Monthly Archives: April 2012

Shannon Ridge Wines & Lamb Recipe –for your Easter dinner or spring gathering!

According to an article in today’s LA Times, Easter and Passover is when most people eat lamb. But in the US, nearly 40% of the population has never even tried it! At the peak in the 1940s, Americans consumed 6.6 pounds of lamb per person; these days, it’s less than one pound. Experts say it is because it is expensive (a rack of lamb will set you back between $12-18 or more) and because it is relatively unknown in the US so people don’t know how to prepare it.

I never appreciated lamb until I met my husband, and yes it was love at first bite! (In fact, today was our 9th wedding anniversary–we were married on Good Friday 2003!) We have lamb regularly and I have found it pairs well with many wines making for a special dinner.

So how should you prepare your lamb this Easter? And what wine should you drink with it? In this post, I’ll share Audrey Shannon’s Lamb Shoulder Recipe with some preparation tips and ideas for Shannon Ridge wines to pair with your holiday meal.

Shannon Ridge

Shannon Ridge is up in Lake County, an area that I’ve been hearing lots of good news about as an up-and-coming wine region. The portfolio of award winning Shannon Ridge wine includes the Single Vineyard Collection and Ranch Collection: the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon won DOUBLE GOLD at the recent San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc won the GOLD MEDAL at the 2011 Dallas Morning News and TexSom Wine Competition, the Riverside International Wine Competition, and the Critics Challenge Wine Competition. Shannon Ridge Vineyards and Winery was named by Jon Fredrikson as one of ten “Hot California Wineries in 2011.” Annual case sales have increased more than 300% over the past four years, from 25K in 2008 to 104K in 2011 –which means you can now find this sustainable, affordable brand in a big box store near you!

One reason I really like Shannon Ridge is their authentic commitment to sustainability and the land. The Shannons truly are farmers first. Continue reading →

WBW 75 results & WBW 76 announced: Return of the Barossa Boomerang!

And the results are in! Host Joe Roberts has posted his wrap-up for Wine Blogging Wednesday #75! Featuring single vineyard designate wines from all over the world,  we had nearly 30 blog posts participating including mine about Ojai Vineyard Roll Ranch Viognier and Syrah.

Next month for Wine Blogging Wednesday #76, Winezag hosts “Return of the Barossa Boomerang!” You can read all you want about the rise and fall of Aussie wine fortunes over there, but here’s how YOU can participate according to Winezag:

So go get yourself a bottle of Barossa Valley wine for $30 or less; Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Riesling or otherwise…and let everyone know on April 25 what you think about the ”return of the Barossa Boomerang”.  Kindly use #wbw76 on all tweets and references.  I will provide a recap here and at the Wine Blogging Wednesday site no more than a couple days following April 25.  So be sure to tweet all your links, share all your stories, (include those hashtags everywhere) so we (appreciate the ongoing support of Tim Elliot and Lenn Thompson  towards making #wbw76 fun and successsful) can help pass your experiences and content on to even more winos by including your stories in all the wrap-ups.

I have my own stories about Australian wine which I won’t get into now…suffice to say I have a few bottles of Barossa wine in the cellar that I will happily open and write about on Weds. April 25 for WBW #76–the return of the Barossa Boomerang!