The Century Block vineyard is located on the east side of the Mokelumne River AVA (a sub-AVA of the Lodi Appellation) and was planted in 1905. The 3-acre vineyard is a tiny island among cherry orchards and much younger Zinfandel used for bulk wine production.
How do I most enjoy a glass of wine? With a leisurely meal, always. On a warm afternoon sitting in the shade after finishing the yard work. Give me a glass of red wine on a chilly evening as I watch the flames of a fire in the fireplace and I’m a happy gal. I like to take my time with a glass of wine; to pay attention to how it changes in the glass over time. Quality is much more important than quantity.
Our Wine Pairing Weekend (#winePW) challenge for November came from Camilla Mann who blogs at Culinary Adventures with Camilla. The Feast Nearby – Grateful for Local Vintners and Seasonal Foods is the theme this month. Perfect for the Thanksgiving month of November.
When we learned the Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC16) would be held in Lodi, August 11 – 14, 2016, we were thrilled. Not only are there lots of exciting things happening in the Lodi wine world these days, but the drive to Lodi from our home is only 20 minutes. It would be the shortest travel time we would ever have to a WBC. As it turned out our drive was a bit longer than expected because we took a very enjoyable detour through Amador County wine country.
If you are a casual wine drinker, or new to wine, you may associate Malbec with Argentina – and with good reason. More Malbec is produced in Argentina than anywhere else in the world today. Argentinian Malbec is fruity, easy to like and relatively inexpensive. And it’s widely available. But, dating back at least to the Middle Ages wine has been made from Malbec along the Lot River in southwest France near the village of Cahors. This Malbec is not so well known, and that’s a shame.
On May 24, 1976 Chateau Montelena’s fortunes changed for the better — and in a big way. Jim Barrett’s 1973 Chardonnay won the Judgement of Paris white wine competition. It wasn’t just any competition. The Judgement of Paris was organized as a blind tasting of California Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon against France’s best Burgundy and Bordeaux. Not insignificantly the competition was in France and the judges were French.
Few things make me as happy as a glass of bubbly. Bubbles are beautiful in the glass and I love that explosive sensation once I take a sip. Often we think of bubbles as a celebratory beverage, and certainly bubbles can make any occasion a celebration, but it isn’t necessary to wait for a celebration to enjoy a glass of bubbly. An enjoyable Prosecco we recently received as a tasting sample proved just that point.
Ever have one of those evenings when you just don’t feel very decisive about the type of wine you want to drink? When the weather is very warm my choice is easy: white wine or rosé. As the weather cools I’m all in for red wines. It is during the in-between seasons that I feel most indecisive. I’m not ready to give up on white wine and rosé, but it may be too warm for a heavy red wine.
We don’t drink very much Grüner Veltliner. When we do it is usually at a wine tasting, a wine bar or in a restaurant with a diverse wine list. We always make a point of drinking adventurously when we dine out, as we do when at home, but on a daily basis we just don’t think of Grüner Veltliner. That’s a shame.
The Labor Day has come and gone signaling the end of summertime. Some will have their white clothes safely stored for next summer. Many more of us will continue to wear our white clothing year-round flaunting the rules just like Coco Chanel. Happily there is no such rule prohibiting the enjoyment of white wine year-round. If that were the case I would ignore that rule as well.
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.
