Call Me a Cab Party

Last night we hosted a dinner party for national Call Me a Cab Night. Made up holiday? Sure it is, but why not? We had a lot of fun.

The grape of the evening was Cabernet Sauvignon, so we served several bottles that we had picked up on our travels along with some very Cab-friendly food. 

The Wines

As our guests arrived, we started them off with a splash of 2010 Mayacamas Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc is a parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon, so it was a good way to sneak in a refreshing white wine while sticking to our theme.

Next, it was on to the Cabs. All of these wines were blind tasted with bread, crackers, and a selection of cheeses: reserve cheddar, balsamic bellavitano, and feta blended with lemon, basil, and cracked peppercorn.

2006 Brandlin Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Heitz Cellar Bella Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Vincent Arroyo Cabernet Savignon

These Cabs all reflect our preferences -- fruit forward, a little bold, slightly young, with solid tannins that pair well with food or make the wine interesting on its own. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed each of the wines and we had fun comparing the different flavor profiles when we tasted them side by side. 

The Food

After our blind tasting, we revealed the wines and poured some more so each person could enjoy their favorite with dinner. Our menu consisted of molasses bourbon marinated tri-tip, scalloped potatoes with asiago cheese, and arugala salad. Dessert consisted of milk chocolate squares and pears topped with blue cheese and honey, both of which went very well with a 2006 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Port.

The Winner

There was no clear-cut favorite and all of the wines were rated very good, but the 2007 Vincent Arroyo drew the most votes as a top pick. 

Call Me a Cab! Share A Bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon on May 19

One of our favorite ways to share a bottle is with theme wine tasting parties ~ more formal sit down meals (dinner party, Pinot-palooza) and less formal gatherings (Hallowine, Oscars).  It’s a fun way to open a few bottles, and taste with friends. This Saturday, May 19, why not give it a try and join us with Call Me A Cab!  

The Wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, or course)~

When planning what wine to drink for the evening, consider the following ideas:

• Include wines from your own inventory
• Invite friends to bring a selection for the group
• Do a combination - you provide the wine for the evening, and have all guests bring a bottle as well.  When everyone leaves, grab a different bottle than you brought and enjoy another night!
• Taste a vertical (different vintages of the same wine type)
• Taste a horizontal (same vintage different wineries)
• Select all from the same region or country
• Select a price point (like cabs under $25)

However you select the wine, we recommend doing a blind tasting.  It really forces impartial judgment of the wine by removing preconceived expectations of how a wine will taste because of cost, geography, origin or producer.  You may be surprised on what wine turns out to be the favorite!  There are a number of ways you can make the tasting blind – serve in carafes (just remember to mark someway so you remember which is which!), place bottles in bags, or simply cover the label with a dark piece of paper. 

The Food ~

Dinner parties can be as formal (or informal) as you like.  Whether it is a sit down meal, or a casual gathering with cheese and small bites, the key is to select items that will pair well with the wine.  We are by no means pairing pros, and rely on our favorite resource What to Drink with What You Eat.  When tasting the wine, try it with and without food.  It is really interesting to see how the flavors of the wine are impacted, and may even alter which wine is the favorite among the group. 

Not up for a dinner party?  If local laws allow for it, meet friends at a restaurant and bring the wine with you (Let’s Taste Two!).  Taste wines side by side while enjoying a nice cab friendly meal…and drink wisely ~ you literally may need to call a cab!  

This weekend, let’s all share some cab!  Check for a post next week to find out which cabs we shared and the favorite among friends.  We look forward to hearing the same from you!

Santa Ynez Valley Wine Adventure

Last June we made our first trip to the Santa Ynez Valley as part of our California Wine Adventure.  We only had a half day to explore the region, so we knew a return trip was a must. This weekend, we made finally made it back, extending our time and travelling with family (Jeff’s parents, Kathy & Bob) ~ both making it an even better trip than the last!    

In planning our adventure, each couple chose three wineries to visit. Selections were based on recommendations from friends, wines that had been tried before and wanted to learn more about, as well as old favorites.  This gave us a wide variety of wines, and tasting experiences ~ here’s a recap of our discoveries:

Firestone Winery

We opted for the reserve flight, which included a tasting of 6 wines, and one bonus pour.  They served a mix of white and reds, all from their reserve and Chairman Series. The tasting room has great views of the valley. Overall, the wines had muted flavors and heavy tannins, and were generally not to our liking.  But, we were glad we gave it a try. 

Andrew Murray

We first discovered their tasting room in Los Olivos on our first trip.  We enjoyed the experience and the wine so much that we wanted to introduce it to Kathy & Bob.  Once again, the crew, and wine, at Andrew Murray did not disappoint!  We had a wonderful time with Stephanie and Tracy, tasting wines from the Eleven series, as well as a number of their great Syrah wines produced under the Andrew Murray label.  We all left with smiles on our faces (and purple teeth)!

Gainey Vineyard

This winery was a recommendation of our friends, Sarah and David.  The winery grounds were beautiful, and the tasting room setting was great ~ located just off the barrel room, and among walls of strategically placed bottles.  The atmosphere added to the fun, and all the wines we tasted were really good.  Drew navigated us through a couple of whites, and select reds for the Gainey Vineyard and Even’s Ranch.  I was excited to see a Cab Franc!

Cambria

Located in the Santa Maria Bench, Cambria specializes in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  During our visit, we tasted a number of their Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, as well as a Pinot Gris, Syrah, and a Late Harvest Viognier.  All wines were quite good, but with their slightly higher than average prices, we left empty handed.  A number of the wines are well distributed, and we will keep an eye out for special deals in our local wine shops. 

