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Asian Food Wine Pairings to Lia and her wonderful wine inspired blog, Swirling Notions, we?re finally writing out what we enjoy drinking when we eat Asian foods. Lia?s Pairing Primers is a series of excellent and educational write ups on pairing foods. Lia asked us to share our favorite Asian-inspired food pairings and getting this post together required [...]
Wine Pairing to Lia and her wonderful wine inspired blog, Swirling Notions, we?re finally writing out what we enjoy drinking when we eat Asian foods. Lia?s Pairing Primers is a series of excellent and educational write ups that help pair Pairing wine with Asian food can be a bit daunting for some folks. Traditionally wine isn?t drank [...]
Hub World Travel/Portland Tours Estate Grown- Biodynamically Farmed- family Owned Montinore Estate is a family owned and operated winery in the Northern Willamette Valley that produces Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Muller-Thürgau. Here we make wine only from the grapes we grow and farm 100% of our 230 acres of grapes using the strict methods of Biodynamic farming in addition to honoring Demeter?s winemaking standards in our winery practices. Our mission is to create unique wines that are true to
Roll Out the Turkey Roll Out the Turkey Leah usually writes the food posts, but I actually do cook now and then. I don?t know about your house, but at ours, the Wine Imbiber gets the honor (read job) of cooking the Thanksgiving turkey. As Leah often says, ?I don?t do big hunks of meat.? She?s the boss, so the turkey is mine. For many years, I?ve cooked a whole turkey. In some recent years, I just made a whole turkey breast (since most of us prefer the white meat) so I didn?
SoGood.TV: Macaroni & Cheese http://sogood.tv Heather Johnston, food and wine blogger who has developed recipes for magazines such as Essence and Saveur, demonstrates how to make an easy and delicious Macaroni and Cheese. Also see: Turkey, Gravy, and Stuffing for the Holidays http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... Duration : 0:4:58 Technorati Tags: and, bechamel, cheese, concept, cooking, dinner, food, mac and cheese, macaroni, pairing, recipe, sauce, wine
Thanksgiving Wine Series: Broccoli Puff Casserole The final product My mom has made this recipe every Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. It?s one of those things I look forward to about Thanksgiving. Pair with Destino?s Rosé of Syrah for a great match. It?s NOT your grandma?s green bean casserole! 1.25 lbs of steamed fresh broccoli, chopped 1 can cream of mushroom soup 3/4 cup mayonnaise (light works fine, but not miracle whip) 2 eggs 1/2 sweet onion small dice 1.5 cup cheddar cheese 1.5 cups stuffing mix 4 TBS melted butte
Twin Liquors jumps on the Spec?s/Grapevine Bandwagon Which isn?t a bad thing. Turn shopping for liquor/beer/wine into shopping for the aforementioned plus cheese/crackers/gourmet food/chocolate and you?ve got yourself a whole afternoon?especially if it?s Friday and samples abound (hi, me, tipsy at Spec?s). The new 15,000 square foot Twin Liquors Marketplace will be in the Hancock Center, just ripe for UT students. The center will be a 20-foot-long granite wine-tasting bar where the store will host daily wine and spirits tastings. It will also
Wine Wisdoms #2: How to Cook with Wine Cook with quality wine. It seems logical that one would use a cheap wine for a recipe- what a waste, right? Not so. Of course you don?t want to use a first growth Bordeaux to make a reduction, but it is never a good idea to use a cheap wine when you cook either. If you don?t want to drink it, why would you want your food to be slowly simmered in it? Go with a decent, mid-range wine. Typically dryer, less aromatic wines are better for cooking. Chardonnay is always a safe bet for white wine becau
Holiday food and wine pairing, mystery solved! Hosting a party or event during this busy holiday season? Seasoned chefs and sommeliers have no difficulty with food and wine pairing, but for many of us, the issue can be a perplexing challenge. We have discovered this sinfully easy cheat sheet to assist you, a simple interactive wine pairing wheel. Simply click the image, choose a wine, and receive suggestions for the appropriate meat or poultry, fish, sauces, and desserts. Thanksgiving party planners take note: this guide recommends Sauvign
Wine Food Pairing- Corn Flake Schnitzel, Oh My! Sunday .... wine food pairing is looking for great food in a relaxing location. What better place to go than the Dorfwirt Gasthaus in Peisching Austria? Just the next village over it is always a good place to stop by and with Cousin Franz in tow we head on over! The Dorfwirt was hosting a big event for the morning with a band and dancing ... this is just winding down and everyone is starting to kick back and relax a bit ...... the servers are joking around and cleaning up from the stan
