Picnic Wines – Which Wines Are People Choosing for Picnics?

HE says: How about a picnic, Boo Boo?   SHE says:  Of course!  
HE says:  Let’s see Wynton Marsallis at The Hollywood Bowl.
SHE says:   Ok!  (Note to dear reader: Getting TO the Hollywood Bowl? A nightmare.  Once you’re there, a night at The Hollywood Bowl?  Priceless.)

Every city has it’s outdoor music venues, places to picnic, to enjoy the summer, breathe clean air and be thankful   for good music and outdoor venues. In Los Angeles, the best of the best outdoor venues is The Hollywood Bowl.    While picnicing before Wynton Marsalis concert, SHE got snoopy and started asking the people at nearby tables what their “picnic wine” was for that night.  Here are a few of the picnic wines from the Hollywood Bowl picnic area on June 22.

This couple chose 2007 La Finca Tempranillo from Mendoza, Argentina.  (They were sweet enough to let us post their photo, too!)  If you’ve been reading for a while then you know how much we love the wines from Mendoza.   You can read all of our Mendoza Argentina wine notes here.    This video used to have some audio with it of them telling a little story – but the audio disappeared. (thanks Moviemaker) The story goes a friend brought the wine to their house for dinner the week before and since they liked it so much, they decided to drink it again!   Value priced at $3.99 at a Trader Joe’s near you.

Although we are rather organized when it comes to food and wine, we embarrassingly enough (ok, it was She – not He) forgot to bring the bottle opener.  (Seriously.)  Sweet picnic peeps at the table beside us had a good laugh and loaned us their corkscrew.  What were they drinking?
An interesting red wine called Red Diamond  and a 2009 Per Bacco Chardonnay, Edna Valley that one man commented was a very ”clean taste”.     Again we say “Thank you!”  to their generous loan of the cork screw.

On to another table (people are pretty happy to talk at The Hollywood Bowl) we meet some newlyweds and hear another great story – one morning this paricular couple woke up, got ready to go to the gym, and instead they went to the courthouse and got married.  Ok!  Hmmm… what shall we do today… go to the gym to workout? Or get married?  Gym for a workout  – or get married? Hmmmm… Can you believe it?  They decided to get a workout on their soul instead and got married.  Very funny story.  And very sweet people.  Here they are sharing their picnic wine with you – 2007 Arrowhead Chardonnay.

And what did He and She drink at Hollywood Bowl that night?  Rabbit Ridge 2009 Paso Robles Allure de Robles red wine.   It’s easy to choose a light white wine for summer picnic’s but if you’d like to try something a little different, we’re going to suggest you try a Zinfandel or a Pinot Noir.  A little more depth, but not so bold as to overpower your picnic food.  Happy summer picnic-ing to you!

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Picnic Wine – Fourth of July Wines! – Red, White and Blueberry Wine?

SHE Says:  I wonder if there is such a thing as blueberry wine.
HE Says:  Yes. I’ve seen it. I’ve tasted it once or twice.
SHE Says:  Maybe we should have some for Fourth of July dinner?
HE Says:  No.  It’s very sweet, more like an after-dinner liqueur.
SHE Says:  And your point is…? We don’t have time for after-dinner wine?
SHE Adds:  We do have time for after-dinner wine, but no time for blueberry wine to be shipped. Tomasello’s Blueberry Wine 

SHE Says: It’s a Cornerstone 4th of July for us this year.  Cornerstone Napa sent over some Stepping Stone wines that we think are PERFECT for this Fourth of July weekend feasting!

Our dinner:  Fish tacos made with grilled salmon, grilled mahi-mahi and some seared ahi or ahi-ahi as he likes to say.  Made up a batch of some spicy mango salsa, and will serve it with some Asian cole slaw.  And in a totally different direction, slow-barbecued Memphis style baby back ribs.  Mmmm!  Gonna serve them with grilled asparagus, grilled corn, grilled potatoes (get the theme?) and…

HE interrupts:  And She will be attempting a new creation – grilled sage leaves. Something about sage leaves, olive oil, salt, pepper, wood chips and the grill.  No worries, we have a fireman in the neighborhood – we are prepared – and curious.
SHE says:  You just wait….you just wait.

