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown, where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep, my faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours, and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed, and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours, and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours, and You are mine.



 
I am a sucker for acoustic versions of songs and found this a few moments ago for the first time. Absolutely beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m_sWJQm2fs (acoustic version)

 

 

"And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”"

Mark 10:34 ESV

Chocolate saved the day!

 

Going on five years ago, I was introduced to Kent Rasmussen wine by way of his

mesmerizingly fantastic Chardonnay.  As happy as it made me when I tried it, it equally saddened me when I found out he was not making it any longer. However, it made me equally thankful that I purchased a bottle of that vintage and have been storing it properly. Now for the monumental moment when this deliciousness shall be opened......Time will tell....

 

In the meantime, a friend of mine, knowing I liked Kent Rasmussen wine ( I have tried the Sav Blanc which I could actually fathom for a Sav Blanc and a later Pinot Noir.), found the 2007 Pinot Noir for me and I have been saving it for the last couple of months.  Last night, I decided to open it because I wanted a lighter red, the weather had dropped 20 degrees over night, and I was having pizza.

 

 

 

2007 Kent Rasmussen Carneros Pinot Noir

 

To my dismay, I was very displeased with the color as I poured it into the glass.  It reminded me of muddy water with brick hues.  These pictures don't do the reality of the color justice.

 

 

On the nose I got dirt, cola, plastic and strawberry.  I was not pleased with the aroma either at this point; however, I knew the wine hadn't "gone bad" or been "corked". I just wasn't happy.  Anyone who knows me knows if I'm not happy no one is happy. Good thing I was trying this in my own home alone. Poor Prowler.

When I first drank this wine I immediately asked myself what does this taste like?  My response was "decaying strawberries wrapped in cola."

Because it is a 2007 and because Pinot Noirs aren't very tannic, I decided that maybe decanting this wine may help.  So I poured half the bottle in the decanter and let it breathe for almost two hours.

In the meantime, I decided to see if it would at least look better in different light and to my delight, it does! Quite pretty even, a nice garnet color.  I'd wear a ring with matching necklace and earrings in that color, I suppose.

After decanting, it didn't taste much different unfortunately. Perhaps I needed to decant it longer, but I was as patient as I could possibly be at this point.

While eating three-cheese pizza with marinara sauce made from scratch, the tartness of the wine started to diminish which was encouraging. It still had that overly powerful strawberry taste which was not appealing to me though.

I have said this many times and I will continue to stand by it, I like Pinot Noirs but ONLY if they are from Oregon. California Pinots do nothing for me. This is a red wine that wants to be a white wine. Most Pinot Noirs have an essence of cherry, sometimes overpowering, sometimes subtle, but always cherry. There was no cherry here.

It was all strawberry... until....

 

Thank you Ghiradelli Intense Dark with sea salt and roasted almonds!!!

 The tartness completely disappeared!

I must say I was a bit concerned that even chocolate wouldn't help me like this wine, but once again..

 

 

Chocolate saved the day!!!!

 

 

You had to be there......

 

When: A Saturday afternoon/evening in March

Where: my house

Who: Mom, Dad and my two favorite winos

What: Amazing wine paired with delicious food shared with friends

Why: Why not?

 

 

 

The line-up

Wine #1:

After the lineup picture was taken, "The Cow" - a Vidal Blanc from Bluemont, VA - was added to the lineup.


Aromas of butter, fresh cut spring grass, hay
100% stainless steel

The taste becomes mellow with Kerrygold Aged cheddar cheese made with Irish Whiskey and Skellig Sweet White cheddar cheese.

To everyone's surprise, even the Evil Red Genius loved this white wine. 

Quote: "She had a "cow" and liked it!"

WINE #2 

2012 Blindfold

The Prisoner Wine Company, Rutherford, CA

35% Chardonnay, 60% blend of Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, 5% blend of Riesling and Semillion

 

Aromas of mandarin and apricot

Roasted marshmallow, spiced apple tart, butter on the palette

 

Paired with Irish cheddar cheeses and spicy Mexican-style chicken bites

 

 

Quote:  "We don't have to agree.... for the wine to be good!"

 

 

 

WINE #3

2012 Broken Earth Merlot

Paso Robles, CA

 

Aromas of licorice, charcoal, sweet berry, cranberry, plum

A jammy, cinnamon taste on the palette

 

After being aerated:

Aromas of cinnamon, jam, grape, blackberry

While the aroma is stronger, the taste is lighter and more mellow

 

 

 

Paired with Irish Cheddar cheeses, sea salt chocolate and honey mustard italian sausage bites

 

 

Quote: "This is not your normal Merlot. It's a Pinot disguised as a Merlot..... or is it a Merlot disguised as a Pinot?"

and "It's pretty!"

 

 

While the host mentioned that we didn't have to finish the entire bottle before moving on to the next wine to taste, no one seemed to heed her warning.

