2010 Fort Ross Vineyard Sea Slopes Pinot Noir

This past weekend I had a fantastic wine from the new California AVA, Fort Ross-Seaview. After writing a blog on this new AVA (February 4, 2013), my husband and I have been trying to sample as many Pinot Noirs from this AVA as possible. This weekend we sampled a 2010 Fort Ross Vineyard Sea Slopes Pinot Noir. It did not disappoint. 

Fort Ross Vineyard and Winery

 

The Winery

Fort Ross Vineyard and Winery was founded by South African transplants Linda and Lester Schwartz. After living and working in San Francisco, they discovered a beautiful location on the Sonoma Coast in 1988 to start a winery. The planting began in 1991. Theirs is the closest winery to the Pacific Ocean, less than one mile. It sits seven miles north of the Russian River Valley, and 2 miles southeast of the old, Russian settlement of Fort Ross. The vineyards are all planted above the fog at 1,200 to 1,700 feet above sea level allowing the grapes to receive plenty of sun, but high temperatures are moderated by the cooling Pacific breeze. In addition to Pinot, they also produce Chardonnay, Pinotage, and a Rosé Pinot Noir. The 2010 Sea Slopes Pinot received 95 points in the April 2013 edition of Wine Enthusiast. At a price of just $36 a bottle, my husband and I were anxious to try this wine.

 

The Tasting

Color:  Beautiful, bright ruby red.

Nose:  Wow, can you smell the terrior! What a wonderful big nose with tea, and forest notes as well as dark berry and plum.

2010 Fort Ross Sea Slopes Pinot Noir
 

Taste:  A wonderfully well balanced, complex wine. It was smooth and elegant - definitely a California Pinot, but with more finesse than some of the “big” California Pinots. Also, it has a nice bit of spice with the red fruit. After sampling alone, it was paired with beef tri tips prepared on the grill and sautéed zucchini and squash seasoned with rosemary and thyme. It was a great pairing. I didn’t think the finish on this wine could get any better, but it definitely did! And what a surprise with the vegetables, the herbs just popped with earthiness of the wine. I almost felt like I was dining in the woods along the Pacific Coast!

 

Conclusion

I’m definitely glad we went in a case of this wine! We ordered directly from the winery and received a nice case discount which helps to offset the cost of shipping. I think you would have a difficult time finding another Pinot as wonderful as this for just $36 a bottle. In fact, you will have a hard time topping this beauty at any price!

 

Cheers,

Beth

 

Wine Word of the Week

Glycerol: One of the minor by-products of fermentation, glycerol, or glycerine, has no color, no aroma, and a light, faintly sweet taste.  Its thick, syrupy quality is thought to contribute to a wine's texture and viscosity.

 

 

 

 

    

 

    

Celebration!

Happy Birthday to our fellow Wino, Beth!!  What a fun way to spend the day with a couple of good friends enjoying a fun lunch and a delicious bottle (or two) of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.  We are always looking for ways, or should I say excuses, to get together to enjoy each others company along with finding new wines to try.  Although, at some restaurants we go back to our favorites.  Crisp whites for the summer are a great compliment for a light salad or simple entree.  Even on today's rainy gray day, nothing can spoil the friendship and love we all have for Beth!!  Thanks for obliging us :)!

As I sat down to write this blog I started to look back  and realized we 3 winos just celebrated our 1st Anniversary!! It was Friday, April 13, 2012 that Mary Jo wrote our inaugural blog.  My how time has flown by.  Going back a year or so before we ventured into blogging about our love and interest of wine, Beth was the one who started the whole "wine school", for me at least.  She had recently purchased the book "Great Wine Made Simple-Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier" by Andrea Immer Robinson.  This book gives great information on how to learn to taste.  Starting with looking at the wine, to swirling, to smelling and of course tasting.  She had shopped and found three Sauvignon Blancs for our first little experiment. I remember Beth had picked the section on "Tasting for Grassiness".  I kind of thought it was odd to be looking for that "fresh cut grass" scent in white wine but by golly we found it!  From that day forward we decided to continue on with Andrea's fun book. Since we couldn't keep the fun just to ourselves, we asked Mary Jo to join us too.

