Through the Wine Glass - The My Wines Direct Blog

The Storming of France, American Style

We took France by storm, not only conquering Paris, but the whole of eastern France. Armed with our appetites and an insatiable thirst for excellent wine, my family's recent trip to France left us full, happy and with many mouthwatering memories.

My family celebrated – Americans in France – delighting in endless artfully prepared dishes, paired with overflowing glasses of French wine, in what could only be described as mmmmm. From the South of France, to the cafés of Paris, we wined and dined our way through the beautiful countryside.

Fresh seafood salad paired with Rosé in Nice. Burgundy with Bœuf bourguignon in Beaune. Moelleux au chocolat paired with Champagne in Colmar. Frogs Legs with Pinot Blanc in Paris. Quiche Lorraine. Crème brûlée. Crepes. Pain au chocolat. Baugettes with brie. Bordeaux. Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Riesling. We couldn’t get enough!

Our final night, we lay on the grass in front of the sparkling Eiffel Tower, sipped our last few glasses of Champagne and made a toast to a truly delicious holiday in France.

The celebration of France continues, in honor of Bastille Day – July 14 – France's Independence Day. Marking the storming of Bastille over 225 years ago, the French celebrate with "all the brilliance that local resources allow" including parades, fireworks and huge feasts with fine wine. We're joining the celebration of fine wine by combining delicious French specialties with some of our favorite California classics in the Bastille Celebration pack. Enjoy this Celebration pack of 6 red wines, along with $20 in savings, to bring a taste of France into your home.

Our Best at BBQ

Warm weather for me has long meant trips to the beach, having drinks by the pool and barbecuing. Unfortunately, city living isn’t very conducive to relaxing in the backyard…since I am currently without one. Needless to say, my craving for grilled foods posed somewhat of a challenge – but when the challenge involves food, I’m always up for it!

Last week I found a delicious recipe on our site for rib eye steaks with gorgonzola butter, and with the warm weather this past weekend, I could almost smell the sizzling meat. I invited my boyfriend and sous chef Tony to help me in yet another culinary challenge.

We took a quick trip to the store, picked up two tender, delicious ribeyes, a pound of sweet potatoes and some fresh tomatoes. That was the easy part. Trying to cook in my little shoe box of an apartment, always leads to many adventures in cooking.

Challenge #1: How can we grill steak without a grill? Lucky for me, I made my roommates Valentine’s Day wish come true and bought her a pannini maker. I thought if it can grill bread and cheese, why not steak? Challenge #1 solved and I’m feeling pretty proud of myself.

Challenge #2: The world’s worst oven. Tony cut the sweet potatoes into beautiful wedges to make some baked fries. Then we coated them in olive oil and cayenne pepper. I should have known my oven wouldn’t cooperate. The fries were not in the oven more than 15 minutes when smoke started pouring out. Because I have the world’s worst oven, we ignore the smoke because “it always does that”.

Challenge #3: 15 minutes later…Smoke alarm (again!) and burnt sweet potato fries. We pull our half baked fries out of the oven, to discover we’re having “blackened” fries as our side dish and the fire alarm screeches. I think its disappointed in us.

Fortunately, the rest of the dinner preparations went beautifully. We heated up the pannini maker, let our steaks sizzle for a few minutes, sliced the juicy tomatoes and prepared the gorgonzola butter topping. And before we knew it, we were done. What an easy recipe!We settled on the couch, with a bottle of Las Tizas Cabernet, poured two glasses of rich red wine, toasted to another delicious dinner and enjoyed our gourmet meal. The gorgonzola butter melted on top of the juicy ribeyes and the Cabernet was the perfect complement. A symphony of “mmmmm”s were the only sounds to be heard. Cheers to another adventure in small apartment cooking. Where there’s no challenge that wine and a little inventiveness can’t fix! 

For memorial day weekend, I have volunteered to make dinner for our friends and family. I’ve sent the BBQ Bests red wine pack on its way, to be delivered just in time for the festivities. And with a “big kid” grill available, I’m preparing a meal to impress -  ribeyes with gorgonzola butter and some fresh grilled vegetables. Summer grilling season here I come!