The Happiest Place on Earth Or so the slogan goes at Disney. Ask most any young kid and they will inform you that indeed that?s the ticket. Adults? well, depends on the adult. For food and wine lovers, the fall season marks a definitive YES in Florida as throngs of epicures descend on Orlando and the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, held annually at Disneyworld. I have had the pleasure and privilege of spending a few days working this event every year since its inception and it?s really a treat. Not only do they hold lots o
Dirty South Wine announces the ?Riding Dirty? challenge Just received a press release from our friend Hardy over at Dirty South Wine. Seems he?s planning a pairing challenge: Atlanta, GA ? Dirty South Wine, Atlanta?s top wine blog, has announced the 2008 ?Riding Dirty? Atlanta Wine Pairing Challenge. Fifteen of Atlanta?s top restaurants will prepare a wine and food pairing to be served at their bar for under $25. The goal of the challenge is to showcase the restaurant?s skill and creativity in wine pairing, while presenting incredible, affordabl
Wine Food Pairing - An Afternoon with Franz Strebinger Enjoy Franz' home and gallery with my photo show ... A crisp fall day in Austria and wine food pairing decides to spend the afternoon with BigAl's old friend Franz Strebinger. These two grew up together in Austria and had a bit of catching up to do on all the latest goings on. Franz, a well known Austrian artist, has been very busy with his art career. He began photography at the age of 25 and then when his children got a bit older he began to paint. As he told me, they were old enough to
Wine and Cheese: A Perfect Pairing and Cheese: A Perfect Pairing Filed under: Anything Goes, Entertainment, Misc, News Facts which are nice to realize about cheese and wine pairing is that the combination was famous and has survived about four thousand years of aging. They are indeed one long-lasting couple. It is evident in both products that they are made from substances which are living and improves through the passing of time. Both came from undying fermentation stages. Now, with region, soil and climate combined, win
Wines for Fall, Portuguese style? Stumbled across a wine lately that sang a familiar tune but offered s o m u c h m o r e than the same old same old? I find this happens when I least expect it - and often enough when the grapes involved in the winemaking process are local, or native to the area from whence they?re grown. We talked about Zweigelt from Austria not that long ago. We also talked about the fun I had at the ViniPortugal wine dinner I attended. Perhaps one day we?ll also talk about wines from Hungary. Each of
Part 1: Confessions of a Chinese Wine Consultant Editor?s Note: As many of you know, we diverge from Iberian wine every now and again to give you new perspectives and experiences on wine from abroad. This week, our Chinese correspondent, Edward Ragg, of Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting gives his the first installment of his series on how he became a Chinese wine consultant in Beijing. First off, a few qualifiers? I am not Chinese nor am I a consultant to Chinese wineries; although, for better or worse, I have tasted my way through mul
Serve Your Cellars? Best Before Dinner year I bought a five-foot long, red metal sign that simply just spelled out the word, GATHERDisplayed on our long farm table in our appropriately named ?Gathering Room? it just speaks to me? I can almost smell my mother?s dressing; see my father carving the turkey and my son sneaking treats to our Scottish terrier under the table.As the holidays approach, we get a lot more questions on food and wine pairings. And after doing a little more research and reading the overwhelming amount of advi
Wine Food Pairing - a Tasty Tinhof Treat get together with Cousin Michaela and some of her friends turns into quite the celebration when the Blaufrankisch Rose is poured! We are at Weingut Tinhof, of course, a place that we enjoy for the terrific wines as well as the traditional food. Hans and his wife Angelika always make us feel so welcome. I chose the "ham bread" ... as you can see, it is an open faced sandwich served on a dense rye bread and topped off with delicious ham, peppers, pickles and grated horsera
Awesome Wine on a Beer Budget it seems everyone is on a budget these days. If you were thinking about not giving that bottle of wine to the host of your Thanksgiving Day dinner, think again! I?ve compiled a list of wines Walla Walla Wine Cellar offers that are excellent and under $20. Seriously, you can?t go wrong here and [...]