It's been a fun and exciting year of all kinds of new and exciting ventures for the three of us.  We have helped pair wines for "Grilling in the Garden" events to donating baskets for charity for in-home wine tasting parties to helping a new restaurant establish it's wine list.  And to think this all started just because we were interested in expanding a love and knowledge of wine!

So Happy Anniversary Stay at Home Winos  and Happy Birthday Beth!

Cheers!
Lisa

WINE WORD OF THE WEEK

ULLAGE:  The empty space left in bottles and barrels as a wine evaporates.  When in barrels, one must keep ullage at a minimum so the wine does not oxidize.

Wine School April 10, 2013 Blancs

Wines

Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc 2012

Color:  Pale yellow
Nose:  A nice fruity nose with a bit of green apple and peach and a hint of floral.
Mouth:  Very nice, a light wine with a nice finish. A crisp wine that is well balanced, we enjoyed the fruit flavors, like the pineapple. This could definitely be a summer porch sipper.
Price:  $14.99 Fezziwig's Marketplace, Lebanon, IL

Pairings

Gouda Cheese:  This cheese definitely brought the peach flavors of the wine forward. This was an easy, approachable match.
Brie Cheese:  Delicious, very nice - the creaminess of the wine and cheese mirrored each other.
Gruyere Cheese:  Did not work; the fruitiness of the wine fought with this cheese
Monterrey Jack w/Jalapeños:  This was workable; not a favorite
Tomato Soup: Too much bitterness with this pairing
Quiche Lorraine: A nice pairing and Lisa's quiche was excellent!!!
Garlic Chicken Pizza:  First off - we all love this pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. That being said it did not work with this wine; the fruity/sweetness of the wine was too much for the garlic.
Conclusion:  Great all around white wine. This was a pleasant wine that is great on its own, and would be wonderful with light, summer foods.

Yamhill Valley Pinot Blanc 2009

Color:  Pale gold
Nose:  A bit of bitterness on the nose. An enjoyable earthiness with fresh herbs. It became more "toasty" the longer it was opened.
Mouth:  With the toastiness on the nose we expected more creaminess in the wine than was present. There was a fresh minerality that we enjoyed.
Price:  $14

Pairings

Gouda Cheese:  This was a nice pairing. The cheese brought out the fruit and butteriness that was present on the nose.
Brie Cheese:  This cheese really brought out the crisp apple notes in the fruit.
Gruyere Cheese:  This pairing was doable, but we all enjoyed the first two wines better with this Pinot Blanc.
Monterrey Jack w/Jalapeños:  It was ok, but the jalapeños overpowered the wine a bit.
Tomato Soup:  Not a match.
Quiche Lorraine:  This was perfect pairing. It would be wonderful for a Mother's Day brunch. This was our favorite wine with the quiche.
Garlic Chicken Pizza:  Wonderful pairing. The garlic in the pizza married well with the wine.
Conclusion:  We liked this wine best when paired with foods. Great summer time wine for meals. Would like to try it with seafood too.

Epiphany Grenache Blanc

Color:  Pale yellow with hints of green
Nose:  Herbal and tar; fruit came forward as wine opened up.
Mouth:  We were pleasantly surprised by the fruit and oakiness of this wine. It reminded us of a nice, balanced Chardonnay with tropical fruit and nectarine. This wine was less tarty than the other two wines.
Price:  $21.99 Fezziwig's Marketplace, Lebanon, IL

Pairings

Gouda Cheese:  The fruitiness in the wine really makes an appearance with this cheese.
Brie Cheese:  OMG we love, love this pairing. It was a creamy masterpiece.
Gruyere Cheese:  Not so much on this pairing.
Monterrey Jack w/Jalapeños:  This was a decent pairing-nothing to write home about.
Tomato Soup:  It was ok, but the soup was fighting with the wine a bit.
Quiche Lorraine:  We all like the second wine the best with the quiche.
Garlic Chicken Pizza:  It works, but not outstanding.
Conclusion:  Beth and Lisa loved this wine and the nose of this wine was a favorite of all. This could definitely be a summer sipper on a hot evening.