Spring Sangria Recipe

It's Spring and next week is Cinco De Mayo, so I naturally started to think Sangria! Not that Sangria originated from Mexico - it's actually a drink that is most commonly associated with Spain. But since I love wine, I think Sangria when I think of Cinco De Mayo! How about you? 

This week I went on a quest for a Sangria recipe I could pair with some of our wines, but I really wanted an  original recipe that I could share with our customers.  I began thinking about my friend Allison Lanzilotta Arevalo who is an awesome cook and who writes a really great blog called Local Lemons.  I recently visited her in Berkley and we went on this amazing Napa wine tour and had many great nights of food and wine. She loves wine about as much as I do!

So I reached out to her and asked her if she would be our guest recipe writer this week and create a custom Sangria recipe for us. She gracefully agreed and she just sent me the recipe yesterday! It looks delicious and I am so excited to try the recipe tonight. I am going to make two batches, because I want to find out how it tastes with a Cabernet  vs. a Petit Verdot. I'll let you know!

You can find the Sangria recipe on our site and Local Lemons. I would recommend checking out some of her other recipes too. She is truly an original cook and each recipe comes with her commentary and some amazing photos. She's also opening a new restaurant in Oakland this summer called Lil' Mac. We wish her luck!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we've created a special Cinco de Mayo fiesta wine pack! It includes the suggested types of wines to use for the sangria recipe and a savings of $33! Plus, $0 Shipping.

**** Update: I tried both of my batches today. Yum!! This is a great summer drink. The Petit Verdot makes a slightly smoother, fruity and sweeter sangria. The Cabernet adds an interesting bite to the sangria. I ended up mixing both batches for the perfect mix of flavors! I will be making this sangria a lot this summer. In fact, it might be the signature drink for my upcoming afternoon barbecue.

Mother's Day Masterpiece: French Wine and Cooking

 
A few weeks back I sat down to watch “Julie and Julia”– a movie that entwines the stories of chef Julia Child and Julie Powell, a young New Yorker who takes on the feat of preparing all of the culinary arts in Julia Child’s first book, in one year. Already passionate about cooking, I was inspired – to make the famed “Bouef Bourginon” that is the coup de grâce of character Julie.

Last weekend, I decided it was now or never. I quickly found the recipe, which was scanned and posted to the web by other brave cuisiniers who have come before me. Julia – I accept your challenge and promise to use enough butter to make you proud! I asked my favorite sous chef, my boyfriend Tony, to accompany me on this culinary journey – he’s the absolute best at chopping onions (ego stroke) with the promise of wine and a meal to remember.

First things first, we opened a bottle of Lustre Syrah and poured two large glasses. Then we set about chopping, braising, simmering and savoring the beautiful aromas filling my tiny apartment. A sip of wine while cutting the vegetables, a few more sips while sautéing the meat and before I knew it the first bottle of wine was gone and we had completed the last instruction.

Our dinner was bubbling in the oven, the kitchen was a mess, our feet were up on the coffee table and we smiled at each other over a glass of Bouchard Pinot, feeling proud that we escaped this culinary feat with only one slight hiccup: while I was busy critiquing the carrot cutting skills of my sous chef, the boiling bacon spilled all over the stove. The fire alarm screamed and my downstairs neighbor rushed into the hallway. “Sorry” I yelled, while covering my ears “it’s ok, its just me… cooking…again!” All just a distant memory, while our masterpiece simmered away. Now all we had to do was wait. 

And wait we did. One hour. Two hours. Three hours. It was now 11:30pm; our stomachs were grumbling, our eyes were getting droopy and I wondered if we took on too much? Finally the timer sounded and we lept off the couch. We couldn’t wait to taste our creation. I spooned large ladle-fulls into bowls, while Tony opened a bottle of my favorite French Red Wine, the Pere et Fils Syrah-Grenache. 

