I feel like I have been rockin gthe awesome food lately what with and our . Tonight I have cooked for myself (which granted means that this is kind of a one man, slightly vain, claim of deliciousness) a rather tasty dish. The ingredients are as follows:
Two Italian sausages removed from casing and broken up (I used hot though I assume mild or sweet would be okay too -- I just like spicy food)
Half an eggplant
Half a bell pepper (I used a green pepper because that is what I had in the fridge)
Half a white onion
One carrot
One stick of celery
One medium sized tomato
A lot of garlic (at best guess I would say about four cloves worth -- dragon breath insues)
Decent shakes of dried oregano, basil, and black pepper
About half a cup of tomato sauce
A Splash of red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon but probably any red would work -- I don't know I do not have a very developed wine palette)
Pasta (I used rotini but, again, I am sure any kind would work fine)
Some feta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese
The cooking was rather simple. Cooked the sausage for a little bit first with about half of the garlic. Once a decent amount of drippings were gathered I added the onions and carrots. I let everything cook a little longer before adding the rest of the vegetables, the herbs, the tomato sauce, and the splash of wine. I then covered the pan and let it simmer for about fifteen or twenty minutes.
I served in a bowl with the pasta on the bottom with a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella, then the sausage eggplant jazz and then some feta and parmesan. I had a glass of the Cabernet Sauvignon while I ate. Yummy yummy.
My latest wine adventure involved a class dinner held in Hinata in Great Neck where we sampled several Asian fusion entrees paired with selections from the cellar of one of the guests. Said guest has a wife who offered pieces of homemade dark chocolate to all participants. I arrived drowned in the rain, having missed a pairing of cremant blanc de blanc Champagne with sushi appetizers. Dadgum the Long Island Railroad. However, Chablis and slightly chilly salmon were waiting at my place. No worries there. Next up was duck breast over julienned vegetables paired with a Pesquera Tinto Cosecho 1996. This Ribuera del Duero stunner has some subtle smoke scents and grew more complex with each sip. I wish I could go into as much detail about the Chablis and the Champagne but I never saw the bottles. Anyway, beef arrived next with Sheeraz 1998, a Templeton Coast stunner that lived up to one of my favorite descriptions of Shiraz from Lauren Bernardini. This was definitely the Marlboro man with a PhD. Blueberry and some plum nose; robust with balanced tannins. A wine worth seeking out. Dessert arrived -- a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and some caramel sauce. With this, a sparkling Shiraz. My locs nearly unraveled as I had a flashback to one of the worst wines I've ever had in my life -- a Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz NV that was appalling flight tasters at Meadowood Resort in Napa nearly every time it was served. That one had hints of spirit master on the nose and a tarry, nondescript taste that required several deep draughts of water to cleanse one's mouth sufficiently to avoid palate death.
However, Bleasdale Big Brut Sparkling Shiraz NV was delightful. It may look like Riunite Lambrusco, or Cold Duck or any other fizzy red nightmare from your misspent youth, but looks do not tell the story here. Blackberry scents and an off-dry taste that also boded well for pairing this with some creamy cheeses. This made for a happy Negress who had just about dried out from her soggy journey to join these wine lovers.
Perhaps you are curious as to what I am drinking at home. Thanks to a work assignment on the greening of winemaking, I had a Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico 2005 that's organic and was deliciously expressive. The Alois Lageder Benefizium Porer 2006 Pinot Grigio -- also organic -- is subtle, lean with some mineral expression and peach on the nose. The control nonorganic wines weren't too bad either. The Fantinel Borgio Tessis 2005 pinot grigio blends some blue stone minerality with some hints of citrus. lastly, the Banfi Chianti Classico 2005 was beefier than the Badia but very drinkable. All wines were served with pizza from Carmine's Pizza Factory, my favorite pizza joint here in the JC.
Stay tuned. More on a grim Australian Riesling and an effortlessly fabulous Pinot Noir from the North Fork next time around.
I went to Coachella. I'm far too tired to type out an full post about it. But highlights include seeing Prince, seeing Santogold, drinking far too much, meeting some amazing people, Wallpaper playing the Home Depot and Coachella parking lots.
is a small winery in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County. First founded in 1981 the winery started a second life in 2006 when Pete Knight purchased it and Steven Canter was brought onboard as winemaker.