HE Says:  Until then… we have three excellent Fourth Of July wines for you from Stepping Stone, the younger, wilder sister wine  from
Cornerstone Cellars in Napa Valley.

SHE Says: They’re so cute! They look like “Three Little Maids From School”

HE Says: And we’re moving on to describe the three wines..

Stepping Stone 2010 Rocks, White Wine, Napa Valley

Stepping Stone 2010 Riesling, Napa Valley

Stepping Stone Napa Valley Rosé Corallina (Syrah)

Picnic Wine – 2010 Stepping Stone (from Cornerstone Cellars) Rocks! White Wine, Napa Valley

2010 Stepping Stone (from Cornerstone Cellars) Rocks! White Wine, Napa Valley  

HE Says:  Cornerstone is onto a really rockin’ idea. They’re going to make a blended white and a blended red wine from the best varietals of the vintage.  It won’t be the same proportions, or even the same grapes, year after year.  This allows the winemakers lots of freedom to experiment and the ability to put out something really different and special.

For 2010, the Stepping Stone Rocks! white wine is an intriguing blend of chardonnay and muscat. I don’t think this is a combination I’ve come across before — if so, it was a long time ago.  This combo really works.  It has a hint of white peaches on the nose, making me think they added some viognier to it, but they didn’t.  The wine has a pale color, and is soft and smooth.  It has nice fruitiness, and sweet tones from the muscat grapes, but it’s not a sweet wine by any means. This wine does really rock!  I gave it a 15+, which is very strong for a white.

SHE Says:  Memories of Juicy Fruit gum come to mind.  This one sings opera – she is a soprano.

HE and SHE both say: A Sunday brunch wine, and perfect for a salad dinner and a picnic.  In fact, that’s what we expected and why we chose it for our 4th of July picnic!

Click here for more Picnic Wines from Stepping Stone at Cornerstone Cellars.

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Picnic Wine – Stepping Stone 2010 Riesling, from Cornerstone Cellars, Napa Valley

Picnic Wine – Stepping Stone 2010 Riesling, from Cornerstone Cellars, Napa Valley

HE says: I haven’t had too many California Rieslings in all my years of tasting. This Riesling comes from the Carneros region in the South of Napa, a long ways away from Germany or the Alsace region in France.  True to form, the aromas are wonderfully flowery — very similar to the Rocks wine with notes of white peaches.  The wine is very different in flavor tho.  This Riesling is very dry and crisp, with a nice minerally finish.  The acidity will make it great for all our spicy and tangy barbecue flavors.  This Riesling is not sweet in any form. I rated it a very nice 14.

SHE says:  You’re very serious for a white wine, must be the German genes.

Thanks for reading!  Click here for links to all of our 4th of July Picnic wine descriptions. 

Wine from Catalina Island? Yes!

SHE has said to HE a few times, “Lets take the ferry over to Catalina Island.”
HE has replied, “What for?”  lol…
Now SHE can respond, “To taste the wines!”  SHE wins!

SHE SAYS: Alison Wrigley Rusack is my new best friend.  I hope she doesn’t mind.  She’s made

Catalina Vineyard View - She says "Gorgeous!"

sure the Rusack wine making legacy now includes grapes grown on Catalina Island, about 20 miles off the coast of Los Angeles, California.  She wants to share the beauty of that island with as many people as she can and a vineyard is a brilliant way to accomplish that desire.  Hooray!

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel grapes are on their way to becoming wines. Read the full story at the LA Times:  http://lat.ms/LATimesRusackCatalinaWines

Read even more about the Catalina harvest on the Rusack website: http://bit.ly/RusackWinesonCatalina

Is it too soon to camp out for the opening?

Which Wines Would Barry Serve? Seven great choices for Thanksgiving dinner.

And now… for the Thanksgiving wines...

If you want a white wine, almost any Chardonnay you like will do.  HE’s personal recommendations for easy to find, easy to buy Chardonnays are below.  Print this list out, take it to your nearby wine store and if they don’t have one of these exact wines, ask them for something similar.  You’ll be a star dinner guest.

Chateau St. Michelle 2008 from Washington is (usually under $10) is a terrific Chardonnay. Socred a “90″ by those people who score wines.