Final Thoughts

Beth:   I absolutely loved the Grenache Blanc. This was my first time trying this varietal and I was pleasantly pleased. It was a nicely balanced wine that makes for easy drinking with a light salad or on those hot, St. Louis, summer nights we have to look forward too. Although, I did find the Pinot Blanc wine to be the best wine with food hands down. It definitely worked with all the cheese, especially the Gouda and Brie. It was fantastic with the pizza. Another great night for the winos, thanks Lisa for a great class.
Lisa:   So several months ago I was doing a tasting at Fezziwig's Marketplace in Lebanon, IL and tasted the Epiphany Grenache Blanc.  Knowing the Grenache grape was a  red grape, I was intrigued by the white version of the grape.  So I purchased the bottle and set it aside knowing one day I would use it in a class but wasn't sure what or how to compare it to other wines.  Then I came across a Pinot Blanc.  Again, I am an avid lover of Pinot Noir (another red) and again was intrigued  that it was not a Pinot Gris/Grigio. Well I now had two "blancs", so I needed another one, just not my other favorite-Sauvignon Blanc. Again, I was at Fezziwig's and Tim suggested the Chenin Blanc. I now had my three "Blancs".  This was a really fun class venturing into new wines!  They were all totally different. However, I think my favorite of the night was the Epiphany Grenache Blanc and was best with the brie.  All in all, a fun night with my fellow winos!
Mary Jo:   This class was a wonderful idea.  I had not had the combinations of some of these wines before and thoroughly enjoyed the differences.   These three wines were very different, yet were all delicious in their own way.  The Chenin Blanc will definitely be a great sipper and was creamy and delicious with the brie.  The Yamhill Pinot Blanc was even better with food and really stood out with the garlic chicken pizza.  My favorite of the evening, however, was the Epiphany Grenache Blanc.  It was simply delicious with the brie and gouda and I found it to be reminiscent of a Chardonnay.  I thoroughly enjoyed this class.  Thanks, Lisa!

 

Inaugural Dinner Club!

On a beautiful spring evening this past weekend, five neighborhood couples came together for our inaugural "Dinner Club" meal.  In our neighborhood, we are never short of ideas on how to spend time together.   I have to say the neighborhood where the Stay At Home Winos reside is filled with amazingly wonderful people who love to get together for any occasion or none at all!  This evening proved this point to be true.

Our new Dinner Club, while still in its infancy, generally will work this way:  each couple will take their turn, that couple will prepare and serve the entire meal for their guests, and the guests are responsible for bringing two to three bottles of wine to share.  We hope to enjoy this evening every other month.  Our first hosts were Kim and Craig, and they did not disappoint.  In fact, they set the bar so high, I am not sure how the rest of it will compare!

Kim sent the menu out in advance so the rest of the couples had the opportunity to choose the wines that would go best with that meal.  The menu was to be salad, chicken marsala, orzo with asparagus and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  It was unanimous that Pinot Noir would be everyone's wine of choice to enjoy with the chicken marsala.