Foxen – Foxen 7200

This was a unique experience, as they have two wine tasting rooms ~ Foxen is served at a more modern tasting room located just slightly up the road from the original shack where they serve up Foxen 7200.  We sampled several great Pinot Noirs, a tasty Sangiovese, and another excellent Cab Franc!

Zaca Mesa

This tasting room was more commercial than the others, bringing in higher crowds than the others we had visited on the trip.  With that said, the staff was very helpful in securing us a spot, and were very attentive during the tasting.  We had the chance to sip a few different varieties than we had been tasting around the valley, including a granache, a roussanne, and several tasty syrahs.  All the wines would be great with food, but few stood out to enjoy on their own.

Rusack

Even with the heavy clouds and rain rolling in, the views from the winery were still stunning.  The wines had big flavors, and were quite enjoyable.  A number of them are distributed at BevMo and our favorite wine shop, San Diego Wine Company.  We still walked out with a couple of bottles of ones with limited distribution or hard to find. 

Wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley are producing some tasty treats!  If you come across one, especially Pinot Noir or Syrah, give it a try!

Oscar Party: movies, wagering, and wine!

We used last Sunday's Academy Awards as an excuse to throw a party that had a little something for everyone: movies, wagering, and wine. It was a fun time, and the company of good friends and the delicious wine more than made up for my poor showing in our Oscar pool.

Movies

Sally and I are huge movie fans and try to see all of the Best Picture nominees every year. Even for our friends who are more casual movie watchers or those that don't see movies at all (a.k.a. parents), the Academy Awards is a fun show to watch with other people. There's humor, entertainment, and plenty to talk about.

Wagering

We ran a simple pool where each person chipped in $5 to submit their picks for each award. Our pool is equally weighted, so a correct guess for Best Picture is worth the same as getting the Sound Editing category right. Second place gets their money back, first place takes the rest of the pot, and last place gets a bottle of cheap wine to serve as a reminder that they need to stick to the basics.

Wine

It's a gathering, so why not drink some wine?! We served four wines blind at pairing stations and had our friends vote for their favorite. All of them were favorites we'd discovered on our wine adventures that retailed for less than $20 and could easily be found in most local wine shops. (We got ours at BevMo.) Here are the wines, the pairings, and the rankings.

4th Place: 2010 Line 39 Petite Sirah
This is a very tasty wine, but despite the deep purple color its flavor is a little light for Petite Sirah. Our guests had trouble identifying this grape and wished for a bit more tannin. Nonetheless, it was still considered enjoyable.

Paired with aged cheddar, manchego, and mini tacos (chicken and pork)

3rd Place: 2009 Kendall-Jackson Vinter's Reserve Chardonnay
According to Kendall-Jackson's website, this is the #1 selling Chardonnay in America. It's a good Chardonnay for it's price point with some crisp acidity that pairs well with food, though our guests were a little biased against the varietal.

Paired with double cream gouda, Monterey jack, and roasted chicken purses

2nd Place: 2010 Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir
This wine drew rave reviews and several guests announced their intentions to acquire a bottle or two. It's definitely a California-style Pinot Noir with a lot of fruit, but it is flavorful, smooth, and goes well with a variety of foods. It was also the winner of our 2010 HalloWine blind tasting, so we had to bring it back to defend it's crown. 

Paired with creamy Havarti, Harvarti with dill, and beef brisket sandwiches

1st Place: NV Roederer Estate Brut Sparkling White Wine
It must have been a champenoise kind of night, because the Roederer Estate edged out the Cycles Gladiator by just one vote. This wine was a crowd pleaser with a crisp taste and notes of pear to go with the bubbles.

Paired with cream cheese topped with pineapple and apricot preserves and mini chicken egg rolls

Somehow, we managed to have such a good time we forgot to take any pictures. Here's one quickly staged photo of the four wines:

Open That Bottle Night ~ time to share that special bottle!

In 2000, former Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher founded Open That Bottle Night.  The night is simply an excuse for people around the world to pop open a bottle they’ve been saving, but have never been able to find that “special occasion”.  Open That Bottle Night is celebrated on the last Saturday in February ~ today, 2/25/12.  So…go get that bottle you’ve wanted to open, and drink up!

A special bottle doesn't have to be an "aged" bottle

Don't worry about how "old" the wine is.  You want to drink it, open it!  Not all wine is meant for aging.  In fact, most wine is drunk “young” (12-18 months after it is produced).  NapaNow.com states that the average time that most Americans “lay down” wine is probably half an hour.  While some wines age quite nicely, most are ready to drink when sold.  With that said, a good Cabernet Sauvignon with heavy tannins will improve with age, and can be stored for as much as 10-15 years.  You’ll want to drink your whites within a couple of years. 

More than one special bottle on hand

Do you have a couple of bottles that are the same varietal, produced the same year, but are from different wineries?  Try a side-by-side tasting.  Tasting wines at the same time allow you to appreciate the subtle differences.  It is interesting to see how the different environments, processing, and winemaker’s touch can have on the finished product. 

Share your special bottle with friends

Invite a few friends over and throw a last minute gathering. Wine parties don’t have to be formal.  They are really just a reason to drink.  Whip up something easy, order take out, or make it potluck ~ the food is secondary to the bottle!  I recently read about a fun wine party idea.  Have each guest bring a bottle under $25.  When they leave, they grab a different bottle than what they came with ~ a great way to share wine with friends, and possibly discover a new favorite!

Cheers, and share with us what bottle you open tonight ~ we are still deciding!