2007 Qupe Reserve Bien Nacido – from Santa Barbara area, we’ve had Qupe many times and it is consistently good.   (around $20)

Rombauer *(approx $32/bottle)

Or a chardonnay from Longoria Wines for approx $35.

If you like red wines, Barrysentials recommends a Pinot Noir.  Again, most of these are easily and readily available at a local wine store, a World Market store, Whole Foods or larger wine cave.  Just print the list and take it with you and ask the sales person for assistance.  Here are a few to try:

Melville Estate Pinot Noir (around $25)  is reliable in almost any vintage  and not too big to overpower your Thanksgiving feast.

2009 Redtree Pinot Noir (you might be able to find as low as $6/bottle)  hard to believe it can sell for $6 but by now you’ve heard the market is a little flooded with wine.  Don’t be afraid of that screw cap…it’s all the rage now creating a much stronger seal while the wine ages.

2008 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir from New Zealand ($15/bottle)

Still a little nervous?  No worries, here’s more Thanksgiving wine information from the LA Times.

Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you’ll have leftovers!

Turkey secrets from Barry himself for perfect Thanskgiving Turkey

SHE says: The first Thanksgiving I spent with HE’s family was super-big. It was crowded with lots of relatives, but what I noticed more than anything was HE’s turkey was awesome. Super-moist. “How did he do that,” I wondered. He made me wait a WHOLE YEAR until Thanksgiving #2 to share the big turkey secrets. He knew it didn’t matter because I would never actually be cooking a turkey myself, so he made me wait. And now, I share “the big secrets” with you.

The big secrets for moist turkey?
#1 – SALT IT!   Salt for 2-3 days.  Use 1/4 cup of Kosher salt for every 20 lbs of turkey . Yep. Just clean the turkey, rub the salt inside the cavity and all over the bird.    Set your salted turkey into a BIG plastic bag, tie the end and set it in your refrigerator (breast up) for 2-3 days.  (3 days if you have the time.)  Don’t be alarmed if after the first day there is some liquid in the bag.  That liquid will be reabsorbed into the bird.

#2 – UPSIDE DOWN IT!  The day you cook your turkey, rinse off the bird (inside and out), pat it dry and season per your favorite recipe w/stuffing if you like stuffing.  THEN the first 30 minutes roast the turkey UPSIDE DOWN in a roaster at 425 degrees.  The juices will head towards the turkey’s breast.  Then, for the rest of your cooking time, turn the oven down to 325 with the turkey right side up.  If your oven is small, you can protect the top w/a foil tent and in the final 30 minutes or so, take off the tin foil tent and let ‘er roast. You’ll have a truly beautifully roasted turkey!  The upside down technique really works to make your turkey a juicy turkey.

And now… for the Thanksgiving wines...

HE SAYS:  If you want a white wine, almost any Chardonnay you like will do.  Personal recommendations for easy to find, easy to buy Chardonnays are below.  Print this list out, take it to your nearby wine store and if they don’t have one of these exact wines, ask them for something similar.  You’ll be a star dinner guest.

Chateau St. Michelle 2008 from Washington is (usually under $10) is a terrific Chardonnay. Socred a “90″ by those people who score wines.

2007 Qupe Reserve Bien Nacido – from Santa Barbara area, we’ve had Qupe many times and it is consistently good.   (around $20)

Rombauer (approx $32/bottle)

Or a chardonnay from Longoria Wines for approx $35.

If you like red wines, Barrysentials recommends a Pinot Noir.  Again, most of these are easily and readily available at a local wine store, a World Market store, Whole Foods or larger wine cave.  Just print the list and take it with you and ask the sales person for assistance.  Here are a few to try:

Melville Estate Pinot Noir (around $25)  is reliable in almost any vintage  and not too big to overpower your Thanksgiving feast.

2009 Redtree Pinot Noir (you might be able to find as low as $6/bottle)  hard to believe it can sell for $6 but by now you’ve heard the market is a little flooded with wine.  Don’t be afraid of that screw cap…it’s all the rage now creating a much stronger seal while the wine ages.

2008 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir from New Zealand ($15/bottle)

Good luck my friends!  Let us know how it goes!

