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Recently I was invited to The Pink Party, a Rosé wine tasting event co-sponsored by Maximilian Riedel, CEO of Riedel Crystal of America and Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), an education and support organization for breast cancer survivors.
For the past few years Riedel Crystal has been making a special wine glasses from which a portion of the proceeds are donated to LBBC. This year the specially designed glasses are made especially for drinking dry Rosé wines and showing off their attributes to the best advantage. This event Premiered the new Riedel limited edition Pink Vinum Rosé glass that sports a light pink stem, benefiting Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
The party was held on Wednesday September 26, 2007 at Duvet, a lounge in NYC with a bed theme. I have heard about places like this where you and a group of friends and new acquaintances can loll around on enormous beds, getting toasted while you try not to spill your cocktails and wine all over yourselves and the bright white sheets. Have you ever had one of those enormous and trendy cocktails served filled to the brim and it slops all over as you try to take that first sip? As I was driving down to NY from Maine on my way to the party, all that kept going through my mind was Rosé wine and white sheets. I expected to see quite a lot of pink by the end of the night, and not just from the pink ribbons supporting LBBC sported on shirt and dress fronts.
This past weekend the Maine Fare was held here in Mid-Coast Maine. A celebration of the bounty of all things food in Maine. It was three days packed full of tasting events, cooking demos and classes, fine food, interesting new food products, the good company of other food aficionados, and fascinating panel discussions on everything food related in Maine. Add in the top 30 chefs in the state and it was most definitely the food event of New England this weekend.
Last night I was invited to a special Maine Fare Chefs' Table Dinner at The Edge, the cutting edge restaurant at the luxurious Inn at Ocean's Edge in Lincolnville, ME. It was a special tasting dinner put together by six of the best chef's in Maine, each creating an outstanding dish that would both complement and contrast with the others. Along with the dinner was the option of a matching flight of truly excellent Bell wines from Bell Wine Cellar in Yountville, Napa Valley, CA. As you can see from the menu it was an intriguing , fun, and delicious meal.
We want to believe that there is a magic pill that will melt the fat off our bodies. We even hope there's some secret formula that nobody else knows. In the end, however, in our heart of hearts, we always know that "the formula" for staying trim is no formula at all. Quite simply, we have to exercise more and eat less.
Right?
Well, not exactly. According to various bits of research done here and there and compiled by AOL Diet & Fitness, it seems that for one particular trouble spot for a lot us, abs, eating more might be key.
Hold your horses, Soon-to-be-Taut Tonto. You can't just go eating everything in sight, thinking that the more potato chips and bacon you cram down your throat, the tighter your abs will be. There are specific nutrients in foods that seem t help fight ab fat. Unfortunately, potato chips isn't one of them. What are they? There are five things, and the matrix above is just a few suggestions for ways you can incorporate these into your diet that will get you to flatter abs:
This weekend I was out on my usual drive along the back country roads here in Maine, stopping at all the farm stands, and I ran across some great produce. Bright jalapenos, small red potatoes, big shallots, just harvested and cured garlic, beautiful bunches of celery with tons of leaves; and big, fat, sweet local onions that were grown from Walla Walla seed.
I had picked up some different meats over the past few weeks at the local town farmers market and stashed them in my freezer until I had time to play with them. One that kept grabbing my attention every time I fought my way through my overstuffed freezer was this great looking pork shank. It was organic, pasture raised, and from a farm that raises and butchers their animals humanely. It was a great looking joint and since the weather had turned almost Autumn cool for a few days, now was a perfect time to make a dish a bit heavier than I usually do in the summer.
I looked around my kitchen to see what might be sitting there eagerly waiting to join the pork shank in my dutch oven. I had some nice farm fresh local butter, a few super ripe local tomatoes, a Gala apple, and a few bottles of wine left over from a tasting the night before. This looked like the makings of a fantastic dish.
Earlier this week, I mentioned the International Pinot Noir Festival in Oregon that is taking place as we speak (July 27-29, 2007). If you're a winegeek, or a wannabe winegeek, or just like saying "winegeek" (that last one is me), and missed the Pinot Noir celebration, Fodor's has a list of similar activities in and around the wine regions of California. However, if you're in it just for the tasting, these aren't for you. These are "Crush Camps" -- several days where participants have to roll up their sleeves to learn how to make wine. Check the websites for information, or head over to Fodor's for a quick review of each:
As far as wine regions, the Central Coast of California uses unusual grapes and SIV praises a hot wine, Le Picpoul from the Languedoc region in France.
