Boy Are We Enthusiastic--Wine Enthusiast Party

As some of you may be aware:  I like wine.  A lot.  And not necessarily just to drink.  I love to learn about wine, wine regions, producers, and grapes.  I enjoy trying new wines from regions I’ve never tasted before.  If it is wine related, I want to know more about it! 

My children have called it an obsession.  I disagree…kind of.  I do have a tendency to find wine or wine-related venues wherever I go.  I say I just have a special “spidey sense” when it comes to wine.  Like a gift.  (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!)

It just so happened that on a recent trip to Chicago, my wine sixth sense (actually it was a very kind wine connection from Chicago) turned me on to a wonderful wine event when I was in town—the Wine Enthusiast Red and White Bash.  This fun charity event featured wines from around the world that scored highly in Wine Enthusiast Magazine.  Food, music, wine, and fun all mixed with a reason to dress up?  I was in!

Wine events and festivals like these are great opportunities to try something new and different.  I was able to try some wines from Virginia (which had been on my radar for quite some time) and some wines from Israel (which were not on my radar at all).  Great food stations were interspersed between the wine booths, and the hit of the night was Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse with its filet slider and horseradish sauce.   I also got to meet two of my online wine connections in person at this event.  Another special treat was Peter Mondavi Jr. pouring at the Charles Krug stall…my first Mondavi sighting!

Scenes from Wine Enthusiast Red and White Bash

 Your Sweet Sommelier enjoying the bash!

 Hair and makeup stations were enjoyed by many.

 Accordini Igino 2007 Le Bessole Amarone.

 Charles Krug 2010 Vintage Selection Cab and 2010 Generations Red.

 Peter Mondavi Jr. pouring Charles Krug selections.

 Louis Roederer NV Brut Premier--I do love a sparkling!

 Fun dancing to a 1920s style swing band.

New friends:  Italianwinelovr Sabatni.

Old friends:  my Meig and Char.

So whether you really like wine or only kind of like wine (I know, it sounds weird, but I’ve heard these people actually do exist), use all of your senses to attend a wine event near you.   You will not be disappointed, and you may try new wines and meet new people.  It is a win-win, wine situation!

At Its Peak--Crow Peak Brewing

I did it once more.  I cheated.  I am here to confess my transgressions.  I cheated on wine…with beer…yet again…

Frankly, I blame the fascinating microbrew community for making me do it.  It’s not my fault.  I just couldn’t help myself.  There were too many temptations for me.  I should not be held responsible for my actions!

Today it was Crow Peak Brewing.  I was instantly attracted to the exterior looks.  It is one great looking facility!  Tall, dark, and handsome.  Two stories with an outdoor, upper deck—who wouldn’t be attracted to that?

Crow Peak looks good!

The inside is just as striking.  The large, open seating area lures drinkers in…even wine drinkers like me.  The unique fire place was practically calling my name as it winked at me and said, “How you doin’?”

Unique and inviting on the inside too.

I took the bait.  I sat down at the bar and let the beer talk to me.  I was in trouble.  They were all so seductive. 

First, it was the three beers Crow Peak produces and distributes all year around:  Pile O’ Dirt Porter, Canyon Cream Ale, and 11^th Hour IPA.  These three show the range of styles Crow Peak spans, and they are impressive.  From the dark porter, to the hoppy IPA, to the light ale, all show the quality original owner Jeff Drumm was reaching for when he started brewing on a large scale in 2007.

Next, I was attracted to the seasonal options, some distributed in the Midwest and areas surrounding Spearfish, some only available on tap at the brewery. 

The 5.2 Imperial Decade IPA, brewed by Jeff for himself on his fifty-second birthday, is a masculine beer filled with hoppy bitterness (100 IBUs to be exact!). 

But these beers are in touch with their feminine sides as well.  Take the Ancient Mariner for instance.  It uses a saison yeast brewed with Chai tea for that sugar and spice and everything nice factor.

This season’s Easy Livin’ Summer Ale is the perfect date for a hot summer day with its light hop and slightly sweet flavor.  (And it just smells so good!)

Spearbeer, the first Crow Peak beer Jeff brewed, shows there is no fear of commitment here.  It is a beer with staying power.

And to keep the excitement alive, Mjollnir is an ale with a secret…a secret ingredient.  Mjollnir, meaning Thor’s hammer, uses Black Hills spruce tips in the recipe to spice things up!  Unfortunately, Mjollnir also likes to play hard to get as it is a winter seasonal beer, not available for purchase at this time. 

Mjollnir is secretive, seductive, and spicey.



As if all of these beer selections weren’t enough to cause even the best wine drinkers to stray, Crow Peak carries eight beers on tap and has a rotation of over forty beer recipes that could show up on the menu at any time. 

With so many options fighting for my attention, it is no wonder my eyes wandered away from wine and to the many beers Jeff and crew (Josh, Matt, and Adam) brew.  There are just too many temptations for someone to be faithful all the time.  Though wine is my first—and true—love, my attentions may be pulled to the booming craft beer movement in the Black Hills more often.  And let’s face it:  every once in a while, a girl just needs a beer!  Forgive me, please. 

