Twisting Vines » Spain

Summer Wine

WineDiva — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:44:40 +0000

Albariño
Now that the weather has warmed up, we’ve been able to eat our meals outdoors on the patio. The photo above isn’t my patio. It’s actually Al and Tipper Gore’s patio at their new home in Montecito, CA. If it were my patio, I would be sitting there right now.

Our patio backs up to a little canyon. Hot food is always a challenge outdoors because just about the time we sit down to eat, a cool breeze always begins to picks up.

The perfect outdoor meal? A salad or a sandwich. Chicken is great for both. I picked up a fully cooked rotisserie chicken at Costco. What a deal. A perfectly cooked, 3 pound chicken for $5.

The perfect wine to go with the meal? A Spanish Albariño.

2007 Burgans Albariño Rias Baixas
Pale gold color. Aromas of apple, pear, honey and tangerine. Flavors of peach, apple and citrus with a hint of honey and minerals. No oak. This wine is very food friendly and great all by itself. We found it paired well with our chicken salad. Widely available. We found it at Von’s for $13

Quick Chicken Salad with Dill Recipe:

Quick Chicken Salad with Dill

1 regular rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (or Costco)

½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more, to taste

1 Tablespoon olive oil

¾ cup mayonnaise

4 to 4 1/2 Tablespoons sour cream

1 – 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill (start with 1 Tbsp. and add more to taste)

2 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1/3 cup chopped cashews

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Remove chicken from bones, discarding skin. Tear chicken into chunks or large shreds; do not finely chop or shred the chicken as this makes the salad mushy. Place torn chicken pieces into a medium bowl, along with cashews.

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, olive oil and lemon juice. Stir in dill and capers. Season to taste with salt.

Add 1/2 mayonnaise mixture to chicken and gently fold to combine. Continue adding mayonnaise mixture until it liberally coats all the chicken.
Add salt, pepper or additional lemon to taste.

Great served as a salad on top of lettuce or as a filling for sandwiches.

Makes 5 to 6 servings.

Spanish Wine

WineDiva — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:21:36 +0000

2005 Celler de Capcanes “Mas Donis” Barrica Montsant
Wine from old vines grapes grown on volcanic slopes in north eastern Spain. The life span of a grape vine is about 120 years, and the Granache and Syrah used in this wine come from vines that are over 80 years old and over 30 years old, respectively. The region is known for producing high quality red wines at affordable prices.

Dark ruby color. Aromas of black cherries and dark berries with a hint of smoked meat, licorice and clove. This is a medium bodied wine with rich flavors of dark cherries and berries and hints of mineral, spice and oak. Good balance of acidity and tannins. A long, fruit forward finish. Robert Parker gave it 91 points. Drink now or hold a year or two. A great value at $10

Pairs well with grilled, marinated, thin cut pork chops.

Spanish Wine

WineDiva — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:51:45 +0000

Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell 2007
A tasty red wine made from hand-harvested 100% Monastrell grapes. We call it Mourvedre. Purple in color. Dark fruit aromas with a hint of toasted oak and leather. Good balance of fruit and tannins make it easy to drink from the minute it’s poured. Because of the dark, thick skin it takes a little longer for the Monastrell grapes to ripen, so the alcohol level of this wine is a bit high at 15%.

Pairs well with roasted meats, mushrooms, corn, and cheddar cheese. Beef stew would be a good cold weather match. Open it a half hour before serving and enjoy! One of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines for 2009. Currently a great value at Costco for $10. Available Sold out at BevMo. Was $15.

Antonio Banderas Wine

WineDiva — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:25:00 +0000

Antonio Banderas Buys Spanish Vineyard
The latest trend in the entertainment industry these days is buying wineries. The most recent transaction was by Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas, who has bought the Bodega Anta Natura in Ribera del Duero.

Banderas is thought to have acquired 50% shareholding of Bodega Anta Natura, located in the town of Burgos Villalba de Duero, fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a winemaker in his native Spain.

The bodega, which was established in 1999 by Teodoro Ortega with an initial investment of $41 million, will be renamed Anta Banderas as part of the deal.

According to Federico Ortega, president of Bodega Anta Natura, Banderas chose the bodega ‘because of the quality of the wines, and its great potential for international expansion.’

‘We are proud that he has chosen to be partners with us. Antonio is a lover of the world of wine,’ he said.

‘He believes in this young project, based on the premise of quality wines.’

Bodega Anta already produces 1.5m bottles per year, with the 2005 Anta Natura a16 picking up a 5-star Decanter award at the November Ribera del Duero panel tasting.

The Hot New Wine for 2009

WineDiva — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:16:25 +0000

What’s Old is New

Chances are, when you think of sherry you think of little old ladies at the turn of the century, sitting in a drawing room sipping wine from small crystal glasses. Well, maybe those ladies knew something we’ve forgotten- sherry is a delightful, food friendly wine. Today, most sherries that are sold are commercial blends, which ensure consistantcy, but don’t offer sought-after complexity. Fortunately, with the popularity of Spanish wines today, that is changing. Consumers are discovering a whole new world of sherries, from the dry, crisp Finos to the oh-so-sweet Pedro Ximénez wines. And, just like Champagne, sherry is only sherry if it comes from Jerez region of Spain.

With today’s interest in food and wine pairings, sherry has become a star player – especially with tapas. Tapas are small plates of appetizers such as cold meats, sausage, olives and cheese. According to “The Joy of Cooking”, the original tapas were slices of bread or meat which sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips to keep the flies off. Whatever the origin, the pairing of tapas with sherry is a perfect match. In fact, recent scientific studies have shown certain compounds in dry sherries actually accentuate the taste and flavors of certain foods such as cheese, meat, fish and mushrooms.

If you feel adventurous and want to begin enjoying sherries, start with a dry, light fino or Montilla . Serve it cold with proscuitto, salted, roasted almonds or green olives.

A little more full-bodied Amontillado goes great with Stilton or Gruyère cheese or an Oloroso with goose liver pate or beef teriyaki.

Cream sherries, such as Harvey’s Bristol Cream, are sweet dessert wines. Try dried fruit or custard to bring out the flavor.

Serve the very sweet Pedro Ximenez at room temperature. The raisin-like flavor is great for dipping a biscotti to finish off a meal.

The good news is a good quality sherry won’t break the bank. You can find a bottle of Don Fino for less than $12.

Sandeman Amontillado Sherry Medium-Dry Character is a more full-bodied wine. Because a small amount of PX (Pedro Ximenez) is added late in the aging process, it has a touch of sweetness. Under $18.

To round out the sherry experience, try Osborne Sweet P.X. It has a nice brown sugar smell and taste. Great over vanilla ice cream or in a glass to linger over by the fireplace. The alcohol content is 17%, so sip it slowly. Under $20.