Category Archives: Holidays

Food, Holidays, Tasting, Travels, Wine

Talking turkey in the foothills.

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Yes, we can see them here in Northern California Wine Country crossing roads, displaying feathers, and sharing feed with cows in the field on a regular basis. But I am talking about the upcoming feast that leaves them gobbling in terror!

Have you ever gone to the Sierra Nevada Foothills for Thanksgiving? LRVwine12We have spent much time there, particularly along Ebbetts Pass and found it to be a great place to initiate the holiday festivities. One memorable holiday meal was spent with my mother, brother and late Grandma Joanie, at the historic Murphys Hotel. Murphys is a pleasantly social foothill town sporting oodles of Tasting Rooms: As in wine! Waddle around town after your turkey stuffing right into a glass of Zin.  Hovey, Lavender Ridge, Newsome-Harlow, Twisted Oak are just a few examples of the hospitible local flavors to sample along the main strip.

The line up at Newsome Harlow Tasting Room in Murphys.
The line up at Newsome Harlow Tasting Room in Murphys.

Among the multitude of destinations heading north from Ebbetts Pass, along the historic Highway 49, another great stop for wine is the quaint town of Nevada City.  Also with a handful of Tasting Rooms sprinkled throughout the short downtown strip (some delicious restaurants as well).  For some suggestions on the offerings visit this blog from our favorite lodging there, The Outside Inn. Wherever you decide to explore, enjoy your meal!  And be sure to confirm tasting room hours before planning your trip.

Happy Holidays!

Holidays, Wine

September 19, 2014 is Garnacha Day!

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No matter if you call it Grenache or Garnacha, this Friday September 19th is your day to find out more about this prolific grape planted around the world.

Watch my video to find out what I will be talking about from Chicago at 11-1 Pacific Time/1-3 Central Time:  Special wines from the original home of the Garnacha grape.

To engage in the lively conversation visit SawyerSomm.com, Twitter @SawyerSommelier or my Sommelier Facebook page!

Food, Holidays, Wine

Pairing sparkling wine with the ultimate Ice Cream Flag Cake

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Cake 4th July photo 1The minute I first saw it, I knew it was only a matter of time until someone I knew would make it happen over #4thofJuly Weekend. Of course, I’m talking about making the ultimate Ice Cream Flag Cake featured in the July/August issue of Food Network Magazine. Imagine a dazzling red, white and blue cake made with raspberry sorbet, vanilla ice cream, 28 drops of blue gel food coloring, unsweetened cocoa powder, confectioner’s sugar, and plenty of other goodies. It’s a recipe for a holiday cake that makes you want to cut it out and eat it.

So it wasn’t a surprise that my great friend Ilene Rapkin, President of I Openers in NYC, and her family completed the honorable task of making this magnificent culinary gem during their 4th of July Weekend activities in upstate New York.

So when Ilene sent me photos of the cake, she asked me what I would recommend for a wine pairing. My first instinct was to break open a bottle of the Gloria Ferrer NV Va de Vi Sparkling Wine, Sonoma County.

SawyerSomm notes: As a departure from the magnificently dry styles of elegant sparkling wines made at Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards near Sonoma, California since 1982; the Va de Vi is young, perky style of bubbly with a hint of sweetness on the finish. Composed of 89% Pinot Noir, 8% Chardonnay and 3% Muscat, the wine features lively flavors of Bing cherries, fresh berries, Meyer lemon, vanilla and creamy texture. In essence, it’s a melting pot of deliciousness.

July 4th photo 2BIn addition to pairing extremely well with the ingredients used in the Ice Cream Flag Cake and more semi-sweet desserts; this sparkling gem can also easy be served as a fresh aperitif or as a compliment to spicy Indian or Thai cuisine.

