Pull That Cork

#samples Hello Jumilla, I’m happy to know you. We recently had the most delicious introduction to this wine region in southeastern Spain with a tasting of three wines – a rosado and two reds. All are 100% Monastrell and 100% delish. Monastrell, aka Mourvèdre/Mataro, comprises over 75% of the plantings, many of them very old bush vines. The region is hot and dry, with vineyards located as high as 2,952 feet above sea level. Because the region is warm and windy in the growing season, disease pressures are low and 90% or so of the vineyards are farmed organically. In addition to red wines and rosado, white wines and sweet or fortified wines are also made in small amounts. So, Old Vine Monastrell + Organic Farming = Delicious Wine. I like that kind of math! Read more about the region and our tasting notes on the blog today. Link in my profile. Cheers! @jumillawine
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#Monastrell #Jumilla #spanishwine #organicviticulture #organicwine #oldvinemonastrell #oldvines #winelover #redwinelover #winetime #wineoclock #winenotes #winery #winegeek #winefun #tastingnotes

Winemaker Brian Terrizzi, co-proprietor of Giornata along with his wife Stephanie, has fashioned Sangiovese into the most charming rosé. The Sangiovese spent 18 hours on the skins before being moved to amphora where it spent 4 to 5 months. 2020 Giornata Rosé of Sangiovese, Paso Robles — ballet slipper pink with generous aromas and flavors of roses, mixed berries and ripe melons with lively acidity and a long finish. A beautifully balanced and complex dry rosé that’s easy sipping. 13% abv. $35 direct from the winery.

We tasted this and many other wines in the Giornata lineup at their Tin City tasting room in Paso Robles during a recent visit. The tagline on their website “Insipired by Italy – Crafted in California” rang true as we tasted Falanghina, Barbera, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Nebbiolo, Aglianico along with delicious white and red blends. Winemaking is hands off, allowing the grapes and terroir to speak for themselves. We highly recommend a visit to Giornata when you’re in Paso. @giornatawines

We also highly recommend pairing this delightful rosé with pizza. Our recent pairing, dried fig and prosciutto worked perfectly. The sweetness of the figs contrasted deliciously with the saltiness of the prosciutto. Add a handful of arugula after taking it out of the oven if you like. My crust is a work-in-progress, however. This first attempt using 00 flour was less than stellar, but I will keep at it until I get it right.
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#rosé #rosélover #roséallday #drinkpink #sangiovese #sangioveselover #pasowine #pasorobleswine #wineandpizza #pizzalover #winetime #wineoclock #winestagram #winetaster #winery #winetasting #winenotes #winegeek

“It’s too hot out there,” Peter exclaimed as he came inside, “I need something cold to drink!” He had just put corn on the grill to roast. “We have a wine for that,” I responded. 2020 Two Shepherds Natty Pets to the rescue.

Natty Pets is a Pet Nat of Picpoul, sourced from the Windmill Vineyard in Yolo County. The vineyard is farmed organically and winemaking uses native yeast fermentation and minimal sulfur as with every wine made by William Allen. 75% stainless steel fermented Picpoul + 25% 12-day skin fermented Picpoul. And it’s bubbly! Citrusy flavors of tangerine peel and spice with texture and effervescence. 10.7% abv. $11 (375ml) direct from the winery.

Why put wine in a can? Cans are light weight, locally made in this case, and more recyclable than glass wine bottles. With the smaller serving size (1/2 bottle) there is plenty for two people and no need to worry about leftovers going flat. It’s time to get over “can stigma” as William puts it. He is, he made three canned wines last vintage and they have flown off the shelves.

And Natty Pets comes with a cute name and label. Anyone who follows Two Shepherds on Instagram knows all the beloved animals on the Allen Farm depicted on the label by artist Amy Noonan.

This wine also comes with a challenge…swipe through the pictures to read about it on the back label. Continue on to the meal we enjoyed with our Natty Pets. I hope you’re sipping something delicious. @twoshepherdswine
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#petnat #petillantnaturel #yolocounty #californiawine #drinklocal #bubbly #organicwine #winelover #winefreak #vino #cannedwine #instawine #ilovewine #wineanddine #foodandwine #wineoclock #winewinewine

Barolo isn’t often in my glass, but I certainly enjoyed this 2012 Silvio Grasso Barolo earlier in the week. The combination of red and dark fruit along with earth, leather and umami flavors supported by drying tannins and plenty of acidity offered a delicious combination of fruit and bottle age. As expected, it developed considerably with aeration and was just as enjoyable on the second night. It reminded me how much I enjoy red wines with a little age. And happy National Red Wine Day! 🍷
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#barolo #barolowine #barololovers #nebbiolo #nebbiololovers #nationalredwineday #redwine #vino #redwinelover #winetime #wineoclock #winelover #wine #winery #vineyard #winecountry #instawine #nationalredwineday

We don’t often dine out when we are at home, but when we travel dining out is one of our great pleasures. Covid has curtailed travel for us entirely until recently, and continues to make travel complicated. Booking well ahead is essential. Making dining reservations online is usually easy, unless you want an outside option. Throw summer monsoons into the mix and it gets challenging, as we found out recently during a visit to Scottsdale.

