Poke it and take it

That title got your attention, didn't it?

 

Funny thing is I remember writing that down during the evening so I wouldn't forget it but now I don't remember what context it was in. I believe it was when Al handed his finished Greek espresso to the Evil Red Genius and she said "What am I supposed to do with that?" He replied, "poke it and take it." Of course, it was naturally taken out of context and hilarity ensued!

 

 

After doing the wine tasting, I decided this night called for an absolutely delicious red wine!

After all, it was the first time the Evil Red Genius' husband, Al, had dined with us at my happy place!

I looked to my right and there was the last bottle of Saldo sitting all by its lonesome begging me to "poke it and take it"...... so I did!

 

Orin Swift sold Saldo to The Prisoner Wine Company but this one is the 2010 Saldo which is still an Orin wine. Yep, I was a happy girl......

 

 

Look at the simple label. Remember those label makers from elementary school?

Yep, when you make wine this good, you don't need to waste time on fancy labels.

Let the wine speak for itself. 

Just like I'm going to let the Orin Swift description of Saldo speak for itself:

 

2010 Saldo

"The 2010 Saldo has a dark ruby color and intense aromas of dark cherry, cocoa powder and baking spice. The entry is rich and full, and leads into a broad mid palate with concentration and density, backed by lively acidity. The texture is soft and the tannins are polished. The finish is long with persistent notes of chocolate, berry and vanilla bean."

 

82% Zinfandel

10% Petite Sirah

6% Syrah

2% Grenache

 

There were only 10,000 cases made of Saldo.
I am thrilled to have had the last one available at my happy place as the first time I tried it.
I'm even happier that I have a bottle stored at home from my trip to the OBX last year.......
for the future.

 

 

The Velvet Devil and Evil Red Genius are very pleased with Saldo!!!

In Spanish, Saldo means "balance on hand".  This wine is definitely a very well-balanced California red wine. But it's from Orin, so why wouldn't it be? It was a perfect way to balance a wonderful night with friends and family!

cheesey spinach and artichoke dip

"One may dislike carrots, spinach, beetroot, or the skin on hot milk. But not wine. It is like hating the air that one breathes, since each is equally indispensable."
-Marcel Ayme

Yep, that's my salad. No, I wasn't playing with my food. This is how it was presented to me. I think it was the beginning of a tee pee.  
By the way, my happy place has the BEST homemade Ranch dressing.

My darling friend and waitress, Sarah (she needs a nickname.... hmmmm. I'm on it.), always makes every visit there a special one. This time, she decided to make us all individual name cards!! It was teacher coming out in her.  Of course, I kept them all so that when we go back we can use them again.  And who doesn't enjoy a smiley face by their name??!!!

Not only was having an Orin wine spectacular, but I was surprised to sit down and see my second favorite special was on the menu!
What a fabulous night for my taste buds!


"Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate."
—Alan D. Wolfelt

lamb youvetsi!!!!
Yes, I took one home, too!

Had there been another Saldo, I surely would have grabbed it. I mean, when you have four people drinking a bottle of wine, it goes pretty fast. Typically, a bottle of wine holds four glasses of wine. I'm told I'm too pretty to do math but I can tell you right now that one bottle was not going to be enough!

So sadly, the Saldo bottle was eventually empty........... yes, I did shed a tear.

But, we obviously, had to find another bottle.

We were in need of a big California Cab so I chose my old friend from the Roots Run Deep Winery:

2012 Educated Guess

 

 

If you don't have a particular bottle of wine in mind to buy, how do you go about finding a wine that you'd like?  How do you find the best wine for the price if you haven't tried any in the store? Sometimes you go by the way the label looks, the type of wine, where it's from or maybe based on a recommendation. 

 

So in essence, you're making an educated guess, right?

 

Well, that's typically what happens all around the world at vineyards. Should we pick the grapes now or wait? Do we use French or American oak barrels or both?

While this label may frighten those of you who are like me and don't "get" science and are terrified of equations, in reality, it's not just some gibberish thrown on a label by nerdy scientists.  This label is actually showing  real winemaking formulas that are either induced or naturally occur during a specific winemaking process! Pretty cool, eh?

 

 

Educated Guess came about during a lively, second bottle of wine conversation about wine making styles, vineyard sites and increasing wine prices without increases in quality. That discussion proceeded to the "art versus science" aspect of winemaking and it didn't take much more wine consumed after that to come up with the name of this winery's flagship wine!

 

 

Educated Guess Cab consists of 87% Napa grapes

and is 88% Cab.

It spent 12 months in French and American oak barrels.

 

It's ripe, juicy blackberry and cherry taste with chocolate and dusty notes tied together with creamy french vanilla made it a delightful pairing with triple chocolate cake.

 

Not only is it food friendly, but it's also a very approachable wine at a reasonable price!

 

Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized.” ― Andre Simon