Move Over Wine…Wyoming Whiskey

Bring on the whiskey!  Shocking, to hear me say that, I know, but for a short period of time this past weekend, I became a bourbon whiskey connoisseur.  True, it was for a VERY short time, but while I was touring Wyoming Whiskey in Kirby, Wyoming (population 92, thank you very much) I was loving whiskey!

Wyoming Whiskey’s beautiful, multi-million dollar facility towers high above all other rooftops as one drives into Kirby.  The outer façade of the building is only the beginning of the impressiveness of this business.  Founders of Wyoming Whiskey wanted a product that would wow, so David DeFazio and Bradford Mead (brother to current Wyoming governor Matt Mead) looked for a distiller who knew what he was doing.  They lured Kentucky master distiller Steve Nally out of retirement (after distilling and retiring from Maker’s Mark) and to little old Kirby to begin producing bourbon in the Equality State.  Next, every master distiller needs a still, and Wyoming Whiskey doesn’t have just ANY still.  This still is a 38-foot-tall, vertical still made of copper by Vendome that was the first of its kind in the country.

That is a still we are standing with:  the Vendome vertical still.

To produce the whiskey in this state-of-the-art equipment, all the raw materials come from within one hundred miles of Kirby.  The corn, wheat, barley, and water don’t have far to travel.  The yeast is specifically chosen, and the barley travels the farthest to be mashed—to our neighbor state, Montana.  All of these ingredients ferment to produce a raw “beer” type of liquid.  (Not actual beer, but closer to beer at this point than whiskey.)  Getting to see this fermentation process up close was very interesting.  I paid special attention to similarities with wine but also enjoyed learning the differences.  It was a special treat when one of the vats of fermenting mash started to boil up from all of the heat and carbon dioxide being released.  It was like a living organism as it foamed and mulled around (which, I guess, it kind of is).  One could feel the heat, and when a nose was put close enough to the surface, the fumes of the CO2 gasses singed the nose hairs and burned the eyes!

The Wyoming ingredients used to make Wyoming Whiskey.

The CO2 gasses burning their noses!



The fermenting liquid.

This fermented liquid is put through the still, and then is turned into “white lightening,” or moonshine whiskey.  To become bourbon, this whiskey must be aged in new, American oak barrels for a minimum of two years.  Once the whiskey is in the toasted oak barrel, the barrel is branded and numbered, then taken to the “rick” house for aging.  Within the rick house, barrels must be turned and rotated over the course of the aging years to ensure balanced contact and aging in the oak.  Once ready, the bourbon is bottled on site, and then sent to the Wyoming State Liquor Division for distribution and sale.  The very first release of Wyoming Whiskey sold out from the state warehouse in about three minutes!  The second release is expected to go as fast, with pre-orders and the limited quantity available.

In the barreling room.

Once done with the very informative tour, our group went back to the gift shop for a sample.  This is how quickly my life as a bourbon connoisseur lasted:  until the liquor hit the back of my throat and burned all the way down!  In Wyoming Whiskey’s defense, I am not a hard liquor drinker; I am a wine drinker.  The 12-15% alcohol I am used to experiencing in the average wine I drink could not prepare me for the 44 proof bourbon!  On the tip of my tongue, the whiskey had a very pleasing taste though.  I also thought the amber color of the liquid was beautiful.  However, I am not a whiskey drinking lady, so I will stick with my wine.  That said, those drinkers that enjoy bourbons and whiskeys, please try Wyoming Whiskey…if you can find a bottle for sale!  It is a hot commodity, and I look forward to seeing how many drinkers out there will say, “Bring on the Wyoming Whiskey!”

To Aerate or Not to Aerate?

Yes, I went there with the clichéd reference to Hamlet’s famous soliloquy written by William Shakespeare.  I have two great reasons though:  1—remember, I am an English teacher by day, and I just finished teaching this play; and 2—I really have been asked this question a lot lately!  My answer is not a question of life and death (like Shakespeare’s famous speech), but it can be an important answer to the life of a wine.   

1.       What is aeration?  Aeration is literally the process of circulating air through or mixing air with another substance.   In this case, the substance is wine.  The market today is flooded with aerators in almost any size, shape, or price.  What these cool-looking gadgets do is let the wine run through or over an object to inject more oxygen. 

2.       Not all wines need aeration.  Most white wines would not benefit from aerating.  The point of aerating a wine is to increase the contact between oxygen and wine.  For many wines, this increased oxygen is a good thing.  Air in the wine helps to bring out the aromas and flavors of a wine.  Oxygen can also soften the taste of the tannins. Red wines gain more from this process.  Many white wines that are very light bodied and delicate anyway would actually lose smell and flavor if aerated. 