Class occurs 10/19/2008, 11:30-01:00 pm Panel discussion
Riesling is currently the fastest growing white varietal in the US, increasingly sought out for its food friendliness and its aromatic, vibrant character, however, its variety of sweetness can make it a challenging purchase for the consumer. Join Riesling producers for a discussion of this versatile grape and the new ?Riesling Taste Scale,? read more.
Rediscovering Riesling Walk Around Tasting Sunday, October 19 ~ 1:00 - 4:00 pm Elegant, aromatic and food-friendly, Riesling?s making a comeback! The perfect pairing for Asian, Indian, and of course, German and Austrian cuisine, ?The Other White Wine? abundantly deserves its growing popularity. Taste dozens of domestic and international dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling Rieslings paired with artisan foods ranging from sausage to sushi. You?re sure to find the perfect match! read more Pub.: 2008-10-08 09:18:37; Udt.:
Editor’s Note: After reading the title of this post, you may be pondering why Catavino has an article on North-East Chinese cuisine, which is a very good question. Edward Ragg, our Chinese correspondent, has been sharing his experiences living in Beijing as a wine consultant, which have included very detailed and descriptive articles on the state of Spanish wine in east Asia, as well as his experience with pairing traditional Chinese foods with Iberian wine. Considering that Edward is magically finding time to share his knowledge with us, between wine fairs and teaching WSET courses, we are clearly very appreciative. And if you have any questions for Edward, please don’t hesistate to put them in the comments.
It?s now almost two years since my wife, Fongyee, and I moved to China to begin work as wine consultants, a profession that barely exists in a country that only really began importing wine some fifteen years ago and whose own wine industry is dominated by massive government corporations.
Much of that time has, of course, been devoted to setting up a company ? no easy thing in the PRC ? getting to know the wine importers and fledgling wine magazines as well as becoming more and more familiar with the different national wine markets ? Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and further a field ? the extent of wine knowledge at consumer and trade levels, people?s expectations of wine in general and what myths v. facts abide in an emergent wine culture.
Trying myriad Chinese wines, judging at Chinese wine competitions and the teething pains of setting up a website and blog ? ever works in progress ? have had their own challenges. But we can hardly complain: this invaluable experience, by turns exciting, frustrating and occasionally downright baffling, has whetted our appetites and got our palates salivating. We?ll definitely be here for the long-haul, if we can.
But just as I was planning a series of posts entitled, ?Confessions of a Chinese Wine Consultant?, going right back to January 2007 when we first landed in Beijing, I had the opportunity to go to Dalian, a popular tourist city about an hour?s flight to the north-east of China?s capital, on the attractive peninsula of Liaoning Province (which borders Hebei and Jilin Provinces, Inner Mongolia and North Korea).
As well as having a quick holiday peep at the wine scene there, Fongyee and I, at the behest of her Chinese relatives, were subjected to a two-day eating spree ? Chinese entertaining is beyond bountiful ? gaining some insights into how a typical middle class family sees eating and drinking and how the older and younger generations view Chinese and international wines.
Dalian is a good place to be fed to death. Our local Beijing market boasts fresh seafood from Dalian ? fresh because, as in all proper Chinese markets and restaurants, everything is still alive before purchase. So we were keen to see how local Dalian folk treat their seafood and other fish on their own turf.
