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ISSUE 24| September 2011 |
Welcome to the Winacea E-newsletter.
What do you think of when you first hear Pinot Grigio? Most people, myself included, think of a dry, uncomplicated, and often disappointing white wine from Italy. How about when you hear Pinot Gris? Did your mind travel to California, Oregon, possibly Washington, or did you immediately land in France? Let me introduce you to Pinot Gris rosé from Reuilly, France, an area in the upper Loire Valley. Reuilly (pronounced reuh-yee) is better known for its production of Sauvignon Blancs, which are stylistically and geographically similar to Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Now just to be clear, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape. Italians call the French Pinot Gris grape, Pinot Grigio. It is a mutation of the Pinot Noir grape with colorful berries ranging between greyish blue to brownish pink. Not the appearance you'd expect from typically a white wine. The pale pink Pinot Gris rosés from Reuilly are pure and magnificent manifestations of the common grape varietal. Try one (if you can find one) and you too will become a devotee!
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Chicken Baked in Yogurt Sauce paired with Cruvin*
Serves 6
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1 c plain Greek yogurt | | |
¼ c chopped fresh mint, or 1 Tbsp dried | | |
1 bay leaf, finely chopped | | |
2 tsp ground cumin | | |
1 tsp ground coriander | | |
½ tsp ground turmeric | | |
1 tsp salt | | |
1 tsp fresh ground white pepper | | |
6 lbs whole chicken pieces | | |
1 large red onion, quartered and cut into ¼ inch slices | | |
2 tsp finely chopped lemon zest |
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Mix the first 8 ingredients together in a bowl. Place chicken pieces in baking dish close together in a single layer. Add the onion to the dish and pour the yogurt mixture over top. Turn the chicken pieces to coat them in the yogurt mixture. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, gently stir, and bake another 20 minutes. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the top of chicken and serve.
*note: Cruvin is a red wine from Italy made from the Corvino grape.
Recipe adapted from "The Olive and the Caper" by Susanna Hoffman. |  |
Winacea in New Mexico!
It is always so fun and refreshing to be spontaneous and pull into a winery's parking lot when you're on a road trip. Wine tasting at a winery wasn't on our itinerary, but that's how I wound up wine tasting last month in northern New Mexico. Traveling along State Highway 68 I took the opportunity to taste at Black Mesa Winery in Velarde and La Chiripada Winery in Dixon. There are a dozen or so wineries concentrated in that special area between Santa Fe and Taos. Black Mesa Winery's $7 tasting fee is totally worth it! There is a long list of wines to choose from, in many styles, a comfortable tasting bar and an adorable patio. Their 2010 Dolcetto was my favorite. For the more adventurous palate, try the sherry-styled Criadera made with local brandy. Very cool! At La Chiripada (meaning "a stoke of good luck") we learned about the vineyards, the winery's great history and the family's passion for wine. My favorites there were the 2010 Chardonnay, 2009 Vinters' Reserve Red and the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Good wine from unexpected places is a great pleasure. Check out New Mexico's wine trails (there's 4!) on your next trip to Santa Fe.
Stay Tuned!! Next month's issue will feature wine and cigar pairings. |
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Winacea Events
- coming soon -
Other Recommended Colorado Wine Events
Other US Recommended Wine Events
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Why good wine can be purchased at amazingly low prices...
- Marketing tricks - Try your favorite winery's "off-brand"/cheap-label. Many wineries make a second wine under a less expensive label. Maybe you'll like it just as much as their marketed expensive label. After all, the same winemaker, possibly same grapes, and generally the same terroir should make a wine that's very familiar with your favorite.
- Timing - Perfect weather or other unexpected good fortunes can happen in a vintage and create tremendous wine. Sometimes the word hasn't gotten out yet. You just happen to be lucky enough to cash in on the find before the demand drives up the price.
- Flukes - Importers going bankrupt, old inventory, flash sales, volume discounts or even cutting out the middle-man (i.e. the distributor is the importer) can cause a bottle of wine to be so much less expensive than the bottle to its left. You just never know.
- Location, location, location - Mortgage vs. no mortgage. It's that simple. A family owned vineyard in the Navarra region of Spain that's been making wine for centuries doesn't have to pass on the cost of a mortgage like a new glitzy winery in Napa that just started making wines in 2003.
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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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