The wait was worth it! The buttery meat and rich, herb-infused sauce were complemented by the berry aromas and spice of the Syrah-Grenache. We ate and enjoyed our hard work, just before midnight. And I thought, as I savored my last bite, Julia - you are truly an artist!

With Mother’s Day coming up, I think I've found the perfect gourmet gift of red wines. I’m going to be sure to treat my mom – with a dish to impress paired with a delicious French Wine.

The Holidays Mean It's Time for Ham!

One of my boyfriend's favorite dishes to eat is ham and biscuits.  So for his birthday, it was the perfect opportunity to try out the Mustard Brown Sugar Glazed Ham paired with the Marlegan Cabernet Sauvignon!  Especially on a cold and rainy night!

The butcher helped me select a spiral-cut ham, informing me that the "butt" portion made for better meat.  Also, if I was doing my own glaze, he suggested I opt for the honey-cured versus the hickory-smoked, which already had strong flavor.

How could this recipe be any easier?  I mixed up the glaze and set it aside, then popped the ham in the oven for a nice low and slow roast.  It filled the apartment with its lovely aroma, prompting my boyfriend to ask at regular intervals when dinner would be ready.

The ham I purchased didn't even need to be trimmed, so a half an hour before I was ready to serve it, I slathered it with the spicy sweet glaze and put in back in the oven.  I put out the appetizers -- goat cheese and figs and honey, charcuterie, mulled apple cider.  And, of course, I opened up the Marlegan to breathe!  By then, the ham was ready to be taken out.

While it rested, I re-warmed the mushroom lasagna and baked off the biscuits.  Timing couldn't have been better!  I could bring out all the main dishes at the same time.

The ham and Marlegan turned out to be the star of the buffet.  Besides being a delicious entree, a ham makes an impressive centerpiece.  Our guests oo-ed and ah-ed.  And my boyfriend was very pleased and full by the end of the evening!

Bacon Extravaganza

I guess the official name is the Bacon Explosion, but Explosion and Bacon really don't belong in the same sentence, as far as I'm concerned.  This much talked about food gimmick started sweeping the net earlier this year, aided by some really smart promotion guys and lots of press.

We discussed it at work, as we discuss all things food related.  Some thought it sounded like a good idea, "Bacon, more bacon with a large side of sausage, what's not to like?"  Others said it sounded like a "heart-attack on a stick," even though it's not served on a stick.  Although that does give me some ideas...

The fully-cooked log of bacon and sausage supposedly contains about 5,000 calories and 500 grams of fat, but don't let that alarm you.  Purists suggest cutting thin slices and serving them on a warm biscuit or bun, two or three slices per biscuit.

You start out by making a lattice of bacon, I used seven slices across and slices down.  When you have the bacon mat completed, you cover it with a layer of Italian sausage.   I used bell pepper and carmelized onion Italian sausage, along with some dill and other spices.

Then I fried bacon, cut it up and sprinkled it all over the sausage, along with bbq seasoning and home-made bbq sauce.  It was fairly detailed for a food project but I was having a good time giving it a try.

After I rolled up the sausage portion, tightly squeezing out air pockets, I then rolled the entire thing in the bacon mat.   After smoking it in the smoker for three hours and then brushing home-made bbq sauce all over the outside, it smelled pretty good.

The final results looked just like the ones I saw on all the web sites, but after working on it for four or five hours, I was just too tired to try it.

Once we got our appetites back, we had a toasty, fresh from the oven biscuit, with two thin slices of bacon explosion, still warm from the smoker.  Zinfandel was the wine of choice, which pairs perfectly with pork dishes of almost any kind.

Was it worth the time?  It was good, but I probably won't be making it again any time soon.  I'd just as soon go to Red Rock Cafe and have one of their pulled pork sandwiches, dripping with bbq sauce.

Let someone else do all the work!

It's that time of year again...

Halloween has passed and holiday decorations are going up every where.  Well, actually in a lot of places, the decorations were up before Halloween but that's neither here nor there.  Now is the time to get ready for the holidays, which are fast approaching.