3.      Only some red wines need aeration.  It is generally a personal preference if you would like to aerate a red wine.  Red wines that are very young and tannic can be softened to pair better with foods if they have been aerated.  Also, if any wine drinkers enjoy softer wines with fewer bold tannins, aerating can help make the wine more drinkable to this type of palette. 

4.      There are some wines to never aerate.  Wines that have been cellared for an extended period of time should not be aerated.  Aged wines become more delicate, and if a very old wine is aerated, the smells and flavors might actually be lost completely.  Depending on the wine, I wouldn’t aerate anything over 10-15 years aged in the bottle.  Think how disappointing it would be to open up a beautiful bottle of perfectly aged wine to spoil it by using an aerator.  (Now keep in mind, this would be different from just decanting and letting the wine sit to open up.) 

5.      Do what you like.  Ultimately, it comes down to what every individual likes to drink.  I often go through periods when I will aerate wines very often, just so I can use my fun wine toys.  I also like to drink a wine one night without aeration and then the next night with aeration, taking notes on both tastings to see which I preferred.  I also like to show friends and wine students the difference aeration makes, so I will often pour them an ounce with no use of an aerator and then an ounce with the use of an aerator.  It is fun to witness wine novices experience the difference that can be made in some wines when more oxygen is present. 

6.      What aerator to use?  This is probably the trickiest question of all!  As mentioned, aeration of wine is big business right now.  There are small gadgets for just one glass or large contraptions to aerate an entire bottle.  There are even wine glasses that do the aeration themselves!  I don’t have a particular preference, but again, it depends on the circumstance. 

This large aerator is very beautiful and makes a statement.  I like to use it at parties or get-togethers where there is a large group and beautifully aerating an entire bottle of wine for all to see is a must. 

 

 

The decanter and funnel is another beautiful, yet traditional, way to aerate an entire bottle at once.  The decanters available today are even more magnificent than the aerator selection.  One can also spend a little or a LOT (see some of Riedel’s new decanter designs).

 

 

 

This individual glass style of pourer is also a great way to let people aerate their own glass as they pour.

 

 

 

This one-glass-at-a-time aerator is a fun invention and is interesting to have set out so individuals can decant their own as they pour a glass. It is the one I keep on the edge of my wine room shelf to easily grab if I think I want aeration for that night’s wine.

 

 

The aerator that goes inside the wine bottle is very popular right now due to its reasonable price and its ease of use.  I liked and used mine often, until I used it at a class and gave it away to someone who complimented it.  I have wanted to replace it, but I just haven’t.  Mainly because I have so many other styles I can use to aerate!

 

 

 

So whether you aerate wines as often as Shakespeare killed off a main character in his tragedies, or whether you look at aeration with distrust like an “adder fanged,”  it can be useful to many wine drinkers.  Aeration is popular to the masses right now; let’s see if it stands the test of time like a great Shakespeare play. 

 

What do you think of aeration?  Do you have a favorite that you use? 

From Coast to Coast—Style and Wine

“Fad—noun—a temporary fashion, notion, or manner of conduct, etc., especially one followed enthusiastically by a group.”  I dare say I don’t generally follow wine fads; yet, I do have my own fads of wine that I seem to follow…usually against the crowd instead of with it. Yes, I fell in love with Pinot Noir, but it was not because of the 2004 movie Sideways, even though that was the time period when my love affair started.  Pinot Noir was my style of wine for quite a period of time (and I still love--and crave--a good Pinot Noir).  Then I moved to a different fad:  Cabernet Sauvignon.  Then my next wine craze was to taste anything different I could get my hands on, and the more unique the better.  Because of this trend, I learned that I also loved Malbecs, Tempranillos, and, most recently, Merlots.  Just as the aforementioned movie Sideways didn’t make me drink Pinot Noirs, it did not make me steer clear of Merlots; however, the rest of the country and world can’t necessarily say the same.  It was reported that from October 2004 until January 2005, Pinot Noir sales in the U.S. jumped 16%; in California alone sales jumped 34%.  At this same time, Merlot sales dropped 2%.  This trend was similar in other wine consuming countries like the United Kingdom, as well.  Merlot has seemed to bounce back from its slight drop in consumer sales; it has also stayed in my favor as a wine I like to sip when I can find quality samples.  This is what caused me to open my fridge yesterday and realize I had three Merlots at one time:  two already opened and one just received from a wine club shipment.  I knew what I must do with these wines:  have a coast-to-coast faceoff tasting of Merlot.

 

 

Wine one—Dr. Konstanstin Frank 2010 Merlot (Finger Lakes Region, New York)

            Sight:  a lighter bodied, slightly translucent garnet color—very pretty.  Smell:  the ten months oak aging was evident from the smoke and cedar aromas; there was also ripe fruit.  Sip:  chocolate covered cherries with the cedar taste; smooth with a nice balance between the acids and the tannins.  An overall great example of a cooler climate Merlot.

