Have you discovered Malbec yet?
Chances are you’ve had it in a Bordeaux blend, but you may not have had it by itself because Continue reading
Author Archives: Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator
More Oregon Pinot Noir!
It’s #winechat #orwine time & we’ve got @HawksViewWines 2010 #pinotnoir with @a_me_tc & she brought @erathwinery pic.twitter.com/70udKWumKa
— Gwendolyn Alley, MA (@ArtPredator) April 17, 2014
When the wine for tonight’s #winechat on Oregon Wine didn’t show, we didn’t let that stop us.
Instead, we followed Plan B: I went into my sample stash and found a bottle of Hawks View Cellars 2010 Pinot Noir and Amy “The Crush” went to good old BevMo to discover the Erath Winery‘s 2012 Pinot Noir on sale for $16.99.
We were in business–the #ORwine business. Which left us with the question of food to pair with these pinots!
Marshall MoneyBags grilled us up a chicken breast with mushrooms, asparagus and basil pesto as well as a chunk of salmon with a simple salt and pepper sand lemon seasoning. We put together an arugula, beet, and goat cheese salad plus we had ham and asparagus, brie and blueberries and a very tasty french baguette. Continue reading
Get Happy, says Blogger of the Week (ME!)
Today is the “International Day of Happiness” which in and of itself is worth getting happy about! Read more about the “International Day of Happiness” here.
And watch this fabulously fun and happy video of wine country Porto uploaded and featuring our wine friends from Catavino, Gabriella and Ryan Opaz plus their baby Mica!
Today is also the first day of SPRING here on the northern hemisphere. On a recent drive up the coast through Santa Barbara County wine country, the vines were busy with bud break, a sure sign of spring.
Coming soon: blog posts about four stops on that trip, dinner at Gardens of Avila, wine and cycling at Peloton Cellars in Avila, tasting (and shucking oysters!) at Casa Dumetz, and beer tasting in Los Alamos with Emilio Estevez. Plus, before Women’s History month is out, posts about women winemakers!
And in the southern hemisphere, today is the first day of FALL and so harvest is in full swing.
And as if that wasn’t enough to be happy about, I’m also celebrating being “Blogger of the Week” published today by the San Jose Mercury Times! Read the article by Jessica Yadegaran here.
Do I look happy? Cheers!
A Toast to Women Wine Makers during Women’s History Month
As March is Women’s History Month, and Saturday March 8 is International Women’s Day, what better time to focus on women winemakers than now?
That’s the idea of the tweet-up on the first Wednesday evening of March–to taste and tweet about wines made by women March 5, 2014. We’re going to get started at 5pm Pacific Standard Time.
All you need to to do Continue reading
In Praise of Petite Sirah: PS I Love You, Old Creek Ranch Winery + Four Brix!
Getting in the mood @FourBrixWine for #dark&delicious this Friday @RockWallWines with @PetiteSirahOrg pic.twitter.com/UEHygs2f1V
— Gwendolyn Alley, MA (@ArtPredator) February 20, 2014
Every third Friday in February, 800 or so Petite Sirah enthusiasts gather at Rockwall Winery in Alameda CA to sing the praises of Petite Sirah at the always sold out in advance PS I Love You event, Dark and Delicious which features 50 some dark Petite Sirahs paired with 25 or more delicious dishes. Tickets are $65–and if you want one, you better buy it immediately!
Since Que Syrah Sue and I can not make it up north for the festivities, we decided to have our own Dark and Delicious evening at my house in Ventura. We each brought one of our favorite Ventura County winery Petite Sirahs to the table along with various cheeses and other bites.
What to eat with your Petite? Ideas from Ellen Landis at PS I Love You Symposium
My contribution was the Continue reading
Say Howdy, Valentines, to the Year of the Horse with Four Brix’s Scosso
Look what galloped into my glass for #winechat! It’s @FourBrixWine Scosso 2009 for year of the horse! #beautiful pic.twitter.com/I36DmphBe4
— Gwendolyn Alley, MA (@ArtPredator) February 13, 2014
January’s Full Moon ushered in a month of celebrations for the Chinese Year of the Horse which closes with the full moon over Valentine’s Weekend.
One of the ways I’m recognizing the Year of the Horse is toasting the new year and the full moon with this bottle of Scosso from Four Brix, a winery based in my hometown of Ventura and which sources fruit from throughout the state.
Scosso has a very festive ruby pink color–perfect for Valentine’s Day! Made from central coast grown grapes of 63% Sangiovese from the McGourty Vineyards in the Adelaida region in Westside Paso Robles, plus 31% Cabernet sauvignon, and 6% merlot, the 2009 blend offers spice and blackberry, structure and tannins without being overwhelming meaning. Continue reading
