Wow!

What has happened in the past year?

My cousins and I have opened a nice restaurant in Seattle. It opened January 3, 2011. I stuck with it until August when I decided that the restaurant business isn't really for me at this time due to my family situation. I went back to insurance and have been trying to get into a routine. That said, I fully plan on making this blog active again.

Tomorrow I am going to my parents' house and will be brining chickens and putting them on the grill. We used to do this over a year ago and they came out so awesome. I'm going to do it again and I'll bring my camera to document the process.

In the meantime, this was how I spent a lot of the summer:



Not bad, right? Chateau Bas rosé is delicious. And, yes, that's the patio of our restaurant.

I learned a lot about wine over the past year and I anticipate writing more about it here in the future.

Wine Pairings

Today I am working on wine pairings for my cousin's menu. I know wine...but the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know much about it!

I have got one pairing down. I need to do two more. I wish I could sneak my camera into the event tonight to show photos. I may be able to sneak some cell phone photos, though!

Wine Photos

For the second year in a row I have come home from a wine event with more whites than reds. Hmmm... White wines tend to be more affordable, especially in Woodinville. Finding a $10 bottle of wine was impossible, which is frustrating. When I go to the Spring Barrel Opening in Yakima Valley there are plenty of decent $10 wines.

Anyway, here we go.



Brian Carter Cellars Corrida.
According to the website: Spanish-style Red Blend (Exclusive to Wine Club members)
Modeled after the noble Tempranillo based blends of Spain, the wine also contains Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Granacha. A beautiful dark garnet color greets you with aromas of blackberry, rose petals, cedar and spice. Plenty of fruit flavors envelope the mouth along with soft tannins and a long juicy finish.

Because I joined the wine club yesterday I was able to get two bottles and a tasting of it. It was delicious! Seriously - so yummy. It was smooth but complex.



Brian Carter Cellars Oriana. Again, from the website:

ORIANA (Latin for 'golden lady')
Uniquely Aromatic White Wine Blend
Oriana utilizes two grapes originally from the Rhone Valley of France. The core variety, Viognier, is rich in aromas of peaches and apricots and Roussanne deepens the peach character and adds a hint of melons. Then blend is finished with Riesling to add a touch of pears and apple blossoms. This richly textured wine finishes with food friendly acidity.

I've had this wine before (a couple of years ago) and loved it. Brian Carter is a mad genius of wine blending. Seriously.



Northwest Totem Cellars Salish. It's a white blend that is refreshing and semi-dry. It will be perfect for a summer dinner.



Airfield Estate Winery's Bombshell Red.
From the website: 41% Syrah, 35% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Sangiovese, 4% Malbec, 3% Cab Franc

A beloved favorite of many, this approachable signature red table blend has overlapping aromas of oak, vanilla, raspberry jam, and blackcurrants, leaving lingering flavors of dark fruit and toasted oak on the palate. With a rounded, full-bodied mouthfeel, this red blend provides supple tannins ample for pairing with a wide range of foods.



Airfield Estate Winery's Unoaked Chardonnay. I have discovered that I rather enjoy unoaked Chardonnay (but still don't like oaked Chardonnay). From their website:
Crisp, dry, and refreshing with aromas of honeysuckle, melon, and tropical fruit, this 100% stainless steel fermented Chardonnay showcases authentic varietal characteristics. Citrus flavors engage the palate with a round, lively mouthfeel and a lingering finish. This wine is enjoyable on its own or pairs nicely with seafood and pan-Asian cuisine.



This is the wine I was waiting to taste. I was pretty excited! It is Northwest Totem Cellars Late Harvest Viognier. To say this is delicious is a vast understatement. It is definitely a dessert wine but not overly syrupy or sickly sweet. I love it!



Efesté Evergreen Riesling. From their website:
The Evergreen Riesling combines mineral and slate with flavors of white peach and linden. This wine finishes with wonderful focus and a backbone of mandarin orange.

This wine would be fantastic with Asian food. I could easily see drinking it with some nice Thai food.



Hestia's Chenin Blanc. This was crisp and wonderful! This would be really great with chicken or a light fish like tilapia.