So far, these three were the wines tasted and they were empty!

 

Quote: "It could be the company.. or being outside in the air."

 

 

WINE #4

2011 Educated Guess

Napa Valley, CA

 

90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot

 

Aromas of tobacco, smoke, wet forest and pepper tied together with a creamy French vanilla middle

 

When aerated, the taste is smoother - like cashmere

 

Excellent pairing with Irish cheddar cheeses and sausage bites

 

 

Quotes: "If Keith Urban was a vampire, this would be it"

and

"Can't go wrong with a Napa Cab"

 

 

WINE #5

2012 Norton

Winery at Bull Run, Centreville, VA

Aromas of mud, dirty, cow, manure, smelly tennis shoes, earth, barn

Tastes smooth with a bite at the end

 

After decanted for five hours, it still smelled muddy, the smoothness increased and the bite was gone.

 

Paired really well with cheddar cheeses; awful with green grapes





 

Quotes: "Straight out of the bottle this sucks!"

and

"A bad red is still better than a good white!"

and

"I'm her father. Maybe I don't want to hear this."

 

It's getting dark on the deck for this lineup shot.

 

 

WINE #6

2012 Abstract

Orin Swift, St. Helena, CA

 

From Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties, a blend of Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah

 

Aromas of dark fruit and sage with roasted plum, black tea and bitter chocolate on the palette

Soft tannins, lingering finish

 

After decanting for 6 hours, this wine tastes like a completely different wine.

Smooth, wonderful and

phenomenal with sea salt chocolate

 

Quotes: "Try not to get too hammered"

and

"I'm just going to drink, I'm backing out on this one (as far as analyzing)"

and

"Thank you, Mr. Decanter!"

and

"Here comes the chocolate lady!"

 

The Norton and Abstract wines were paired with Lamb Youvetsi, a Greek lamb stew, but somehow, sadly,  no pictures of it were taken.......

The final line up - every bottle is empty - before heading indoors for dessert.

 

WINE #7

2011 Swagger (port-style wine)

Paradise Springs, Clifton, VA

 

Fortified with grape spirit brandy and aged in VA bourbon barrels for 17 months, this wine has a touch of sweetness with a long lingering finish

 

It should be noted that upon tasting this wine almost two years ago, this "event" was born!!

 All Hail Jammy Night!

 

Paired with chocolate mousse bomb cake

(Again, so sad that there's not a photo. At this point, I'm lucky I could stand.. oh wait, or could I?)

 

 

Quote: "We're nothing if not good!"

 

WINE #8

2012 Hope's Legacy Raspberry

Doukenie Winery, Purcellville, VA

 

Wait ....#8 didn't happen. It is safe in my wine rack for next time.

"If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him. The people who give you their food, give you their heart. "

-Cesar Chavez

 

Greek lasagna meets a Spanish white

I am not very adventurous. I don't like roller coasters. I hate swimming pools. I dread flying. I despise being on boats and have no desire to go on a cruise.  I'm not a risk taker of any sorts. However, as I get older, I do enjoy trying new things.... usually food or wine.... within reason.

(Hey, I even like sushi!)

 

When I first started going to my happy place, I stuck to the two same entrees and I didn't stray far from wines that I had in the past. It didn't take long; however, for Arthur to convince me to trust him and try new wines.  In fact, over the past five years, I have often gone to him and asked for a suggestion. It is impressive how much knowledge he has of wine and also how he always knows what I will enjoy.

 

Back in March, my parents and I went to my happy place for an impromptu dinner.  I wasn't in a specific wine mood. I truly didn't care whether I had white or red. I just wanted something delicious!

 

To my surprise, Pastichio was on the list of specials - one of my top four favorites!!

 

 

The typical Greek version of Pastichio has a bottom layer that is a tubular pasta, with cheese and egg as a binder; a middle layer of ground beef or veal with tomato and cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice, another layer of pasta; and a top layer of sauce, varying from an egg-based custard to a flour-based Béchamel sauce.

 

PHENOMENAL COMFORT FOOD!!

 

 There was no question I was ordering this incredible Greek lasagna, as I like to call it, but I had no idea what wine I wanted. I knew that a light red or a white would go well with my dish but that was as far as I was willing to go. Dad was having the flounder almondine and he wasn't being picky this evening either.

 

So.... Arthur to the rescue! I told him what we were having and asked him to pick out a wine for us. He asked if I wanted to try something different. I love how he always asks because some nights I am extremely specific about what I desire. Tonight was a perfect time to try something new - just as long as it went well with my entree.

 

2012 Sios Pla del Lladoner

Spanish white wine

80% Chardonnay and 20% Viognier

Floral on the nose

Citrus on the palette

 

I would have never chosen this wine on my own.

First of all, most Spanish wines don't excite me. Second, I'm not a fan of Vioginer.

However, it was the perfect complement to my pastichio and Dad's flounder. 

