CtznCane

When it comes to wines from Oregon and Washington I have to plead ignorance. I do know though that Oregon touts itself on its Pinot Noirs. We are planning to take a driving vacation through Oregon and Washington this September hopefully and one of our main desires are to see the wine country and hopefully find some interesting wineries. My preferences are for the reds while my SO likes the whites. We both enjoy the sparklers and especially late harvest wines. Any particular regions and wineries worth visiting would be appreciated.

There seem to be a lot of strong feelings on this subject. Certainly the screw top is not the most aesthetically pleasing closure yet it is quite efficient. Also from several wineries I've seen the plastic type of cork. I don't know what the material is exactly nor if it can react to the wine but this does seem to be a good candidate for appearance sake and keeping the feeling of opening a nice bottle of wine intact. Corks have seemed to work pretty well with a low failure rate for an awful long time so while there is the occasional corked wine, it does seem to be tried and true. Where is the balance between the different types of closures and on what wines should they be used? I know the knew Sauvignon Republic Sauvignon Blanc uses the twist top. (I know there is a more pc name for it.) John Ash, one of the people behind Sauvignon Republic feels strongly it is the only way to go. He may be correct. Certainly on some of the whites it seems to work. They are easier to reseal at least. This is an interesting topic though and one that is going to keep coming up in the future.

Green Beans are probably my favorite vegatable. Not only are they good they're cheap so that is a handy plus as well. I'd like to find more ways for cooking them. My own personal favorite is after blanching the beans, to chop up bacon and cook the bacon. Reserving the bacon I pour out the excess fat just keeping a small amount of the bacon fat and sautee a little bit of shalot. Then I'll add a touch of butter and about an ounce or two of bourbon. Then the beans, then the bacon bits and then either some pine nuts (toasted or not depending on my mood) or pecans. And of course salt and pepper. In never get tired of them but I"d like to have as many options as possible. Ideas? Recipes?

While there is a lot of fat in the duck skin, the meat itself is very lean. Certainly you don't need to brine a duck to be able to get it right but there could be some advantages. It seems to me this might work too for infusing some nice flavors, perhaps with orange juice in the brine.

The Petit Verdot in blend works well. As to affordability Scheid Vineyards Red Table Wine can't be beat. Petit Verdot leads the way there and comes through loud and clear yet not too overpowering. The blend of the wine is 40% Petit Verdot, 35% Cab Franc, 20% Cab Sauv, & 5% Merlot. Certainly their "Red Table Wine" name is not high up there in marketing terms, but boy do I enjoy this wine. I agree with you about Concannon on the Petite Sirah's. We enjoy Concannon's wine across the board.

I haven't had a chance to try the S Anderson (as I understand it still goes under that label even though CLiff Lede owns it now) nor have I tried the Pacific Echo. We drove up to Roederer a couple of weeks ago and Pacific Echo which is nearby on the same road was closed. Apparently their tasting room is closed for the summer. I haven't noticed the Schramsberg being overly sweet. Especially when it comes to the J Schram or their Reserve. In their Bland De Noir or Blanc de Blanc perhaps as I prefer that style more than the Brut style.

Thanks for the recomendation and we will be sure to come try your wines next time we are down there. My SO's brother did the door handles for Frank's winery, the ones that are like a zinfandel vine. Bella Luna's FIghter Pilot Red which is a blend of Sangiovese and ZIn does use Frank's zinfandel grapes. I had a bad experience last time down at Turley's Tasting room. I doubt that I will go back there either. Their "White Coat" Rousanne was quite nice. Their Zins though I don't feel were worth the price. I don't know how others feel but when I get treated shabbily (and down right rudely there) at a tatsting room they will certainly not get any of my money. Paso Robles is a booming wine region and deservedly so. The Far Out Wineries are quite interesting. Of the grapes grown there it is excellent for ZInfandel and if I am not mistaken for some of the White Rhone varieties (Rousanne/Marsanne) as well. Not to mention I've had some nice Pinot Noir from Opolo Vineyards and Cabernet Franc from the Paso region as well.