Chatter Creek's Orange Muscat. For some reason this wine is not on their website. This was sweet, light, and a perfect brunch wine.



Page Cellars Lick My Lips Syrah. Are you joking me? Did I really pay $27 for a bottle of Syrah? Oh, yes, I did. It is soooooooooo jammy and yummy. My undying love for the Syrah grape lives on.



Cuillin Hills Dungeon Syrah is another delicious Syrah! From their website:
Varietals: 86% Syrah, 14% Grenache
Vineyards: Snipes Canyon, Meek, Sagemoor Weinbau
Cooperage: 35% New, Mixed
Aging: 20 Months

Tasting notes provided by Wine Advocate-
“The 2007 The Dungeon Syrah also contains 14% Grenache. Dark ruby/purple in color, it offers up a spicy nose of meat, game, underbrush, kirsch, and blueberry notes. Layered, dense, and sweetly-fruited, this impeccably balanced, large-scaled effort will drink well for another 8 years.”

Recommendations: Decant min. 15 to 30 minutes.

Oh yes, yes, yes. I am going to be cellaring this one for a while, I think.



Gifford-Hirlinger Stateline Red. We tasted this one, then a 100% Merlot and a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a blend of the two and, believe me, the best. These two grapes bring out the best in each other like an old married couple or best friends. From their website:
The Wine

The Stateline Red is a simple blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is a very food-friendly, versatile wine with enough structure to pair with a steak, but also fruit forward enough to pair with seafood dishes!
Case Production:
* 418

Varietal Composition:
* 50% Merlot
* 50% Cabernet Sauvignon

Barrel Aging:
* 17 Months

Oak Program:
* 100% Neutral Oak



And that's it! I am really excited to be tasting these lovely Washington wines.

Wine, Wine, Wine!

I will add photos later but yesterday I attended the Passport to Woodinville wine tasting. It was amazing! I tasted wonderful wines. Among my favorites were Brian Carter Cellars (I joined their wine club!!), Efesté, Airfield Estates Winery (their unoaked Chardonnay was fabulous!), and Northwest Totem Cellars, one of my newest favorite wineries! They have a Late Harvest Viognier (YUM!) and a white wine blend called Salish that are good. Their reds were good as well!

I will review the wines as I drink them. I am super excited about my wine purchases yesterday.

2005 Yering Station MVR

I'm a bit late on this entry as well. Came home from work and napped for a few hours. My immune system seems hellbent on catching a cold! Boo!

It's not going to stop me from posting about this fantastic wine, though!!

Front of the bottle:


Back of the bottle:


2005 Yering Station MVR!

To say that I was looking forward to this wine is a vast understatement. The second I put it in my cart at Grocery Outlet (a bargain at $5.99! Elsewhere it's $18.99) I knew I'd want to drink and drink and drink it. This wine is comprised of 54% Marsanne, 36% Viognier, and 10% Roussanne. There's a hint of pear on the nose. Drinking the wine, it's crisp and clean. This is definitely not a sweet white wine. While I was drinking the wine I kept imagining a backyard barbecue with chicken and pasta salads and sun. It's definitely a summer wine so if you have the chance to buy it during GO's wine sale from March 30th through April 3rd you should do it! Summer is not so far away.

But, back to the wine. I definitely get a lot of green apple with this wine. Mr Mary Cooks had only one glass (he's not a fan of whites) but I easily drank the rest of the bottle. I am an equal opportunity wine drinker. If you're only a marginal fan of white wines you may not like this. The Mr said it smelled like Play-Doh. While I could see how he could smell that I didn't think it was a bad thing.

By the way, we drank this with a whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker.



I was intending on blogging the recipe but, quite frankly, the chicken turned out dry (!!) and not all that great. I was disappointed but it reinforces my desire to have a programmable slow cooker vs. my old-school "off-low-high" model.

I have more wines to blog about even though the "official" period has ended. I have three bottles left and I'm intending on sharing them all with you!

2009 Buckley's Cove Merlot

I'm getting this one in right under the wire. I had a crazy day at work and then right after some friends and I went to a book reading and signing by Christopher Moore. It was good fun but we were in line for about 2 hours. Totally worth it, though!