Fresh off our morning plane, lunch was served (the Chinese generally rise early, eat lunch around 11.30-1 p.m. and consume dinner between 5.30-8 p.m., something Mediterranean visitors find intolerable). Fongyee?s cousin had already been to the main Dalian fish market at 5 a.m. that morning and was, I?m not kidding, plating up the following feast, ingeniously prepared from one of the smallest kitchens I have ever seen (even by domestic Chinese standards). The French talk about mise-en-place, the Chinese invented it:
steamed crabs (two types ? see below) steamed abalone steamed scallops steamed razor clams poached flat-fish: of Chinese origin (similar to a meaty version of sole or plaice) stir-fried prawns with green onion and garlic stir-fried squid with carrot, green onion, garlic and chilli deep-fried oysters (in a very delicate batter dipped in white pepper and salt at table) deep-fried fish in a chilli glaze: the fish was of Chinese origin (similar to perch) braised red-cooked pork spare ribs (simmered in rice wine, dark and light soy sauce, ginger, star anise, green onion) preserved pork gelatine salad (flavoured with star-anise and garlic) salad of preserved pork with julienned cucumber, carrot and green onion in a garlic-soy sauce dressing prawn soup in a delicate broth (de-shelled prawns, shaped into ovals a bit like French quenelles, with Chinese chives in a clear soup ? i.e. not fish stock) fried buns with pork and onion filling (known as xia bing)
The two types of crab were ?flower crab? (hua xie), seen on the right above, with flower-like patterns on their shells, and ?flying crab? (fei xie), the bigger beasts to the above left whose shells look something like sting-rays.
Each crab was eaten with a special dipping sauce ? see middle above ? comprised of minced garlic, soy sauce and ginger. But there was plentiful pickled garlic on hand just in case anyone felt their daily intake of the herb was lacking. Fortunately, we eat everything and just about anything. And who could have trouble tucking into this?
To be Continued: What did they drink in Dalian?…
Cheers,
Edward Ragg
Edward Ragg & Fongyee Walker write for us from Beijing, and you can get more information on their website, Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting
There's something really cool about seeing a young winery start to hit its stride. I've only seen a few newborn calves and foals in their first moments after birth as they learn to use their spindly legs, but it's hard not to feel a sense of pride when after a few minutes, they go galloping around in circles.
I was first introduced to Gargiulo Vineyards at a wine bar in San Francisco a couple of years ago. I just happened to stop by for a drink, and April Gargiulo was on hand, pouring what was then her family's second release to a hip crowd of San Francisco wine lovers. At the time, I wasn't blown away by the wines -- they were somewhat awkward, and didn't fully hang together -- but April seemed very serious about what they were doing. It was also clear that the family had made a serious investment in their vineyards in the heart of Oakville, so I've been keeping tabs on the winery over the last few years, and watched them go from their awkward first steps in the market to where they are now, a consistently excellent producer.
Gargiulo Vineyards was started in 1992 when Jeff Gargiulo and his wife Valerie purchased a 40 acre vineyard in Oakville called Money Road Ranch. Like many of the new vineyards owners in Napa, the Gargiulos come to their new occupation by way of a lifelong dream. Jeff has worked in the agricultural business his whole life, but always thought that one day he might have an opportunity to merge his own love of wine with his work on the business side of agriculture. It was only a matter of time before the right property came along, and suddenly the Gargiulos were in the vineyard business.
The first task of that new occupation was the replanting and re-engineering of the vineyard, with new rootstocks and planting grids and trellis systems, a process which took three years. The resulting vineyard is mostly Merlot, with smaller amounts of Cabernet, Sangiovese, and Pinot Grigio.
The vines weren't ready for prime time for another four years, and for the first couple of years after that, the Gargiulos sold their fruit to local producers while they fine tuned their operations. In that time the family purchased another piece of property at Oakville crossroads, sandwiched in between Rudd and Screaming Eagle. Needless to say, it's a prime piece of real estate, and one of the few south-facing sloped vineyards in the Oakville appellation. The Gargiulo's named this vineyard OVX, and planted it with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot.
In 2000 the family felt ready to produce their own wines from the Money Road Ranch vineyard, and have slowly ramped up production, as they build their own winery facility which is due to open this fall. Starting in 2004, the family also began harvesting and bottling wine from the OVX vineyard, the potential of which is perhaps best captured in this bottle of wine.