Dry Creek Valley is an area prized for the Zinfandels and Petite Sirah's it produces. No surprise then that Zinfandel is the trademark varietal of Quivira. Zinfandel is so important to the portfolio that most of their Petite Sirah is blended in with those wines. In some years however Quivira finds that the Petite Sirah they harvest is of such outstanding quality that it demands to be bottled separately.
2005 was a year in which Quivira bottled a stand alone Petite Sirah. The Quivira 2005 Wine Creek Ranch Petite Sirah spent 12 months in French Oak. The suggested retail price is $26.
The Petite Sirah opens with a nose of black currants, pepper and spice underscored by subtle but persistent vanilla notes. A slight tartness out of the bottle blows off pretty quickly, especially if you decant. Dark fruit in the form of blackberry, fleshy plum and cherry dominate the palate of this wine. Sweet black cherry notes and additional pepper emerge on the finish, which is above average for sure. The finish also featured a bit of residual lip puckering tartness. This is no small wine, but within the world of Petite Sirah this is a medium bodied, fairly complex offering. This wine is going to pair with a wider array of foods than most Petite Sirah's. A traditional Italian Sunday Dinner with pasta and red sauce is certainly not out of the question.
The 2005 Petite Sirah is drinking well now and should improve over time. It seems to be at the beginning of it's drinking window and a solid decade of positive evolution seems plausible. Anyone who enjoy Dry Creek wines with that unmistakable dusty quality that can be tasted so much easier than it can be explained are encouraged to check out the Quivira Petite Sirah.
Check out , the Advocacy Group dedicated to this great varietal.
12 Days of Petite Sirah Continues. Stay Tuned, 20 More Petite Sirah Reviews Coming!
A FEW weeks ago, during my look at super-high-strength lagers and ciders, was the big surprise. It was very strong at 8.4% volume, tasty, drinkable and cheap. This, I followed up with a few days ago with . At 7.5%, it was a weaker. And because it was a dry cider, it wasn't as drinkable. But it was still cheap.
Next to them on the shop shelves however is another type of strong cider. The White Ciders. All at 7.5% volume, I've rounded up three strong, white, ciders. The first of which is a little bottle of Diamond White.
The bottle isn't unusual in shape. But it is quite small. And there doesn't appear to be much on the labels.
The neck label keeps things simple with only the word "Strong" beneath an illustration of a diamond. That says it all really.
The main front label doesn't have much on it either. But it's still the place to look for the details.
The blue background and stylised "Diamond" and "White" lettering looks good. "Strong" is still very prominent. And the 7.5% is neatly positioned to stand out. There's also the words "Drink Cold" next to what looks like the sort of star symbol that you see on freezers. Not sure if that means you should store it in a freezer or just a fridge.
The back label doesn't have an awful lot on it either. In fact, it's mostly barcode with little bits of text around the edges. You get the impression that if they didn't need a barcode, there would be no back label whatsoever. It really is little larger than a postage stamp.
Prominently positioned next to the Diamond White logo is the units of alcohol symbol. 2.1 for this little bottle. And the smallness of the bottle is confirmed by the label. It is only 275 millilitres. Unusually small, this is the first bottle I've seen that has this odd capacity. Also on the back label, it describes itself as "Strong White Cider". It contains sugar, sweeteners and contains sulphites. Just like every other cider. Yet I'm no clearer on what sulphites are.
There's still little indication of who is behind Diamond White. Hold on... what is that I see in tiny lettering beneath the barcode? It's the postal address and name of the manufacturer. I wander who it is? Well stone me, it's Gaymer again! The same Gaymer Cider Company of Shepton Mallet, Sumerset, England who were behind the excellent K. And if I remember, they were keen on hiding their identity on that cider too. This hints at two things. First, that Gaymer really doesn't want to be associated with strong ciders. And two, if K was anything to go by, Diamond White will be pretty good. Time to find out.