Josh, Jeff, and Matt tempting wine drinkers one beer at a time.

Summer, Summer, Summertime--Summer Salad Recipe

I live where winter begins early.  Incredibly early.  As in a blizzard-the-first-week-of-October early. 

I also live where spring starts late.  Incredibly late.  As in still-snowing-at-the-end-of-April late. 

If you want to see what spring fever really looks like, come to the Black Hills in May when the sun shines for three days straight and the temperature actually hits forty-five all three days.  People are in their shorts and flip flops, ready for summer…NOW!

I was particularly ready for the warmer temperatures of spring and summer this year, and though Mother Nature wasn’t moving as fast in that direction as I wanted her, I decided to speed things along by cooking as if it was summer:  more grilling, summer veggies, and light bites.  I dug through my recipes and found the ones that would make summer appear on my plate, and none did this more so than an orzo salad recipe from my incredibly great chef friend, Kirsten.  The dill (fresh if you can get your hands on it) and lemon in this recipe are both flavorful and zesty while being light and refreshing…just like summer.  I made this salad for my lunch for three weeks in a row (did I mention I had spring fever?), and I enjoyed it more each week as I perfected the recipe with the amounts and ingredients I preferred.  Here it is:  summer on your plate!

Summer Dill Orzo Salad

1 pound orzo pasta
3 tbsp. lemon juice
2 ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
zest of one lemon
2 tbsp. finely (extremely fine) chopped onion (green onion or shallots will also work)
5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbsp. fresh dill or 2 tsp. dried dill weed
¼ cup chopped, pitted Kalamata olives
2 medium cucumbers: peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 large carrots:  peeled and chopped
6 oz. feta cheese crumbles

1. Cook the orzo according to package instructions using ½ tsp. salt in the water. Cook until al dente.
2. In a separate bowl, combine lemon juice, zest, mustard, and onion. Add a few pinches of salt. Then whisk in olive oil and dill.
3. In a large bowl, pour lemon-dill dressing over still-warm pasta. Add cucumbers, olives, and carrots. Stir well. Refrigerate until chilled before serving.
4. Sprinkle feta over the top of salad just before serving. 

Serve as a side to grilled steak, pork chops, or chicken (when I served it as supper, I grilled marinated chicken skewers as the protein ) or add chunks of grilled chicken to the salad and have as a meal itself (which is what I did for my lunch for three weeks).



I served with Erath Pinot Gris from Oregon (not with my lunch, but when I fixed this for supper one evening before taking it for lunch).  However, other Pinot Gris/Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc wines would be a nice compliment pairing with the acid of the lemon juice and zest.  For a contrast pairing, try a Riesling or Gewürztraminer, any sweetness level.



If you want summer on your plate and in your glass, this recipe is waiting to be prepared.  It took me through the “dark” days when I was beginning to suspect Mother Nature wasn’t going to give us a summer at all.  But I never should have doubted her.  As I sit on my patio enjoying my summery meals and wines, I forgive her for her shenanigans with our wintery weather this year.  As she lets the sun shine on me, I love her again…at least until the first snow storm of October!

Fear—Or Why I Say, “Bring on the White Zin!

What are the three words that make wine enthusiasts all over the world shudder? 

“White Zinfandel, please.” 

The response to this is only rivaled by the similar phrase, “What is your sweetest wine?” 

Let’s admit it, we have all been there and judged that.  But should we?

Before you tar and feather me…with wine, of course…hear me out.

I have often said that wine drinkers are made not born.  And when it comes to wine, the biggest obstacle to making more wine drinkers is fear.

People fear looking stupid, and wine is an incredibly intimidating subject.  With labels in French, Italian, or Spanish, it is hard to know how to even pronounce some wines on a list.  Then when the expert swirls the glass around, inhales deeply, and names off numerous fruits (and sometimes vegetables, minerals, or animals), most have no clue what all this means, let alone how it is done.  It is daunting.  Really daunting.

In order to make a wine drinker, drinkers have to first find a drink they like.  Honestly, few people are going to begin with a dry, tannic wine.  Most need a “gateway wine” to get their feet in the wine door.  In my very scientific poll of wine drinkers (aka my Facebook friends and followers), many started with “wines” like Boone’s Farm, Annie Green Springs, or Wild Vines (gasp!).  Mogen David, Blue Nun, white zinfandel, moscato, moscato d’ Asti, and fruit-based wines were the most common training bras for the big bosom of the wine world.  Many that started with these wines—like me—now drink dry, tannic, serious wines.  But to get over the trepidation of the unknown world of wine, concessions must be made. 

Wines like white zin, moscato, and Blue Nun should be considered training wheels for wine, the practice sips preparing future wine connoisseurs for other wines.  These wines play an important part in the development of taste and knowledge.  (They also play important roles in the bottom lines of some liquor stores; the sales from these styles often allow for the ordering and sale of other, more expensive wines.) 