 

On its own, I was not a fan of this wine though.  Some wine I can drink by itself.

Some wine goes well with food. Some wine NEEDS food.

To me, this wine needed food.

 

We had wine left after our meals and I'll never waste wine, so I had to find more food to wash it down.  I wasn't the slightest bit hungry but a girl has to do what a girl has to do!

 

Usually dessert is something chocolate for me. However, when I heard there was a lemon cake with white chocolate shavings, my heart was a flutter.

 

 

Mom loves lemon and while she shared the cake with us, Dad and I finished off the Spanish wine.

 

To my delight, the wine was absolutely divine with the cake!

 

 

"Seize the moment!

 Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart.”

-Erma Bombeck

Simple pleasures, my friends.

Simple.

Pleasures. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you, William Hill!

 I had been sick for going on three weeks and just couldn't seem to kick it.  Finally, last weekend, I started feeling human again and everything slowly started to come together.

 

The weather broke and we had a 60 degree day with beautiful sunshine.  I did major spring cleaning in my house. My favorite guy surprised me with a sweet visit that did more good for my heart and soul than he could ever imagine. I even went to the grocery store and actually felt like drinking wine again for the first time in weeks.

 

  Last fall, after picking up a friend from the airport, we stopped at Bonefish Grill in Centreville.  I love sitting at bars, taking in the "local flavor" (community and food!) and just relaxing.  I ordered seafood and wanted a nice Chardonnay to go with it. The William Hill Chardonnay from the North Coast of California looked and sounded appealing from its description on the wine list so I ordered a glass. I was not disappointed! It paired perfectly with the bang bang shrimp appetizer and crab cake entree.

 

As I was walking through Safeway last weekend, I perused the wine section and found William Hill Chardonnay!! It was only $13.60 and there was no doubt it was going home with me.

 

 

This beautiful spring wine has aromas of hay, vanilla, oak, hazelnut, lemon and graham cracker crust. The taste is similar to the smell with dominant lemon, hazelnut and custard. 

While it is a compliment to seafood dishes, I found it also pairs well with a beautiful spring day after a dreadful winter, bountiful sunshine rays and a grateful heart full of love.

 

 

 

 

“Then he kissed her. Betsy didn't believe in letting boys kiss you. She thought it was silly to be letting first this boy and then that one kiss you, when it didn't mean a thing. But it was wonderful when Joe Willard kissed her. And it did mean a thing.”
― Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy and Joe

 

 

Saved.... just what I needed

Want a wine that pairs well with a surly attitude, a non-stop barking dog and when you just want to hide away from the world and all the people in it?

 Well, that's what I found for today which fit my mood perfectly.

 

2011 Saved

Oakville, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few months ago, a friend of mine from work and I did a wine swap. I gave her an Oregon Pinot Noir and she gave me this red blend which I had never heard of but evidently was a top seller at my happy place due to a previous weekend tasting. Obviously, it was a tasting weekend I missed.

Hard to believe, I missed a tasting, right? Yeah, well it happens.

 

In fact, it happened again tonight.

I chose to not attend a free, members only "Meet and Taste" with the winemaker from Arrowood Winery in Sonoma, California. It was one of "those" days at work and I was at my limit with selfish, disrespectful, self-serving, ignorant, incompetent human beings.

 I couldn't imagine being out in society any longer and I surely didn't want to take a chance at my happy place not being a happy place for me. So I chose to stay home, with the love of my life, my german shepherd and hide away at least until I have to go back to work tomorrow.

 

When I arrived at home, I tried to find a bottle of wine that would pair well with my pulled pork BBQ sandwich, olive oil and sea salt fries and most of all, my "nothing can please me" attitude.

 

I saw "Saved" and thought, oh why the hell not!?

 

The deep purple, magenta-colored wine had aromas of chocolate, plum and cedar with some coffee notes.  On the palette, I got black cherry, cocoa, oak and brick.  I was pleasantly surprised at how soft the tannins were in such a powerful, robust red wine.

 

When they called this a "red blend" they weren't kidding!

31% Zinfandel, 23% Carignane, 12% Petit Sirah, 11% Malbec, 9% Petit Verdot, 2% Mixed Blacks, 1% Ruby Cabernet, 1% Syrah

Grapes were sourced from nine different regions in California.

 

There is a whole lot going on right here in this beautiful bottle!

"Saved" wine is a winemaker and artist collaboration. Scott Campbell is one of the most influential tattoo artists in the world and has a tattoo studio in Brooklyn, NY titled, "Saved".  I love NYC and I love how cool this bottle design is so..... after reading that the artist is a tattoo artist in Brooklyn, how could I not find something to love about this wine?

 

 "Saved represents the freedom and sanctuary you get by committing fully to your passions." 

 

I'll end this post with a quote from my idol, Audrey Hepburn.

 

"I don't want to be alone. I just want to be left alone."

 

Thank you, sweet Audrey. You read my mind.