I've been asked a number of times lately what wines would I recommend for a Thanksgiving dinner.  The wines tend to change over time, with new, popular fads in varietals as well as changing trends in cuisine.  Traditionally, with the requisite turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and various side dishes, I have a few go-to varietals I seasonally focus on.  And let's not forget the Thanksgiving table which includes a baked/smoked/honeyed/bone-in/bone-out/canned/etc ham as well as the perennial favorite pumpkin pie.

I'd normally suggest a Pinot Noir, which will provide a nice accent to both the roast turkey AND the baked ham.  A Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with this varied meal, with the light, clean finish cutting through the richness of the medley of dishes.  Or my personal favorite, as most who know me well would attest, a sparkling wine with its effervescent nature is perfect for this festive holiday.  It goes with just about anything you'd serve and you can either start with it or finish with it.  Heck, I might be tempted to have it throughout the entire feast!

This year, the one new ringer I'm recommending, and I've mentioned it a few times before, is Subio Dry Rose, from Mendocino, Ca .  Because this wine is not sweet but has wonderful fruit, it goes equally well with most of the dishes you'd normally find on a Thanksgiving table.

Whatever wines you choose, your holiday table will be sure to please friends and family, so enjoy this most special of family times!

...and it wasn't even Mardi Gras...

Last weekend was the 2nd Annual Wine Country Cajun Food & Music Festival in downtown Napa.  My hubby and I attended, along with our dog Bogie, aka Beauregard, and two Sonoma Valley friends.  Even though we hadn't attended last years event, I didn't have any trouble talking my hubby into this fete because as everyone knows, Cajun music is infectious and Cajun food even better.

As soon as we arrived, we were enveloped by the sounds of 8,000 people having a really good time.   There was a Mardi Gras-style parade, which wound through the downtown streets twice during the day.  Napa High's marching band was in attendance as was Henry Clement and the Gumbo Tribe.  Henry, dressed as his alter ego Chief Takawaka (I COULD NOT make up that name!), led the parade dressed all in feathers.   Music on multiple stages, zydeco, blues, you name it, people were dancing everywhere.  Each time the parade marched by, the colorfully-garbed attendees threw the requisite beaded necklaces to eager recipients both high and low.  Even Bogie amassed quite a few!

A party like this just wouldn't be complete without fabulous Cajun/Creole food and drink.  My friend Judy and I ordered wine, I picked a Napa Sauvignon Blanc and she chose a Sonoma Zinfandel.  The men opted for glasses of frosty Hefeweizen, an unfiltered wheat beer, from one of our local microbreweries.

When it came to choosing food, we had many options and not all of them Cajun or Creole.  Three of us went Cajun (you know, when in New Orleans...), with Judy enjoying slices of pizza, she being the most conservative diner of the group.   Randy ordered the alligator jambalaya, it's been a long time since I've had alligator, but he thought it tasted very much like chicken.  Kejay ordered the seafood gumbo which came with a big mound of white rice and sliced scallions.  I ordered the crayfish boil, which was a mess of crawdads, small red, round potatoes and pieces of corn on the cob, all cooked together in a spicy concoction. My serving was generous enough to share with my two more adventurous companions, we twisted off tails and sucked crawdad heads like New Orleans locals.  The Sauv Blanc I chose had a nice, crisp, citrusy body, which balanced out the richness and spiciness of the crayfish boil, it was a match made in heaven.

A few more hours of colorful costumes, fun music, group dancing and friendly Napans, and we were ready to head home for the evening.

The art of tipping

Having been in the food and beverage business for as many years as I have, I've always felt it important to tip well.  I've been on the other side of the proverbial table and I know how much work it is to serve your fellow man on a daily basis.  I read a great column about this very issue the other day in Bon Appetit, by The BA Foodist, Andrew Knowlton, and by the way, is he ever easy on the eyes!  You may have seen him as a guest judge on Iron Chef America.

