Cheers to the New Year

Winetoon Tueday

Week of Winetoons

This is the time of year we hang with our family and play with our new toys.  I hope everyone is enjoying their time with loved ones.  I want to wish all of you a wonderful and healthy New Year.  May it be filled with love, friendship and good wine!

For the week, lets relax and enjoy some winetoons.

Other Wines in the House - Cline Ancient Vines Zin

I purchased this wine for a wine chat tasting on twitter a while back.  I was looking for the Cline Cashmere but the wine store I was in didn't have it so I settled on the 2009 Ancient Vines Zinfandel. I shouldn't say settled, because it was pretty good and a great price.

Opening the bottle the aromas of coffee, vanilla and strawberry jam. Very nice aromas.  The palate was filled with red fruit and bursting with stawberries.  There were hints of coffee and a smooth finish.

As my husband said "This wine is a keeper for under $20."  I purchased the wine for $14.99.

A Little Holiday Whisky.

I recently received a press release from Michtner's Whiskey. They produce single barrel rye, very small batch bourbon, single barrel bourbon, and unblended American whiskey.  While I don't drink whiskey, the recipes intrigued me.  

So if you are looking for some last minute recipes for your Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, here are a few straight from the Michter’s kitchen.

Patsy’s Bourbon Balls

Pair with Michter’s US*1 Bourbon.

1 cup chopped pecans

6 tbsp. Michter’s US*1 Bourbon

½ stick butter

3¾ cups confectioners’ sugar

16 oz. dark chocolate chips

Soak pecans in Michter’s US*1 Bourbon in an airtight container for four days. Flip after the first two days to fully coat the pecans. The pecans should absorb all of the Michter’s US*1 Bourbon. Mix butter, sugar, and pecans. Roll into 1-inch balls and refrigerate overnight. Pour dark chocolate chips into microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 2½ minutes. Remove chocolate every minute and stir. Dip refrigerated balls into the melted dark chocolate. Place the chocolate-covered bourbon balls in an airtight container and place in freezer until set (just a few minutes). Store in a cool place.

Joe’s Rye-Glazed Ham

Pair with Michter’s US*1 Rye.

1 cup honey

½ cup molasses

½ cup Michter’s US*1 Rye

¼ cup orange juice

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 ham half, about 6 to 8 pounds, fully cooked

Combine the honey and molasses and heat them in a bowl in the microwave, or in a saucepan on the stovetop. Stir in Michter’s US*1 Rye, orange juice, and mustard. Remove all but about ¼ inch of fat from the ham and place in a roasting pan. Bake the ham at 325°F for about 1½ hours, or until a meat thermometer reaches 140°F (about 10 minutes per pound). Baste the ham occasionally with the honey-rye mixture. Transfer drippings to a saucepan and add remaining honey-rye mixture; bring to a boil. Slice ham and serve with the glaze.

  

Vincent’s Bread Pudding with American Whiskey Sauce Pair with Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey.

1 loaf French bread, at least a day old, cut into 1-inch squares (about 6–7 cups)

1 qt. milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups sugar

2 tbsp. vanilla

1 cup raisins (soaked overnight in ¼ cup Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey) ¼ tsp. allspice ¼–½ tsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Place the bread into a large mixing bowl and pour the milk over the bread. Press bread with hands until well mixed and all the milk is absorbed. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices together. Gently stir into the bread mixture. Fold the raisins into the mixture. Pour the butter into the bottom of a 9”x13” baking pan and coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter. Pour the bread mix into the baking pan and bake at 350°F for 35–45 minutes, until set. The pudding is done when the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. The pudding can also be cooked in individual ramekins. Serve with Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey sauce (recipe below) on the side; pour on to taste.

Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey Sauce

½ cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey

In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in the sugar and egg. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. (Do not allow to simmer, or it may curdle.) Whisk in Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey to taste. Remove from heat. Whisk before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.

Bear Mountain Inn

I recently got a tour of the Bear Mountain Inn.  I am ashamed to admit this is the first time I visited the Inn and the Park.  Had I not had tunnel vision when my kids were younger, I would have made the 45 minute ride to visit.  They have a swimming pool, picnic areas, a zoo and an outdoor skating rink in the winter. (There were plenty of people on the ice when I was there.)  Best of all they have a Merry Go Round which features hand-painted scenes from the park and 42 hand-carved seats made to look like native animals.