 

 

Wine two—Balistreri Vineyards 2011 Little Feet Merlot (Colorado)

            Sight:  slightly heavier bodied, with an opaque, inky maroon color.  This wine undergoes no fining or filtering, and it shows in the deep color.  Smell:  the smell is like sticking my nose in a juniper wreath.  Very much an evergreen forest!  Sip:  the evergreen, juniper forest continues in the taste.  The overpowering green is all I get on the first attack.  There is a bit of a hot taste of alcohol, though the wine is not overly high in alcohol.  It has a very pleasant, mixed berry finish.  I love the premise of the creation of this wine.  Children at the Colorado Festival Italiano stomp the Colorado-sourced Merlot grapes that are fermented for this wine.

Wine three—Columbia Crest 2008 Horse Heaven Hills (H3) Merlot (Washington)

            Sight:  medium-bodied, opaque garnet color.  Smell:  sweet floral, almost perfume like fragrance, hint of vanilla.  Sip:  oak, earth, leather, and green pepper with slight fruit.  Smells fruitier than it tastes.  A well balanced, fairly traditional Merlot.  With a price under $15.00, depending on where it is purchased, a great value!

The “Winner” of the Latest Wine Trend:  Coast-to-Coast Merlot Tasting

            My favorite wine was the Dr. Konstantin Frank.  I loved the aromas and the flavors.  It is a wonderful sipping wine.  My two-ounce pour just was not enough; I wanted more!  I tried not to be biased by the fact that I recently visited the Finger Lakes and Dr. Frank’s winery, and loved both.  Having said that, the 2008 Horse Heaven Hills was a wonderful Merlot, and if I thought about price, this would definitely be the better wine for the money, as it is sold for under $15.00 and the Dr. Frank retails for closer to $20.00.  Ranking the Little Feet Merlot as my third choice does not mean this is a bad wine—quite the contrary.  When drinking it in direct comparison with the other two wines, it was a little too green for me and seemed less balanced.  However, I will say that when I visited Balistreri Vineyards this fall, the Little Feet was my favorite wine of the 20 wines I tasted from the winery.  It is a less traditional style Merlot than the other two, but still worth buying a bottle to enjoy…especially if you knew some of the “little feet” used to produce the wine!

            Yes, styles, fads, and fashions come and go, in clothing and in wine.  Though movies like Sideways may create trends in wine, I hope you will all keep tasting to create your own wine fads!  And when you do find wines you like, taste them, test them, and compare them; it is a great way to expand the palette and decide what styles you like…from east to west, you will find what you like best. (Wow, I just sounded a bit like Dr. Suess J…after he had a glass of Merlot!)

By the Book

           The smell.  The feel.  The weight in one’s hands.  The sound as a page is turned.  The hardbound cover.  The dog-eared page where one last stopped reading.  From the title on the front cover to the plot synopsis on the back cover, I love all parts of books.  Books of any kind: fiction, non-fiction, mystery, thriller.  (Okay, so I’m not a huge romance fan, but other than that…).  I love books, and I love to read!  In the summer, especially, I am rarely found without a book close by.  I am such a veracious reader, that one year I made a personal goal to read 50 books in a year.  And I did it.  Beat that goal, actually, by reading 52 books in a twelve month period.  Because of this love of reading, it should come as no surprise that I have attempted to start my own small wine, reading library. 

            The first books I added were nothing but fun mystery novels by Michele Scott, set in California wine country, featuring tasty recipes with possible wine pairings throughout the plot of the book.  I read the first three in quick succession several years ago—Murder Uncorked, Murder by the Glass, and Silenced by Syrah.  Now Scott has seven total books in this Wine Lovers Mystery Series that wine, mystery, and recreational reading lovers will adore! 

            The next book I added to my collection reflected my growing love for wine and special occasions marked by wine:  Wine for Every Day and Every Occasion by husband and wife team Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher.  In this book, these two writers for the Wall Street Journal focus on special wines, but also wines made special because of the occasion when these wines are consumed.  I truly enjoyed this book because I mirror the authors’ thoughts that wine can make any event an extraordinary time, and many wines are made more extraordinary because of the special occasion.  The short chapters are pleasant to follow and leave a wonderful “finish” in the mouths and minds of readers.

            As my interest in wine became more serious, so did the wine books I chose.  After hearing so much about the history of California’s wine country in the 1970s due to the Judgment of Paris, I thought I needed more information on this subject.  Of course, the movie Bottle Shock imparted a partially fictional view of the judgment (I could do another blog about great wine movies); however, reading the book Judgment of Paris:  California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine by George Taber, who not only attended the tasting but researched the back stories of the wines and winemakers of the quintessential moment in American wine history, is a very important book to understand the U.S. wine industry.  The book is well written and informative.  Though not a narrative text, readers can follow the story as if it were.

