Wine for Valentine’s
February. With the hectic holidays behind us and resolutions intact- or not- the month brings things to look forward to. For me, it’s picking out the perfect wine for Valentine’s dinner. This year it’s a bottle of Molino de Viento. Wine often has priority over food in our house. When that certain bottle speaks to [...]
Minestrone with Runquist Wine
Crazy Northern California weather this past year confused many plants but the strength of Bacchus in the Amador and El Dorado county wine areas prevailed. New wineries surfaced while many established operations flourished, making stand out wines. In Amador County, I’ve particularly enjoyed wines from a small producer with an unwavering focus on reds, Jeff [...]
Pinot On the River
The 8th Annual “Pinot On The River” Festival takes place October 22, 23 and 24 at the Rodney Strong Vineyards event center, and other venues in the Russian River Valley. A grand tasting of pinot noir from the Russion River Valley and other wineries up and down the west coast is from 12:00 noon to [...]
Port and Chocolate or Cheese?
When I ask people what they pair with port, the first response is usually chocolate. Deep, dark, silky and smooth, it’s wonderful with most all port. But I have friends who don’t like chocolate and want something different. So I set out to find something for offering up when chocolate gets a thumbs down at [...]
Using the Harvest: Magenta Pasta with Beets
The backyard garden is bursting with beets! I’ve mostly roasted them, juiced them and enjoyed them raw (grated) in salads. Searching for something different, I remembered my friend Marilyn, a.k.a. the Xotic Doc sharing a pasta dish with beets. Delighted and surprised I was by the dazzling color and earthly sweet flavors in this dish, [...]
The Wine Word: Chocolate & Dessert
I like wine and I like chocolate, good chocolate and 98% of the time a darker variety. I only eat it straight up if I’m craving something sweet and I don’t have anything in the house to satiate my inherited sweet tooth (thanks dad!) Not much is needed, just a few bites to slowly savor. [...]
Biodynamics
Biodynamics is an agricultural method similar in many ways to organic farming. Both systems shun the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and focus on developing healthy farms through close observation of growing cycles. Many people recognize Biodynamics as the precursor to our modern organic farming methods. In fact, many wineries practice Biodynamic practices but [...]
Appellation Paso Robles Grand Tasting Tour 2010
On April 20th from 6-8pm at the Sacramento Grand Ballroom (629 J Street), wine enthusiasts of all levels can enjoy appetizers and taste award-winning wines from more than 30 winemakers from California’s third largest wine producing region: Paso Robles. Leading up to this main event are smaller, more intimate wine tasting opportunities as well as [...]
Navarra Wine, Historic Town: Bodegas Irache and Estella
Bodegas Irache is located in Ayegui, two kilometres from Estella. It was established in 1891 however it’s vineyards go back to the 12th century. The Monestary de Irache, also 12th century, is literally right next to the winery. The monestary was the first hospital for pilgrims on the Way to Compostela. Irache built a new [...]
Seafood in the Basque
What did we do today? A great three hour hike to the Basque town of Getaria on the coast where seafood is aplenty. As you walk the streets of this small port town, you see restaurants cooking fish outside on grills. We found a place for our typically later Spanish lunch. While waiting for our [...]
