Wineaux’s Lazy Sunday

Sunday.

The word and the day mean different things to different people.

To many, it is a day of church. To others, a day for football on television. Still more think of it as a day of fun. In fact, Sunday Funday is one meaning of the word I have wholeheartedly embraced, and I love to enjoy outings and general merriment on this day, as well.

However, today, I am using yet another connotation of the word: Sunday as the day of rest.

Today I have rested. I have taken it easy. I have allowed myself some down time.

Okay, honestly, today I have done basically nothing. I have been flat out…lazy!

And it has felt so good.

In our society, the constant hustle and bustle often has us competing with each other how busy we are all the time. Bragging about the amount of work we accomplish at home, in business, for kids…it sometimes consumes us.

But a day off is truly good for the soul. So good that many don’t know how to fully enjoy this day of relaxation. Well, here is the instruction manual.

A Wineaux’s Day of Leisure: Otherwise Known As—The Lazy Sunday

Step One: set no alarm. Absolutely none. Instead, make it a goal to sleep at least one hour longer than usual.

Step Two: coffee. Good coffee. Break out the French press, the good beans, and the milk frother. Fire up the espresso machine.

Step Three: more coffee. Treat yourself to the second cup. Out on the patio. In the sun. With a favorite book or the Sunday paper. Take time sipping and reading.

Step Four: mimosas. Sundays are the day drinking before 11:00 a.m. is acceptable…if it is in the form of a mimosa.

Step Five: brunch. No counting calories today. Enjoy the brunch that may be considered too rich for normal breakfast. That means extra Hollandaise sauce, please. Oh, and have another mimosa.

Step Six: read about wine (or whatever your favorite hobby or interest happens to be). Do this on the couch or the patio, still in lounge clothes. For hours.

Step Seven: go for a leisurely hike. Lazy days mean no going out in the real public where you have to look respectable. It does mean putting on your comfy clothes to take a hike or walk. But no strenuous workouts. Enjoy the day, the view, the company. Just enjoy!

Step Eight: pack cheese as a snack. True lazy-day-Sunday hiking requires good cheeses. Paired with fruit. Possibly a veggie, but that’s not mandatory. And wine. Definitely add wine.

Step Nine: blog. Okay, okay. The guilt of doing absolutely nothing productive by this late in the day is starting to nag you. So you blog. About how lazy you’ve been that day. How good it felt. But, hey…at least you did something!

Step Ten: drink in the end of the day. These types of days are truly rare. Especially in our world. Savor the last hours, the last minutes. Fully recharge your batteries by eking out the final glorious second, maybe with another glass of wine. Maybe with a beautiful view. Maybe with your favorite people. Maybe totally by yourself.

Then go to bed early, ready for Monday morning to rear its ugly head! Bring. It. On.

It Only Means One Thing…Venison Bourguignon

The days are getting shorter (barely light by 7:00 a.m. and dark not long after 6:00 p.m.), and a chill is permeating the air; this only means one thing:  autumn is here! 

Though we haven’t had to deal with snow yet—knock on wood—winter is quickly rounding the corner to descend on Black Hills area residents.  And when winter hits, it does so with a vengeance.  It grips the region and doesn’t let go.  It holds on, absolutely for dear life, for months…and months…and months.

These sure signs not only mean winter is very close, it also means something else in the Black Hills.  Something even more important to many.  Falls means hunting!  (Add celebratory dance from outdoors men and women who live for this time of year.)

These early autumn days, as I have been writing about much lately, are absolutely beautiful.  The temperatures are superb.  The colors are delightful.  And seasonal food from this time of year is delicious.

I don’t hunt; I hike…and cook.  So these cooler days when my hunting husband and son work to fill my freezer, I look for ways to use the game meat.  The falling temps mean I can take my time in the kitchen, letting the oven warm my house and heart, to slowly make a great meal.

 

I channeled my rural, inner Julia Child and modified a recipe found in a Cabela’s catalogue.  Yes, the same place you can buy camouflage clothes for hunting has some great recipes, especially when I add my add twist.  Here is my Venison Bourguignon.

Venison Bourguignon

1 ½ to 2 pounds venison loin, cut into chunks (elk or moose would also be delicious)

3 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

½ to 1 pound mushrooms, sliced

3 gloves garlic, minced

Flour

½ cup port (sherry, Madeira, or brandy would also work)

2 bottles pinot noir (any region, U.S., France, or other—the second bottle is to drink with the meal; I   used Cartograph’s Sonoma County Pinot Noir for the bourguignon and their Leonardo Julio Pinot Noir for the meal)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons butter

Olive oil

Salt and pepper (to taste)

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.     On the stove top, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a cast iron Dutch oven; I used La Creuset cookware. Heat to medium.  Add bacon and sauté until bacon begins to brown. Remove and set aside.