Later this month, Va di Vi will be one of the featured sparkling wines paired with flavorful domestic interpretations of Spanish tapas at the 22nd Annual Catalan Festival at Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards, July 19-20. For more information, visit www.GloriaFerrer.com

This fall, the Va de Vi and other sensational sparklers and still wines from Gloria Ferrer will also be featured at the Food Network in Concert at the Ravinia theater in Highland Park near Chicago on September 20th, including at the spicy “Hot, Hot, Hot” luncheon hosted by star chefs and wine seminars hosted by yours truly before the headliner John Maher takes the stage in the evening. In short, the Va de Vi is a fun and stimulating sparkling wine that’s definitely worth getting to know in 2014!

Cheers, Christopher

Food, Holidays, Wine

American Tradition Part 4: Barbeque and wine four ways for the Fourth

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SawyerSomm Savory Suggestion: Lamb Sliders with Syrah

As an alternative to hamburgers, one of my favorite options is to make Lamb Sliders topped with melted Vermont white cheddar, spicy aioli, arugula and grilled peppers served on a sweet baguette. But if you don’t have enough time to gather all these ingredients, I love the tasty style that Chef Giada de Laurentiis, star of Food Network’s Giada at Home, made on the episode Backyard Campout.

As a rule, lamb works extremely well with Syrah. Granted, there are plenty of young, vibrant styles of wine out in the marketplace. But for a celebration holiday like July 4th, it’s a good excuse to break open one of the a more limited release, reserve-style bottles of Syrah modeled after the famous wines made in the northern Rhone Valley region of France. A magnificent domestic version is the Chalk Hill 2009 Syrah, Estate Grown, Chalk Hill ($60). Made with fruit grown on the cooler-climate western side of the Estate Vineyard east of Windsor, the wine features inviting aromas of dark fruit, black olives, smoked meats, layers of spice and cedar. The flavors are deep and rich, with notes of ripe blackberry, red currant, roasted fig, black pepper, sea salt, dark chocolate, and a long, rewarding finish. Rich, focused, and oh so rewarding!

Film, Food, Holidays, Wine

American tradition Part 3: Barbeque and wine four ways for the Fourth

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SawyerSomm Savory Suggestion: BBQ Pork Spareribs with Zinfandel

Let’s face it, all barbeque sauces are not created equal. Some are sweet and tangy, while others can be much more bold and spicy. To celebrate July 4th, a classic American tradition to follow is Patrick and Gina Neely’s recipe for Pork Ribs, which melds together the sweet and tangy flavors of brown sugar, molasses and apple cider vinegar with spicy notes of cayenne pepper and smoked paprika to create a tasty sensation with a lingering finish. Typically, these ribs are easy to serve with baked beans and coleslaw.

To match up with this wide range of flavors, I tend to lean towards serving a balanced Zinfandel with ripe fruity flavors, layers of spice, balance, and a restrained level of alcohol. Among the flavorful new releases to meet my criteria is the DeLoach Vineyards 2012 Zinfandel, Russian River Valley ($20).

Known as California’s “sweetheart grape,” Zinfandel has been grown in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley since the early 1880s. While many of the older vineyards are “field blends” interplanted with Petite Sirah, Carignane, Mourvedre (Mataro) other red grape varieties, the new DeLoach wine is more focused on purity and the fresh fruit flavors from younger vines planted at the Becnel and Slusser vineyards in northern Russian River Valley and a smaller portion of more concentrated fruit from old vine Zinfandel planted closer to the Deloach Estate Vineyards western of Santa Rosa. As a result, the wine features lively aromas of ripe blue fruits, violets, cinnamon and clove; concentrated flavors of boysenberry, blueberry, black raspberry, dark plum, fresh cracked pepper, layers of savory spice; a sexy rustic texture; and a long, lingering finish without too much heat or alcohol.

As an extra July 4th tip, I would recommend pairing the BBQ Pork Spareribs and DeLoach Zinfandel with the movie Top Gun starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Tim Robbins and Val Kilmer. Ironically, several scenes from the movie were filmed at the Kansas City Barbeque, a bar and restaurant located in the harbor district of San Diego, which opened to the public in 1983, the same year Russian River Valley became recognized as an American Viticultural Area. On its own merits, that patriotic fact of American wine history takes my breath away!