            The next book important for wine lovers to read is The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace.  This real-life mystery has so many plotlines and characters that tell the complex story of the most expensive bottle of wine ever purchased and whether or not this wine was even worth a cent!  I enjoyed the very-early American wine history and the information about the French wines that Americans (especially Thomas Jefferson) loved.  I also really did enjoy the mystery plot about counterfeiting wines.  The many characters involved in the plot and the different time periods covered do make this book difficult to follow at times.  However, it is a story worth understanding.  I also look forward to a movie that may someday be made from this book, if the complicated legal battles can ever be settled. 

            Though California, Washington, and Oregon are still the heavy hitters in the American wine market, knowing about up-and-coming wine regions is also incredibly important.  New York State, particularly the Finger Lakes area, is an exciting part of the U.S. wine market today and has been an important part of U.S. wine history in the past.  Summer in a Glass by New York journalist Evan Dawson tells the past, present, and future of Finger Lakes wines in such a way that readers want to keep reading…and keep sipping New York wines!  True, I bought the book while I was vacationing in the Finger Lakes area, so getting to visit some of the wineries written about by Dawson was a treat.  However, the book is truly so well written that the stories of important and quality wineries leap off the page and into the hearts of readers.  (At least that is what happened for me!)

            I love the smell, the feel, the weight…not only of a good book, but also of an excellent glass of wine!  You will still often find me with a book in my hand.  Today, it is most likely to be a book about wine in one hand and a glass of wine in the other!  So cheers to reading.  Cheers to reading books about wine.  And cheers to toasting a great glass of wine while reading.  Both bring joy to hearts and minds!

Other wine books I recommend:

Wine and War by Donald Kladstrup and Petie Kladstrup
The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil
A Vineyard in My Glass by Gerald Asher

Other wine books on my “to-read” list:

A Vineyard in Napa by Dough Shafer, Andy Demsky, and Danny Meyer
The House of Mondavi by Julia Flynn Siler
Rock and Vine by Chelsea Prince

What books do you recommend for me? 

Wyoming and Wine—We’re a Frugal Bunch

Catherine Pulsifer once said:  “Being frugal does not mean being cheap!  It means being economical and avoiding waste.”  This saying applies whole-heartedly to the recently released Wyoming Liquor Division list of top wines sold in the state last year. 

Focusing on wines sold in 2012, twenty-two of the top fifty-one were box or jug wines.  Franzia was number one with its Chillable Red, with over 5,000 cases sold!  Franzia had seven of the top fifty-one wines sold in Wyoming in 2012.  Peter Vella, another boxed wine, had four of the fifty-one.  Carlo Rossi jug wine and other box wine producers Black Box and Bota Box were also represented with two each.  The state Liquor Division lists Hornsby’s Crisp Apple Cider as the second best selling wine in the state…even though hard ciders aren’t wine at all, but would belong more in the beer family.  A second hard apple cider by Angry Orchard ranked twenty-ninth in sales. 

Now, if you are reading this list of best selling, cheap, low-quality wines as proof that Wyoming has incredibly poor taste in vino (like I did at first, before I tucked away my inner wine snob), I decided to quit looking at the glass as half empty and look at the glass as half full…and maybe the bottle as half full, too!  My first silver lining to the wine sales stats was the placement of the Folie a Deux Manage a Trois Red as the number six wine.  This reasonably priced wine with its oh-so-racy name is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes; it’s a dry, tannic red wine, and it impressed me that Wyoming drinkers are drinking this more “serious” wine.  The next pleasant surprise was Apothic Winemaker’s red blend.  This does not have a risqué name, but does have a super-cool red and black label and super-serious grapes:  Merlot and Syrah.  Apothic is a bold, tannic red and was the number nine seller in the state!  Yes, there was the dotting of many different producers of white Zinfandel on the inventory; however, Wild Vines Blackberry Merlot was number twenty-three.  (This was a huge victory in my eyes, as this is the “wine” that the largest number of non-wine drinkers request from me at fundraising and open house events.  I always direct them to a Moscato d’ Asti or another sweet wine.)  I was also heartened to see three Pinot Grigios, five Chardonnays, four Merlots, and two Cabernet Sauvignons in the top fifty-one wines sold.  Though these wines were all from less expensive producers like Woodbridge, Cupcake, Fish Eye, and Barefoot, it shows that Wyoming palettes may be beginning to like some dryer and more acidic wines, not just the box wines.  The fact that only two Moscatos and one Riesling made the list also shows that once Wyomingites get past the box and jug wine craze, they seem to be moving past these two, what I consider to be, gateway wines—wines consumed by novice wine drinkers that allow those wine drinkers to move on to other wines. (Riesling was my gateway varietal into the wine world more than a decade ago!)

