Salut! Covenant Cabernet
Note - this post was originally published 04.14.2015
Sometimes, a special not-so-little bottle doesn't need a food to pair with, just a little introduction.
This week we enjoyed a glass of Covenant Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. Covenant Wines is located in Berkley and produces natural wines made with indigenous yeasts, and with out fining or filtration. Lush with refined tannins, beautiful color, and subdued red fruit flavors, this Kosher wine is ready to share.
Salut!
A Feeling of Expectation
Note - this post was originally published 02.07.2015
Hope: a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing to happen. This week in the vineyard we spotted a leaf. In the middle of winter, a pop of color, a sign of life, and the first look at the 2015 vintage. Cheers!
Cherry Blossoms
Note - this post was originally published 2/21/2014.
The cherry trees are in full bloom. Took some photos just as they were showing off their beautiful pink petals:
Another Wet and Gloomy Day
Note - this post was originally published 2/5/2014.
There’s no thunder, but the sounds strike you with awe nonetheless. Listening to the rain pound the earth in waves. It’s beautiful. Rain’s not just for the ducks and the vines. It brings life and makes us happy too. Another wet and gloomy day under the blanket of clouds… Yippee!
Some day we'll have our own little weather station, but for now the best data we could find online for this area was based out of Santa Rosa - Sonoma County (west over the Mayacama mountain range from Napa Valley). We haven't gone for a driving tour, but here's betting there's a good bit of flooding around the vines in the Russian River Valley. We did run into a little flooding ourselves while out for a walk:
Juice and Salad
Note - this post was originally published 2/5/2014.
Well it’s not wine, but it’s made from local fruit and we could easily nerd-out and use some wine descriptors to share this nectar. This week we picked oranges. Great as a snack, but divine as juice.
In effort to keep healthy this winter, we’ve adopted the big salad on our house menu. We start with romaine leaves washed and halved and then pile on what ever we have, trying to make an appealing color wheel. Our latest toppings: carrots and lemon slices sautéed in olive oil with a little salt and pepper, canned corn, avocado, feta cheese, shrimp, garbanzo beans, radishes, and chopped fresh Roma tomatoes (thank you, Mexico). Served with a light ranch and Parmesan dressing.
Recommended wine pairing: Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc. If the dressing is a little richer, we could also see a semi-dry or dry Riesling. Salut!
Rain Drops
Note - this post was originally published 1/30/2014.
It rained. .. a little. January is usually the wettest month of the year. This year we are in a governor-declared drought emergency.
In the image above, Napa and Sonoma Counties (North Bay) are in extreme drought. There’s only one more drought level higher. But it rained, just enough to get the roads wet and slippery and hang the mountains and valleys in the clouds.
My husband was out taping vines despite the consistent rain drops. We tape the new vines to the trellis (the tape is green in the photos below) to train the vines to grow straight and encourage more fruit production. We also tape older vines to the wires of the trellis to support them, so when they bear fruit the vines can hold up their own weight.
I had the opportunity to take a trip up Spring Mountain, which straddles Sonoma and Napa counties as part of the Mayacama range. I brought my camera, hoping I might get up above the clouds far enough to take a nice photo for you, but no luck. I could barely see where my car was parked. As I came back down the mountain, I did see seven deer and three turkeys. Only a little water and life is slowly returning.
The cool cloudy weather inspired warm comforting soup for dinner:
“Broccoli and Potato Soup
1 Tbs unsalted butter
2 Tbs olive oil
½ white onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into coins
1 bay leaf
3 Russet potatoes, peeled, washed, and chopped
2 cups broccoli florets
4 cups vegetable broth (I used boiling water and added two boullion cubes to the soup)
Over medium-high heat, melt the butter and oil together in a large pot. Add onions, garlic, and carrot. Stir to mix with oil, but then allow to cook 4 minutes over medium heat – want the onions to start to become translucent, not burn. Add bay leaf, potatoes, broccoli, and broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. That’s it!
Adapated from this recipe I found online.”