Winemaking Made Easy
Hosting a Wine Tasting Party at Home
August 30th, 2010 by jolan in wine lifestyle
Hosting a wine tasting party at home is a delightful way to enjoy time with friends and family. Wine novices and experts alike can share in the fun, as home wine tasting parties are less about strict evaluations of wines than exploring and comparing individual impressions and preferences. (more…)
Spanish Stew with Rioja
August 27th, 2010 by jolan in recipes, wine lifestyle
Marmitako is a Spanish fish and potato stew deeply rooted in Basque cuisine. This dish is simple, hearty, and a fantastic way to travel to northern Spain without leaving your kitchen. Marmitako was originally a fisherman’s stew, as Basque fishers would cook their daily tuna catch on board fishing boats.
A touch of red wine in the recipe is not orthodox, but if you choose an earthy Spanish red wine, like Tempranillo or Garnacha, you will be richly rewarded. Marmitako has few ingredients, and a few glugs of dark red wine give a special depth of flavor to the dish. Best of all, you won’t need the whole bottle for this recipe, so you can enjoy a few glasses of Rioja while slurping in the stew from Basque Country. (more…)
Top Five Picnic Wines
August 26th, 2010 by jolan in food pairing, general wine knowledge, wine lifestyle
Labor Day is soon approaching, and backyard barbecues don’t need to have all the fun. Picnics are another great way to soak up the last of the summer sun. An easy way to spend a holiday afternoon, picnics require little more than some cutlery, finger foods, a salad or two, and a big blanket. A few bottles of wine, kept comfortably chilled in a small cooler, give an extra special touch to your Labor Day picnic. The following are some of our favorite picnic wines, perfect for the warm September sun and the various dishes of your finger-licking picnic feast. (more…)
Taste the Experience: Sweet Indulgence Collection
June 15th, 2010 by jolan in news, wine lifestyle
Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso. (Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick.) ~ Spanish proverb
I like this Spanish proverb very much, not in small part because it makes me think of wine. I’ll explain briefly: chocolate comes from cocoa beans, which originated in the Americas. Spaniards, as the main European colonizers of the region, brought back the beans to Spain, where to this day they are celebrated in a thick, rich, creamy drink. One could argue that colonial trade, in fact, made wine better — previously, wine and ale were the only real drinks that were potable and storable, thus without much competition. European trade with places like the Americas and Arabia, though, brought a world of new beverages into play, like tea, coffee, and voluptuously delicious hot chocolate. Wine making had to be stepped up, so to speak, if wine were still to be a contender for the table. (more…)
On Finding Wine Events Near You
June 10th, 2010 by jolan in wine lifestyle
With a ton of great wine events coming up at Vintner’s Circle, I thought it would be pertinent to mention a fantastic website to check out: LocalWineEvents.com.
As the website’s founder Eric Orange explains in his interview with Gary Vaynerchuk, LocalWineEvents.com began as a way for places like wine shops, liquor stores, and restaurants to promote their wine events. From the everyday drinker’s side, though, the site has a wealth of information about all sorts of events going on in your region. I think it’s an especially good resource for those who live in more rural and suburban areas — the site is a virtual walk-through of the wine events that may be happening just down the street from you.
At Vintner’s Circle, we’re happy to welcome you all to our upcoming Open Houses next Wednesday, June 16th. Check out your nearest Vintner’s Circle Wine Making Shop, and join us for an evening of complimentary wine tasting as you learn more about how you can craft wines of your very own.
Sangria With a Twist: A Summer Drink, Revisited
June 2nd, 2010 by jolan in recipes, wine lifestyle
In honor of our recent release announcement on these exciting limited edition wines, I’d like to share a recipe specifically created for another style of seasonal wines available for just this summer. Our Twisted Mist wines (Strawberry Margarita and Mojito) are wine cocktails in and of themselves: once they are made, all you’ve got to do is chill, pour and serve.
Sometimes, though, a special occasion* may call for a few extra steps. With just a bit of slicing and stirring, you can enjoy an interesting twist on traditional sangria by making a pitcher with the Twisted Mist Mojito. The wine, with its inherent sweetness and minty flavors, is a perfect foil for fresh fruit. A little white grape juice adds a touch of sugar, while balancing some of the wine’s acidity. Sliced apple and oranges lend a complex fruitiness, and fresh lime enhances the mojito flavor. (Mojitos are made with fresh mint and lime, topped with ice, rum, simple syrup, and a splash of club soda.)