The Inn has recently gone under extensive renovations!  Beautiful hardwood floors, and hardwood throughout the entire place.  A conference center that can accommodate 250 people with 4 break out rooms.  There are 15 beautiful guest rooms. Looking ahead three years down the road they plan on having a spa at the hotel.

They expect to open Valentine's Day Weekend and rack rates are $250 per night.

They have a cafe that is currently open to the public.  The 1915 Cafe is named after the year the building was finished.  80% of the food served is sourced locally with their meats come from Smokehouse of the Catskills.

A stay here is close to West Point, Woodbury Commons, Palaia Vineyards, Brotherhood Winery, Applewood Winery & Warwick Valley Winery. Lots of hiking is available!

Hudson Valley Wine Awards

I had the opportunity to deliver two of the three Hudson Valley Wine awards this past week.  I was unable to get to BashaKill Vineyards in Wurtsboro.  Sorry Paul. Look for it in the mail soon!

I'll begin with Paul DeNinnino whose 2010 Black Bear Cabernet Franc won for Best in Show. Congrats Paul!

I stopped in at Clinton Vineyards to present them with the Valerie Eldridge Cup for Best Hudson Valley Wine. This awarded was for their Jubilee.

A short ride down the Dutchess Wine Trail path led me to Millbrook Vineyards & Winery who won the Hudson Valley Winery of the Year award.  After wandering around the winery I found Stacy who insisted we have John Graziano their winemaker pose for the picture.

Congratulations to all of you!  Happy Holidays!

Other Wines in the House - Pucker Up with Borghese

Castello di Broghese is located on the North Fork of Long Island.  When I first visited this winery was around 2004.  It was my first trip to Long Island Wine Country and I was hosted for lunch by Marc and Ann Marie. I had a delightful time and learned a lot about the history of the property and Long Island Wines.

This Borghese 2009 Chardonnay had a nice light golden color.  Pear on the nose with hints of minerality lead to a plate that was tart on the first taste.  Lemon tart to be exact.  I didn't get much fruit in this wine.  It was a little acidic on the finish and that gave way to little spice.  

I was slightly disappointed in this wine.  I guess I was expecting something more bolder. This chardonnay is definitely a wine that you have to have food with it and seafood would be a great pairing.  (Shrimp Scampi would be great!)

The wine sells for $16.99 in their tasting room.

Baked Cod Pairing

Beginning in the new year I am going to try and do a wine and food pairing on Thursdays.  Depending on my weekly schedule and time to spend at the stove will dictate.  I don't want to wait until then to share this wonderful dish and pairing.

So often when I go to get fish I end up with Salmon.  It's easy, I like it, but I wanted to be different on this trip to Adams so I purchased Cod.  As much as I like Fish and Chips, we try not to fry at our house.  Chef Debbie as she's called in our house (not me) made a curried cod for us and it's quite easy, but I wasn't feeling the curry coming on.

I looked to see what I had in my fridge and Paul suggested cooking it in the iron skillet in the oven.  Here is what I came up with and it was delicious!  I paired it with a Dr. Konstantin Frank 2010 Gruner Veltliner.  What a great pairing and dinner it was.  Served with rice and green beans.

2 tbs olive oil
2 medium onions sliced thin
1 clove garlic chopped
1 cup dry white wine (I used Clinton Vineyards Seyval Blanc)
1 1/4 pounds of cod. (I cut it in 6 pieces)
3 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbs fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic power
1 cup shredded Gruyere Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small dish combine panko, parsley, paprika and garlic powder, stir and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet (I used an iron skillet) over medium high heat.  Add onions and garlic and saute about 7 - 10 minutes until softened.  Add wine and cook about 4 minutes.  Place cod on top of the onions and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.  Cover pan with foil and bake for 12 minutes.  Take pan out of oven and sprinkle panko mixture over the fish and top with the cheese.  Bake uncovered 10 more minutes.

Made in the USA

Last Wednesday the internet was a buzzing with a New York Times article by William Grimes titled " With Rude Names, Wine Stops Minding Its Manners."  Guess who got a mention in the article?  Yes, Happy Bitch Wines with " They’re reinforcements for a growing army of rude, budget-priced wines that have shoved their way into wine stores and supermarkets in the past few years — most recently Happy Bitch, a Hudson Valley rosé that made its debut last month."