I took a look at their website and think their "dude ranch" package is actually quite interesting. I do though think they could come up with a far more enticing term for the experience. Having worked in sales for over 25 years, marketing is everything. How many good products or good restaurants have we seen go bye-bye because they don't have good marketing? I don't know about you but I've seen a lot of them go away and I wish they were still around. How many of us have bought a wine just because we liked the label? I know I have done that on many occasions. His wine may or may not be good and its place will ultimately be determined by its quality. Until then, as far as getting it out into the public eye I think he has a good idea. Remember too that women, while not looking at it from the sexual side, more than men will respond more positively if something is attractively packaged or promoted simply from the style and grace aspect so this form of marketing kills two birds with one stone. As much as we may feel differently,the fact is, sex sells. It will be interesting to see what happens with this winery. Will it turn out to be a good way of gettting a good new wine noticed? If the wine is bad the marketing will be like putting a nice shiny paint job on a used car. You'll be attracted to it but once you drive it once will be enough.

IF Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of wines then Pinot Noir must be the princess, and all sexisms aside what red blooded American male didn't prefer the princess? Well when it comes to Pinot Noirs two vineyards stand out for me. Starting from the bottom, second I would say Fess Parker Vineyards. Yes, Daniel Boone for those of us who remember. A very nice Santa Barbara region Pinor Noir. Their Marcellas' vineyard is their best thougj all are enjoyable. Moving farther north I might toss in Opolo Vineyards. Another fine Pinot Noir. The best of the best? J. Wine & Vineyards, both their Nicole and Robert Thomas Vineyards. These are the creme de la creme of Pinot Noirs. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? You betcha!! Is there any coincidence that some of the finer sparkling wine wineries, ie J. Wine, Roederer Estate, Domaine Carneros, & Gloria Ferrer also have fine pinot noir still wines? I think not. What are your favorites?

waiting list? that isn't fair! I want to be on the list! While I am a professed red wine lover, I'd say that Zin, Petitt Verdot and Petite Sirah are at the top of my list. On the other hand, I'm a sweet white wine lover. Give me a late harvest wine, Sauterne, or german B.A or T.B.A and I'm a happy man. Then there is the other red wine, Pinot Noir. Perhaps time for a new post. Call it what you will but Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot just don't do it for me. Nice but no thanks. A cabernet franc however......

I thought Roederer was okay. My SO did not care for their wines though she liked their pinot noir. We drove up there 2 weeks ago. A beautiful site, quite removed from the rest of the north coast wine country up in the Alexander vallley. The Alexander valley is towards the coast of Mendocino, a good hour and a half drive form the Alexander Valley/Russian River area. The French houses now in California are Domaine Carneros/Taittinger, Domaine Chandon/Moet Chandon, Roederer Estate/Roederer, and Mumm's/Mumm's. Surprisingly, perhaps, we have found Gloria Ferer, the American couterpart to Freixenet to be the best of the couterparts. If we were to rate them We'd go: 1. Gloria Ferrer 2. Domaine Carneros 3. Roederer Estate 4. Domaine Chandon 5. Mumm's Granted this is subjective. Gloria Ferrer though we feel stands out not only quality wise but pirce wise as well. Domaine Carneros is a bit prcey but they have the goods. Roederer Estate I think is good but not great. An arugment can be made though for Roederer. There I think it is a matter of styale. Regardless of style I would rate Schramsberg, J wine, and Iron Horse above Roederer. I feel very strongly that our own american "chamapgne style" wines are better than their French coutnerparts. Sorry world but we've caught them and surpassed them.

Thanks for the Equinox reference. I want to go to the former S Anderson winery but Equinox is not one I'm familiar with yet but it sounds nice.

This one is intriguing for me -- a fellow eGulleter, WNissen, lives near Livermore, but I'm curious... Charles, do you know if this is available in Napa anywhere? I'd like to try it. They are online at www.vineyardinn-craneridge.com/ hope that helps

Perhaps the times they are a changing. I am 52, and from my teens until the past year I was only a scotch drinker when it came to whiskey. Being that I coook with whiskey and my son (my gosh he is 22 now) likes bourbon I tried to revisit it. Now I like bourbon and find scotch (at least my old fovorite Johnny Walker Red) far from satisfactory. While I was a scotch drinker I would not touch bourbon for anything. Now, after drinking bourbon I find it hard to drink and enjoy scotch. Am I alone in this type of reaction?

We bought a bottle and enjoyed the first drink. Since then it has sat in the fridge. hmmmm... I wonder if that means it isn't all that great. So, guess it is okay but nothing to write home about.