Wine from the island of Maui, Hawaii

HE and SHE both say: Wine made in Hawaii?  Yes, indeed. There are wineries in all 50 states now, including Hawaii.  We were really pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wine here, and the staff was really warm and inviting. Here is our experience visiting Maui’s Tedeschi Vineyards.

Maui's Winery at Ulupalakua, aka Tedeschi Winery

The formal name is Tedeschi Vineyards, the more common name is Maui’s Winery at Ulupalakua Ranch. It is as beautiful as you would imagine, like so many things in upcountry Maui.  When you get tired of the beaches and bikinis — and trust us, you will — head to upcountry on the side of Haleakala volcano and have some ranch-style fun at the Tedeschi Winery.
Originally the 20,000 acres of Ulupalakua Ranch was a sugar plantation.  The last sugar crop was harvested in 1883 and the land became a cattle ranch.   The 22-acre Tedeschi Vineyard (a few miles from the winery) was established in 1974 and their first grapes were harvested in 1980.   Because of the warm weather, the harvest is in August and September.  The first wine they released in 1977  was a pineapple wine that they still make today.  Click here for a more complete history of the land.

Sally took about 20 of us on a short tour of the grounds and gave a brief description of the trees and basic biology of the land. After a quick look at the former sugar mill that is now the winery, it was on to the tasting room where Elena was a gracious host.

The tasting room is in a historic building which is called The King’s Cottage. King David Kalakaua and Queen Kapi’olani were frequent guests of the ranch owners, and so in 1874 this special cottage was built just for them.   You  can see pictures and read more about the cottage here.

Serve with: In general, Maui wines are perfect for almost any light seafood dinner you might serve, vegetarian dinner, or any island style meal you might have planned for summer – or even Indian Summer.  They are great picnic wines as they are light and fun.  During other seasons, you might find some of these fit with Asian dinners, since Asian is rather difficult to pair up with many of the heavier California wines we write about.

The Maui winery does not usually bottle by vintages which is a little different, so you won’t see vintage years beside most of these wine names.  We tasted 8 wines and enjoyed  a completely unique wine experience.

(1) Upcountry Gold, Chardonnay ~ French Colombard blend. (this wine is not listed on their current website. You’ll have to email them and ask when it will be available again.   info AT mauiwine DOT com )
HE says: Pure straw color.  Dry & crisp, but not much fruit.  I gave it a 13 on my scale of 1 – 20.
SHE says: You taste so good, I hardly even notice you’re a chardonnay.

(2) Rose Ranch Cuvee – this sparkling wine is primarily made from chardonnay, with a touch of pinot noir to give it complexity and a little blush.
HE Says: This sparkler had a nice balance.  Good fruit, dry.  Who knew they could make a good sparkler in Hawaii? – I rate it a solid 14+.
SHE Says: You’re super-bubbly! You can stay all day!

(3) Ulupalakua Red - 40% Syrah / 60% Merlot.  The grapes are brought in from California for this wine, as we recall.  The blend changes depending on the grapes.  The previous blend was Cab-Syrah.)
HE says: Very soft, like violet & velvet.  You can really taste the merlot. It’s easy to drink, but needs more body.   13+
SHE says: You’re a little stiff for me.
HE says: Stiff?  Are we drinking the same wine?

(4) Mele, 2007 Syrah ~ Estate Grown Mele is a chant or a song in Hawaiian
HE says: This full-bodied red exhibited a beguiling spicy berry and chocolate nose.  It had berry flavors and was soft, with  little tannin.  Spice after-tones rounded out the taste.  Yummy!  14+
SHE says: You’re complicated, but I like you.  I don’t usually have time for complicated things, but you — I like.

(5) Hula O Maui – Sparkling wine. Made entirely from Maui Gold pineapples, grown on Maui.  Pineapples grow year-round so there’s always an ongoing harvest and wine production.
HE says: Despite being made only from pineapples, the pineapple notes & flavors were very subtle.  It was a clean sparkler, and would go nicely with Asian food.  I can honestly say it was the best non-grape wine I’ve ever tasted.  Maui champagne, gotta love it!  14+
SHE says: You’re lovely.  You smell like pineapple, but you don’t taste like pineapple – just lovely and fruity are you.

