The Selin Cellars label is eye catching — especially at this Valentine’s time of year. A heart is immediately apparent, and then a glass inside the heart, and finally, wine in the glass. When you look more closely you’ll see the glass is made from two hands “cupping” a tear drop. When I asked owner and winemaker Peter Selin about the label, he explained that he wanted an homage to his mentor and “brother from another mother” Chris Taddei of Taddei Family Wines and Super Sonoman.
“The heart represents the passion and love that goes into the wine and our families and the heart is open at the top and bottom to allow that love to flow in and out of the process and our lives,” says Peter.
MONTE CRISTO Menu for 6 Rosé Wines from California
For a dozen Rosés for Valentines and Galentines, we have a gorgeous bouquet of pink wines for you to try! But how to choose? While there may be a tendency to think pink wine is all the same pale color and character, there is a range of hues determined by the grape and winemaking techniques– and not all Rosés are in a clear bottle to show off the color since clear bottles don’t protect the fragile liquid within as well as dark ones. Just like with red wines, different grapes and winemaking provide a range of colors, textures, and flavors for your Rosé bouquet. Continue reading →
How about a dozen rosés for Valentines and Galentines? Or maybe just one? To help you choose, and to offer up cheesy, easy, romantic menu ideas, keep reading! In Part 1, we share six old world rose wines each with a twist paired with four different Croque monsieur grilled cheese sandwiches, and in Part 2, we have six rose from California with Monte Cristo grilled cheese sandwiches. Why? This month’s Wine Pairing Weekend theme with host is Pretty In Pink! Read host Camilla Mann’s invite here; scroll down for links to participants and for the list of our six California roses.
Longevity and Black Girl Magic with Meatloaf and Mac n Cheese
Looking for Black wineries or winemakers for Black History Month? We have two red wines for valentines with a matching menu– southern inspired beef meatloaf and Mac n cheese!
2 Red Wines for Valentine’s from Black Winemakers
2 Red Wines from Black Wineries for Black History Month
What’s a Garagiste? Why would you want to go to a Festival about garages? Pronounced garage-east, the word garagiste comes from Bordeaux meaning small-lot wine makers who sometimes worked out of their “garages” — basically any place that wasn’t a chateau. Working independently, and thinking for themselves, these renegades refused to abide by rules or traditions. Today “Garagiste” is a movement of innovative winemakers; back in 2011, California’s Garagiste Festival in Paso Robles was the first to showcase the wines of American garagiste winemakers at an event that also raises money for scholarships for the next generation of winemakers.
Founded by garagistes Stewart McLennan and Douglas Minnick, the Garagiste Festivals offer opportunities for wine lovers to taste rare, premium, hard to find wines from these new and innovative limited-production winemakers.
For Dry January I’ve been experimenting with no alcohol and low alcohol beverages including FRE wines which are wines with the alcohol removed. There are many reasons you or I may choose to cut back on alcohol, but it’s especially important when you’re at altitude like on a ski trip to Lake Tahoe or other high altitude ski areas to be careful with alcohol consumption because it can lead to altitude sickness. So I brought 6 FRE wines with me to Tahoe a few weeks ago for my birthday where we were staying with my son who goes to college in Ski Business and Resort Management in Incline Village.
How’s your “dry” January going? Has it become “dry-ish” or have you given it up altogether? Or maybe you didn’t even try to go dry? Or perhaps you’re sober and want to try something new to drink in the vein of craft cocktails? Well, I’m trying to be dry-ish this January and in 2024 in general, so given the opportunity to experiment with Hipstirs Craft Cocktail Syrup Trio, I suggested to Sue we do them with a non-alcoholic cane sugar rum that I had on hand paired with instant pot pork shoulder Barbacoa tacos. Keep reading for the three “dry” craft cocktails she came up with– and how we added a little alcohol make them “dry-ish”!
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 