1. Cucina Italiana 2. Fodd & Wiine Why? The recipes all work. I'm sort of a simple guy who goes by the adage "instructions work when followed." Well when you follow the instructions and it doesn't work, well, I go off like a ten cent watch. The common ground with both these magazines is that their recipes work. That is number 1 in my mind. Beyond that, I'm just a big fan of Cucina Italiana.

If Cabernet is the French King of the Red's then perhaps Zinfandel should be its American counterpart. Styles range from Peppery to Jammy and run the gamut. What are everyone's favorites? It is sometimes said that in California Zin's one looks to the 5 R's. The 2 R's I'm most familiar with Zin wise are Ridge and Rosenblum. I know too there is Ravenswood, Renswood and I'm not sure what/if the fiifth R is. Call it predjudice or whatever you might say, but as to Zinfandel or any other red wine my own hierarchy is Ridge and then everything else. Second to Ridge my favorite is Zin Alley. Zin Alley is a small winery in the Paso Robles area run by a personal yet eccentric character named Frank Nerelli who is both passionate and charming. He produces an ultra-premium Zin and a Zin Port, both of which in my humble opinion are well worth the price. ($40 each). I want to know others preference for zins. One other winery which I have not yet tried yet that has been highly recommended is Dover Canyon which is also in that area, and I know Mary from there posts here as well. Beyond Ridge which stands alone, I am feeling more and more like PasoRobles is God's Country when it comes to Zin. I should mention too that there is a small winery there called "Bella Luna" I believe which produces a marvelous blend of Sangiovese and Zin called "Fighter Pilot Red" as well which is high on my list. Any other Zin recomendations? Mary, what about Dover Canyon's zin? I was told they produce some fine ones. Charles aka CtznCane

I mentioned there were others that were "close" well let me tell you, Iron Horse is right up there. Besides being up there wine wise, it may have the most spectacular of all the vistas from any ... er... do I say it as "champagne" maker's vineyard. My apologies to those who say Chamapange is only from France. Iron Horse is right up there at the upper level for us. So too is Domaine Carneros which is Taittinger's Amercan counterpart. A few other wineries whose single sparkling wine output is nice are Paradise Ridge's Blanc de Blanc and Matanzas Creek's blanc de blanc. Additionally, in the Livermore Valley is a winery that is called "White Crane" which has a second label called "Winery 21." The Winery 21 produces a sparkling wine that at $16 is nice. It is crisp, lively, and a good value.

I'm of the Will Rogers ilk, I never met a meat I wouldn't brine, or almost at least. While deer is at least wild more and more our meats have become leaner and therefore beneift from brining. The real trick is how long? I learned the basic formula for a brine from a John Ash class I took and I find him to be a wonderful teacher. His general guide is 1/3 cup Kosher Salt & 1/3 cup brown sugar to 1 quart of liquid. Like he says, don't vary the formula vary the brining time till you get it right. Beyond that whatever spices/flavors you'd like to add. Personally I think it sounds great, let us know how it turns out!

We enjoy entertaining and have good friends who like their steak well done. Did I say well done? How about petrified perhaps. Well, from my childhood well done steaks send chills up my spine. My Mom being from the south wanted no tell tale signs it was ever alive while my father being a cook would literally have tears well in his eyes as the beef passed from Rare to medium to well done to beyond recognition. Wanting to both please our friends as well as oursevles I'm beginning to think brining may be the solution. I tried it last night on cross rib steaks (before trying it on really good cuts of beef) and it came out moist and juicy as well as flavorful. I think I brined it a little too long though as it was just a touch on the salty side. I used: 1/3 cup of Kosher Salt 1/3 cup of brown sugar 1 cup of bourbon (I'ze just gots to get my bourbon in there) 3 cups of water. I let it go just over 2 hours and I think about 1 to 1.5 hours is about right (based on about 1/2" thick. Has anyone else out there brined their steaks? If so how? What were the results? Yes, I know this is an odd subject and to cook the steaks well done is somewhat, if not totally, sacrosanct but there is a necessity here. Any ideas or feedback appreciated. Charles aka CtznCane