Upon entering Kim and Craig's beautiful home, delicious aromas wafted through the air.  I knew at that point, we were in for a treat!  The following wines were waiting to be opened:

Shea Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2009

                                                      Boneshaker Lodi Zinfandel 2011

Sequana Pinot Noir

                                               Alexana Revanan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010

Trisaetum Trisae Pinot Noir

                                                                      Crios Torrontes

Castle Rock Pinot Noir

We started the evening with delicious appetizers, including prosciutto and salami wrapped cheese and pesto garlic bread.  The appetizers were amazing and the conversation was lively as always!  We then moved to the salad and, finally, the main course-chicken marsala and orzo with asparagus.  The dinner was delicious and Pinot Noir was definitely the right choice.  It was the perfect combination of great friends, great food and great wine.  There was a lot of laughter, as there always is when we get together.

What a blessing to have such wonderful and fun people living in the same neighborhood, and they love wine!  The entire evening was fabulous and I know everyone is looking forward to our next "Dinner Club" in June!

Cheers!
Mary Jo

Wine Word of the Week

Vouvray - A white wine made with the Chenin Blanc grape in the Loire Valley of France. This wine can be dry, semi-sweet, or sweet.



Fire Up That Grill

     Warmer weather has finally arrived! So this past weekend my husband and I decided it was time to fire up the grill. We headed to the meat market and found some fantastic steaks to throw on the grill. Now we just needed to choose the wine to accompany our first grilled meat of the season. We decided on a 2008 Rockpile Buck Pasture Red wine from Mauritson’s Wine – a favorite winery of ours in Healdsburg, CA.

    

     The Buck Pasture Red wine is a classic Bordeaux blend. The 2008 varietal is 45% Cabernet, 23% Cabernet Franc, 18% Merlot, 13% Malbec, and 1% Petite Verdot. We opened the wine about 45 minutes prior to serving. The wine was a beautiful deep purple in color. On the nose we picked up plum, red fruit, cassis, cola, tobacco, and a hint of smokiness. When we enjoyed a glass after dinner (2-3 hours later) the nose was even more expressive with the cassis and tobacco jumping out of the glass. On the palate the dark fruit really shined. It is a well-balanced wine with rich earthiness and a nice finish. After taking a few sips while our steaks rested, we were anxious to pair this wine with dinner.

Mauritson Winery, Healdsburg, CA

     Our meal was simple:  salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette, baked potatoes, and those juicy steaks. Our wine choice definitely stood up to the steak. The richness of fruit really exploded as the finish expanded. And as the wine opened up during the evening, the more we enjoyed it! This big, rich wine was a winner.

     If you are ever visiting Sonoma Valley and traveling along Dry Creek Road, make sure you stop by Mauritson’s. They have a nice selection of wines, and if you are a California Zinfandel lover, the Rockpile Zins are not to be missed!

Cheers,

Beth

Wine Word of the Week

 



Components: The components of a wine make up its character, style, and taste. Some components are: acidity, alcohol, fruit, tannin, and residual sugar.





Wine School-Italian White Wines, March 27, 2013

Wines

Bergaglio Fornaci Gavi 2011

Color:  Pale yellow with hint of green
Nose:  Floral notes with a hint of citrus
Mouth:  Light, crisp and acidic. A bit of green apple with a long finish and touch of mineral
Price:  $16.99 Wine Merchant, Clayton, MO

Pairings:

Parmesan Cheese:  The Parmesan was too powerful for this wine, it overpowered the finish.
Aged Goat Cheese:  This cheese was a better match, it enhanced the fruit flavors.
Dill Havarti Cheese:  The wine and cheese paired nicely, and by the way, all three of us love this cheese!!
Tomato Bruschetta:  This was a lovely match, it definitely brought out the fruit in the wine. This would be a great appetizer pairing for summer.
Tuscan Vegetable Pizza:  Great match!
Fettuccine with Genovese Basil Pesto:  This matching was a toss up. Overall it wasn't a favorite but Beth thought it enhanced the finish. Mary Jo felt there was too much acidity.
Bissinger's Kreta Olive Oil Truffles:  As anticipated this was a great match!! It should be known that all three of us love this delicious treat.
Conclusion:  Enjoyable wine overall. It is a nice wine to enjoy alone, as well as with appetizers or a light summer meal.