All of this data taken together makes me have great hope in Wyoming’s wine drinkers.  Yes, they still buy more box and jug wine than anything else, but this seems to be more frugality than just poor taste in wine. When buying wines that rarely cost more than fifteen dollars, they are being economical and avoiding waste while drinking dryer reds and acidic whites made by the well-known producers of quality but less expensive wine…not necessarily just cheap!  I hope Wyoming winos (dare I spell wineaux) will continue to try the new producers of reasonably priced wines, all while being the sensible spenders they have proven to be!  Expand those palettes, Wyoming winos!

The “Spice” of Life: Comfort Food--Dakota Thyme

         We have all heard the saying, “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too,” right?  Well, I have found an instance where this common cliché is untrue:  a visit to Dakota Thyme in Rapid City.  An old-fashioned, deli-style restaurant with comfort food, great wine, and delectable home-baked goods is totally having your cake and eating it too…literally! 

First, the atmosphere inside Dakota Thyme is so warm and inviting with great colors and a replica tin ceiling that takes me back to the really good, really old days!  I am obviously not the only one who feels this way about the ambiance of the restaurant; both times I have been there for lunch, the dining area was full! 

Next, the food, ordered deli-style from a counter and then delivered to your table, is very tasty.  My first visit, I had the crab cakes and a side of soup.  I consider myself somewhat of a crab cake connoisseur, ordering this at almost all restaurants that serve it because it is my favorite.  The crab cakes were light, well-sized, and scrumptious!  My second visit I chose a three-cheese grilled cheese and the same red pepper tomato bisque soup from my first visit—because it was good enough to order twice!  Warming me from the inside, this comfort food made my day!

Of course, Dakota Thyme wouldn’t make it on my list of businesses that promote the wine industry if there was no wine!  The by-the-glass wine list is decent; however, the by-the-bottle list is impressive for an establishment of this size.  Dakota Thyme keeps an ever-evolving selection for bottle sale—both for on-site and off-site consumption. In November, there was a Beaujolais Nouveau just a week after its release date (from my phone calls, one of only two places in Rapid to carry this wine).  For New Year’s, a wonderful selection of bubbly was in the house, including a Gruet (considered the best American sparkling), a Prosecco, and others.  Dakota Thyme even gave away a bottle of Dom Perignon in January.  I was so jealous when I found out about this contest too late!  Customers can find producers from Primal Roots to Barnett Vineyards to Sterling Vineyards (one of my favorites).  To keep this up-to-date list, Dakota Thyme also regularly puts wines on sale for as low as $9.95 a bottle!  Yes, the wine itself calls you to stop here.

However, how impressive the mood, the food, and the drinks are, they pale in comparison to the “piece de resistance”:  the home-baked goods!  The breads range from Brioche, to light rye, to dark rye, to caraway, to focaccia, to croissants.  The desserts include an array of cookies, cupcakes, tartlets, baklava, and even King cakes (for Mardi Gras).  Next time I stop I have promised myself I will not be watching calories; I WILL have a dessert! 

So whether it be for a hearty breakfast, a comforting lunch, or a fun special occasion (like beer tastings, wine tastings, or artists’ receptions that Dakota Thyme hosts) stop by soon.  Get your food, drink your wine, have your cake--and eat it too!  You will not be disappointed.  I haven’t been! 

Say It Isn't So!

Over a year ago, I decided I wanted to try to promote the wine industry in every form in and around the Black Hills and Wyoming.  I have written multiple “reviews” of wine or wine-related businesses, but, at this point, I haven’t written about all of the places I’ve visited or wanted to write about.  I was much chagrined to find out that one of the places I have visited, yet never wrote about, closed in December. 

Manchegos in Rapid City was a tapas-style bar with a focus on wine, especially Spanish wines.  The atmosphere was absolutely amazing!  The small bar was filled with dark wood and often had live music on the weekends.  The main dining room was spacious and well designed.  I loved the Spanish tiles on the wall and the booths in front of the tiles.  The outdoor patio was a special place to dine, as well as the roof top deck (which I never sat but did go check out).  Every detail was covered, even down to the beautiful tile work in the bathrooms (okay, I only actually saw the women’s bathroom, but I HEARD the men’s was cool too)!  As for the food, I enjoyed many of the tapas menu items.  My favorite was the warm potato and corn salad, but I also loved the garlic mussels, garlic shrimp, and the caprese salad.  The best part of Manchegos, however, was the Enomatic wine machine!  The Enomatic was a wall of wine with an automatic measuring system where a wine lover could choose one ounce, three ounces, or five ounces of any of the wines in the Enomatic.  A debit card was loaded with a dollar amount and wineauxs (French for wino J) could sample whatever they wanted or choose a full glass of a favorite wine. 

I am disappointed that this business closed its doors before its one-year anniversary.  I loved the atmosphere and the idea of the tapas menu.  I also loved how much the Enomatic promoted people try to wines they may not have and did so in such a fun way.  There are already future plans for the wonderful new building in Rapid City; I really look forward to what is in store for this prime downtown spot.  I hope that the new business owners (owners of the current Firehouse just down the street) will continue the fun atmosphere, and I tip my hat to the former owners for trying a new approach in the hills. 