But, to the wine please! We drank a 2009 Buckley's Cove Merlot with polenta pasticciata (recipe coming tomorrow!). The wine costs $2.99 at Grocery Outlet compared to $12.99 elsewhere.

Front of the bottle:


Back of the bottle:


There are berries and cherries on the nose as well as a bit of a buttery caramel. For my money, it is far better than "2 Buck Chuck". It is mild, with very few tannins. It was better than I thought it'd be and fairly charactered for a three dollar wine. There are pepper notes at the end but no bitter lingering flavor. It would be good with a sharp cheese such as cheddar or parmesan. It's not very complex but, then, I didn't expect it to be. We did drink the whole bottle. Most of the time I drank it while sitting at the table surfing the internet on my laptop. It's perfect for sitting, lingering at the table with conversation.

I don't think I would actively seek this wine out but I wouldn't turn it away, either.

The back of the bottle is worth a read! It's very funny!



Here's a teaser of the polenta dish:

Dragon Xanadu Cabernet-Merlot and Bacon Wrapped Tenderloins

Yes, it's bacon wrapped tenderloin time again. (We had six of them...) They were just as delicious the second day in a week.

Obligatory food photo:



Now, on to the wine! To go with this dinner we chose a 2005 Dragon Xanadu Cabernet-Merlot purchased from Grocery Outlet. It was $5.99 (elsewhere $8.99).

Front of the bottle:


Back of the bottle:


This is a wine that needs its breathing room. Once you let it open up it is very pleasant, almost jammy. We were getting a spicy finish. It tasted of allspice and nutmeg. The wine was also a little on the peppery side but definitely not overwhelming. The tannins were medium but not intimidating. It was so good with the steak. Mr Mary Cooks thinks it'd be good with duck or lamb. He said he'd prefer it to go with fatty food and definitely not with a lean meat. I think it'd be excellent with a creamy brie or some other soft, mild cheese. We would definitely feel confident serving this to guests or bringing it to a party.

We drank the whole bottle which, I have to tell you, seems to be the true test with our week of wine tasting!

I liked this wine. I am going to be keeping an eye out for other Xanadu wines from Down Under.

Two Wine Reviews and a Salmon Recipe

Grocery Outlet wines again tonight. In case you're wondering why I was given this opportunity and why GO is ramping up their wine presence online, it's because they're going to be having a fantastic sale March 30-April 3. 20% off all wines! This is a great event and there will be some terrific bargains to be had so do not miss it!

Tonight's first wine was a 2007 Sylvester Vineyards & Winery Rosé.

Front of the bottle:


Back of the bottle:


I bought this with the gift card given to me by GO for $3.99. Their sign said elsewhere it was $8.99.

When I opened this and poured it in my glass the first thing I smelled was vinegar. This did not bode well. It's dry and Mr Mary Cooks claimed it tasted like "Kool-Aid rainwater." (Hey, I couldn't make that up by myself!) There's an unpleasant aftertaste with a sourness that's almost lemony. The text on the back label matches the flavor and character of the wine: vague and nondescript. I would have felt obligated to finish the bottle but since I didn't pay for it, I didn't.

However, we did figure out a good use for it: it'd be a decent sangria wine. It also makes a good wine spritzer if you add lemon-lime soda. Just sayin'...

We drank it with salmon that was still great after being in the freezer for a year and a half. This is salmon that we caught ourselves in Ketchikan, Alaska. I was overjoyed that not only was it still good but it was delicious! Are you ready for the food interlude?



Ingredients:
4 4 oz. salmon fillets
2 Tbsp. canola oil
4 Tbsp. rice vinegar
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. finely minced onion
2 Tbsp. sesame oil



Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.



Pour over the salmon fillets.



Let them marinade for 30 minutes.



Flip 'em over and let them go for another 30 minutes.



Put them in a pan and cook them in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Then, broil them for about 5 minutes or so.



Ahhhh... I live a tough life, don't I?!


Okay, back to the wine. After the dismal performance of the rosé (and I truly was disappointed because I love a good rosé!) I decided to open a 2008 Le Baron Ranch Late Harvest Riesling.

Front of the bottle:


Back of the bottle:


What
A
Godsend!