3.      Dry the cubed venison on paper towels.

4.      Brown the meat in small batches in the olive oil/bacon drippings.  Remove and set aside with bacon.

5.      Cook chopped onion, celery, and carrots in the drippings until soft, about ten minutes.  Will not caramelize.  Add the garlic.  Sauté another few minutes.

6.      Add the port.  With a spatula, rub the bottom of the pan so drippings blend into the port and veggies.  Stir well to coat all the veggies.  

7.      Flambé port in pan by tipping up to pool port in the corner of the pan.  Light to burn off the alcohol.

8.      Lightly dust venison with flour.  Return meat to the vegetable mixture in the Dutch oven. Also return bacon.

9.      Add salt and pepper.  The sauce will reduce, so go lighter on the salt.

10.  Add one entire bottle of pinot noir.  If liquid doesn’t cover the meat and veggie mixture, add up to one more cup from the second bottle of wine.  (There should still be plenty of the second bottle to have with the meal.  If worried, grab a third bottle!  Can also add water or beef stock for extra liquid.)

11.  Turn the oven down to 300 degrees.  Cover the stew.  Simmer in the oven for two to three hours.  The wine/port sauce should be reduced and thickened.  If too much sauce reduced, add more wine, beef stock, or water at any point, remembering water may dilute the flavor more than wine or stock.

12.  After the two to three hours, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan on the stove top.  Sauté the mushrooms until begin to caramelize.  Add to the stew.

13.  Melt the last 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add up to 2 teaspoons of cornstarch; stir into a paste.  If reduction sauce is very thick, use less cornstarch.  Add paste into stew. 

14.  Cook in oven ten more minutes. 

15.  Serve!  Can serve with corn bread (which is what I did because I loved the oven going all day) or use the stove top to make a creamy polenta.  Could also boil or mash potatoes for side dish, as well.

16.  Pour a glass of the wine used in the recipe for a natural marriage pairing…and enjoy!

Fall may mean cooler temperatures and beautiful scenery, but in my household, and for many where I live, it means hunting!  Using game meat is a special treat that can be enjoyed on days when much time and joy can be given to the cooking process.

Put on that wool sweater and turn on the oven.  Connect with your inner chef using autumn’s recipes, which are great well into winter. Enjoy the comfort food all season long.

Sonoma's Turn to Sparkle and Shine--Sparkling Wines in Sonoma

Oh what a difference a week makes. 

Last weekend, I was sitting, basking in the sun as it blazed down on my patio.  The temperatures were in the 90s, and I needed shade to enjoy time outside.  However, my realization that this sunshine must be savored and soaked up in all its glory seemed almost desperate as I sat sipping on and writing about Napa's sparkling wines.

    

I was all too correct.

This weekend, temps are in the 50s...for the high…during the peak of the day.  Nights have been in the 30s.  

Yes, sometimes just a short time makes a considerable difference.

The same can be said for a short distance.

Though Napa County and Sonoma County are separated merely by a virtual line, visits to the two vary greatly.  Grapes that prosper, atmospheres of tasting rooms, and philosophies in wine are quite different.

 

One such difference seen between these close neighbors is their sparkling wines.  Where Napa generally has sparkling houses that focus primarily on that style of wine and make little else, Sonoma’s diverse character shows through the many producers that make sparklers as just a minute part of a wider portfolio of wine.

 

Sonoma bubbles are truly special, maybe even more so because they are often one small share of a varied wine list.  Yes, Sonoma has producers who specialize in sparklers (think Korbel and Gloria Ferrer), but the possibility of finding a bubbly on the list at even a small producer is likely…and lovely!   

Gloria Ferrer

The first to realize the benefits of Carneros on the Sonoma side, the Spanish Ferrer Family planted the traditional Champagne grapes of pinot noir and chardonnay.  A stunning tasting room and production facility (including caves) was opened overlooking the rolling Carneros hills growing the Ferrer vines. 

To call the view from the tasting bar and outdoor patio gorgeous in truly an understatement. 

Sensational.  Beautiful.  Striking.  Amazing.  Even all these adjectives barely describe the vistas seen while sipping quality sparkling wines.  Whether a sunny Sunday or a gloomy weekday, this is a Sonoma must...a true wow experience!  However, the still wines produced here are also quality.  Don’t miss tasting a few of the bubble-less options as well.

 

Rain or shine, beautiful vistas await at Gloria Ferrer.

Wines of note:

VA de VI—With a splash of moscato, this is an off-dry style of bubbly.  The moscato adds a bit of richness and smoothness to the mouthfeel.  Joyful fruits of apple and lemon with yeast on the nose and palate, this would be a great sipper for those who just aren’t ready for the zesty essence of truly dry sparklers.  It would also be quite food friendly, especially with any dishes that have a hint of spice.