Michele Chiarlo Roverto Gavi di Gavi 2011

Color:  Pale, yellow-green
Nose:  Fresh fruit with a hint of floral and yeast
Mouth:  Mineral on the finish with a hint of bitterness.
Price:  $18 WTSO/Wine Till Sold Out-online

Pairings:

Parmesan Cheese:  This wine stood up better to the cheese than the first Gavi, but the cheese still tended to overpower the wine.
Aged Goat Cheese:  Mineral aspect in the wine stood out when paired with this cheese. It was an okay pairing but nothing to write home about.
Dill Havarti Cheese:  This was a lovely match. It gave the wine an elegance that wasn't there before.
Tomato Bruschetta:  This was a nice match, but we liked the first wine with the bruschetta even more.
Tuscan Vegetable Pizza:  Overall it was worked, not an out of this world pairing though.
Fettuccine with Genovese Basil Pesto:  A nice pairing, really enhanced the crispness of this wine.
Bissinger's Kreta Olive Oil Truffles:  As much as we love this chocolate, it was a bit disappointing with this particular wine.
Conclusion:  The finish on this wine is a winner! It was exceptional with the Havarti Dill Cheese. We all agree it pair nicely with seafood.

Toscola Vernaccia di San Gimignono 2011

Color:  Straw yellow
Nose:  Fresh earthiness with a touch of sage.
Mouth:  Lovely, long finish with crisp acidity.
Price:  $13.99 Whole Foods

Pairings:

Parmesan Cheese:  This cheese was just too much for these wines.
Aged Goat Cheese:  Not a match at all.
Dill Havarti Cheese:  Very nice match. It made the fruit up front really pop. Lisa also noted the minerality in wine was more noticeable. 
Tomato Bruschetta:  Complimented each other nicely. Another summertime pairing.
Tuscan Vegetable Pizza:  The almond finish on this wine was very apparent when paired together. This is a winner.
Fettuccine with Genovese Basil Pesto:  Paired well together. Lisa and Mary Jo especially enjoyed this match.
Bissinger's Kreta Olive Oil Truffles:  Nice match, but nothing can beat the first wine with these truffles.
Conclusion:  An enjoyable wine alone. Perfect for the warmer summer days that will be here shortly. Paired nicely with the majority of the food, and a reasonable price.

Final Thoughts:

Beth - With a winter that doesn't want to end, it was nice to spend an evening with white wines, dreaming of warm summer evenings. It is amazing how many different wines there are out there to explore and learn about. Any of these three Italian wines would be a good change of pace for Sauvignon Blanc drinkers. Close your eyes as you savor one of these wines and you may be transported to an Italian sidewalk cafe. My favorite wine of the evening was the Toscolo Vernaccia di San Gimignano, although all of the wines were enjoyable. This wine is refreshing alone, and was especially lovely with the light fare we sampled this evening. This is a bright, crisp wine with a great finish.

Lisa- Compairing all Italian whites was a fun way to bring on spring!  Although my favorite whites are Sauvignon Blancs, these would be a great substitute.  I think I leaned toward the Castellari Bergaglio as maybe the favorite but the other two were right behind.  I think my favorite pairing of the night had to be Bissinger's Kreta Olive Oil Truffles with this particular wine-yum :)!  What really struck me was the lack of nose on the Gavi de Gavi!  Maybe my smeller was off but I couldn't hardly get anything off that one.  Overall for pairings, who can go wrong with pizza and Italian wines.  So looking forward to more whites by the pool.

Mary Jo - This class made me even MORE ready for spring and summer!  These wines were very interesting, especially when you think about them in comparison to other whites such as chardonnays!  I found these also to be close to a sauvignon blanc, which inspired us to do a comparison with an Italian white and a sauv blanc!  The Bergaglio was wonderful paired with the Havarti dill and the tomato bruschetta and I loved it with the truffles!  The Gavi di Gavi was also great with Havarti dill and the Toscolo Vernaccia di San Gimignano was also wonderful with the bruschetta and the Fettucine.  These were great wines, but it was sometimes difficult to detect the aroma!  I agree with Beth that the Toscolo Vernaccia di San Gimignano was my favorite of the evening!  Bring on spring!