Apple and apricot on the nose. It was only lightly syrupy but very, very sweet. It would make an excellent dessert wine. It was such a treat, literally candy for adults! There were pear and apricot notes with a peach aftertaste. It was almost effervescent on the tongue when it touched. It finished clean on the palate. I knew it might yield a nasty hangover in the morning (due to the sugar content) but I didn't care! The bottle was completely consumed, mostly by me. There was a bit of a starfruit note as it warmed. I loved, loved, loved this wine. If I could drink it every day I would do it.

It was $10.99 at Grocery Outlet, elsewhere $44.99. Honestly, for a Late Harvest that might be a wee bit inflated (I'd believe it more for an ice wine) but no matter. It was definitely worth the eleven bucks. I am going to head back to GO for more! You should, too, if you know what's good for you.

Grocery Outlet Wine!

Can you believe I bought all 9 of these bottles from Grocery Outlet for $50? Okay...I fib just a little...I went over by $1. ;-)

Grocery Outlet gave me a $50 gift card with which to buy wine and review it here on my blog. Sweet! The first wine I am reviewing is a 2007 Renovales Malbec. I have been trying to research this on the internet but have come up with nothing. My Google-Fu is failing me! I bought this at Grocery Outlet for $4.99 and their price tag said to compare it to $9.99 in other stores.

Front of the bottle:


Back of the bottle:


I do know that Mendoza is a good place for Malbecs. I have a soft spot in my heart for Malbecs so that's why I decided to start with this one.

I poured it in my glass and let it breathe for a little bit. It looked beautiful and dark.



At first there was an oaky taste to it but that dissipated the more it breathed. Also at first there was a bit of a dull pomegranate taste to it and Mr Mary Cooks swears there was a ruby red grapefruit taste to it (I didn't get that at all). The tannins are very tame which makes this wine very approachable for someone who maybe has not had a lot of experience with red wines. This wine would be awesome with a creamy cheese like perhaps a chevre or even a stilton. I can imagine eating a salad comprised of arugula, rocket, pear, walnuts, and chevre while sipping on this wine.

Instead, we had bacon-wrapped filet mignon (which will make another appearance later this week) and twice-baked potatoes.



This was a Christmas present from family of Mr Mary Cooks so it made this meal very economical!

Anyway, back to the wine. It's much better when consumed with food. We drank the whole bottle so it definitely passed the test as it took very little effort to drink it all. It was mildly fruity and I bet it would age pretty well for another year.

The only negative thing I can say about this wine is that there was an odd sedimentation in the first pour which was strange because it had been sitting upright for two days prior to opening it.

I would definitely buy this wine again. It was delicious and for 5 bucks, an incredible deal!

-----------

Stay tuned later this week for an announcement! Grocery Outlet has given me a $50 gift card to give away here on the blog! There are some stipulations (you have to have a blog and post what you bought with it) which I will list tomorrow. I'll start accepting entries to the giveaway on Wednesday and announce the winner on Friday evening. Hooray!!!

Wine + Grocery Outlet = LOVE

(Note: these are not the wines I have purchased from Grocery Outlet...I still have to do my shopping!)

I am super excited to announce that I am going to be blogging my wine purchasing experiences with Grocery Outlet next week! During the remainder of this week I will be putting together a menu comprised mostly of the awesome bargains you can find at Grocery Outlet along with the fantastic wines they offer.

What?! You didn't know G.O. sold wine?! What?! You didn't know G.O. sold AWESOME wines?! Where have you BEEN???

Stay tuned. They have provided me with a gift card for me to purchase wines and another gift card to give away to my readers. I'll announce how to get in on the drawing for the gift card over the weekend when I announce my meal plan for next week along with wine accompaniment provided by Grocery Outlet.

This is going to be so great!

Wine Review

Back in late April, some friends and I went to Yakima for their annual Spring Barrel Opening. One of the wineries we visited was Plaza Socievole Winery. I fell in love with their white wines, which is interesting because I usually don't like white wine all that much. I tasted, then bought, a bottle of their 2007 Harmony.

