Fumé Blanc Release for Taste! Weekend
Called a Fume Blanc to refer to the wine making style of this sauvignon blanc- it is dry and minimally aged in old french oak barrels. The bouquet is intensely fruity, with notes of peach, nectarine, passion fruit and key lime. With underlying minerality, this wine is well balanced, mid weight and crisp and refreshing finishing with subtle spice and gooseberry notes.
Cheers!
A Month of Gamay- Week 3
This month we are showcasing our wine that is best for transitioning from summer to fall with; our gamay! It’s the kind of wine that is great a little chilled making it a perfect patio wine, but it also can pair with hardier fall cuisine as well. Over the next few weeks we will be posting blog entries with different recipes show casing gamay’s versatility. LCBO 615062. To find a store near you check out: http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/details.do?language=EN&itemNumber=615062
This week’s recipe: Turkey Burgers with Brie, Cranberries, and Fresh Rosemary
What you’ll need:
bread, torn into small pieces, clove garlic, 3 tablespoons boiling water, pound ground turkey, red onion, dried cranberries, Brie cheese, tomato ketchup, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped, salt and pepper
To prepare:
Preheat the oven’s broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Combine the bread, garlic, and boiling water in a mixing bowl; mash with a fork to combine. Add the turkey, red onion, cranberries, Brie, rosemary, ketchup, salt, and pepper; mix thoroughly with your hands. Shape the mixture into 6 patties. Cook under the preheated broiler until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 6 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F.
Why it works:
This pairing works on a number of basic levels. First of all the cranberry in the dish compliments the cranberry notes in the wine. The brie is also an important component. the wine works with the cheese because of the balance of acidity and the way that it cuts the fattiness of the cheese.
This is the perfect way to keep your barbecue going into the fall!
Harvest Update September 2010
Harvest is always a strenuous time of the year, but it’s also the most exciting. This year’s harvest is quite early because of the great summer conditions we had. The summer was hot, but not too hot and it rained just the right amount; the particularities of the vines resting somewhere in the middle of a very fine equilibrium. As of today, Wednesday September 22, 2010, we have harvested our grapes for our 2010 Brut, Rosé, Pinot Gris and are in the process of finishing picking our gamay which we will hopefully start processing later today.
What we’ve been up to- The first thing that has to be done, obviously, is harvest the grapes. The crew picks the grapes, loads them into lugs and our tractor guy goes around picking up the lugs and brings them back to the winery. Once the batch is harvested, it’s time to process. This includes de-stemming and crushing the grapes as well as pressing them off the skins. This work is done on the crush pad, out front of the winery. If you come visit us these days, you will more likely than not, see us working out there.
From here the wines go inside to start the fermentation process, but that’s as far as we have gotten this year. I will post developments as they happen!
So how has the harvest been so far? The grapes have all been beautiful. Healthy, clean, ripe. Processing has been a dream. Well except for the bees….
But so far so good for this year’s harvest and we are very excited to continue…
A Month of Gamay- Week 2
A Month of Gamay- Week 1
This month we are showcasing our wine that is best for transitioning from summer to fall with; our gamay! It’s the kind of wine that is great a little chilled making it a perfect patio wine, but it also can pair with hardier fall cuisine as well. Over the next few weeks we will be posting blog entries with different recipes show casing gamay’s versatility. LCBO 615062. To find a store near you check out: http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/details.do?language=EN&itemNumber=615062
This week’s recipe: Ratatouille. The perfect way to use up late summer vegetables, and it’s easy to make, beautiful and tasty.
What you’ll need:
6 Tbsp olive oil, 2 cups onions diced, 1 Tbsp garlic, minced, 3 cups bell peppers, diced, 8 cups zucchini and yellow squash, large diced or in rounds, 6 cups eggplant, diced, 1/4 cup water, 5 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped, 3 Tbsp, Rosemary, basil, thyme, chopped, salt and pepper to taste.
To prepare:
In sauté pan, heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Remove the onions, peppers, and garlic to a bowl. Return the pan to the heat and add 2 more Tbsp of olive oil. Add the zucchini and yellow squash and cook until they are tender, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the pan. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Add the eggplant and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup of water; the eggplant will absorb all the oil very quickly and the water will help it cook before it burns. When the water is absorbed and the eggplant begins to soften, add the chopped tomatoes to the eggplant. Cook the tomatoes until they start to break down and the eggplant is soft, but not mushy. Add the onions, peppers, and squash back into the pan, folding it all together with a large spoon. Cook for another 5 minutes and add the fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
Why it works:
Gamay is great for these kinds of pairings, things with a lot of veggie flavor and things with a tomato base. Both can be hard for lots of wines to stand up to, most seeming too flabby or sour as a result. But what works about the gamay is the fact that is has good acidic backbone and nice herbal flavors that will compare and contrast well with the flavors of this dish.