WINE CLASS NOTES 3/13/13-Merlot

Wines

CHATEAU GUILLOU ST. EMILION

Color:  Garnet

Nose:  Great nose that really opened up as the evening progressed. Hints of vanilla, oak, and a bit of smokiness with herbal notes present.

Mouth:  The mouth had a nice balance, and we had high expectations that this wine would pair well with food.

Price:  $19.99 (Regular price:  $22.99) Wine Merchant

Conclusion:  As the wine opened up throughout the evening the herbal notes definitely became evident. It was a lovely wine with dinner; definitely a more refined wine than a California Merlot blend. 

Pairings

Grand Cru Gruyere -This was a nice pairing; brought out the nuttiness in the cheese.

Madrigal Baby Swiss - It was okay, but no one was in love with this match.

Lasagna - This pairing was okay, but no wow factor.

Tuscan Pizza - We enjoyed this pairing a lot. The pizza and wine definitely complimented each other and the finish on the wine was strengthened.

Kit Kat - Lisa and Mary Jo enjoyed this pairing, not so much for Beth.

IL FAUNO TOSCANO 2007

Color:    Brick red                                                                                                                              

Nose:  Blackberries, blueberries, cassis, and a hint of pepper on the nose.

Mouth: An elegant mouth with a lovely finish. A nicely balanced wine. Another we can't wait to try with the food.

Price:  $21.99 World Market

Conclusion:  A very balanced and elegant wine with a bit of spice and a wonderful finish. A hit will all three of us!

Pairings

Grand Cru Gruyere - This pairing was okay, but we thought the cheese took something away from the finish of the wine.

Madrigal Baby Swiss - This was definitely not a match. The two opposed each other.

Lasagna - This was excellent, the spice in the wine was enhanced with this match. We definitely recommend this pairing. 

Tuscan Pizza - We enjoyed this pairing , but it lacked the "wow" factor.

Kit Kat - Nice pairing.

DECOY MERLOT 2010

Color:  Ruby 

Nose:  A bit of cherry cola on the nose with notes of cranberry and spice.

Mouth:  Nice spice on the finish. Very easy to approach this wine.
Price:  $17.00 Wine Merchant 

Conclusion:  A very approachable wine that we felt is a great value for the price. It was enjoyable with the meal and alone.

Pairings:

Grand Cru Gruyere - We enjoyed this pairing but was not spectacular.

Madrigal Baby Swiss - Overall the three of us were not thrilled with this cheese alone or with the wines. If we had to chose, this was the best match.

Lasagna - Another great match for the lasagna.

Tuscan Pizza - The pizza and the Decoy was a perfect pairing. This would make a perfect wine and pizza night.

Kit Kat - Enjoyable.

FINAL THOUGHTS

BETH:  Mary Jo put together a great class. It had been awhile since I have had a Merlot so it was nice to revisit the grape. Comparing wines from California, France, and Italy was a great way to experience the sometime maligned grape. As it turns out, all of the wines were winners for me this evening. I would feel comfortable recommending any of them. If I had to choose a favorite of the evening it would be the Italian, Il Fauno Toscana. It was so nicely balanced and was my favorite overall pairing with the foods. However, pairing the Tuscan pizza with the Decoy Merlot was out of this world. The cheeses for the night were probably my least favorite. For the most part they seemed to have a difficult time standing up to the wines, but we don't learn if we don't try new things! As for the Kit Kat, I thought that Mary Jo was crazy when she placed those on the table, but I found I enjoyed the match with the Italian and Decoy. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not trading in my dark chocolate for the Kit Kat any time soon.  In the end, it was another great night exploring my love of wine with my good friends.

