bellaS.F.

Perhaps, I should have just asked for suggestions for a good minestrone recipe. I seem to try something different each time I cook it. It is usually pretty good, but I don't think that I have ever really quite gotten the taste that I'm after. Anyone use a recipe they would recommend?

Not at all along the same lines as the salads mentioned, but very good... we like the Curried Rice Salad from Joyce Goldstein's - Back to Square One (what can I say, I still can't figure out how to underline, I just get the U next to what I highlighted). We often throw some pulled/shredded pieces of roasted chicken into it. If you are going to make it ahead of time, I would wait till serving to throw in the roasted pistachios. They lose their crunch after a while. I tend to have extra pistachios and sliced scallions for people to be able put on top of each serving.

Has anyone used a prosciutto bone in a "knock your socks off" recipe? Thanks for any recommendations.

Rosenblum is a winery that produces a good number of Zins. Their lower end stuff is just O.K., but they make many vineyard designate Zins like Maggie's Reserve and Annette's Vineyard which are really very good. They have an England Shaw Syrah which is also very nice. Their main tasting room is in Alameda in a warehouse. Three times a year they have an open house where they have tables set up inside and quite a few wines to walk around and try, whites, reds, and dessert wines (how does chocolate port sound...over ice cream, with fresh strawberries... they don't serve it that way, it was just a thought). There is a selection of food to munch on, and tables set up outside with a band, which when we were there played nice jazz. It's a fun way to spend an afternoon. They do have a regular tasting room, but of course, it is not able to pour such a large selection. St. George (I hope I have the name right) Spirits is next door, and they do an open house the same weekend if you like the high octane stuff. (eau de vie) Maybe your wine store could give you a list of wineries they can order from, or if you have something specific in mind, maybe they would be willing to try a case or two on your recommendation.

Well, "DON"T do it" may have been too strong. We tend to know family wineries where they are farmers as well as artists. Going there after a while, feels like going back to the family farm (not that I ever had one, but I think I may wish that I did.) Toby, Amador Foothill's label has some sort of herb or native plant on it. I, for some reason, am drawing a blank at what it is specifically. Can you get Rosenblum Wines in N.Y.?

Ouch! Actually, I do not quite fall under the heading of young and impressionable. I did not know that I would have to watch my words so carefully. I thought that I would be able to just mention a different way to look at the "local" wine country. Very few people we know enjoy Napa anymore. I guess that it is not worth mentioning why. If it is to your liking, go for it. Personally, I would rather be picnicing up at Navarro in Philo, looking at the valley and hillsides, and sipping their wine than any of the other Ca. wineries. A tour bus wouldn't make it down 128. And then, of course, it's a short ride to an exquisite redwood grove, and a rambling path to the rugged coast. By the way, taking the risk of sounding incapable... how do you write a personal signature and get the particulars (such as "purple") not to show. I have tried to delete them, but have not met with success. Try to be kind, please.

Oh, and somtimes... who you are gazing at.

Fred Scherrer, who makes some wonderful Zins (Old and Mature Vines, Shale Terrace) also makes a Rose of Zinfandel. It makes you sorry for saying that that abomination, White Zin, will never pass your lips... actually, if it wasn't for that wine, many of the old Zin vines in CA. would have been pulled out a while back to make room for the C. & C. (Cab. and Chard.)varietals. Renard makes a rose' which looks actually looks like a red in the glass. Very dry. A side note... it seems that everyone loves Domaine Tempier. (I think that it is overrated) Last summer we had a group of fellow wine lovers over for a rose' tasting. We were part of a winegroup, who sadly doesn't find the time to get together any more. Each month or so, someone would host a gathering and pick a varietal. The host/s chose how they wanted to conduct the tasting. They bought the wines, and everyone just threw a certain amount into the pot to cover the cost of what had been purchased. We asked everyone to bring 12 glasses, if they could. (It is nice to be able to see each wine, smell, taste, etc. in relation to the others) We brown bagged the wines in such a say that we did not even know which numbers were which wines. We did give everyone a list of what wines were there. It is fun to taste, take notes, then tally, and start pulling out the bottles, starting with the least favorite and working up to what is deemed the best. Many people bet that the Domaine Tempier would be #1. It was interesing, the top 3 were all CA. wines. Amador Foothill was #1 (this year's is not as good), Scherrer was #2, at the moment I can't remember #3, andDomaine Tempier was #4.