How many times have you been out to dinner with a friend or family member who insisted on picking up the tab, only to give the wait staff a measly ten percent tip?  And for whatever reason, you couldn't add more money to the tab, for fear of major hurt feelings and permanent relationship damage.  (That friend or family member, you know who I'm talking about!)

The best part of Knowlton's piece had to do with whether or not doubling the tax would be sufficient.  Nope.  A big nope.  According to him, that's just being cheap.  I know a number of people who like to use this method and I'm mostly embarrassed when I'm dining out with them.

Me, I try to stick to tipping about twenty percent.  I figure, the people who are working the hardest are the wait staff, including bussers and sommeliers and a little bit extra in the tip goes directly to these deserving folks.  If they're really friendly and professional, I go higher.  Befriend your servers, especially at restaurants you frequent often.  They'll remember you, they'll go out of their way to accommodate you, they'll occasionally comp you drinks or dessert, you can't go wrong by taking care of these guys.

And finally, if you bring your own bottle of wine to the restaurant, remember to tip on the value of the wine.  The theory is that the restaurant offers this service as a favor, but the wait person is the one to lose out sometimes.  They're opening the bottle for you, serving it to you, occasionally decanting, and chilling it if it's a white, it's common courtesy to make sure they're taken care of, since the cost of the beverage is not on the tab.

I know a few friends and family members I'll run Andrew Knowlton's column by, I'm sure everyone has a few friends they'd like to give it to as well.

Take me out to the ball game...

I'm not a huge baseball fan.  That is to say, I like our two bay area teams, the SF Giants and the Oakland A's, but I don't watch them on TV.  For me, baseball has always seemed to move incredibly slow on TV.  When attending a game, it's a completely different experience.  Especially day games, where I always try to sit in the warm sunshine.  In person, a baseball game is a multi-level engaging experience.  You've got the crowds, which are normally friendly and not too wild.  Good food and drink and in this day and age as you probably already know, cuisine has definitely evolved at the ball game.  The thrill of seeing each player in person, versus on your TV screen.  Of course, depending on where your seats are.

I had the good fortune to attend a Giants/Brewers game on a Saturday, a few weeks ago.  I'd been given the tickets by Harry, our VP of Procurement, and boy, were they good tickets!  Seven rows behind home plate, at AT&T Park (to see our great view close up, click on the above photo.)  In case you haven't been there, this park is beautiful.  Since it opened in 2000, I've attended numerous games and events there and have never failed to be impressed.  It perches on the edge of San Francisco, between the city and the water, not too far from the Bay Bridge.  Many seats in the ball park have views of the water, Bay Bridge and the Marina.  It's quite easy to walk around the entire promenade level, which makes AT&T Park feel almost cozy.

Back to the food.  Since we were seated in the coveted "club" section, we could order food and drink delivered right to our seats.  Our seat-mate John, a loquacious fellow originally from Wisconsin, suggested we try the Sheboygan Bratwurst, served with grilled onion, sauerkraut and Dijon mustard.  He swore it was the best thing on the menu.  He and my friend (and co-worker) Debbie ordered the Sheboygan (I had a small taste) and Debbie completely agreed with him, the Sheboygan "was the bomb."  I checked out the Sheboygan Bratwurst website and you can actually order a five pound box, which includes 20 brats, including 2-day shipping, for $31.46, or $1.57 a brat.  Not bad for the tastiest "dog" in the park.

I went for the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich.  It sounded good and tasted even better.  The roll was nice and soft, the meat thinly shaved and lean.  The cheese was definitely processed and melted, but it worked, with the onions and peppers.  Best Philly I've ever had.  And of course, we ordered the garlic fries to share.  Aromatic and amazing as always.  And ball parks nowadays offer an array of beverages, not just the standard beer anymore.  California wines, margaritas, mixed drinks, just about anything you could think of.  We were set without having to ever leave our seats!

And the final score?

The Giants lost to the Brewers, 5-8.  But we didn't care that much, having spent a really nice day at a beautiful ball park in the sunshine, enjoying wonderful chow and good company.

Can't wait to go back!