Made up of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Merlot, 5 % Cabernet Franc, 4% Petite Verdot, the wine can legally be called a Cabernet, and is indeed labeled as such, but it drinks more like the Bordeaux-style blend that it is. This is the inaugural vintage for this particular single vineyard bottling, which looks to be slated to become the winery's flagship wine. Only 250 cases will be made each year.
Named after a favorite jazz chord, the wine is made by the estate's winemaker Kristof Anderson who has been with Gargiulo since 2003. Kristof's resume includes stints as winemaker at Lewis Cellars, Del Dotto, and at Saddleback Cellars.
The G Major Seven Study is made from the best blocks of each grape variety in the family's OVX vineyard. The entire vineyard is farmed with deficit irrigation and a combination of sustainable soil management practices and organic farming, and these blocks yield approximately two and a half tons of fruit per acre. The wine spends 19 months in French oak (90% new) before bottling.
This is the finest wine I have tasted from Gargiulo, but based on this single bottle, I expect to taste many more.
Full disclosure: I received these wines as a press sample
Tasting Notes: Inky garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of cherry, tobacco, and earth aromas singed with a hint of burnt vanilla. In the mouth it is smooth, full, and rich with spicy sandalwood and cherry flavors that are propped up by deeper notes of wet dirt and tobacco. Faint faint tannins dance at the periphery of the palate as the wine finishes long and as beautiful as its namesake.
labor day is next weekend and many of us will be grilling up hot dogs, bratwurst, and other traditional picnic fare that is difficult to pair with wine. In a recent article, Washington Post columnists, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg offer suggestions on what to serve with "dinner in a long bun." Among their suggestions are an Alsatian Riesling with bratwurst, a Rioja with a chili dog, and Chianti with Italian Sausage.
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labor day is next weekend and many of us will be grilling up hot dogs, bratwurst, and other traditional picnic fare that is difficult to pair with wine. In a recent article, Washington Post columnists, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg offer suggestions on what to serve with "dinner in a long bun." Among their suggestions are an Alsatian Riesling with bratwurst, a Rioja with a chili dog, and Chianti with Italian Sausage.
Contents of this feed are a property of Creative Weblogging Limited and are protected by copyright laws. Violations will be prosecuted. Please email us if you'd like to use this feed for non-commercial activities at feeds - at - creative-weblogging.com.
I keep bumping into the guy. First in the Bordeaux section, a couple of minutes later we?re both cruising through the Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand. I head for Piedmont, and there he is ? again. We smile at each other over Cognac, one of those ?okay, this is either too weird or too funny? sort of smiles. But it?s not till we simultaneously hit Spain that we actually strike up a conversation.
Clearly, this man has a fairly upscale taste in wines. Not that I was actually checking out his purchases? much. I guess I just ?happened? to notice some of the bottles. Since he obviously likes all the same wine regions Frank and I do, I wanted to see if he chose anything we hadn?t tried. Not much under $40 will find its way to his table. So when I see him piling bottles of $9.95 Castillo de Monseran Garnacha from Spain into the now groaning basket, I can?t help myself ? I have to ask.
?One of the best deals going,? he tells me. Then he actually winks at me ? it?s a cute wink too. ?Just don?t tell too many people about it ? all the more for us.? A good natured laugh and he?s gone. What the heck, at the price, if it?s awful, I figure it will pour down the drain more easily than some of the pricier stuff that?s been know to suffer the same fate. I snag a bottle.
A couple of days later I?ve got a spicy chicken stir fry on the go, a quiet evening with just my book ahead, and uh-oh ? no Riesling to go with dinner. In fact, there?s nothing that seems to go with the food. I manage to catch Frank just before he goes into his meeting. ?Am I absolutely crazy or do you think the Garnacha might work??
Initially Frank?s not impressed, but after some deliberation, we decide it will probably be a more or less acceptable though not stellar pairing. With 12.5% alcohol, it?s at least not going to totally burn out the taste buds when it hits the chili spices on the chicken. I cross my fingers, open the bottle, and hope for the best. The kitchen sink is within arms reach.