Our job is not to belittle others for their choices and attempt to make ourselves feel more prestigious based on the wines we know and drink.  Our job as wine lovers, educators, and sommeliers is to move drinkers to other wines they may like, and then keep exposing them to different wines, expanding palates one person at a time. 

So pour the Beringer White Zin, pour the Barefoot Moscato, pour the Ruinite Lambrusco!  The only word that should make the wine industry shudder is the word “No” when answering the question, “Would you like a glass of wine tonight?”

Wines to move beginning wine drinkers away from the “gateway wines”:

Moscato d’ Asti—a gateway wine itself, but it is less sweet than many other moscatos, and at least consumers see the DOC/G label on the Italian bottle.  Asti Spumantes can also fit in this category.



Riesling…any riesling—German, Oregon, Washington, New York.  My favorite producers of semi-sweet rieslings at great prices are Chateau St. Michelle, Starling Castle, and Polka Dot. 

Gewurztraminer…any gewürztraminer—similar to rieslings in body and style, this aromatic wine is a palate pleaser.  Though harder to find than a riesling, many more producers all over the globe are producing this varietal.



German wines…anything German—look for the words spatlese and auslese on the labels; these terms designate sweeter wines of higher quality.

 



Italian pinot grigio—generally more supple than New World pinot grigios, these are often slightly softer and fruitier than bitterly acidic.

Prosecco—some bubblies like Champagne and Cava may still be too dry and acidic for a beginning palate, but Prosecco is an Italian sparkling that is creamier and less tart than many others.  A great starter sparkling!



 

As Luck Would Have It--Dr. Konstantin Frank

Luck often has nothing to do with planning a successful vacation.  Often times, family trips take months to prepare and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears… maybe even some screaming.  Such was true for the excursion my family and I made to Upstate New York and the Finger Lakes wine region. 

The trip had been planned for over six months.  All family members’ schedules’ had to be synchronized.  Plane tickets were purchased.  A Canadian outing was added to the two-week vacation.  Lodging via a home exchange was carefully orchestrated with another family.  Hours of online searches and reservations were made.  Must-see destinations were researched. Anticipation was building.

Then two weeks before the trip, my dad died, unexpectedly and suddenly, in his sleep.

An entirely different kind of planning began in my family.  Extended family and friends were notified.  Arrangements were made for memorial services. Final resting place decisions were discussed.  His mother—my grandma—had just fallen very ill and was in the hospital in a coma-like state.  My siblings and I were already alternating trips to the out-of-town hospital to make sure someone was with her every day, and then we had to plan her son’s funeral.  And she wasn’t even awake or aware enough to be told what had happened to her only boy.

The details were all dealt with in their own ways in their own time.  Our grief was dealt with the same way.

The days passed and it came time to make another decision:  did we continue with our intended vacation or not?  Because we were doing a home exchange and another family was already planning on coming to stay in our home, the choice was fairly straight forward.  My family packed bags, finalized any post-funeral decisions, and said goodbye to my grandma, praying she would improve and this farewell to her would not be final. 

I cried when I left my grandma at the hospital to catch our flight.

I cried every single day of our twelve day trip.

I changed our flight to come home early when I learned a close friend’s father was facing the same fate as my own dad.

This story is not to make you believe I disliked the Finger Lakes region.  Quite the opposite:  I loved it there!  The many wineries I visited impressed me.  I immersed myself in and drank nothing but local wines.  Shipping home eighteen bottles and joining a wine club ensured that I had Finger Lakes wine to enjoy for the next twelve months.  As I opened and sipped each bottle after returning home, I savored the wine, remembering the roller coaster of that trip.  I had created an emotional connection to the area. When I finished my final bottle of New York wine about six months ago, I thought it would be my last for a very long time.

Finger Lakes wines that made their way to Wyoming with me.



Imagine my delight, then, when I happened to wander into an isolated, small-town Wyoming liquor store and looked at the shelf to see a bottle of 2012 Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling, not only a Finger Lakes wine, but one of my favorite wineries from our trip, the exact wine club I joined for a year.  It was my lucky day!  I bought two bottles—one to open that night and another one to savor later.

Though the price was only thirteen dollars (retail in Torrington, Wyoming), no dollar amount could be placed on the emotional connection I again felt to the wine region.  As I poured, swirled, and sniffed, the aromas wafted to my nose:  wet rock, green apple, and light floral.  I closed my eyes and smelled again the bittersweet days of that trip. 

2012 Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling, my lucky find.

As I sipped, the good acid, green apple, and soft floral tastes covered my palate.  The view of the vineyards and stunning Keuka Lake from Dr. Frank’s front windows came to my mind.  The lush green forests surrounding the water and the fresh air enveloped me once again.  I thought back to all I learned about wine on that trip and the knowledge of how important Konstantin was to the American wine industry:  grafting vinifera vines to North American root stock and proving that traditional varietals could be grown in the U.S. 

At Dr. Konstantin Frank's winery, an important part of American wine history.

Beautiful Keuka Lake from Dr. Konstantin Frank.