Rude name? That's an opinion. Happy Bitch Wines is about a lifestyle, about the cards your dealt, the choices you make to live your life to the fullest and leave the baggage behind.  Regardless of what the article was about, after I read it I realized, Happy Bitch Wines is the only wine with the name BITCH in it that is "Made in the USA" Hudson Valley to be exact with grapes sourced from the Finger Lakes.  Most of the wines in the article are made outside the USA.

Bitch Wine is made in Australia, Sassy Bitch in Chile, Royal Bitch in Chile and France, Jealous Bitch in Australia and Sweet Bitch in Chile.  Even Fat Bastard is made in France.

While I am not criticizing wines from those regions or the grapes grown there, my point is that Happy Bitch Rose is made in the United States. Shop local, buy local and look for "Made in the USA" on the label.

The Sky is the Limit

Note: I received this as a sample right off the bottling line from Whitecliff Vineyards, hence there is no label.  I did wait two weeks before I opened it so the bottle shock wouldn't be so harsh.

The Sky Island is Whitecliff's Bordeaux blended wine.  (A red blend of 5 grapes grown in the Bordeaux region of France Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc)  This Sky Island blend is 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot 4% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot.

We decanted the wine because it was so young. As we decanted it, I got an immediate nose of Petit Verdot - the black fruits and blackberry really stood out. Along with the dark fruit there was some oak that was apparent on the nose.

One sip and you get a mouth full of dark fruit flavors. As the wine opens up black cherry begins to stand out. There is a strong black pepper finish (which I love) on the wine that just lingers a bit on your palate.   It's a nice full bodied, strong wine.

This wine is young and I would suggest holding on to it for a year or two.  It sells for $24.95 in their tasting room.

Other Wines in the House - 2007 Heron Hill Riesling

Sometimes your craving Chardonnay but a Riesling is what you pull out.  This was the case the night I was craving a Chardonnay and when I was rummaging through the wine cellar I found a 2007 Heron Hill Ingle Vineyard Riesling from the Finger Lakes.  My craving suddenly changed, I had to open this wine.

Usually Rieslings tend to darken in color as they age, but this one held it's own.  It was light pale yellow with a little greenish tint. I was getting excited!

The aromas of petrol filled my nose with hits of wet slate. I knew Paul was going to like this with the smell of the petrol.

Once the wine reached my lips - Wow! Soft and silky with tart green apple, honey dew melon and apricot. Lemon rind finishes on the back of your palate and just lingers for a few to remind you of the amazing experience.  There isn't much acidity left and you get more mineral notes within the wine.

Sometimes I am just amazed at what I find in my cellar.

Upcoming Happy Bitch Wines Tasting

If you haven't had a chance to taste Happy Bitch Wines Rose we have lots of tastings in the next two weeks.  In fact tomorrow December 9th we are going to be in two places at once!  Now is the time to come out and taste.  Happy Bitch Wines makes a great holiday gift.

Come visit and celebrate the holidays with us at the following tastings

December 9 - JK's Wine & Liquor in Kingston Plaza, Kingston NY from 5pm - 7pm - Keryl will be here with copies of her book available for sale and signing.
December 9 - McArthur's Wines &; Spirits - 870 Violet Avenue (Haviland Shopping Plaza) Hyde Park, NY - Girls Night Out - 5pm -7pm.  I will be pouring and will have copies of Keryl's book "Happy Bitch" as well as Happy Bitch wine glasses for sale.
December 10 - Viscount Wines &; Liquor 1173 Route 9, Wappingers Falls, NY 1pm - 4pm.  Keryl and I will be pouring tastes of Happy Bitch Wines
December 15 -  Hudson Plaza Wines &; Liquor Hudson Plaza, Poughkeepsie NY 5pm - 7pm.  Keryl and  I will be pouring taste of Happy Bitch Wines.  Keryl will have copies of her book available for sale and signing.
December 17 - Summerlin Wine &; Liquor Summerlin Plaza, 942 Route 376, Wappingers Falls, NY -1pm -4pm Join us here for wine tasting and book signing.  Happy Bitch wine glasses are also available for sale here.
December 18 - Arlington Wine &; Liquor 718 Dutchess Turnpike, Poughkeepsie, NY - Join us here to get your last minute Happy Bitch gifts for the holidays.  We will have wine tasting and Keryl will have her book for sale and signing.