From their website:
This beautiful blend of 75% Viognier and 25% Roussanne. This wine showcases the magnificent terroir of the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. Fresh aromas of peaches and pineapple intermingle flawlessly with the French oak. The subtle oak accents give this wine a fun yet sophisticated complex mouth feel. "A touch of class in a glass".

I adore both Viognier and Roussanne so putting two together is amazingly delicious. It's complex and smooth. It's a delightful summer drinking wine. This winery definitely deserves a look from everyone. I also bought some Riesling of theirs that I'll have to review soon.

Anyway, I'm not a sophisticated wine reviewer but I know what I like. This white is not too dry for me to want a glass of water afterward nor is it sweet. I wouldn't even label it "semi-dry". I would just say it's good drinkin'. It's crisp and accessible.

Wine of the Week: Rowland Cellars 1999 Syrah

I have three places where I store wine. The first is a wine cooler (refrigerator) in the kitchen. In it is where I store the wines that I most care about. The second place is in a real refrigerator in our shop. This is where I store the white wines that need to be refrigerated prior to drinking. Finally, I also store wines in our walk-in closet. It is very cool in this closet and although its temperature does vary it is probably the most consistent place temperature-wise in the whole house. I have stored some wines in our walk-in closet for a couple of years. Sometimes it is with trepidation that I open a bottle that has been stored in the closet for some time. I just never know if I am going to get a quality wine from there.

Tonight we decided that opening (at least) a bottle per week would be a prudent idea. I already had a lot of wine to begin with so my adventure with the girls last week only added to the predicament of too much wine, if there is such a thing! It is going to be a fun endeavor, to be sure. In that spirit we opened a Rowland Cellars 1999 Red Triangle Syrah.



1999 was a pretty good year for Syrahs so I was a bit excited for this bottle. We opened it, poured it in the glasses, and opted to let it breathe for a bit. At first on the nose Mr. Mary Cooks got blueberry while I got cherry. Mr. Mary Cooks doesn't think that it comes out of the bottle very well but once it has breathed for some time (about an hour) it is very nice. When I had my first glass it seemed really smooth and mellow. After it breathed for an hour it was more of a characteristic Syrah with a good amount of tannins and flavor. This one definitely has the taste of oak but it is not obnoxious (not that I think oak is obnoxious).



The price point on this bottle seems to be about $26. I am positive that I did not pay that much for this bottle but I may have paid $14-20 for it. I am fairly sure I got it in a close-out cart from the awesome store, Central Market. I wish I had bought two bottles instead of one but it's always a crap shoot, it seems, in these situations.

Anyway, this is delightful and I adore it.

I know I should be more technical with my tasting notes and I will learn, in time, the right "buzzwords" to say but for now I will stick to "yes, I liked it" or "no, this is crap". Ha!

Wine Weekend with the Girls

Last weekend a few friends and I traveled to the Yakima Valley in Washington state for the Spring Barrel Opening event. It was loads of fun. I came home with 9 bottles of white wine and 9 bottles of red wine for me (totally unintentional to have it so even) and 3 bottles of dessert wines for my parents. This has left me with the pleasant situation of having entirely too much wine in my house! I think I need to start drinking it and stop hoarding it. Perhaps I can open one bottle per Saturday and review it here on the blog. That's a great idea!

This is at Kiona, our first stop on Saturday morning.





This is at Hightower. They used to have a lovely Golden Retriever named Murray but he died over a year ago. Now they have another Golden named Riley.





Now, Terra Blanca, which is usually my favorite. This year, however, I was not quite as impressed with their wines. Still, it's beautiful. This is also where we ate lunch (we made all the food ourselves - well, not me but my friends did). One of my friends made a lovely white bean and tuna salad. Another friend made roasted asparagus that we had with canteloupe, bocconcini, and prosciutto. It was all delicious!







Our awesome food!



This is the barn outside our hotel.



The sunset Saturday night:



This is one of the wineries we visited on Sunday. It's called Bonair and is beautiful!



Finally, this is at a winery called Silver Lake. We went here Sunday as well. It was delicious!





Here are the wines I bought:













Stay tuned for weekly wine reviews!

Also, I want to make the white bean salad sometime very soon and I'll post the recipe when I do.