Finger Lakes beauty.

More of Keuka Lake's beauty.

The long finish made me ponder that life is like that wonderful glass of Dr. Frank Riesling.  Though the harsh pain from difficult times in our lives is as intense as the first sip of that dry Riesling, over time the hurt softens, but it still lingers, just like the finish of this wine.

Yes, I was so lucky to experience a wonderful trip to an important—though lesser known—American wine region. I was lucky to again find the wine that took me back to that vacation and reminded me how affected I was by the experience.  I was lucky to consume a glass of wine that evoked such an emotional response.  Events can be planned and fine tuned and retuned and planned again; however, lucky for us, luck will always have a place in the circumstances of our lives. 

It's Your Lucky Day



Did anyone else feel the luck of the Irish yesterday?  Celebrate a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day with wine?  Or maybe a green beer?  Okay, admit it...some of you celebrated with some whiskey, too! 

I felt quite lucky yesterday as some of the entries for the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge have started to roll in.  This is #mwwc8--luck.  I was feeling a little unlucky as no one had sent in a written piece yet.  However, I should have known that March 17 would be the day people would begin to feel their lucky writing powers!  Please read the entries I have received so far.   

The Wine Raconteur with "Luck be a Lady"

The Indian Paradox with "Wine Pairing With Luck"

The Family Nose with "Luck, Chance, or Fate"

Wine Ramblings with A Tale of Two Harrys

The Sybarite with "Luck"

Renenute13 with "Wish Me Luck as You Serve Me Tokaji"

Joy of Wine with "All the Blessings in the World"

Duff's Wines with "Wanna Get Lucky?"

My Custard Pie with "Luck or Judgement"

Eat With Namie with "Confessions to a Lucky Drop"

Remember, entries are accepted through Sunday.  Hope to see more from you lucky wine writers!

Devotion

Today, my daughter turned twenty. 

I appreciate this irony as I sip on her birth year bottle of Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon:  in her eyes, her BIG birthday is still a year away (twenty-one), but in my eyes, her true big birthday is now.  She is no longer a teenager.  When she turned 18, in my mind it was easy to pretend that didn’t make her a real adult.  Going off to college, living in her own apartment, making her own choices…all of these I could rationalize that she was still my little girl.  My cute, dancing four-year-old or my sassy, leopard-print-loving ten-year-old.  I made it through the years of watching my little girl grow and mature in huge leaps and bounds. With getting later curfews, having long-term boyfriends, buying prom dresses, traveling alone, and paying college tuition.  Though each of these ripped a little hole in my heart, she was still a teenager.  I still had that.  But I can’t say that anymore. 

The day I gave birth to Ashlyn, I was actually two years younger than she is on this birthday.  Every single day of adulthood I have known, I have been a parent.  Every single day.  Is this sense of devotion I have to parenthood better than what other parents feel for their children?  Definitely not.  But is it different?  Very much.  I have never had a day without a worry of whether my babies were okay.  The anxiety of being a good parent is so instilled in my brain, I rarely have a thought without my children in the equation.  Parenting is all I know.   Though it is not all I have, it is what I have had the longest.  Longer than my college degree.  Longer than my career.  Longer than my love of wine.  Longer than anything.  Longer, even, than the time I have been married to their father. 

So as I sip my beautiful twenty-year-old wine, do I believe that no longer being a teenager means my daughter doesn’t need me?  In some ways, no, she doesn’t. I look at her and see the young woman she has become. She is a beautiful woman, inside and out.  She is strong, independent, smart, and driven.  I know my devotion to parenthood--often at the expense of other parts of my life--has been well worth it.  I know that one chapter of my parenting is, in fact, ending.  I also know how thankful I am to still have her brother at home.  To still have a child to devote time and energy toward, until he, too, will move closer to adulthood.

With this birthday she has taken yet another step in her growth toward autonomy and life without her mother, father, and family. I’m reminded of the saying, "Give your children roots and wings." As I sit sipping a glass of wine with her dad--a glass she is not yet old enough to legally share with us--I know that she will be expanding her own wings a little bit further. I also know that no matter how old or independent she is, I am always her devoted mother.  I have given her the wings she needs to fly out of adolescence and into true adulthood.  But I also know she has strong roots to bring her home whenever she needs it. 

Want Some Cheese With That?

 When one thinks of wine in the United States, one would think of California…maybe Oregon or even Washington. One would probably never think of cold, windy, and remote Wyoming and definitely would not think of Newcastle, a small town nestled in the northeastern corner of the state. However, Newcastle does have an interesting winemaking history. Thanks to the now ghost-town of Cambria, many Italian winemakers made wine in this area for decades and passed on a bit of their home countries to those around them.

The coal mine at Cambria brought winemakers to Weston County. Cambria officially began digging coal in December of 1889, and with this, began Weston County’s wine history. Over 1500 people from 23 different nationalities lived and worked there. Though there were no bars, and alcohol was not allowed to be sold in the company town, the Italian winemaking immigrants made their own wine for Europeans who lived there. Cambria then closed on Saturday, March 15, 1928. With the mine closing, the town was finished as well, but the residents moved elsewhere and took their winemaking traditions with them (Griffith 58). Without Cambria’s history, actual winemaking in Newcastle may never have happened.