Serving suggestion: A Maui wedding perhaps? Yes, this sparkling wine is perfect for a Maui wedding celebration. Click to see wedding photographer Megan Finley’s inspiration board for a Maui wedding design.

(6) Maui Blanc – from Maui grown pineapples. Non sparkling still wine.
HE says:  This pineapple wine had a very floral nose.  It has stronger pineapple flavors than the Hula O Maui sparkler, but not much body.  13+
SHE says: Lots of pineapple – ooo0-wee!  Love ya.  Aloha.

(7) Maui Splash (Pineapple + Passion Fruit and their biggest seller)
HE says: This one smells like a gardenia.  Very fruity – almost like a sangria.  This is really a fun & simple summer wine, great for a party or for people who like fruity wines.
SHE says: You’re so fruity!  I want to invite you home to meet all my fruity friends!

(8) Framboise de Maui – Raspberry Wine (20% alcohol)
HE says: Framboizzzzz!  I love saying it like a snooty Frenchman.  Like most framboises (framboizzzzzzzes?), it had a really intense nose.  It was very smooth & velvety.  A bit too strong for me to have on it’s own, but great with ice cream or other desserts.
SHE says: A bit bitter, are we?  Guess you haven’t been in Maui long enough to relax properly.
Serving suggestion: Try it with chocolate,  over ice cream or maybe with some sparkling water — why not try a pinch in champagne or in the Hula O Maui sparkling wine?  That would be fun.

Where do you find Maui wines? Good question.  SHE bought her first bottle of Maui Splash when she was dating He and wanted to surprise him with a wine she was sure he’d never tasted before.   Cost Plus World Market was where she stumbled across Maui Splash.  They almost always have Maui Wines in stock.   Click here for  a list of where you’ll find Maui wines.

Andeluna Vineyard and Winery – Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina

He Said "Que bella!" She Said, "Que freddo!" The Vineyards at Andeluna Cellars

 

HE SAYS:  On the second day of our wine travels in Mendoza, we drove down to the Uco Valley. It was about a one hour drive from our lodge, part of it over some rolling hills.
The Uco Valley is higher elevation – the snow-capped Andes Mountains tower right there to the West. It is the highest altitude of the growing regions in Mendoza, and the area is more undeveloped so that seems to be where most of the new vineyard and winery expansion is occurring. Andeluna (meaning Andes moon) is a beautiful new winery, built by H. Ward Lay, of the Lay potato chip family. It took about five years to build this winery, but they did a fantastic job creating a contemporary version of an old Argentina ranch (estancia).

Their winemaker, Silvio Alberto, was named “outstanding young winemaker of the year,” and he crafts the wines, and gets input from famed consulting enologist Michel Rolland.

The lovely Gisela

Andeluna does charge for touring and tasting, but we got a great private tour from Gisela, a very personable young lady. Outside in the vineyard she explained how they manage the vines to have a specific number of spurs and clusters, and then how they go through and thin the clusters by 60-70% to concentrate the flavors in the grapes that do remain. I had the giant tasting room all to myself, as my wife thought 10:30 in the morning is too early to drink wine. Nonsense!
SHE SAYS: Shall we be accurate?  I was in the tasting room, too.  You were just in a world of your own and forgot I was there. And pretty cute you were, too.

2007 Andeluna Cellars Winemaker’s Selection Torrontés
HE SAYS: This was my first chance in Argentina to taste a Torrontés, which is the only wine considered to be 100% Argentinian. I really enjoyed this wine, which reminds me of a cross between a viognier and sauvignon blanc. The Andeluna Torrontés had nice fragrant nose and yet was very crisp and clean with grapefruit and tropical fruit flavors. This wine, with grapes from the Tupungato area, didn’t see any oak, and was very nicely balanced – a terrific food wine. 15  SHE SAYS: 10:30 in the morning  is too early to drink wine.

He Said "Wine. She Said "Coffee."

 

2005 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Chardonnay –
HE SAYS:  Half of the wine was aged for a year in American and French oak, while the rest stayed in stainless steel. This chardonnay had a nice, clear golden color and honeysuckle nose. It was nice and clean with a touch of oak amongst the citrus and vanilla flavors. It still had enough acid to go with food. Very tasty. 15+   SHE SAYS: Thx for the coffee.