Food, Holidays, Wine

American tradition Pt 2: Barbeque and wine four ways for the Fourth

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SawyerSomm Savory Suggestion: Grilled Prawns with Dry Pink Wines

Beyond the American flag, if you add red plus white, the outcome isn’t blue. Instead it’s usually a distinctive pink hue. But for many wine consumers the thought of pink wine immediately sparks childhood memories of grandma’s passion for the sweet Portuguese brands like Mateus and Lancers in the 1970s or the white zinfandels and other styles of domestic blush wines that were served in households across America in the 1980s and 1990s. Thus, when you add all these factors together, it is easy to see why pink wines are often pooh-poohed, ridiculed, and vastly misunderstood through the years.

But over the past decade a quiet rosé revolution has been taking place as a growing number of well-respected wineries have started producing sexy European-style pink wines featuring complex aromas, rich fruity mouthfeel, zippy acidity and a lingering bone-dry finishes.

I bring this subject up because the Fourth of July is an all-day affair highlighted by picnics, barbeques, tailgate parties, parades, and other culinary events leading up to the fireworks finale at night. For that reason, eating a lot but eating lite is a great option. So instead of relying solely on meats and poultry, another healthy and refreshing option is to serve grilled prawns with a nice dry style of pink wine.

One of my favorite starters is Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten’s Roasted Shrimp Cocktail. a dazzling appetizer with smoky flavors and a tangy dipping sauce made with ketchup, chili spice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and a squeeze of lemon. As an alternative to roasting on the Fourth, the prawns can easily be done on the barbeque by wiping the grill with an oiled paper towel to create a nonstick surface.

As a classy compliment to the dish, try the Etude 2013 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Estate Grown, Grace Benoit Ranch, Carneros ($26-$28). Served chilled, this perky young wine features a lovely salmon-colored hue and fragrant aromas of red berries, rose petals, nectarine fuzz and citrus peels. On the palate, the flavors explode with notes of Bing cherry, raspberry, tart cranberry, and hints of the small Watmaugh strawberries grown down the road from the Grace Benoit Ranch near Sonoma. With vibrant acidity and a crisp, dry and thirst quenching finish, it’s a lip smackin’ wine that stimulates the senses and works wonders with the tangy, zesty and charred flavors of Ina’s appetizer.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the fun musical intervention of Taylor Swift cooking with Ina in the new July/August issue of Food Network Magazine and the upcoming Food Network in Concert at Ravinia in Highland Park near Chicago on September 20, 2014.

Food, Holidays, Wine

American tradition: Barbeque and wine four ways for the Fourth

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Pairing wines with food is a noble duty. This is particularly true on the Fourth of July, a classic American holiday when fireworks and barbequed foods reign supreme and the choice of tasty wine can enhance the meal that much more.

To many, it’s as simple as serving hamburgers and hot dogs with their favorite bottles of Chardonnay or Merlot. But for those of you looking for a little more adventure, there are plenty of new ways of matching tasty comfort foods with bright, playful and expressive wines. For that reason, I thought it would be fun to update the holiday article I wrote a few years ago for Rebel Mom .  So here is the first of my four picks leading up to Independence Day 2014…

Grilled Chicken and Vegetables with Edna Valley Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

july4Known for its fresh aromatics, fruity flavors, zippy acidity and crisp finish, white wines made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes can offer a refreshing alternative to the buttery styles of Chardonnay in the summertime. A great example of this style is the Edna Valley Vineyard 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, Central Coast ($15). This bright new release features fragrant aromas of citrus blossom, grapefruit and fresh cut grass; bright flavors of ripe melon, papaya, lime and gooseberry; and a crisp, refreshing finish.

Besides pairing nicely with grilled chicken marinated in white wine, herbs and citrus, the vibrant acidity of the wine also works great with grilled asparagus, squash, onions and other veggies that are often difficult to pair with, as well as handling the heat in spicy dishes as well. For a fun July 4th pairing with the Edna Valley Vineyards 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, check out Chef Mark Murphy’s fantastic recipe for Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chili-Lime Butter and Cojita Cheese.  Yummy, easy to make, and a perfect pairing with a fresh wine poured from a screwcap bottle. Oh, behave!