Niner Winery Sangiovese Rosato and Tabbouleh

A Perfect Pairing!
Tabbouleh and Niner Winery Sangiovese Rosato

Compliments of Niner Winery Estates

Not sure what Tabbouleh is? It’s a Levantine salad traditionally made of bulgur, parsley, mint, tomato, lemon juice and spring onions – and it is one of the most popular dishes in the Middle East today.

Give this modern Tabbouleh recipe a try, perfect for pairing

with Niner Wine Estates’ award-winning 2010 Sangiovese Rosato!

Recipe

Tabbouleh Salad

1 box plain cous cous

• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 2 ounces chopped fresh mint
• 1 cup fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 lemons juiced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Measure cous cous and put in bowl. Add same amount of boiling water to cous cous and stir. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.

Seed and finely dice tomatoes. Wash mint and parsley and finely chop. Mince garlic. Remove plastic wrap from cooled couscous and check for consistency. Mix in tomatoes, herbs and garlic.

Add olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning. Completely mix everything together and serve at room temperature with a chilled glass of rose.

Pair with 2010 Sangiovese Rosato : This vintage shows a nice balance of roundness and acidity. The nose presents juicy, bright red fruits – ostly strawberry and raspberry — along with a bit of strawberry Kool-Aid powder. The 2010 Sangiovese Rosato is both dry and fruity with flavors of bubblegum, fresh cherries and cream.

154 cases produced / 14.5% alcohol

Price $14.00

Sip, Shop & Swirl ~ The Wine Chixs
Linda Kissam

Spicy Clam Chowder & Sauvignon Blanc

A key to figuring out the best dining spots in any city is to take a foodie tour. I took The Savory Faire ($39) tour through City Walks in st. Augustine, Florida. This tasty 2 ½ hr walking tour explores the historical and cultural influences on the St. Augustine culinary scene. From Tapas to Desserts, I ate my way through the present day culinary offerings of the City by stopping at several restaurants to sample their signature items. My tour included a bottle of water at the start of the tour, all tastings, and a special heritage recipe gift that is included below. Bon Appétit!

The Florida Minorcan culture began when 1403 indentured servants from the Island of Minorca, off Spain, were brought to Florida in 1768 to work on an indigo plantation in New Smyrna, Florida. When the plantation failed, they went north to St. Augustine, where they settled.

St. Augustine assimilated many foods and cultures from the Minorcans one of these is this wonderful Spicy clam chowder that you can now make at home.

Datil Peppers and Datil Pepper Hot Sauce is available online at Hot Shot Bakery and Café

Pair with a Czech or German Sauvignon Blanc with a slight minerality to it to cool down the scorching hot datil peppers

• bacon chopped fine 
• 2 large onions chopped
• 1 bell pepper chopped
• 2 cups fresh clams, chopped fine, juice reserved
• 1-2 datil peppers, minced or Datil Pepper Hot Sauce to taste
• 2 - 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
• 1 sm can of petite diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tbls thyme, crumbled
• 1/2 tbls salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1-2 bay leaves crushed
• · 2 cups new potatoes, diced

Sauté pork in large pot over medium heat until fat is rendered. Remove pork and set aside. Add onions, bell pepper, and cook until softened. Add clams, reserved clam juice, datil peppers, tomatoes, seasonings, and reserved pork. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer one hour. Add potatoes and cook 30-45 minutes more. Add additional stock or clam juice if too thick.

You can also add other vegetables such as carrots and celery to the dish.

Cook this dish the day before serving or early in the morning as you will want the flavors to blend. Heat up and serve with crusty bread for a hearty meal.

Sip, Shop & Swirl ~ The Wine Chixs
Linda Kissam

Wild Delights of Young Czech Wine

While in the Czech Republic last week, I kept hearing about a special Czech wine that is only offered in the fall.  It’s so popular that it’s the only official wine sold at the Znojmo (Southern Moravia wine district) Historic Wine-Harvest Festival where upwards of 80,000 people descend on the town of Znojmo to enjoy  music, parades, food .. and gallons and gallons of Burčák wine .  Our guides kept saying the name didn’t have a literal Czech to English translation, but be assured once I had it, I would always remember it. I assumed it was an old obscure Czech grape varietal.  How wrong I was!

In basic terms Burčák is unfermented wine, crushed just a few days before it is served. Burčák looks and tastes a little like a VERY sweet cloudy orange juice or Mimosa, leading you to think its harmless, but trying to drink Burčák as if it is harmless is likely to get you into big trouble.  It comes mostly in white wine form mostly from the Muscat grape, but I tasted a few red versions as well.  The reds were very tart. Because Burčák is so sweet, it doesn’t really taste like an alcoholic beverage, even though the alcohol content is between 5% and 8%.  It hits the wine bars on August 1^st and can only be served through November 30^th.

Burčák is made from fermenting grape juice, known as must, shortly after the grapes have been crushed. At a point determined by the winegrower, the must is declared worthy of consumption and sale and a part of it is sold as Burčák. The rest is allowed to mature into adult wine.

In common with most other alcoholic drinks produced in the Czech Republic, Burčák is supposed to offer some great health benefits. Don’t roll your eyes…they might actually have a point: Burčák is rich in vitamins, particularly Vitamin B, and certain essential minerals. I love the old saying that you should drink 5-6 liters of Burčák every year, because you have the same volume of blood in your veins.   Sounds like wishful thinking to me, but the stuff is really yummy, so what the heck!