2005 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Merlot –

She Said, "You're tasting how many wines?"

HE SAYS: This was a very nice Merlot, with a deep and dark rose nose. It was soft, with dark berry and touches of cinnamon and cocoa flavors. It had a good body and nice balance, with the fruit emerging from the medium tannins. It was aged for a year in French (80%) and American (20%) oak, then aged six more months in the bottle. I suggest aging it another 3-5 years. 15
SHE SAYS: 10:45 in the morning  is still too early for wine.

2005 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Malbec–
HE SAYS: Great purple color on this Malbec. It was dryer than the Merlot, with earthy berry and cherry flavors. Nice finish, but medium high tannins masked the fruit somewhat. 15
SHE SAYS: I love you, Malbec – but even 11:00 in the morning is too early.

2004 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Cabernet –
HE SAYS: This is a big wine, but the tannins were so strong that much of the fruit was masked. There were chocolate essences to it, but it definitely needs more bottle time to soften the tannins and let the flavors emerge. Hard to figure out at the moment. 14+
SHE SAYS: Ok, Ok, I’ll try it.  :-*/  !*!   I was right.  It’s just too early.

2003 Andeluna Cellars Grand Reserve Pasionada –
HE SAYS: A terrific Bordeaux-style blend, comprised of 35% Merlot, 35% Cab; 20% Malbec and 10% Cab Franc. (The proportions change each year, depending on the quality of the grape. In contrast, the ’04 is 49% Malbec, 26% Merlot, 17% Cab and 8% Cab Franc.) The wine was aged in new French (85%) and American (15%) oak for 18 months, and then aged for 8 more months in the bottle. This was a truly terrific and elegant wine, with great full flavors of cherry and berry and a touch of cocoa. The tannins were medium, so it could sit for a bit. By far, it was the best of the red wines by Andeluna and is worth seeking out. 16+
SHE SAYS: I believe you.

2008 Montes – Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda Vineyard, Leyda Valley, Chile

Montes, Sauvignon Blanc, Ltd. Selection

HE and SHE both say: Well, here we are, in South America again. Only figuratively speaking this time. A Chilean Sauvignon Blanc we picked up at Costco for about $10.  It was made by Montes, a pioneer in the Chilean wine industry, and the writeup seemed promising, so let’s give it a shot.
2008 Montes – Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda Vineyard, Leyda Valley, Chile, Limited Selection — (a very long name) –

After we’ve been drinking the wine for a few minutes . . .

HE SAYS: Smell it — what do you get?

SHE SAYS: Occasionally I breathe wine up through my nose!  (Purely by accident. Just thought you should know.)

HE SAYS: Uh, OK.  What do you taste? I taste a distinct citrus fruit. (And then he looks at SHE daring her to guess which citrus.)

SHE SAYS: (Visibly sorting through her limited mental notes on citrus) I’m going to guess. . . that the citrus you taste . . . must be . . . lemon?

HE SAYS: Grapefruit.

SHE SAYS: Ha, ha, ha!!!! So wrong again!  ( She lets one of her famous laughs rip through the night air and slaps the table.)

HE SAYS: This is a very nice sauv blanc. The nose was maybe a bit of butterscotch and grass.  Taste is grapefruit and light tropical flavors, nicely balanced with a crisp amount of acid. A good food wine, especially with shellfish. Quite nice, especially for the price.  Score: 15

SHE SAYS: This is a happy, friendly wine! Welcome to my summer table any day.  It would even be great with breakfast.

HE says: About Montes Premium Wines.  Aurelio Montes pioneered much of the quality production in Chile.  His Montes Alpha M line of premium red wines from the Apalta Valley garnered great accolades and really put Chilean wines on the map (and table) for the rest of the world. This Sauvignon Blanc is from the Leyda Valley in Chile, which is a new Denomination of Origen, about 6 miles from the Pacific Ocean.  This wine is fermented in stainless steel and has never touched oak.

SHE SAYS: They have a picture of a llama on their site, so I can’t wait to visit.  Can we consider a llama instead of a dog?