LISA: It's been a while since I've had Merlot!  Merlot and I do go back quite some time. It was one of the first dry reds I advanced to from the old days of White Zinfandel's (LOL).  Fond memories! Tonight was a delight though.  It was fun comparing three wines from threes countries.  I enjoyed them all, but I may have to lean toward the Decoy.  As for the pairings, the cheeses were not winners.  Amazingly the Kit Kat was darn good-who'd of thought. The lasagna was best with Il Fauno Toscano and Decoy and the pizza was a favorite of mine with the Decoy.  Overall, I think I need to bring back some Merlot's to my wine cellar.  However, I like it best as a blend with other wines such as Cabernet's, Zinfandel's and Syrah's.  It was a great night of memories once again!

MARY JO:  It was so wonderful to enjoy merlots during this class!  Merlot was the first red varietal I enjoyed when I started drinking reds.  This grape does not get the credit it deserves!  Unfortunately for this class, the Madrigal baby swiss was not a hit.  However, the Grand Cru Gruyere was excellent with the Chateau Guillou St. Emilion, as was the Kit Kat!  I found the Tuscan pizza strengthened the finish.  The Il Fauno Toscano was really good with the lasagna, it brought out a wonderful spiciness!  Finally, how can you go wrong with a Decoy!  This wine was great with the lasagna and Tuscan pizza, and excellent with the Kit Kat!  All in all, a wonderful class with three great wines and three great friends!!!  I won't wait so long before I seek out a merlot again!

An Unforgettable Wine Pairing Dinner

If you are a wine lover and would like to share your cooking talents and love of wine with friends, why not host a wine pairing dinner?  I have come up with a wonderful menu with some top notch wines that have been perfectly paired for your enjoyment.

                                                  

Welcoming your guests with a glass of wine is the perfect way to start the evening.  I have chosen Charles Shaw’s White Zinfandel.  This wine is very fruity-more like fruit juice than wine-but will get the “juices flowing” on great conversation.  Known as 2 Buck Chuck, this wine will not break the bank but will delight all who drink it.         

                                                    

As with all appetizers, a great wine should be paired to bring out the flavors of both the wine and the food.  For our next course, I have chosen Mad Dog 2020 Orange Jubilee.  This wine is the “pride of  Westfield, NY.”  As one critic put it, this wine has the mouthfeel of a Persian cat, with a similarly sharp, agonizing, and flat-faced finish. To compliment this wine I have effortlessly created an appetizer of Kraft Easy Cheese over Ritz crackers.  Notice the colors of each match perfectly!

Now for the salad course, what could be better than strawberries!  This time I have chosen Boones Farm Strawberry Hill. I found out that Tickled Pink was a “retired” flavor so I chose a close second.  The strawberry flavor I felt complimented the mixed greens with sliced strawberries and peanuts.  The strawberry balsamic dressing just topped it off nicely.

Now for the piece de resistance!  For the main entrée I have chosen Mogan David Concord Red .   Of course the Concord grape is probably better known for jams, jellies and grape juice, but what a way to pair it with fried Spam hamburgers!  The saltiness of the “pork” in the Spam brings out the sweetness of the wine.  As complimentary sides, I added Kraft Mac & Cheese and canned green beans to round out the colorful palette.

To round out the evening, I saved the best for last!  I couldn’t resist a sweet bubbly, so I chose Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante .   As for the perfect dessert to pair with this wine, I chose the coveted Hostess Twinkie.  When I found out these beloved treats were to become extinct, I horded 10 boxes.  But when you have great friends, sharing is such a delight.

What an unforgettable evening was had by all!

And by the way, Happy April Fool's!

Cheers!

Lisa

WINE WORD OF THE WEEK

CLOH:  Pronounced 'Cloh', This French word once applied only to vineyards surrounded by walls.