Batista Farella was one of these Cambria winemakers. He was born in Aquilia, Italy, October 17, 1881, to parents Angelo and Maria. Batista came to the U.S. in 1901 and made his way to Cambria in 1903. He worked there and then bought a homestead near the mine (Farella Family 413-414). In addition to being known for great gardening and a generous spirit, he was known for his winemaking. Since Batista was from Italy, he made Italian-style wine. The grapes he used were shipped to Lead in a box car. Farella’s children would love to eat these grapes on the fruit’s arrival, but Batista would not let them eat as many as they wanted; he needed all the grapes possible for his wine. He made wines of different dryness every year, depending on the times. When times were hard and sugar was scarce, Batista made a dryer wine. When times were better, he could spare more sugar, and a sweeter wine was made. He always said he was “trained in the school of make do,” and he made wine with what he could afford (Farella Family 414). Batista took pride in his work, making him notorious for his skills with wine.

Another winemaker who had his start at Cambria was Jacento (Matt) Perino. Jacento arrived at Cambria from Turin, in the Piedmont area of Italy, when he was 22. Upon arrival in the U.S., the clerk did not know the American equivalent of Jacento, so the clerk named Jacento Matt; the name stayed for the duration of Jacento’s life. Matt homesteaded on Oil Creek and made his wine there. Many people enjoyed Matt’s vino, especially the other Italians who did not make their own wine but wanted a remembrance of home. Perino’s “well-built” winery was in a cellar, and every fall he would get to work on production. His concord grapes arrived from California by train. He usually received six tons in lugs of thirty-three or thirty-six pounds each. He would take the grapes from the train to his ranch in his old Chevy truck. Once at his ranch, Matt crushed in large crocks using a wood four by four with a handle drilled in the top of it. The juice was then put in upright oak barrels with spigots at the bottom. To this first crush, Perino added no sugar. He would then crush the grapes a second time, adding sugar to this batch. After the second crush, the grapes were thrown out to the pigs for food because nothing could be wasted. The pigs would get “coo-coo” from this special treat (Hunt, “History”). Matt was a second winemaker from Cambria, but he was not the only Perino winemaker.

Matt’s son, Fred, also made wine. With his wife, Mary Ann, Fred made chokecherry wine. They would give small glasses of this wine to their children at evening meals. These children, Matt’s grandchildren, learned to appreciate wine so much that Jim Perino made fruit wines like his dad, Fred, and became the third generation Perino to make wine (Hunt, “RE: Started”). Though Jacento may not have imagined it when he arrived in the United States to start a new life, part of his old life—wine—became an important tradition to his American descendants.

August Piana did not live or work in Cambria; however, he was a third Italian winemaker in the area. Gus, as he was called, came to Newcastle in 1907 with Peter Aminetto (a friend with whom Gus would later open the Corner Bar). Gus’s home town was Sud Piana in Italy, named for Gus’s family who lived there. Starting in the 1920s until his death in 1957, Gus made wine in his cellar at his home on Main Street. The structure of the cellar is still there. A unique twist to this location is that Faust Musso made wine two houses west of Gus, and after Matt Perino moved to town, Perino made wine one block west of Gus (Piana). This area was Newcastle’s own little wine district.

Gus produced wine in a similar fashion to Farella and Perino. He bought from four train cars of grapes delivered to Lead, South Dakota. Each car held twenty-two tons of grapes, and at twenty dollars a ton, this was precious cargo. Shipped from the Chicago area, Gus preferred to use Zinfandel and Barolo. (Gus may have meant Nebbiolo, the grape that makes Barolo wine from his native Italy.) Each fall when the grapes arrived, Piana would use his two-ton Chevy pick-up to haul the grapes to residents of northeastern Wyoming who bought the fruit from him. People from Upton, Gillette, and Four Corners would buy one or two tons at a time, then the rest Gus would use. Jim, Gus’s son, remembers having “wine chores” to do for his father. One such chore was wearing rubber boots to foot stomp (crush) the grapes, two tubs at a time. When crushing was complete, Gus used old bourbon barrels from Kentucky to finish production. The bourbon makers only used these barrels once, and then sold them to the Italian winemakers for twenty-five cents, plus eight dollars shipping to Wyoming. The barrels were soaked for a week before use and were placed horizontally on racks for the duration of fermentation and aging. No sugar or any other elements were added to make the wine. As an investment, Gus purchased a corking machine. He soaked the corks for a week before, and the machine pressed the cork in the top of each bottle (Piana). Gus had quite an ingenious and efficient business of winemaking.