You must have A/C in your house if you can stand to be in the kitchen! White wine gelees are a refreshing addition to the summer table and the Times hunts down the recipe for Grilled Cheese from restaurant Lucques.
A friend of mine brought over a bottle of the most obscenely pink drink to my house the other day, Nuvo, and asked me to try it because the bottle very clearly says "For Her" (my friend is a "he"). I was very very very (very!) skeptical because though I have this problem with squealing like a teeny little Hello Kitty of a girl when I see anything pink, I am wary of cocktails that are pre-mixed and bottled. They almost always taste like...cocktails that are pre-mixed and bottled. In other words, I'd rather drink Alka-seltzer on the rocks.
The drink is called Nuvo, is from France, and is supposed to be a sparkling vodka. The cocktail is a blend of vodka and Champagne, which is what gives Nuvo it's "sparkle." If the pink doesn't tip you off to the fact that the drink is "fem," then the shape of the bottle will. You can't tell from the photo I took, but when I first saw the bottle, I thought it was something a little more naughty than what I eventually realized it was. It's shaped like a giant tube of lipstick.
This summer, you may send your kids off to camp deep in the woods to eat bugs, make crafts out of tree bark, and sing sings in rounds around a campfire, but for the adults, the real summer camp is the three-day International Pinot Noir Celebration, being held this weekend (July 27-29) in Oregon Wine Country.
The Wine Advocate calls the event "unquestionably the finest in the world," with a hedonistic three days of seminars, tastings, tours and one-of-a-kind meals with 60 international Pinot Noir winemakers and food prepared by renown chefs in the Pacific Northwest. More information about the festival on the website.
I mentioned the GranGala Triple Orange Liqueur earlier and thought you might like some recipes using the liqueur. Most notable is their version of the margarita since it was in a margarita taste test by the Beverage Tasting Institute that GranGala Triple Orange Liqueur excelled.
The Ultimate Margarita 1 oz. GranGala Triple Orange Liqueur 1 oz. of gold or silver Tequila (they suggest El Charro) 1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice salt a fresh lime
Rub a lime wedge along the rim of the glass to wet it and dip it into salt to coat the rim. Shake the ingredients over ice thoroughly and strain into the glass. Garnish with a slice of lime.
More GranGala Triple Orange Liqueur cocktail recipes after the jump.
Hardys 2003 Botrytis Semillon is 11.5% abv. and packaged in 375 ml. bottles. The wine is 18.2 brix at harvest and the wine has residual sugar of 210 grams per liter.
The Hardys Winery in South Eastern Australia was established in 1853 and they have been making fine wines, including dessert wines, what the Aussies call 'stickies' for over 150 years. Their wines are made from premium grapes sourced from and grown in diverse areas and multiple vineyards then blended and crushed together depending upon the type and style of wine.
This is the second vintage of Botrytis Semillon released in the US by Hardys, following the 2005 launch of their 2002 Botrytis Semillon. In the near future I will do a vertical tasting of the two and compare them.
The color of the wine is a medium golden yellow, with a medium to full body with a nice, slightly syrupy mouth feel. It has that classic Australian "stickie" feel in your mouth, like many other fine dessert wines.
The aroma is that of a combination of a young dessert wine type of fruits, like green apple and one of the sweeter pineapple varieties such as a 'Gold' or a South African 'Victoria'; and more mature wine flavors like golden sultana raisins.
The taste is a melange of both young and mature wines, again with the afore mentioned pineapple and golden sultanas; as well as dried apricots, hints of figs, and honey, with a nice presence of botrytis, and carried by some slight oak.
The finish is medium to long lasting and very complex as all the flavors meld together.
This in excellent wine and at an approximate cost of $14.99 for 375 ml. it's a bargain as well.