The initial nose is surprising. Exotic spices ? cloves, allspice, cinnamon. There?s a whisper of anise and leather too, kind of like John Wayne strolling through the kitchen chewing on a licorice Twist. Later coffee and cocoa appear introducing a not unpleasant grittiness like riding through the desert.
And it worked with the chicken too ? as expected, not stellar, but not half bad. There was a complementary nature to the spices and just enough of fruitiness in the meat?s marinade to work with the wine. Alas, Tenderland Meats on Granville Island where I buy it aren?t parting with the secrets of all the seasonings they use, but they did confirm there?s allspice, cilantro, and sweet green chili peppers. I?m betting there might be a hint of papaya in there somewhere too.
Hopefully, one day I?ll run into the gentleman with the cute wink. I?d like to tell him he was right, this wine is a steal of a deal. And I wonder if he knows it also goes fabulously well with the chocolate Hedgehog from Purdy?s Chocolates that I had after dinner ? that pairing is almost stellar. Sorry, Frank, I guess it slipped my mind to tell you about the Hedgehog.
The Wine: Castillo de Monseran Garnacha 2006 ($9.95) - if you find their website, please let us know because we couldn't The Food: Chicken Chili Stir Fry from Tenderland Meats The Chocolate: Hedgehogs from Purdy?s Chocolates The Scoop: One of the best under $10 values going
Small Plates, Perfect Wines, a new cookbook from Andrews McMeel Publishing, featuring mouthwatering recipes and wine pairing tips, is now on bookstore shelves and available to order online.
Meze, tapas, antipasti, antojitos–no matter what you call them, small plates offer big flavor, and this is a style of dining and entertaining that has taken the country by storm.
Searching out those small dishes with big flavors, Wine Country cookbook author Lori Lyn Narlock presents more than 50 recipes by Kendall-Jackson Executive Chef Justin Wangler and the Culinary Team, with assistance from Lou Rex, Jackson Family Wines Director of Special Events. Wine tips are provided by Kendall-Jackson Winemaster Randy Ullom.
The book is divided into chapters on salads, vegetables, meat, seafood, and desserts, with each delicious recipe paired with one or two wines. The wine information is presented in a conversational fashion, and includes the basics of pairing wine with food.
Each recipe has been beautifully captured by photographer Dan Mills, with pages exquisitely produced by graphic designer Jennifer Barry. Small Plates, Perfect Wines is colorful, festive and informational, making it the perfect gift for wine and food lovers, and anyone who loves to entertain.
This was originally going to be one of those quick and dirty reviews. Two Argentinean wines, a snack provided by Chef Tim (that would be Tim Ellison, one of our favourite local sommeliers and co-founder of the BC Wine Appreciation Society), followed by a fast dash through the Cambie Liquor store to stock up on a few winter staples like Cognac and Champagne. Oh well, things change.
Uncharacteristically for a Saturday, there was plenty of parking ? must be something to do with the snow. Vancouver + Snow = Mass Panic.
Tim and I do our usual three-kiss-on-the-cheek greeting ? that?s right cheek to right cheek, left to left, and right to right in case you?ve ever wondered. The beef he?s carving with Melissa Popp from Hills Foods smells wonderful and the Chimichurri Sauce looks even better. Both wines on offer are from Bodega del Fin del Mundo from Patagonia, Argentinean ? Southern most White and Southern most Red. Hmmm. White and Red. That tells me a lot, but what the heck.
Turns out our white is a 60/40 Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay blend. Surprisingly crisp with a pleasing length to the finish ? not huge but pleasing. Today, however, this wine seemed just a bit too citrus without food ? or maybe I?m just cantankerous from the snow. Still, at the price point of $12.95, this is one worth stocking for when you need a sipper with light nibblies. I?m already thinking summer sailing and it?s only December.
The red is 70/15/15 Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Once again priced at $12.95, this is one good value. A hint of tobacco and a nice, round mouth feel. I was surprised I liked it as much as I did. And it went fabulously well with the beef ? although I had to check that particular pairing twice just to be sure. Tim and Melissa Popp from Hills Foods were happy to provide a photo op for the results of their combined cooking talents.