Like Matt Perino, Gus also passed his love of winemaking on to another generation. In the 1950s, Jim Paina, Gus’s son, started making wine in the fashion of his father. As time marched on, Jim eventually ordered his grapes from Deckers, the local grocery store. The cost of fruit went up drastically; by the early 1970s, when Jim Piana stopped making wine, grapes cost almost two thousand dollars a ton! Though Jim made wine, he actually never drank any. He gave every gallon away, many to Italian friends around town. In a unique twist, the hospital would often call Jim to ask him to give wine to certain people. These individuals had health issues, and the doctors thought the benefits of wine consumption could help these patients (Piana). The Piana men were wonderful vintners for many decades.

While not as well known, there were other Newcastle community members that made wine. As previously stated, Faust Musso made wine in his home on Main Street; he received grapes via train like Perino and Farella (Hunt, “History”). Another Cambria resident, Hank Martini, was an immigrant from Bolzano, Austria—once a part of Italy—who worked at Cambria before moving to Sheridan and making wine there (Martini-Bennett 605). Two gentlemen helped Gus Piana produce wine but also made it on their own: Emilio Gaido and John Allera. John ran away from his Italian home at age nine, going first to South America and then to California before finally ending up at Cambria, Wyoming (Piana). These other producers of wine may not have been as well known or had family stay in the area for generations, but they were still an important piece of history in Newcastle.

When thinking of Wyoming, most people would think of isolated wilderness, cold winters, or black coal. Few would think of wine…although history shows many should think of this unknown Wyoming subject. Because Cambria was such a melting pot of European immigrants where many Italians settled and continued their family traditions of winemaking, Newcastle has a very interesting wine history. There were multiple winemakers in this area who passed on the art and science of wine to their sons, and even grandsons, continuing a family legacy for generations. Batista, Jacento, and August may have left their home countries, but they brought a piece of this home with them to their new world: wine.

                                                   Works Cited
Farella Family. “Farella Family.” Weston County, the First 100 Years. Dallas: Curts Media Corporation, 1988. 413-414. 

Griffith, Elisabeth. “Cambria.” Weston County, the First 100 Years. Dallas: Curtis Media Corporation, 1988. 58.

Hunt, Linda. “Newcastle and Area Winemakers’ History: the Italians.” Anna Miller Museum, Newcastle.
 

Hunt, Linda. “RE: Started Research.” Message to author. 22 Jan. 2014. E-mail.

Martini-Bennett, Joan. “Martini, Henry E. and Katherine Smith.” Weston County, the First 100 Years. Dallas: Curtis Media Corporation, 1988. 605-606.

Piana, Jim. Interview by Linda Hunt. 30 Jan. 2014.  

Super Bowl Food and Wine Faceoff

The Mission:
Buy “everyday wines” to pair with Super Bowl inspired appetizers in an attempt to prove wine can be a football fan’s drink!

The Wines:
Les Monts Damnes Sancerre 2011 (Sauvignon Blanc)
Flip Flop Pinot Grigio 2012
Fish Eye Pinot Grigio 2012
Mark West Pinot Noir 2011
Accord Pinot Noir 2012
Rene Barbier Mediterranean Red (Merlot blend)
Baron de Barbon Rioja 2010 (Tempranillo)

 

 



The Food:
Veggie pot stickers (recipe below)
Fresh fruit with citrus or strawberry fruit dip (recipes below)
Pickle wraps
Shrimp cocktail
Pinwheels (recipe below)
Roasted red pepper hummus with celery and carrots (recipe below)



  



The Pairings:
The veggie pot stickers were a white wine’s friend. They paired so well with all of the white wine options: the Sancerre and both Pinot Grigios. The Pinot Noirs were so-so, with the Mark West pairing better than the Accord. However, the other reds were not good matches for the cabbage and sesame oil of the pot stickers. The call: pot stickers are white wines' friend!



The fruit dips were unique because one was citrus and less sweet and one was strawberry and sweeter. When all citrus—pineapple and the citrus dip—was paired with the Sancerre, it was a touchdown! The strawberry dip with grapes was a close second. Both dips did pair well with the grapefruit citrus of the Sancerre, no matter the fruit. The Pinot Grigios were okay, but nothing to cheer about. A penalty flag was thrown on the reds with the fruit dips. The sweetness of the dips made all the reds seem sour and bitter.

The pickle wraps paired well with both Pinot Grigios, though the Flip Flop did score more points. The Sancerre received mixed reviews, as did the Mark West Pinot, the Accord Pinot, and the Rioja. However, the Rene Barbier was really a good match with the pickle; the salt and vinegar of the pickle with the cream cheese and salty ham were a fan’s delight with the Merlot blend.

 



The shrimp cocktail was basically the easiest with which to pair wines. It was practically the universal pairing. It was good with the Sancerre and both Grigios, as well as all the reds. The lightness of the shrimp was good for the whites, while the tangy and flavorful cocktail sauce matched the red’s body and flavor. The shrimp cocktail should be on everyone’s Super Bowl food team.

The pinwheels were a match made on the field for the Sancerre, but overpowered the Pinot Grigios. As the wines got more structured and intense in flavor, they paired better with this flavor-filled appetizer. The Mark West, the lighter of the two Pinots, was a decent pairing, the Accord Pinot a step better, and the Rene Barbier better yet. The Rioja was worth the celebration of this great pairing! 