Maybe it's my Berkeley (in the 60's) upbringing but some of the lesser known wines hold me enthrall. Two of these wines are Petite Verdot and Petite Sirah. Petite Verdot has long been used as a blending wine (Bordeaux) yet gradually there are more wineries using this as the feature grape. I love its inky color, distinctitve nose, and rich mouth feel. Rich and unmistakeable in my mind. Very few wineries produce a Petite Verdot though. While few there are several who do feature it. Murphy-Goode and Yorkville Cellars produce nice ones and so does Thomas Coyne though I've yet been able to get there while they still have it available. I've heard that Hannah vineyards also has one in the barrell right now. I've also found it in 2 blended wines. One is Yorkville Cellars "Richard the Lion Heart" which is a robust blend of all 5 of their red varietals. Another blend that I fell in love with, both for being top notch as well as affordable, is Scheid Vineyards "Red Table Wine." Believe me, this wine is a sleeper. 40$ petite Verdot, $14 per bottle and absolutely top shelf. On the Petite Sirah side, this is another wine we don't see too often. Concannon Vineyards is the oldest US producer of Petite Sirah and all of theirs are good. Their newly released "Heritage Petite Sirah" 2000, while higher priced ($35 roughly) is definitely head of the class. Paradise Ridge produces one Petite Sirah, and whiile it is their top wine, I think the $60 price tag is prohibitive. A lower priced (under $20) Petite Sirah blend which I thoroughly enjoy is Bogle Vineyards "The Phantom" which is 40% Petite Sirah, 40% old vine Zin, and 20% Mouverdre. A less expensive $12 Peite Sirah which you can probably only get from the winery is is Viano Vineyards which I find quite pleasant. I'm especially interested in the Petit Verdot and to a lesser extent other Petit Sirah's. What do all of you think? Charles aka Ctzn Cane "My goal is not to rid myself of my addictions, merely to improve my technique for enjoying them." - Victor Mollo

While we (my SO and myself) enjoy all wines, Champagne style wine is the one area we most strongly agree on. As such we are continually seeking out Domestic sparkers both to drink and to visit the wineries. (Living in NorCal is a big help.) We have both tried and visited most of the main NorCal producers but more and more places seem to have a sparkler nowadays. We would love to hear of other peoples favorite sparkling wine. While we've found many fine California Sparklers a few of them really stand out (which is probably why we joined their wine clubs.) Our top 4 are: 1. Schramsberg. All of their sparklers are excellent. Their Mirabelle (Brut) is the most affordable and can be found for under $15. Seldom do I say an $80 bottle of wine is worth it but their J Schram fits the bill. Simply exquisiite! Schramsberg is also a wonderful winery to visit. 2. J. Wine & Vineyards. They only produce a Brut and a soon to be discontinued Brut Rose but they are top flight. (Only sparklers here but there Pinot Noir is second to none.) 3. Gloria Ferrer. Gloria Ferrer wines are more on the affordable side for their low end (when purchased at retail outlets) and they have several upper tier sparklers that also come in below their higher priced counterparts. If you ever get the chance to visit their facility they also are a most pleasant host. We've also found their wine club to be a great value. 4. Korbel - We list Korbel as we feel that bang for the buck you can't beat them for a more affordable everyday sparkler. When you consider being able to buy (at least what we feel is) a good sparkling wine for under 10 dollars, we like that idea. While we enjoy several of their sparklers, their Sec is what we usually drink. There are many others we've enjoyed, and some close to our top 4, but I'd like to hear from others. There are also 2 that I've been less than impressed with. 1. Mumm's. I didin't feel their higher end sparklers like their DVX were all that good. Their low end was pleasant but we were frankly disappointed with their other wines. 2. Domaine Chandon. - While I'm fond of their bland de noir their other sparklers don't do that much for me. Perhaps I'm also influenced from what I find at their winery to be an uppity and aloof attitude by the staff. Hope to hear others input on Sparkling wines. We are especially interested in ones from Oregon and Washington (we hope to drive through their in Sept) and the Paso Robles area as we have family there. Charles aka CtznCane

Welcome aboard, C-Cane! Are you a de-lurker or have you just stumbled across Le Gullet? We hope you'll stick around awhile, regardless! Cheers; carolyn Yes I am new on here having just discovered this site. Since there seems to be good input on several of my vices I probably will stay active in posting.

I'm not a huge Sauvignon Blanc fan but one that I enjoy very much is Murphy-Goode Winery's "The Duece". This one is from the Russian River area. In addition to this they also have a new line of capped rather than corked wines that go by "Tin Roof" and the Tin Roof sauvignon blanc sees no oak at alll and for its price point is a very pleasant wine as well. Another that appeals to me is Chateau St Jeans Fume Blanc.