Here is the link to the Rapid City Journal article on Manchegos' closing. 

Rapid City Journal's Article on Manchegos' Closing

Just Because

Today my "Outlaw" (long story, maybe some day I'll write about it) decided to make the very special dish beef Bourguignon. She decided this because it was a very special day...Sunday! Yes, Outlaw Michelle decided to make her girlfriends a meal that though it is not difficult to make, it is incredibly time consuming--many hours of time--just because!  We had tried to look for and wait for that special occasion, and there have been occasions, but often, those occasions don't come with the time beef Bourguignon needs. So today we are eating a classic French stew, made even more famous by the movie Julie and Julia, just so our group of friends can get together and enjoy each other's company. We could have kept putting it off because there was no time or occasion, but why?

I have written about this before, but it is worth repeating, probably over and over again.  Life is too short to always wait to use the fine china or (in my case) the Reidel glasses. I use fine crystal stemware every day, and if one breaks, it breaks! I do cellar bottles of wine, but only ones I have specifically researched to age. The more expensive bottles of wine I buy every day, I drink--no matter what price I paid! True, we can't eat or drink everything we want all day, all the time.  However, saving remarkable food, drinks, or friends only for once in a while is not living well.  Life is meant to be enjoyed!  Use the good sheets. Wear that expensive pair of shoes.  Break out the fine dishes.  Drive the nice car.  Eat that decadent dessert. Sip the higher priced wine.  But, most importantly--get together with those friends! I am...because it is a special occasion after all--just because!

Here is Julia Child's classic recipe for beef Bourguignon.  You can find it from a quick Google search.  My sister-outlaw Michelle never really follows a recipe exactly, but these are the basic guidelines to follow.  Yes, look at all of those steps!  That's why this is such a special treat!

Ingredients

• 1 6 ounce piece chunk bacon
• 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds lean stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 onion, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups red wine, young and full bodied
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• 20 small white pearl onions
• 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
• herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth)
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry.
3. Sauté lardons in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to side dish with a slotted spoon.
4. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons. In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the excess fat.
5. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and coves the meat with a light crust). Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
6. Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
7. While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet. Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly. Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.
8. Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms. Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.
9. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms on top. Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for 1-2 minutes, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning.
10. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.  (We had mashed potatoes.)

Making Memories

One of the parts I love most about wine is how it turns any event into a memorable occasion.  Order pizza on a Sunday afternoon when too lazy to cook?  Uncork a bottle of Merlot, pour in Riedel stemware, and experience the perfect way to relax and wrap up the weekend!  When wine is added to a party or a holiday, the party, holiday, AND wine all become more special.  For Christmas this year, I decided it was time for a very special Christmas dinner for my girl friends, and of course, wine had to be an essential part of the important day for my most loved companions!

First, the ambiance must be set for a special meal.  I brought out my lovely amber cabbage rose Depression glass dishes; having more people than I did antique dishes, I mixed and matched with a friend’s pink and gold floral wedding china.  Gold was the theme, so the table was prepared with a linen table cloth and napkins, gold fabric place mats, beautiful china, gold-plated silverware, red and white Riedel wine glasses, and brass candlesticks.  Now that the table was beautiful, it was time to impress with the food!

The actual meal started with mimosas as a twist on the traditional aperitif.  Though mimosas are often a summer brunch drink, I added frozen cranberries and a splash of cranberry juice to each glass for a Christmas flare.  Keeping with the Christmas idea, I mulled some dry red wine with peaches, blackberries, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and simple syrup to serve with our cheese plate for the first course.  (For the dry red, I used an inexpensive Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet.)  The second course was a baked macaroni and cheese made with smoked Harvati cheese and topped with Panko bread crumbs before baking.  This paired well with a semi-dry Riesling; ours was from producer Joel Gott. The main course was Cornish game hen with prosciutto ham in a cream of mushroom sauce served with Hob Nob Pinot Noir.  The crowning glory of the meal was chocolate pot de crème served with a twenty-year aged Tawny port…oh so yummy! 

Though my friends and I get together often, the special food and wine made this meal, and this day, even better.  I’m quite sure that my friends highly enjoyed the dinner, both the food and wine.  More importantly, we truly enjoyed each other’s company.  It is true that wine can make even the simplest meal seem extraordinary.  Though I am not trying to brag, the food was good; however, it was made even better by serving it with wine.  Wine always adds a level of sophistication and happiness to a meal.  My point is, make wine a part of your holiday meals, with friends or family.  For adults, mull wine, make mimosas, pair wine with food, or use wine as dessert (maybe not all of these at once, but just one or two!).  For children, buy sparkling cider to toast with as bubbly, mull apple juice to serve before the meal, or pour water in a wine glass.  The holidays are about making memories, and wine—when consumed responsibly—makes every event memorable.  So cheers to your friends, family, and memories!  Merry Christmas and a happy winey New Year! 