The roasted red pepper hummus rounded out the line-up of Super Bowl foods, and it was a bit of a loss when matched with the white wines. However, the hummus and the Mark West Pinot Noir were a great team, followed closely by the Accord Noir. It was also good with the Rene Barbier and Rioja, though not quite the perfection of the Pinot Noirs.

The Recipes:
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Mix together in a food processor:
One can garbanzo beans, drained
Dash of salt
Juice from half of a lemon
1 tbsp. cumin
Dash of chili powder
Two roasted and peeled bell peppers from the oven or roasted bell peppers from a jar (but only as many as you want--they are usually a bit oilier and may have more flavor, so you might not want to use as many if you use the ones from a jar)
Serve with carrot and celery sticks



Pinwheels
1 tub light sour cream
1 package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 packet ranch dip seasoning
1 small can green chilis
1 small can chopped black olives
2 bunches green onions, finely chopped
1 ½ tsp. lemon pepper
1 ½ tsp. chopped garlic
1 red pepper, finely chopped
2 tsp. dill seasoning
Mix all ingredients together; spread onto six spinach flour tortillas.
Let set two hours. Roll, slice, and enjoy.

Citrus Fruit Dip
1 block cream cheese
3 tbsp. orange juice concentrate
¼ cup Splenda
Beat with hand mixer until smooth.

Strawberry Fruit Dip
1 tub strawberry flavored cream cheese
1 small jar marshmallow cream
Beat with hand mixer until smooth; serve both dips with strawberries, pineapple, red and green grapes, apples, or bananas.

Veggie Pot Stickers
1 package shredded cabbage
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Garlic and green onions are optional
Combine the above ingredients and cook over medium heat until the cabbage is cooked thoroughly.
30 Wonton wrappers
Moisten the wrapper around the edges with water and place 1 tbsp of cabbage in the center. Seal the edges.
In a deep skillet heat 3 tbsp oil and place the wontons in the skillet. Once they start to sizzle add 3/4 of water and cover with a lid until they begin to brown. About 7-8 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve.

Not a Box of Chocolates

The deadline was quickly approaching.  I looked at my calendar and hoped I had enough time.  My search probably should have started months ago; however, the limited time period I had given myself had to work.  I started investigating.  I had a vague idea of what I needed to find, but could it be found?  Could this be done in time? 

My fortieth birthday was quickly approaching, and I had still not purchased a birth-year wine to enjoy on my day. 

The mission:  find a 1974 wine of (hopefully) stellar quality to be shipped to my home in Wyoming…in the middle of one of the coldest winters in years.   Yes, I had work to do.

Wine is always a mystery.  From the time a grape begins to grow on the vine, the mystery of the weather, the animals, the harvest, the fermentation, and the aging all create a vast unknown of what a wine will be. Add to this decades in the bottle after the initial production and aging, and it is quite clear what a true gamble getting an excellent bottle of well-aged wine really is. 

Mystery one solved:  I found the wine I was looking for—a 1974 Fontanafredda Riserva Speciale Barolo.  I love the Nebbiolo grape, and I knew that Barolos age with grace…as I like to think I have been doing.  The wine was located. 

Fontanafredda Barolo Riserva Speciale 1974.

The shipping took several days to hash out since the wine was coming from NYC to Wyoming in weather that was not only reaching well below freezing, but even below zero.  My nerves started to twitch the instant I received the shipping notice that my birthday bottle’s journey across the cold U.S. was underway.

Mystery two solved:  the wine arrived unscathed.  The two-day shipping actually ended up being three, but that is another mystery when living in rural America:  when will the package actually arrive?  Upon arrival, the bottle was pristine. 

On the back of the bottle was a special sticker that this wine was purchased from a private collection.  The plot thickened.  Where had my bottle been for forty years?  I could easily trace my own path the past four decades, but what about this vino?  Had it been with just one owner before the specialty wine shop (where I made the purchase) bought the bottle?  Had it been passed from cellar to cellar, only to end up in Wyoming as part of a mile-stone birthday celebration?  Perhaps I will never know.

 

 

Beautiful bottle!

Mystery three solved:  the bottle opened easily.  I left the bottle out at room temperature about half an hour before opening.  I decanted the entire bottle, and the first glass we (hubby and I) had without filtering. 

There was so much beautiful sediment left in the bottle and still some light, tiny sediment particles in that first glass.  I was so nervous about whether the bottle was still alive that I feared filtering it might actually aerate the wine, and I wanted to do anything to make sure the wine still showed well.   After being poured in the glass, the color of beautiful brown, Fig-Newton filling reflected back at me--slightly hazy, but looking good with no visible flaws.  I was on pins and needles to see if my wine gamble had paid off!

Beginning to decant.

Fig Newton filling colored.

 

Slightly hazy, but a wonderful aged, brown tone.

 



Mystery four solved:  the wine was very aromatic (so much so my daughter said she could smell it all the way across our dining room table!). 