We hope to see you at one of these tastings before the holiday!

Grand Monarque Ballroom Re-opens

Brotherhood Winery had a disastrous fire in 1999. It destroyed the tasting room and the Grand Monarque ballroom. (click here to read about the fire)  A few years back the tasting room reopened and it is beautiful!

The Grand Monarque Ballroom was built in 1893 and was built for winemaking.  Sparkling wine and still wine was produced in the room. It is rumored that there was a shaft with a dumb waiter from the Ballroom into the cellars below to make it easier to transport barrels back and forth.

The building offers five thousand square feet, creating a facility for indoor events of many different sizes and types. Elegant weddings, private parties and corporate banquets to charity balls, trade shows and cultural events, the Grand Monarque Hall can be designed to accommodate events to meet your specific needs.  The decor and detail that was used to capture the history of the era makes the room so inviting.  I love barrel stave chandeliers that match the larger ones in the adjoining tasting room!



The  building has a beautiful English cobblestone patio that can be used for both indoor and outdoor events.

Everything takes time and thought.  The time and thought put into this remodeling as well as the rest of the remodeling and expansion going on at Brotherhood truly makes them one of the leading winemaking facilities on the East Coast.

 

Benmarl's 2010 Slate Hill Red

Besides a great view, Benmarl Winery is really coming into its own.  I recently had their 2010 New York State Slate Hill Red and was pleasantly surprise how well I enjoyed it.  Maybe it was because I didn't have any expectations before I opened the bottle.

In the glass I found a lightly bright red wine with aromas of plum and a little smoke.  The palate was filled with black fruit and candied cherry.  Towards the mid palate there was a subtle hint of soft black pepper and the wine finished with delicate raspberry touch.

The wine is a blend of 45% Merlot,  40% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petite Verdot and 5% Malbac.  It was aged 20% in oak and 80% in stainless steel.

I served this wine with Kiernan Farms Beef Sausage and peppers and it was a great pairing.

This wine sells for $18.99 in the tasting room.  I was recently at McArthur's Wines & Liquors in Hyde Park and noticed this wine on display.  You can pick it up there as well.

Other Wines in the House - Damiani Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio is another one of the wines I am not absolutely crazy about, however, I think I am beginning to find a like about it. 

This Finger Lakes 2010 Damiani was my first New York State Pinot Grigio that I tried and I liked it. Damiani Wine Cellars is located on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. If you are ever in the Finger Lakes I would recommend a stop here. 

A nose of pear and green apple was crisp and clean. The palate had flavors of honeysuckle and green apple hints of tangerines.  It was crisp, acidic with a mineral finish that had touch of lemon zest.  The wine had a great mouth feel.


There were 340 cases of this wine produced and it sells for $15.99 a bottle.

Disappointing Debbie

I taste many wines and although I don't like to write about the wines I've been disappointed in, I've always been torn to do so.  Not every wine that is opened is up to par in my standards.  I look at the wine for what it is, the region it's grown, the growing conditions that particular year, if it has residual sugar, it's its dry, oaky, acidic etc and evaluate accordingly.  Some I may not like because it's just not my taste, however someone else that likes wines crafted that way will enjoy it.  That's why I keep an open mind when I am tasting. BUT, sometimes a wine is just a big disappointment.  When this happens we are going to open up the Disappointing Debbie files.

To lead off the Disappointing Debbie files is Tousey Winery's 2010 Cabernet Franc.  The grapes for this Cab Franc came from Oak Summit's vineyard.  I had high hopes for this wine, very high hopes.  John Bruno of Oak Summit grows some of the best fruit in the valley and is limited to Cab Franc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

This is a beautiful bottle and label.  When I opened this wine I noticed a little barnyard smell.  I can get past that, but the wine tasted flat and light with no flavor.  I've tasted other 2010 Cab Francs from the Hudson Valley and they have tasted light in structure, so I might chalk that up to the growing season, but where did the flavor go?  Where were the hints of cranberry, raspberry, cherry and my favorite - spice on the finish?

Sorry Tousey, I am adding this to the Disappointing Debbie file.