I have a some guests from out of town visiting for a few days and I wanted to prepare something special. As usual I am all about putting together a meal from fresh and local ingredients. Today it is handmade, cultured butter and fresh caught haddock which were the main ingredients around which I wanted to base the meal. When you have these two ingredients the dish that comes to mind is fish in a Beurre Blanc sauce. This is a sauce made from white wine, fresh squeezed lemon juice, sauteed shallots and then it is emulsified into a sauce by slowly whisking in butter at a very low temperature. I will serve this with a nice Tomato, Green Bean, and Baby Potato Salad with Garden Herbs.
Ever since becoming of legal drinking age, I have been a big fan of sangria. I went to college in the Walla Walla Valley in Eastern Washington and during the time I was there, it was becoming one of the biggest and most lauded wine regions in the country. Drinkable wine was cheap and easy to come by, and we would often mixed it up with whatever fruit was in season (the peaches, plums and apricots are amazing right now), a little brandy or other liqueur, maybe a few cinnamon sticks or cloves if we were using a red and a couple of glugs of sparkling water.
The only challenge was to keep it cool without watering it down. One day I was struck with a brainstorm--frozen grapes! They were the perfect cooling package, as they froze well and wouldn't dilute the concoction as they melted. On hot days, they make a really nice, slushy, boozy, sweet treat at the bottom of the glass.
Who says that you have to spend $90 for a good bottle of wine? Or even $20?
A 2005 Charles Shaw Chardonnay, aka "Two Buck Chuck," was named the Best Chardonnay at the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition. The wine is sold for $1.99 at the Trader Joe's chain.
This article at the San Jose Mercury News says that it's not really a surprise that the inexpensive wine won, since judges often try to be contrarian at these events (especially if it's something fruity). The article also says that if you want to go down to Trader Joe's and buy a case you should be aware that the quality of the chardonnay can vary from bottle to bottle.
I'm not a white wine guy, but for $1.99 it has to be worth a try; and I'll still have money left over to buy some Doritos and Yodels!
If I were a famous musician who went on tour a lot, I'm not quite sure what special demands I'd have. I think I'd want a TV in my dressing room and maybe a few snacks and drinks for me and my friends, but I can't really think of anything outrageous. Remember when Van Halen demanded no brown M&Ms?
Now take a look at what Diana Krall wants. This is a wine list that would make the Gallos jealous. This isn't what she has in her wine cellar; this is what she wants in her dressing room when she's on tour in North America. Obviously, she doesn't want all of them, it's just a list of wines she'll accept. There's Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon, Falesco from Italy, D'Arenberg Shirz "The Laughing Magpipe," Landmark Chardonnay (2001, 2002, and 2003) and a ton more.
Vince Neil, front man for band Motley Crue, has a new line of tequila out called Tres Rios. Now there is certainly nothing wrong with tequila (except that it makes me gag just thinking about it), and there is nothing wrong with a "celebrity" brand of alcohol, tequila (apparently rockers like to do tequila like Sammy Hagar), wine, or otherwise. However, as TMZ has pointed out, Vince Neil was also responsible for killing a passenger in his car after a drunk driving accident back in 1984. Now he's pushing a brand of his own tequila?!?! Not to mention that he also has wines from Vince Vineyards.
Yikes. Even if I were to ever drink tequila again (and that's only if it's masked in a margarita), I'll stick with the Don Julio.
Earlier this week, I 
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Hardys 2003 Botrytis Semillon is 11.5% abv. and packaged in 375 ml. bottles. The wine is 18.2 brix at harvest and the wine has residual sugar of 210 grams per liter. 
Ever since becoming of legal drinking age, I have been a big fan of sangria. I went to college in the Walla Walla Valley in Eastern Washington and during the time I was there, it was becoming one of the biggest and most lauded wine regions in the country. Drinkable wine was cheap and easy to come by, and we would often mixed it up with whatever fruit was in season (the peaches, plums and apricots are amazing right now), a little brandy or other liqueur, maybe a few cinnamon sticks or cloves if we were using a red and a couple of glugs of sparkling water. 
Who says that you have to spend $90 for a good bottle of wine? Or even $20?
If I were a famous musician who went on tour a lot, I'm not quite sure what special demands I'd have. I think I'd want a TV in my dressing room and maybe a few snacks and drinks for me and my friends, but I can't really think of anything outrageous. Remember when Van Halen demanded no brown M&Ms?
This just isn't right.