The first sniff was of fig and baked plum; then the smoke and campfire aromas came through.  Next was dull earth, then cedar and automotive garage.  The complexity of the wine made me smile.  The mystery was so close to being solved.  Would this wine live up to my expectations?

Aromatic on the nose.

 

Mystery five solved:  the wine drank beautifully!  The first touch of the wine on the tongue was the fig and baked plum from the nose.  This was followed by a punch of acid, making my mouth water.  The earth, green pepper, and herbaceous flavors led into a lengthy finish of baked plum, wood chips, and sawdust. 

 

Drinking wonderfully.

 

We opened the bottle at 8:35 p.m. and finished the first glass after 9:00.  I did filter and funnel the second glass since I was no longer worried about the flavor dissipating.  The second glass was just as good; in fact, my hubby liked it better at true room temperature.  We finished the second glass each (and bottle) two hours after the initial opening.  The wine still had so much life.  The fruit flavors were somewhat muted, but the acid, earth, herbs, and wood were shining through.   

My mission was accomplished:  even though I almost sabotaged my assignment, the mystery of the birth-year wine was solved. 

Like life, wine is such a mystery.  (I would say that life is like a bottle of wine, NOT like a box of chocolates.)  We never know what is coming in our future, just as wine producers do not exactly know what the future of their wines may be.  Even the best and most experienced winemakers must deal with the unknown of the weather, the birds, and the aging process.  Two bottles of wine stored right next to each other over the course of forty years may age differently. 

Twenty years ago I had no clue what I would be doing when I turned forty…except maybe feeling old.  Life will throw us all curve balls and take us down paths we could never have imagined.  We will face life, death, and the unknown.  But at the end of that path, we are like that mysterious bottle of wine--better for our aging, with so much left to show, not quite knowing what tomorrow--or the next day--will bring. So…bring.  It.  On!

Catching Fire--Firehouse Wine Cellars and Brewing

Long before at home-brew kits and microbreweries began to dot the landscape of small and large cities alike, Firehouse Brewing Company, located in the historic fire hall on Main Street Rapid City, opened its doors as the first microbrewery in the state of South Dakota.  In fact, at that time (1991), one had to drive hours and hours and cross several states before finding an establishment of its kind.  No, this isn’t another blog where I “cheat” on wine and talk about beer…although I could.  The Firehouse is doing a little cheating of its own by getting into the wine business and fermenting grapes behind the backs of all the hops it loves!

Starting the fire--Firehouse beer brewing.

 The affair with wine officially started over a year ago when Firehouse owner Bob and brewer Mike decided to continue their experiment of fermenting just about anything and add grapes to the mix.  They contracted with a vineyard outside of Rapid to produce Firehouse wines with South Dakota grapes.  Due to a hail storm this summer, and more ambition than originally planned, the local grapes were supplemented with California juice to produce quite a variety of white and red wines.  Brewer Mike now splits his time between the grapes and the hops as he continues his education through a California winemaker’s program.  Mike also receives on-the-job training from a consultant from California who has frequented South Dakota during the first vintage of Firehouse wines.  The consultant just spent time in Rapid to oversee the bottling of the California Syrah and will be back at the end of February to continue work on the wines.  March is the projected, and hopeful, release date of the inaugural vintage of Firehouse vino.

Wine making facilities; the original plan was only a tank or two! 

Basement barrel room.

The Sweet Sommelier and her sidekick in the barrel room.

Firehouse wines should have something for just about everyone.  Brianna and La Crescent, South Dakota hybrids, will make a lighter-bodied, off-dry wine, while an orange Muscat and a Gewürztraminer will be the sweet and citrusy whites.  Other whites will include the unique grape varieties of Chenin Blanc and Viognier.  Red wine lovers, don’t worry—there will be plenty for you, too!  Marquette and Frontenac, more South Dakota grapes, will start the list of dryer wines.  There will also be the usual and unique suspects of Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sangiovese.  A delicate rose from Grenache will round out the lineup of still wines.  I am also looking forward to the Port-style wine that is being barrel-aged until ready. 

 Tasting room area with tasting bar outlined in blue.

VIP room and additional tasting space.

The production and tasting areas are still works in progress.  The fermentation area sits behind the current Firehouse and upcoming tasting room.  The barrel room is in the actual basement under the historic buildings.  With the stone walls, this will eventually make a beautiful space for customers to see all steps in the wine-making process.  Future plans include staining the beams of this basement ceiling for better ambiance.  Though the tasting bar is currently under construction, the layout of the actual bar space is in place, and the storefronts will make a perfect new addition to downtown Rapid. 

Store front area--the future location of Firehouse Wines.

The Firehouse has been a trailblazer (fire pun intended) in the beer business in this area.  That spark has now started the fire for wine production.  Cheating on his great friend beer may keep Brewer Mike on his toes, but this new venture will fire up Black Hills wine lovers, just as Firehouse beer did for beer lovers two decades ago.  I am counting down to having yet another winery on the fast-growing Black Hills wine trail.