Are you having a sparkling summer so far? With Prosecco Week, Sparkling Wine Week, and now International Cava Day on July 12, we have had lots of reasons to break out the bottles of bubbly! One of the reasons I love these wine celebrations is that they give us a moment to pay attention to a particular wine, region, or style– in this case Cava– and a chance to review what that wine is all about. Most people know that Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain, but did you know it’s made using the same method as they do in France for Champagne or Cremant but with grapes indigenous to Iberia like Xarel·lo, Macabeo, Parellada? Read more about the authorized grapes here.
I was excited to learn that Spain leads Europe in certified organic vineyards, and that the category of organic Cava grew by almost 25% last year!
Fresh from the grill: halibut and pizza with wines from Sicily #ItalianFWt
Looking for a healthy easy meal from the grill? This summer season, seek Sicilian wines to pair with pizza and halibut cooked outside! More often than not, Sicilian wines are made with organically grown grapes — winds and other weather patterns on the island in the south of Italy provide vines with the healthy conditions they need to grow. Without the disease pressure found in other areas of the world where grapes are grown, it is easier in Sicily to grow organically — so they do! They just don’t always get them certified, or post that info on the label even if they are growing grapes without chemicals.
And instead of grilling meat, how about fresh halibut Continue reading →
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” So proclaimed the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 when they adopted the Declaration of Independence almost 250 years ago when people came together in defiance of a king, to say that no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States.
Happy Independence Day! What are some of your traditions? Do they include traditional American foods like grilled burgers or hot dogs? What about wine from the US? While California cab may be considered by many to be king, we decided to do bison and beef burgers with wines from the MidWest made from unusual and indigenous American grapes and hybrids! Bonus, Sue visited these wineries, took photos (below), purchased the wines, and brought them back to share.
Albert Bichot Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Réserve with smoked deviled eggs
“We must never forget that wine is a luxury product, not a necessity,” said Albéric Bichot in 2020 (source). Albéric Bichot is head of the house of Albert Bichot, one of the four largest traditional wine merchants in Burgundy, and one that has been family business for six generations. “We can get by without luxuries, especially if they are harmful. It is totally reasonable that society expects grape growers to be accountable for the pesticides they use. In the vineyard we need a change of mindset.”
We are talking today about his Albert Bichot Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Réserve because hot on the heels of Prosecco Week (read here) is Sparkling Wine Week the first week of July! While Prosecco may be the most popular sparkling wine in the world, Crémant, a traditionally made sparkling wine from France, also offers affordable bubbles making for summer fun for a gathering with friends and family during an afternoon, brunch, or dinner. While perfectly suitable for a seafood dinner, Continue reading →
Prosecco Week Tasting in the Dark kit– and participants before being blindfolded; G. Alley photo
Prosecco is the most popular sparkling wine in the world, and Prosecco DOC is one of the most well known wine appellations in the world. During Prosecco Week June 24-30 2024, Sue Hill and I experienced Prosecco in a new way — tasting in the dark!
Prosecco feels like: silk? sandpaper? beads? or? and yes that’s me!; professional photo provided
Yes, we were blindfolded and we had a tasting kit with four textures and three aromas to help us approach the Prosecco DOC universe in a new and innovative way led by Dr. Hoby Wedler. Dr Wedler was born blind, and achieved a PhD in chemistry from UC Davis which guided him as our guide. As sight is the predominant sense for most of us, being blindfolded amplifies sensory experiences to make every detail more vivid and intense.
It’s 94 degrees here in the Mojave desert at this year’s Bequinox, LA’s regional Burning Man event. This morning we strolled Seraphim Ranch just north of California City in the middle of nowhere and found old friends at the Merry Mad Tea Party where we had iced butterfly flower tea and we made new friends at Cat Butt Camp where they served mimosas and bacon and celebrated Caturday.
When we got back to our camp set up on the outskirts of out 1k member community, I enjoyed a chunk of marinated grilled tritip with a side of veggie chips and a glass of Masciarelli Rosato. It’s Rosé Day, and a nearby camp called Filament is spinning Sade for an event they call “Sade and Rosé in Lingerie.”
I’m actually now sitting in a hot pink and orange lounge chair sipping rosato, I’m wearing lingerie (and bike shorts!), and I’m listening to Sade while I gaze out at the creosote dotted desert and finish this post about roses and rosato from Masciarelli. Don’t get me wrong– it’s hot under the awning of my vw van, but with this rosato, I’m feeling pretty chill– even if my laptop is not and it’s running low on battery!!
Apertivo with Organic Grillo from Cantine Ermes “Vento di Mare” Sicilia DOC
In Milan at an outdoor cafe on my first trip to Italy in October 2022, we were quite surprised to find spritz was served with snacks, specifically, large green olives and potato chips! I looked around and saw everyone had them and that this is standard. Just like chips and salsa is expected in a Mexican food restaurant in California, so are small bowls with snacks common in Italy when you order a spritz, sparkling, or white wine in the afternoon during what we might think of as “happy hour” — that time in the day when lunch has worn off and it is too early for dinner, especially in Italy where it is more common to eat after dark and in the cool of the evening around 830 or 9pm.
People watching with spritz and snacks in Milan, October 2022; potato chips are common in the north while taralli are more popular for apertivo in the south
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 