We discovered Sel Restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale shortly after it opened in 2016. The interior of the restaurant is one of the prettiest I’ve seen with its rich color palate and elegant white leather seating. But what we appreciated even more on this trip is the expanded patio. Tables are well spaced and they even accommodated us on a rainy evening! And it is possible to make a reservation for outdoor seating – online. 👏

The menu has remained one of the most interesting and inventive we have ever tasted (when’s the last time you had a corn pudding and crab beignet?) The quality of Chef Branden Levine’s food and the service remain as high as when the restaurant opened – something many restaurants can’t maintain. 🍽

As some restaurants move to a fixed price menu only, Sel continues to also offer an a la cart menu that includes small plates, big plates and dessert. And the wine list is excellent (when we visited it included a by-the-glass Coravin list…skin-contact Chardonnay anyone?) Don’t miss dining at Sel when in Scottsdale. We dined there twice on this visit, that’s how good it is! See my stories for a picture of dessert. You won’t believe it! @selrestaurant @henrilurton @chateau_de_la_cree @walterscottwines
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#selrastaurantaz #oldtownscottsdale #scottsdale #scottsdaledining #visitscottsdale #scottsdaleartsdistrict #foodandwine #winelovers #pinotnoir #chardonnay #pinotnoirday #internationalpinotnoirday #wineoclock #montagny #premiercruburgundy #eolaamityhills #willamettevalley #valledeguadelupe

Yesterday morning we hiked at McDowell Mountain Regional Park near Fountain Hills. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the desert more green even when it’s in bloom. Recent rains have vegetation looking lush, the ocotillo leafed out and the saguaro looking plump. We were the first humans on the trails (North and Escondido) so we saw lots of other footprints and evidence of digging after overnight rains. Only downside was the humidity, oh, and voracious mosquitoes. We’re off to another hiking location this morning.
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#mcdowellmountainregionalpark #fountainhills #arizona #hikearizona #saguaro #ocotillo #deserthike #visitarizona #arizonamonsoon #deserttrails #mcdowellmountains

Tonight I’m crying in my wine. We were meant to be dining on the patio at Nonna Urban Eatery in Old Town Scottsdale tonight. 100 percent of rain changed those plans. We were drenched before we got a block away from our inn. ⛈

Luckily we stopped by Nomada in Phoenix this afternoon for cheese (some stinky, some not so stinky) and wine; this became plan b and was delicious. Both businesses are owned by the dynamic and hard working couple, Valentina Huerta and Gian Franco Brugaletta. The food, service and wine list remain as special as when we first discovered Nonna four years ago. Their new venture offers coffee, wine, cheese, spices, house-made pasta and many other delights.

We purchased this 2019 Brooks Amycas halfway intending to take it home with us, but I’m glad we tasted it tonight because now we can go back and get another bottle to enjoy…probably at home. 😉 The blend of Pinot Blanc, Muscat, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer is an excellent reminder to never underestimate the complexity and quality of a blended wine. Especially when Brooks is on the label. It’s off the charts delicious! @nomadaphx @nonnascottsdale @brookswinery
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#oregonwine #willamettevalley #biodynamicwine #winelover #winefriends #winetime #winewinewine #winefun #winerylover #winetasting #foodandwine #summersipper #summerwine #oldtownscottsdale #scottsdale #visitscottsdale

Let’s get this party started. Twenty five years of marriage and we are still sipping together! 🥂 It’s true — ‘Wine Makes Our Life More Fun!’ 🍾

Champagne Henriot Millésime 2008 is the perfect choice to celebrate our 25th and the 200th anniversary of Maison Henriot. The blend of equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir was sourced from Premier and Grand Cru Villages and aged for 6 years on the lees with a dosage of at least 6g/l. Flavors of toasted almonds, bruised apple and cedar are rich and concentrated with mouthwatering acidity and a very long finish. And lots of tiny bubbles. It’s aging very well, just like my sweetie. 😍

The House of Henriot was established by Apolline, the widow of Nicolas Henriot, in 1808. More than two hundred years later, Champagne Henriot remains in the hands of the Henriot family and is part of Maisons & Domaines Henriot. The family-run international company also includes Bouchard Père & Fils, William Fevre and Beaux Frères in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Champagne, Burgundy, Chablis, Willamette Valley…some of my favorite wine regions. Cheers! @champagnehenriot
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#champagne #champagner #anniversarychampagne #winelovers #winetravelers #wine #vino #champagne #champers #henriotstyle #pullthatcork #champagnelovers #champagnecelebration #champagnesquad #bubbly

It’s been a hot week, but this Chenin Blanc helped us keep our cool. It’s refreshing and flavorful with notes of pears, ripe apples with a bit of weight on the palate and something a bit herbal. Tastes dry and so sippable. Only 12% abv. $24 direct from the winery.

The Amador County vineyard is situated at a 1500 foot elevation and is a combination of “iron rich volcanic, quartz and decomposed granite soils. This vineyard is head-trained, dry-farmed and own rooted” according to winery notes. Winemaking took place in 100L foudre, 500L puncheon and 228 L French oak barrels. Happy weekend!
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#sandlands #sandlandswine #cheninblanc #amadorcounty #amadorwine #californiawine #californiawinelover #winetime #winewinewine #winefun #winerylover #winetasting #foodandwine #summersipper #summerwine