Even Closer to Home

When trying to talk about “local” wine experiences, I have traveled around my slightly larger than normal neighborhood of Wyoming and the Black Hills, which we know is not small.  However, I had a TRULY local wine experience recently when two friends and I had our own tasting of wines made by winemakers in my hometown.  Though these wines aren’t going to be making Wine Spectator’s top ten, home winemaking’s increased popularity just continues to show the overall regard for wine in general.  With this in mind, we lined up our bottles and glasses and started pouring. 

The first wine was called Verdant Winery’s Valiant Grape Wine from 2010.  This wine was very sweet, too sweet for my pallet, and the alcohol was a little too generous and hot for me as well.  Though this was my least favorite of the home brews, I did like what I could learn about this wine (and others) just from looking.  The cloudy, off-brown color clearly showed what filtering does for a wine.  Though this hazy tint affected the appearance, it didn’t affect the taste.  This wine looked worse (because of the lack of filtering) than it tasted.

Wine two was a non-vintage, blackberry wine without a producer’s name on the label.  The blueberry fruit was evident from the instant one looked at the bottle.  The color was a cloudy, gray-blue--again, evidence of no professional filtering.  This wine tasted less like wine and more like the grape Kool-Aid I used to make as a kid when there just wasn’t the full cup of sugar to sweeten the drink all the way. 

           

The next wine was a black currant and choke cherry blend, again, no vintage or winemaker on label, but the same wine maker also made a quality currant wine (the next on my tasting list).  This wine was beginning to look like wines we were used to with its clear color.  It was slightly sweet, but not overly so, with the taste of fresh watermelon. I am not sure what the winemaker did to get the beautiful, clear color, but obviously he had made some progress in his wine-making abilities.

           

The fourth wine was the Weston Country Fair Reserve Champion wine, a currant wine produced by a gentleman by the name of John Halloway (maker of the above black currant/chokecherry wine as well).  Once more, the clear color was beautiful and pink.  The smell was true to the currant berries from which the wine was made.  It was slightly sweet, but very well balanced, and the taste was also that of currant.  I understood why this wine was an award-winning, fruit wine.  Again, sweet wines are not my favorite, but this wine would have been worthy of pairing with strong cheeses before or after a meal. 

Our final local tasting for the evening was the Ten Year Red, a dry wine produced from an unknown varietal of grapes by a local named Jimmy Long.  This is the kind of wine I enjoy drinking, so I was hoping to be impressed.  Guess what?  I was!  My first sniff smelled of petrol, which can be good or bad.  Then I smelled leather and berries.  The wine itself tasted of tannin and strawberries, but was very smooth with a light finish.  We then decided to have it as our dessert when we paired it with dark chocolate and were once again pleasantly surprised. 

I will admit we started our local wine tasting adventure with some trepidation; however, all three of us agreed that these samples were not bad, not bad at all!  I believe there are a few local winemakers that have developed obvious knowledge of and talent in the wine making process.  I hope they continue their ventures into the world of wine.  I would definitely be in line to taste their future endeavors! 

My Neighbors to the South--Balistreri Vineyards

Though I have been focusing on “local” wine-related businesses (remember, I live in Wyoming, so my “neighborhood” is very, very large!), I made a trip to see my neighbors in nearby Colorado.  Last weekend, Denver hosted its own International Wine Festival, and because of my schedule, I couldn’t attend any of the activities.  However, I had to get some wine-ing done in Denver since so many others were!  Therefore, I planned my own wine tour of Denver.  The weather tried to hamper my small group's spirits, but the Colorado wines did not!  I sipped at three wineries, but my first stop, Balistreri Vineyards, proved to be a great place to begin. 

The rain was just beginning to turn to slush in the air when we pulled into the parking lot.  As we walked into the open, airy tasting room and saw the tasting bar, we quickly forgot about the chill outside.  Grandson Mason Balistreri was our tasting guide to lead us through EIGHTEEN wines—three whites, four desserts, and eleven reds.  All of these tastes were at no cost; the Balistreris just want everyone to experience their wines.  Missing one would miss part of what the winery is all about. 

We started sipping on the whites, which were some of the most unique wines I have ever tasted.  Balistreri uses only the natural yeast from the grapes and does no filtering or fining, so the color of these whites was deep and golden.  Both the Chardonnay and the Riesling were nothing that one would expect from the typical wines made from these grapes.  The Viognier, the third white, goes through Lees treatment, making it unique as well.  All of these wines were made from Colorado-grown grapes from the western part of the state.

