Tasting notes for individual wines.
Today’s the day. December 4, 2015. The first #CabFrancDay. The tasty variety finally has a day of its own. The tasty variety finally has its own day. Cabernet Franc is one of the first varietal wines I learned to love, thanks to weekly wine tasting at a local wine shop.
It was a beautiful fall morning in San Francisco, warm enough to enjoy an iced coffee at an outdoor table in Union Square. I was taking in the sights and sipping my coffee when I heard a woman ask, “Do you mind if we share this table?” I looked up and replied, “Not at all, please do!”
The monthly call for bloggers to participate in Wine Pairing Weekend for November came from David, who blogs at Cooking Chat. David is the founder and major organizer of the monthly food and wine pairing event. This month, our task was to come up with Creative Thanksgiving Pairings.
As with many Italian families, wine is an important part of Scotto family life. For at least five generations, Scotto family members have been making and selling wine, first in their native Italy, then in New York after the first family members immigrated to the U.S. in 1883.
Even before leaving Brooklyn for California, the family purchased grapes from Lodi, California growers to make their table wine. That connection between the Scotto family and Lodi growers continued after they moved to California in 1963.
Pair white wine with fish and chicken, red wine with red meat. Sound advice, even if it is a bit general. Some would add: drink white wine when the weather is hot, red wine when the weather is cool. This statement I too mostly agree with, except that I really enjoy drinking white wine any time of year. So, as the weather begins to cool, I’m not yet ready to make the switch to mostly red wines.
There is nothing like a glass of sparkling wine to make any occasion a bit more special, even (or maybe especially) a weeknight evening. On a recent Friday evening we enjoyed a bottle of Salton Intenso Sparkling Brut that we received as a tasting sample.
It’s always a happy day when we are fortunate enough to receive wine samples for tasting. It presents so many new possibilities. Most times the wines are ones we have not tasted before. We may or may not be familiar with the grape varieties, but even if we are, every winemaker’s interpretation of a variety is unique.
I was so happy to see the following post on the Wine Pairing Weekend Facebook page: “Invitation: Let’s Talk Scorched Terroir — and Volcanic Wines — for #winePW ” The invitation for the September wine pairing weekend came from Camilla Mann, who blogs at Culinary Adventures with Camilla. As host for the month’s pairing, she chose the theme for the pairing.
Summertime for us often means simpler meals, but not simpler wines. Rather than preparing an oven roasted or braised dish, we might grill chicken or pork in our backyard. Sometimes we simply prepare a charcuterie board, add cheese, bread and a variety of accompaniments. Then, we sit in the quiet of our backyard and enjoy the evening.
Our August Wine Pairing Weekend took us to Portugal, thanks to this month’s host, Christy Majors, who chose the topic. The theme instantly reminded me of the trips we have taken to the Açores and Madeira Islands along with memories of the delicious food and wine we enjoyed while there.
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.