2011 Brut Rosé—If anyone is paying attention to my palate, this Brut Rosé should be a given.  My bias is beginning to show through—big rosé sparkling fan here…okay, huge fan! Gloria Ferrer’s shows strawberry shortcake with lemon zest sprinkled on top that makes me love this type of wine.  A great example of the style, drink it—and enjoy it—by itself.

Sparkling or still, both are special options here.

Buena Vista

Historically important to Sonoma, Buena Vista actually started by producing large quantities of sparkling wine in the late 1800s.  Hungarian Agoston Harazsthy was in the process of building a Sonoma wine empire when he purchased land to grow vineyards and built an impressive production facility, including caves for aging sparkling.  He entrusted his son Arpad to produce traditional method sparkling wines from California grapes.

Arpad had immediate success shown through the multiple awards he brought home with his 1861 cuvee from the 1863 California State Fair.  Unfortunately, this success was short lived.  Under the direction of his father, Arpad produced a large 1862 batch of sparkling…and not a single bottle had bubbles.  Not one.

 

Obviously Buena Vista has been through numerous changes in the over 100 years since this incident.  One is that excellent sparkling wines are consistently produced and enjoyed by consumers.  Myself included. 

Historically important and incredibly impressive press house as tasting room.

Wine of Note: 

La Victoire Brut Rosé—Served in a more traditional style bottle, Buena Vista considers this a tribute to Arpad and his sparkling wines from the past.  A rich smell and taste of ripe red cherries comes through with a hint of almond cookie on the finish.  Pair with fresh strawberries for a special (and maybe romantic) treat.

Another great example of a brute rose.

VML

Virginia Marie Lambrix prides herself on her artisan style of winemaking at VML Wines.  This attitude of treating all wines as small, special lots is quite evident in the one sparkling she produces.  The tasting room is located in the beautiful Russian River Valley, one of my favorite spots in all of Sonoma.  The location is enough of a reason to visit, but once a sip of any of the wines is enjoyed, the reasons multiply.  A tasting can be enjoyed inside the cool, modern tasting space, or better yet, pack a picnic to sit on the VML patio and drink in all that is the Russian River Valley!

The Russian River Valley in all its splendor, enjoyed at VML Wine.

Wine of Note:

2010 VML Blanc de Noir—After I had completed my tasting, a young teacher, her mother, and her fiancée shared the patio with me.  They had come all the way to the RRV to toast the teacher’s upcoming new job with a bottle of VML Blanc de Noir because no other sparkling would do!  Brut style with just a touch of chardonnay in the cuvee (even though it is labeled a blanc de noir), this is a unique wine filled with peach pie and lemon zest.  Pair with seafood or a new job.

A special, sparkling treat at VML.

Longboard Vineyards

From surf boards to grape vines, Oded Shakked took his sense of adventure from his surfing career and applied it to winemaking.  Though this may seem quite a jump, it isn’t as big as the jump he made from his home in Israel to his tasting room in Healdsburg.  He scaled this hurdle with stops at UC Davis and J Vineyards.   While at J, he learned much about wine making from Judy Jordan, including how to make traditional method sparkling wines.  (J sparklers from Sonoma are also worth a taste!)

A wonderful, relaxed atmosphere permeates all when walking in the totally hip tasting area.  Surf boards hang from the ceilings and surf videos play on the television while excellent wines are tasted with the coolest tasting room staff.  Longboard currently has one sparkling wine to enjoy, but rosé lovers like me can begin to cheer—his brut rosé is coming soon!

Hang loose at the Longboard tasting room.

Wine of note:

Brut Cuveè Sparkling—Traditional method in every way, shape, and form, this smells, tastes, and finishes like a brut Champagne.  Dry, crisp, and zippy filled with lemon and bread dough, this is a sparkler for serious bubble lovers.  Enjoy as an aperitif at a formal dinner or as a celebration for any occasion; however, just enjoy this wine soon. 

Longboard's Brut Cuvee...look at those bubbles!

As I wrap up in a warm blanket today after sweating in the sun last weekend, I’m reminded what a difference a week can make.  I am also well aware what a difference just a few miles can make, especially when it comes to wine.  So close in proximity, yet often so far in terms of style, Napa and Sonoma make some absolutely amazing sparkling wines.  However, Napa sparkling producers usually specialize in just sparklings and do few still wines.

 

Just a hop, skip, and a jump away in Sonoma, many producers have a much more diverse array of wines on the tasting menus.  Some, like Gloria Ferrer, may specialize in bubbles, but still produce multiple still options.  Others illustrate the varied style for which Sonoma is known, producing mostly quality still sippers, but then showcasing one or two sparkling options. 

 

Those that embrace this change of pace are making some very special bottles of bubbles.  So special that wine lovers need to embrace the contrasts of these two regions and drink the bubbles of both!