After a quick snack of the crackers and cheese available in the tasting room for all who come to visit, we started swirling the reds in our glasses.  Some of the reds were made from California grapes—a Zinfandel, a Merlot, and a Cabernet; however, my favorites were the wines made from Colorado-grown fruit with Balistreri’s unique production techniques!  I loved the Colorado Little Feet Merlot.  The wine was a very smooth Merlot with oak and berries, but honestly, I also loved the premise of the name of this wine.  This Merlot was stomped by the “little feet” of children who attended the Festival Italiano that vintage year (for this wine 2011). This was one of the most unique and memorable labeling and production ideas ever.  I wish my children would have been able to stomp some grapes when their feet were still little! 

My next memorable red was also Mason Balestreri’s favorite red wine, the 2011 Colorado Syrah.  This had a great peppery scent, yet was filled with a big berry taste.  Finally, I greatly enjoyed the 2010 Colorado Cabernet Sauvignon, grown from Whitewater Hill Vineyard.  Wet leather smells with the berry flavors were all balanced with a long, pleasant finish.  My Cab-drinking husband will love this wine when we open the bottle I purchased! 

We had tasted at Balistreri for almost two hours, but we still were not done--we had dessert wines to sip.  There was a traditional style Ruby port, a late-harvest Zinfandel, and even a Colorado cherry wine, but my choice was the late-harvest Merlot from Colorado grapes.   Yes, this was a very sweet wine, but it was not too sweet, kind of like the Goldilocks of dessert wines. 

At this point, my tasting partners and I had worked up quite an appetite, so we stayed to enjoy the bistro at Balistreri.  The menu was filled with delightful soups, salads, sandwiches, breads, and cheeses.  I had the squash soup (since it was a chilly day) and the grilled pear salad.  My partners both had the chicken sandwich and raved about the sun-dried tomato mayo. 

Finally, we were ready to head to the next winery on our tour of Denver, knowing that the experience at Balistreri would be hard to top. 

Before we left, I had a conversation with the winemaker, John Balistreri.  At first, he was not impressed with my sommelier title.  I was a bit taken aback, since most of the time when I mention this, wineries are pleased.  However, after Mr. Balistreri explained why, I understood his viewpoint.  He commiserated with me about the fact that some of the most formal members and sommeliers of the wine community in Colorado do not support local Colorado wine, instead opting to give awards to wines from other areas and producers.  This backwards home-town loyalty is proven when Colorado wines win awards at other wine competitions, but not at the one hosted in the state.  I can attest to the quality of the wines Colorado winemakers are producing, helping me to see John’s side of the story. 

As I walked back into the cold from the well-designed tasting room facility, I vowed to come back in less inclement weather so I could enjoy the outdoor seating areas the winery boasts.  I also vowed to spread the word of Colorado wines and hoped to break Mr. Balistreri’s idea of formally trained sommeliers.  I love locally owned, grown, and produced products.  As a wine industry, we must not be such wine snobs that we miss the wines that are literally right under our noses.  So, my neighbors to the south, keep up the good work.  I will be back! 

Worth the Wait--Vintage Wine Bar

Last winter, I stopped at Poplar Wine and Spirits in Casper, Wyoming, and was so impressed with the liquor store.  I loved how the staff organized their wines, and their selections were incredibly impressive for the state of Wyoming.  (You can see the original blog post by scrolling down.)  On this visit, I also got a peek into the adjoining wine bar, Vintage.  I was intrigued by the warm atmosphere and lured in even more by a glance at the wine menu.  It took me nine months, but I finally went back to Casper and was able to stop at Vintage.  It.  Was. Worth. The. Wait!

I went for supper so that I could experiment with their tapas style menu.  I was not a bit disappointed with the caprese shrimp:  shrimp wrapped in basil, mozzarella, and prosciutto.  I decided to order two different wines.  The first, I asked for our server’s favorite.  Her recommendation was pleasant, a red blend.  However, it was so overshadowed by my next purchase, I don’t even remember the blend’s name.  I next decided to try the Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley’s Stag’s Leap District.  All I can say is it was heaven in a glass!  I sipped and savored every single drop!  Of course I was impressed with the wine; it has an excellent reputation, and the grapes are grown in a well-known area in the most prestigious wine-making region in the U.S.  What I was impressed with was that I could order this particular wine in the middle of Wyoming!  Wyoming has quite antiquated laws regarding wine and liquor; all of these products must be purchased through the Wyoming State Liquor Distributor.  I have seen this wine list.  To say it is limited is an understatement.  Yes, the state has some great wines to choose from, but the choices are fairly narrow.  That Mike and the staff at Vintage knew to pick such a tremendous wine was more than exciting. 

I was once again impressed with my stop in Casper.  Poplar Wine and Spirits and Vintage Wine Bar proved a second time they are worth a look and a visit.  I know I will be there again…I just hope I don’t have to wait nine months to do it!