Howie, sorry... this is probably too late for your trip. Unless you have a special reason for wanting to go to Napa (to say that you've been there shouldn't count), DON"T do it. There are other areas, far more lovely, located on country roads without tour buses parked out front, with tasting rooms where the people (and sometimes their pets) want to chat with you. Try Amador County if you like big Zins. Easton is fun to go to. Beside his Easton bottlings, his has a Rhone collection that he bottles under his Domaine de la Terre Rouge label. There is a wine blend of Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne called Enigma which is quite lovely. Amador Foothill Vineyards makes some nice Zins. Deaver and Sobon are worth trying also. I noticed that you mentioned going to Rafanelli. You need an appointment to visit. Their # is (707) 433-1385. (You probably know that already.) Know that there is a (low) limit on what you can buy. (usually just 1 or 2 bottles), but they have a wonderful 21 year old cat that loves to be petted. If you do go there, a MUST is going to Meeker in Geyserville. The tasting room is in an old bank. They only have BIG reds, (oh darn). they serve generous pours in large glasses, and the wines are very reasonably priced. Good stuff.

What are you serving with the potato salad?

Beachfan, do you have the Cluster Select Late Harvest? Toby, Iam going to call around tomorrow to see what I can find out about the Zin Port from Peachy Canyon. I just found (and what a find!) this website this week after reading about Michael Anthony's obsession in "Food and Wine" magazine. Is just about everyone using this site from the East Coast? Is that why there does not seem to be much interest in U.S. wine? I would imagine that the selection available there is not grand. Before I moved out here, I used to visit S.F., enjoy all this area had to offer, and then go back to Philly with a list of wines, only to have a State Store employee sort of laugh when I requested them. One of about a skillion reasons to buy a one-way ticket out of there. By the way, I made a risotto pancake from Enoteca by Joyce Goldstein. Some fun stuff in that book. I actually got to help her at a cooking demonstration earlier this summer. She was trying to coordinate making 3 dishes at one time. She joked that this when she could use a slave, to which I enthusiastically gave her one. I couldn't believe that no one else thought of it. (That is how I got to get up in an old Italian wine press and literally press wine, not at the same event of course. I still can't understand why no one else was interested in that one either.)

Have you ever tried Ridge's Pagani Ranch Zin? Quite yummy. Unfortunately, very hard to find. I have some suggestions for you, but a new Joyce Goldstein dish is nearing completion and I would rather not burn it. Tomorrow...

Hope to not sound too pedestrian, but our wonderful wine cellar is based mostly on Ca. wines. Living in the S.F. Bay area, and being very active in two large wine organizations, we are exposed, for the most part, to the wines from CA. through Washington. We are looking forward to gaining an education in European wines (as well as wines from other areas) Reading everyone's responses to their favorite wine memory, fed my senses. For a wonderful domestic "sparkling wine", (I do faux pas and call it the C. word in the privacy of my own home) there is Roederer Estate in the Anderson Valley. Their vintage S.W., called L'Ermitage, is really wonderful. (Yes, I do know how the winery came to be, but this is where the grapes are grown and tended.) Anderson Valley is also marvelous for many Alsatian varietals. Our favorite winery, Navarro, makes some amazing whites (Pinot Gris, a very dry, spicy Gewurztraminer (wonderful with Thai food, Dungeness crab), a Chenin Blanc, and a Dry Reisling...), usually a very good Pinot, and small batches of other red varietals. Oh yeah, award wining late harvests if you like to drink your dessert. You can only get their wine at the winery (or at some very good restaurants) but they have a toll-free number and will ship (where Uncle Sam says it's O.K. to ship) Love big Zins and Syrahs... anyone else?