Tasting Aftermath at the Computer
Arriving home, I thought it would be fun to find out more about a winery located ? literally ? at the end of the world. One thing lead to another ? like good surfing usually does. I spent, let?s just say ?a while,? including a browse about through the Hills Foods site (who generously provided today?s beef) ? some great recipes and cool organic meat products. But here?s the summary about the wines.
Bodega del Fin del Mundo was founded in 1999 when the owners planted vines on a deserted plot of land in Patagonia, Argentina. First problem ? no water. From the pictures on the website, there?s not only no water, there isn?t much of anything here ? think bleak, windswept, and desolated. Twenty kilometers of irrigation canal with computerized pumping system later, there was water, but now each plant needed its own windbreak to protect it from the gales that swept across the land on a seemingly daily basis. These folks clearly have plenty of the stubborn gene.
In 2002, their first vinification produced 30,000 bottles and netted a silver medal for Malbec. The owners began constructing a new, contemporary winery so they could move out of the small warehouse they?d been using to date. By 2004 were winning gold and silver medals at the Brussels Wine Expo and the Mondial du Pinot Noir in Switzerland, and their list of medals gets longer every year.
Also interesting, Bodega del Fin del Mundo continues to consider itself an experimental vineyard and is researching the viability of grape varieties seldom associated with Argentina ? Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Aspirant Boushet, and Viognier.
And here?s a bonus, Tim even shared his recipe for his Chimichurri Sauce. Check it out. Thanks Tim!
TIM'S ARGENTINEAN CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
A light oil and vinegar sauce with chopped parsley, cilantro, and garlic. Use as a garnish on your favourite cut of grilled beef. Makes 1 cup and would be wicked with fish and chicken too.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil 1/4 cup red wine or sherry vinegar 1 med white onion, minced 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped 1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped 2 tbsp oregano, fresh, finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes 1/4 tsp black pepper, coarse grind 1 tsp lemon juice salt to taste
Method: Whisk together oil and vinegar in non-reactive bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine thoroughly. Season with salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours to allow flavours to develop. Serve as a garnish with all types of grilled meats and fish. Will keep covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Hot on the heels of the sensational success of the 'World's Greatest Book Of Useless Information', the Official Useless Information Society bring you another essential compendium of everything you never needed but always wanted to know., Reference ; Curiosities & Wonders, The Best Book of Useless Information Ever
As Seen on Ellens 12 Days of Giveaways & Good Morning America The pocket-size electronic talking Wine Master offers a sleek and slim design easy control panel and over 10 000 wine and spirits reviews ratings and suggested retail prices at your fingertips. The newest version of the Wine Master is the most essential wine tool you can own. Bring along with you to wine shops and restaurants and never make another wine buying mistake again. Requires 2-AAA batteries (not included). Over 10 000 wine and spirits reviews ratings (100 pt. scale) and suggested retail prices from Wine Enthusiast Magazine Food and wine pairing guide Digital display screen with back-light and compressed text functions Talking navigation with on/off Type Varietal Winery or Vintage search option Handsome non-zipper black case Wine Master is a mighty wizard that gives you mastery over the most serious wine shop clerks and sommeliers. Brushed aluminum with chrome accents. The Wine Enthusiast 2008 Wine Buying Guide is also available. Size: 4-3/4'H x 3'W NOTE: The information included in the Wine Master is based on the reviews and ratings conducted by The Wine Enthusiast Magazine. For the 2008 edition we added 10 425 reviews. Therefore if you look at a review of a 2002 Caymus in 2007 and in 2008 the review will be the same. Since we cannot review all the wines produced in a year some wines may not appear with a newer year review which does not mean that the wine is discontinued but just that particular vintage (year) was not reviewed.
Tecnorati
Class occurs 10/19/2008, 11:30-01:00 pm 
Small Plates, Perfect Wines, a new cookbook from Andrews McMeel Publishing, featuring mouthwatering recipes and wine pairing tips, is now on bookstore shelves and available to order online.
£5.99 and 
$12.71 