*It’s up to you to determine what constitutes a “special occasion”. Mine, for instance, was lunch.
Mojito-Style Sangria
1 bottle Twisted Mist Mojito
1 cup white grape juice
1 apple, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
1 lime, sliced
Combine all ingredients into a large pitcher, and mix well with a wooden spoon. For maximum flavor, let the sangria sit, while the fruits can release their juices. Enjoy chilled, in a big wine glass, a few hours later.
Vintner’s Circle Dickson City Samples a Sip of Summer
May 30th, 2010 by jolan in news, wine lifestyle
Stan and Joanne Triplett, franchise owners of Vintner’s Circle Dickson City, participated at this year’s Sno Cove Wine Festival at Montage Mountain. The wine festival featured tastings from more than a dozen local Pennsylvania wineries, in addition to all sorts of traditional festival goodies: live entertainment, arts and crafts, specialty foods, and handcrafted goods.
The Vintner’s Circle booth was packed throughout the day, as Stan and Joanne provided samples of a variety of refreshing wine treats. The new Strawberry Margarita and Mojito were featured as slushies, cool and smooth. Other popular wines served included Peach Apricot Chardonnay, Kiwi Pear Sauvignon Blanc, Blackberry Cabernet, Exotic Fruits White Zinfandel, and Vieux Chateau Du Roi. (The last two wines were both winners at this year’s WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition.)
Stan and Joanne happily offered sips of summer to the thirsty crowds, all the while explaining how people could easily make wines like these (and more) at their Vintner’s Circle wine making shop in Dickson City. And for those of you who are in the Poconos region interested in a further look at the Sno Cove Wine Festival, keep an eye out for the local WBRE broadcast. You’ll get a glimpse of Stan serving wines at the Vintner’s Circle booth!
**Thanks to Joanne Triplett, who sent along the pictures of this Saturday’s Sno Cove Wine Festival. Be sure to get a good look at the third photo, featuring the Strawberry Margarita and Mojito wine cocktails in all their slushy glory.
The First Bottling (with mention of lychees)
May 19th, 2010 by jolan in wine lifestyle, wine making
We bottled our first batches of wine this weekend. We made a lot of wine. Now comes the difficult part: waiting.
We made two batches: a German Gewurztraminer and an apple wine, made from fresh cider from a nearby Jersey farm. Though I know good wine comes from great patience, I’m planning to break out a few bottles for Memorial Day weekend. Apple wine, spiked with sweet, citrusy pineapple, in a big glass next to the pool – really, what could make for a better holiday?
Gewurztraminer, for those of you who are not familiar with this chunkily named wine, is a white wine grape famous in Germany and in Alsace, France. It can range from a dry, full-bodied wine to a very sweet dessert drink. I love it for its spicy aromas and full feel in my mouth. When I tried the first glass this weekend, I was struck by its pungent scent of lychee. Lychee is a tropical (and subtropical) fruit with sweet white flesh and a distinct, heady aroma.*
I’m excited to see how our wines progress over time. Now they are in our cellar, stored upright in boxes (this position made possible by their synthetic corks) next to the bundle of root vegetables from the local co-op. Maybe we’ll open a bottle next week, to taste the fresh flavors; then in a month, then in two months, and so on. These wines are good quality, but not meant for extreme aging, so I hope that we can enjoy a big batch of mulled apple wine this Christmas, made deeper and more intense with cinnamon and orange (and maybe a splash of brandy). The prospect of mulled homemade wine will certainly make the passing of Memorial Day weekend so much easier to bear.
Who has made wine already, and can talk about the waiting game? I’d love to hear how you enjoyed your batch (or two, or three). Also, I’m calling for any tried-and-true, family recipes for mulled wine. Please share yours!
*Lychee also presents something of a conundrum: when trying to describe a wine that someone is not familiar with, how can I use a fruit that may be equally unfamiliar? Lychees, lucky for us, are becoming more and more common in restaurants and in the international aisle of supermarkets. You may also come across them in swank lounges: my first experience with the fruit was a lychee martini, with the small white cylinder taking the place of a classic olive. (I like it more in Gewurztraminer.)