Pouring it, the reason for the unusual 275 millilitre amount becomes clear: it filled my half-pint glass nicely. The other thing that stood out were how many bubbles were rapidly rising to the surface. So many, and so violently, they cause a quite loud fizzing sound. The last thing that strikes me, is how it looks. It's a very weak shade of yellow for a cider. Although that could be down to it being a white cider. Until I've tried some others, it's not clear if it's unusually light in shade or not.
The smell is good though. A light and apple-y smell accompanies Diamond White. But there is something synthetic about the way it smells. Rather like it's sister cider, K.
A couple of gulps down, and it's clear that white cider, or Diamond White at least, is a different animal to ordinary cider. It tastes less of apples. And minus the full-flavoured, full-body that I love about cider of the non-white variety. Diamond White is... well... rather watery.
As a cider, this makes it hard to judge. With the tiny amount I've had so far, I'd say that it's somewhere between a dry and a sweet cider. Although I could be wrong on that call.
There are some cider-like qualities still present however. It does taste a little of apples. And, especially when cold, it is quite refreshing. It's also very easy to drink. And surprisingly, despite how fizzy it is, I didn't end up burping. Which was a relief.
But I'm not impressed. It doesn't have the lingering, apple-y, refreshing aftertaste that cider should have. It doesn't have much taste or flavour at all. And it's not all that potent either, if that's what you're after.
At the end of my glass of Diamond White, I've hit upon what white cider is all about. Assuming that Diamond White sums up what the category is all about. Diamond White, or white cider in general is the strong lager of the cider world. Like strong lagers to ales, Diamond White hasn't got much taste or flavour. But it is strong. And this one is easy to drink, easy to buy and cheap. But, it isn't as strong, or as delicious as, for example, K. And that makes Diamond White and the other white ciders a puzzle about what their purpose is. With two more white ciders to go in this round-up, there's still time to figure it out.
Rating: 2.95
What is Diamond White and the phenomenon that is white cider all about? If you're tried Diamond White or the other white ciders, leave a comment with your thoughts, opinions, ideas, corrections and suggestions.
One-hit tv show wonder, Brian Dunkleman told the judges on the finale of VH1’s hit reality tv show, Celebrity Fit Club that contrary to the rumors that he was fired from his hosting gig on American Idol he was the one who actually made the decision to quit the show.
Ever since his noticeable absence from the second season of American Idol, rumors have run rapid for about 15 minutes (because basically nobody really gave a shit) about the reason for his sudden departure, the most popular being that he was “too difficult” to work with.
(As if anyone could work amicably with Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul!)
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My new obsession is Valley of the Moon Cabernet. It is the perfect BBQ wine but can also be served with pasta or a 7 course meal. It's a BIG wine with tons of flavor. Cherry, chocolate and a peppery spice mix wonderfully and make it a great wine to drink with dinner or just when you're relaxing. Plus, it has a great price! ($15-$21) () I actually got to visit the winery when I was in C.A. in October and it was incredible.
Went there for lunch en route to the RA; we tried a wine flight each and loved the experience. I had read about such things but this was my first time - really enjoyable. Each flight comes as a carousel of 3 different wines, themed by style/grape/provenance, with a view to savouring their various similarities and contrasts.
Now that's my kind of edification - check out their latest menu
The quality of the wines and the food was exemplary; everything was delicious and served both graciously and at optimum temperature: Mr T chose oysters and an Alsace flight, taking great glee in the unbidden yet generous bread and butter; I enjoyed a generous helping of potted shrimp with my selection of rosés.
As the wine worked its magic we sank back to enjoy the subtly beautiful decor: hand-blown glass pendants in the form of illuminated cocoons, walls wood-panelled horizontally to resemble the interior of a wine case, mosaic-tiled floor and the stunning backdrop to the square bar, an air-conditioned, glass-walled cube lined with wine bottles and LED track lighting - a space-age virtual wine cellar.
Tableware too, was a delight. I was especially taken with my water glass (possibly from the Riedel "O" range - so light! so ergonomic!) and liked the olive-wood bread board, our wine glasses, cutlery. I suspect there was even some slate underpinning.
Service was comme il faut, even down to the slightest chill and I'd rather have that than some pup calling me "dear" any day...
the winery started a second life in 2006 when Pete Knight purchased it and Steven Canter was brought onboard as winemaker.
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