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ISSUE 22 | July 2011 |
Welcome to the Winacea E-newsletter.
Put a cork in it! But how, you may ask? The cork oak tree, Quercus suber for you genus:species enthusiasts out there, has strangely thick and resistant bark that can be stripped from the trunk and branches without injuring the tree. Today, Portugal has the most extensive cork forest and thereby produces many of the wine world's corks. A cork tree must be of 25 years of age or older to produce sufficiently thick bark for harvesting. The older the tree, the more cork it will yield, and the life expectancy is about 170 years! The strips of bark are left outside for 6 months to "season" and then boiled for 90 minutes. Then the strips are kept in the warehouse for 3 weeks before sorting and cutting. Punching, bleaching and cosmetic treatments give way to the final wine cork product. Storing conditions are seriously important because poor conditions increase the incidence of tainted cork (trichloroanisole on the cork), which could end up as the cork in your bottle of wine.
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Red Wine Strawberries and Crème Chantilly
Serves 4
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1 lb fresh strawberries, cut in half | | |
1 c Beaujolais Villages wine | | |
4 T sugar, plus 2 T | | |
½ tsp vanilla extract, plus 1 tsp | | |
juice from 1 lime | | |
2 c heavy cream |
In a sauce pan, bring the red wine to a boil. Add 4 tablespoons of sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the mixture is reduced by half. Add the lime juice and stir in strawberries. Let the red wine and strawberry mixture cool for about 1 hour at room temperature. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together on high speed until soft peaks form. Chill until ready to use. Serve the strawberries in a dessert bowl, glass cup or martini glass and top with crème chantilly. Also try the strawberries on pound cake, angelfood cake, yogurt, or ice cream. You could consider making an extra batch of the red wine sauce for almond biscotti dipping!
Recipe adapted from local chef Bruno Krioussis. |  |
Exceptional Wine,
Exceptional History!
The Ridge Vineyards Wine Dinner June 7th at Chimney Park Restaurant in Windsor, CO was another show stopper by Chef Jason Shaeffer. The incredible wines were presented by Christina Donley, the regional sales manager from Ridge, who answered many geeky wine questions from the excited guests. Ridge Vineyards's wine making history dates back to 1962, and their small crew have made single-vineyard, premium California wines every vintage since. The real rabbit-trick for Ridge was in 2006 at the 30-year re-enactment of the Judgement in Paris when their 1971 Ridge Monte Bello won hands-down against other famous California and Bordeaux wines. We were lucky enough to taste the 2007 Ridge Monte Bello at Chimney Park Restaurant, as well as 3 other stunning Ridge wines. It was impossible to choose a favorite course or favorite wine, and I can't say enough about the pairings! The Zinfandels stole my affection, especially the 2008 Ridge East Bench Zinfandel with the Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese Bread Pudding with Medjool Dates, Figs and Salty Candied Pistachios. Shazaam!
Stay Tuned!! Next month's issue will feature pairing salads with wine. |
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Winacea Events
- coming soon -
Other Recommended Colorado Wine Events
Front Range Wine Festival - Windsor, CO (Aug 27)
Other US Recommended Wine Events
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Tasting Wine, Physiologically
1. Open bottle, pour in glass.
2. Swirl glass to release the wine's odor molecules (chemical components: esters, ethers, aldehydes).
3. Inhale the molecules upward though the nostrils.
4. Half way up the nose, the olfactory epithelium, containing millions of protein receptors, catches and takes hold of the molecules.
5. The interaction of the specific odor molecule matched with the right receptor creates a change in the receptor.
6. The change causes an electrical signal, first sent to the olfactory bulbs and then to the limbic system of the brain.
7. The brain recognizes the smell(s) with memories, emotions, knowledge, etc.
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Winacea will launch its inaugural membership campaign in 2011! Please stay in-touch for more information regarding the exciting Winacea expansion and exclusive membership. |  |
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