Classic Summer Wine Cocktails
May 16th, 2010 by jolan in recipes, wine lifestyle
As the weather warms up, it’s time to think of ways to keep cool. Weekends mean time at the pool, stretching out on the porch, and neighborhood barbecues (and picnics and festivals and beaches, oh my!). We’ve put together a list of classic wine cocktails, all the more enjoyable for their simplicity. With a small splash of liquor, or fruit puree, or some fresh berries, you can explore the tastes of France, Italy, and Spain – without leaving the cool shade of your own backyard.
Kir/Kir Royale
1 part black currant liqueur + 5 parts white wine + 1 lemon twist = kir
The kir (pronounced keer) originates from Burgundy, France. Traditionally, the wine cocktail is made with crème de cassis (black currant liqueur) and Aligoté (a light, acidic white wine from Burgundy). Of course, you can add black currant liqueur to a variety of white wines to get the refreshing sweetness associated with the kir. I do recommend a lighter white, like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, but there certainly will be no Wine Police chasing you down if you decide on a full-bodied Chardonnay.
A kir royale (keer roy-ALL) is simply crème de cassis and Champagne. In my heart of hearts, though, I can’t recommend that you spoil deliciously expensive, true Champagne by any additions; instead, try a touch of crème de cassis to sparkling wine from California or Spain.
Enhance your kir or kir royale with a lemon twist. Lemon twists are easy: use a vegetable peeler to get a thin (you want none of the bitter, white pith) strip of lemon peel, and simply twist it. Twisting the peel releases the skin’s aromatic oils; run the peel around the top of your glass, and either drop the twist in your drink, or let it hang languorously on the lip.
Bellini
1 part peach puree + 3 parts sparkling wine = Bellini
The Bellini comes by way of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy (which has been quite the source of culinary creations, as it also claims to be the first to have served Carpaccio). A Bellini is simply fresh peach puree, topped with sparkling white wine. In Venice, the traditional formula involves white peaches and Prosecco, a sparkling white wine that comes from the region.
Enjoy your Bellini in a Champagne flute, topped with a slice of fresh peach, or a lemon or orange twist, for an extra special touch.
Sangria
1 bottle red wine + 1 lemon, sliced + 1 orange, sliced + 1 apple, sliced + 1/4 cup cranberry juice + 2 tablespoons sugar + 1 shot brandy = red wine sangria
1 bottle white wine + 1 lemon, sliced + 1 cup strawberries, sliced + 1 cup raspberries + 1 tablespoon honey + 1 cup club soda = white wine sangria
“Sangría” is a Spanish term, translated loosely into English as “bleeding” or (so says my dictionary) “phlebotomy”. Perhaps the term comes from the color of the wine, or how the cocktail’s fruit components ooze out sweet flavor, but whatever its murky origins, sangria means something delicious. This is one of the more versatile wine cocktails, so I give the above recipes as something as a starting point. The basic formula is wine and fruit and a touch of sweetener, and perhaps a touch of liquor and/or carbonation (like club soda or Sprite). If you have a favorite sangria recipe, I’d love to hear it.
On that note, who has a particularly good wine cocktail, classic or not, that would be perfect for summer? Have you had a great wine cocktail somewhere, but aren’t sure how to make it? If you describe where and when you had what you had, we could figure it out together!
A Father’s Day Photo Search
May 8th, 2010 by jolan in wine lifestyle, wine making
Wine making has been a valued family tradition for hundreds (and in some places, thousands) of years. The practice still holds strong across the world, from California to Italy to France (Zind-Humbrecht wines are a personal favorite of mine). In honor of this upcoming Father’s Day, Vintner’s Circle is looking for great, old family photos of fathers and sons making wine together. We’re always happy to illustrate the connection between making wine and celebrating life, and would love to bring our fan’s family photos into the picture.
So start digging in your basement, attic or garage for those musty boxes labeled “Old Pictures”. Send your favorite picture or two to info [at] vintnerscircle [dot] com. If yours is chosen, it will be showcased on the front page of our website in June!