While the country’s best Burčák – and probably the best Czech wine  is found in Moravia  (the eastern half of the Czech Republic), Prague gets its share of the liquid gold as well.  Daniela Kolejkova is from the State Food and Agriculture Inspection in Brno; she explains Daniela Kolejkova is from the State Food and Agriculture Inspection in Brno; she explains Burčák allure. “Czechs but especially Moravians have a very deep, traditional relationship with Burčák, because it is a traditional Moravian beverage. Though Austrians and Germans also produce and consume young wine, only Czechs have Burčák, the name now protected under new legislation within the new EU. Following EU accession the only true Burčák can come strictly from Moravian or Czech grapes.”

Get a first-hand glimpse of how Burčák is made Moravian Style  and   California Style  

Sip, Shop & Swirl ~ The Wine Chixs
Linda Kissam

Pomegranate Wines: Tart, Sassy & Oh-So 21st Century

 

About a year ago on a TV show, I came across twin winemakers, 26 year old Nick and Brian Davis and their refreshing pomegranate wine. Born and raised in California’s Central Valley, they’ve been farming most of their lives. They both graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with degrees in viticulture, enology, and marketing. They have the necessary degrees and experience to produce a decent wine line, but could they actually sustain it and make a fruit based wine line grow?  Well, let’s just say that a year ago they were promoting one wine, now they have three.  Remarkable progress I’d say, especially in a down economy.I had cellared the pomegranate wine they gave me a year ago, and brought it out for a small summer dinner party.  It was a hit.  So much so, that I thought I’d introduce the Twin Pomegranate wines to my Women’s Wince Council.

I could sense some eye rolling and head spinning when I announced to the Council that we were going to forgo the usual Cab, Zin & Chard tasting for a tart & sassy fruit wine tasting.  I promised no overly sweet wines to calm the troops down and I assigned each member some homework.  Each member was given a pomegranate wine selection to research and pair with a dish for the tasting.   I must say, the girls …and the wine came through with flying colors.

First up was the Sparkling Pomegranate Wine (About $20).  It was an instant hit. The nose is predominately pomegranate, but we were intrigued by the somewhat earthy undertones showcasing honey and nut, with just a hint of lavender.  This wine is crisp and refreshing and goes well with blueberry Stilton cheese, cranberry chicken, melon wrapped in prosciutto, meatballs with a red Italian and slightly spicy picante sauce, and a dessert called Strawberry Whipped Sensation.  Yup, the tasting was off to a very good start.

Next up was the Pomegranate/ White Wine Blend (About $15).  In this case the blend is pomegranate and Chardonnay.  As a group we thought it had more of a Sauvignon Blanc taste to it.  The pomegranate is certainly just a hint in this mixture.   More prominent on the nose and palate were the apricot and apple notes.  This went well with the cranberry chicken, the meatballs, and the Strawberry Whipped Sensation

Our final wine was 100% Pomegranate Wine.  Another hit (About $15).  Possibilities abounded. Everything from martinis, to tall cool spritzers, to reduction sauces seem to call our name.  Probably the most adaptable of the three wines, we found this wine to be tart, brisk and sassy – 100% pomegranate all the way.  We loved it with all the dishes, but especially the blueberry Stilton Cheese, the cranberry chicken and the prosciutto and melon.

All three wines should be served refrigerator cold to enjoy the true characteristics.  Yes, I know this is counterintuitive to how most wines should be served, but it works.  The big winner of the three wines in this tasting was the Sparkling Pomegranate.  You can find the wines at some Northern California stores like Lucky, Whole Foods, Safeway and various liquor stores.  In Southern California area  stop by Palm Liquor, 4150 Mission Blvd. #117, San Diego. Visit www.TwinPomegranates.com for additional information.

Ruby Kiss
Compliments of Twin Pomegranates

Pour the following into your favorite champagne glass:

* 3 Parts Twin Pomegranates™ Sparkling Wine

* 1 Part Cranberry Juice

Garnish with any of the following:

* Pomegranate Seeds

* Blueberries

Sip, Shop & Swirl ~ The Wine Chixs
Linda Kissam

U.S. Surpasses France as World's Largest Wine-Consuming Nation

According to figures recently released by wine industry consultants Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates the U.S. surpassed France as the world’s largest wine-consuming nation in 2010.

California wine accounted for a 61% volume share of the total U.S. wine market with sales at 199.6 million cases, up 1% from the previous year. Retail value was $18.5 billion. California’s total wine shipments worldwide to all markets in the U.S. and abroad (including exports) were 241.8 million cases, up 2% from the previous year.

“ Americans are increasingly interested in a lifestyle with wine and food, demonstrated by the presence of wineries in all 50 states and 17 consecutive years of growth in U.S. wine consumption,” said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, President and CEO of Wine Institute.

” Wine consumption is still a low 2.6 gallons per capita, but the adult population is growing every year as echo boomers come of age and adopt wine just as their baby boomer parents did,” said Jon Fredrikson of The Gomberg-Fredrikson Report. Many new creative wines were introduced last year to keep consumers excited, including value-priced Moscato, Pinot Grigio, Riesling and off-dry wines, as well as affordable Pinot Noir from inland California regions. Sales of high-end wines remained challenging, but marketers used social media technology to reach increasingly wired consumers,” said Fredrikson.

California Varietal Table Wine Trends

U.S. market by varietal sales were led by Chardonnay, up 5% to over 53 million cases. Cabernet Sauvignon also grew rapidly, rising 6% to nearly 33 million cases. Other California bottled varietals growing notably in sales included Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Riesling and Muscat.

Sparkling Wine/Champagne Sales in the U.S.

Sparkling wine and champagne had a remarkable year, up 10% in the U.S, suggesting that consumers may be broadening their use of these wines beyond special occasions. The category’s 15.4 million cases represent 4.6% of all wine sales in the U.S., of which the majority is produced in California.

Sip, shop & Swirl ~ The Wine Chixs
Linda Kissam