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March 02' Monthly Newsletter
Spotlight on Sharon Rosendbaum
This Month's Wine
Food Recipe
Wine Quote
Newsletter Archives
Dear Members,
You bet we're excited about kicking off our new International Wine
Selections program. We're delighted to have this wonderful opportunity
to complement and supplement your California wine experience. It
comes just as we celebrate our 20th Anniversary. The particulars
of this terrific new program are described in the enclosed package.
I hope that you will consider becoming a Charter Member in this
global wine adventure. It's going to be a delightful journey! "All
aboard!"
To further celebrate our 20th Anniversary, we have a number of
things in the works for you. Among them is a new cookbook composed
of the best of the best of our wine-friendly recipes. We've arranging
the book so that you can easily locate recipes that perfectly match
with your favorite wines. Our annual tour to California's vineyards
has been finalized and details are included in this newsletter.
As always, the tour will be sensational. If you have been thinking
about visiting the wine country, please do it with us. Our tours
are always first-class and richly informative and you'll enjoy meeting
other club members. I suggest you try to make your plans as soon
as possible.
In this month's newsletter is a profile of our V.P. of Wine Purchases,
Sharon Rosenbaum. She is our Club's "insider" in California's
wine community. When it comes to working with vineyard managers
and winemakers as our wines are created, she is tops. We couldn't
offer the quality and values we do without Sharon.
Watch for our wine specials via the internet. E-mail is a quick
and efficient way to let you know about close outs and special offers
and if you want to (occasionally) hear from us, please send us your
e-mail address, at info@atasteofcalifornia.com if you haven't already.
We promise not to bombard you incessantly.
Finally, a special "Thanks" to our original Charter Members
of 20 years. We plan on hosting an Anniversary Dinner later in the
year and look forward to showing our appreciation in person.
As always, thanks for allowing us to share the wonderful world
of wine with you.
President
Founder
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Spotlight on
Sharon Rosenbaum
Vice President for Wine Club Purchases Sharon Rosenbaum brings
unique qualifications to her job. Her passion for wine (and
food) began as a child, accompanying her journalist father
on his "research" trips for his "Man About
Town" news column in San Francisco.
This passion caught fire at the Hotel and Restaurant School
at Golden State University. Then came technical courses in
Mastering Wine at the Culinary Institute of Greystone in Napa
and numerous wine courses at UC/Davis's School of Enology
and at UC/Berkley.
This training and knowledge in wine is put to effective use
each month as she communicates with winemakers and vineyard
managers while tasting and recommending the unique wines for
your Wine Club. Sharon's skills make her a pivotal member
of our wine team.
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This Month's
Wines....
Chenin Blanc
by Sharon Rosenbaum, Senior Wine Buyer
Chenin Blanc (shen-in blahn)
Some of the finest white wines in the classic world are produced
from Chenin Blanc: from bone-dry to dessert style to some
mighty tasty sparkling wines. It is a little sad that, like
a number of other wine varieties, a lot of Chenin blanc is
widely planted in California for jug white wines. A small
percentage of California 20,000 or so acres of the grape lie
in the cooler coastal counties. Here, a few tenacious, spirited
winegrowers cultivate the grape, even though Chenin Blanc
is a highly profitable grape like Chardonnay for example.
If the grapes are planted on the right site and the yields
are kept low, very good Chenins can be made. One of the characteristics
of the grape is that its resulting wines have higher than
average aromatics; and when the wines are fermented completely
dry, the fruit flavors have a lightly bitter edge, adding
to the complexity and ageability of the wines. Many Chenin
Blanc wines are vinified to retain some residual sugar, making
them most desireable as apéritifs with the appetizer
course, or just for sipping on a warm afternoon. Try most
Chenin blanc-based wines in the same situations and with the
same kinds of foods you would with most Rieslings: apéritifs,
fowl (from roasted to smoked), river fish or even light cheeses.
Drink young and chilled, but not ice cold.
2001 Corbin Cellars Monterey County
The 2001 Corbin Cellars Chenin Blanc is a blend of 90% Chenin
Blanc and 10% Chardonnay, both from premium vineyards in Monterey
County. Grapes were harvested at night and crushed immediately.
To preserve and enhance the fresh fruit character, the Chenin
Blanc was cold fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks
and finished in an off-dry style. The Chardonnay was also
fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, but finished
dry. The two lots were blended just before bottling. This
wine is fresh with floral and vibrant fruit aromas. Melon
and peach flavors are carried through a medium long finish
by a thread of crisp acidity. It is a perfect picnic wine,
light and refreshing with just the right touch of citrus and
melon. A delightful partner for fruit and cheese, a smoked
fish salad or even cold, cracked crab.
2001 Brannan Estate Monterey County Monterey County continues
to gain international recognition as one of the world's finest
viticultural areas. Ocean influences result in a temperate
clumate that provides Monterey County with California's longest
grape growing season. In Monterey, grapes mature slowly with
an ideal balance between sugars and acids. Although harvest
in 2001 extended well into October, most white varietals were
fully ripe and beautifully balanced by mid-September. The
2001 Brannan Estate offers aromas of ripe fruit and lemon
blossoms. Flavors are fresh, and fruity with notes of pear
and melon. A firm backbone of acidity adds a refreshing tartness
and provides structure to this medium-bodied full flavored
Chenin Blanc. Enjoy now and over the next year with chicken
teriyaki or baked ham. |
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Food Recipe
to accompany Chenin Blanc
by Camille Stagg
Camille Stagg is a food, wine and travel journalist and author.
Her latest book is "The Eclectic Gourmet Guide to Chicago"
(Menasha Ridge Press). She was food editor of both the Chicago
Sun-Times and Cuisine magazine.
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Curried Roasted Vegetables with Chevre
Ingredients
11/2 tablespoons Canola oil
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
8 ounces plain yogurt or low-fat plain yogurt
11/4 teaspoons Madras curry powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Chenin Blanc
3 baby eggplants, sliced 1/2-inch thick salted & drained
on paper towels
3 medium-small sweet potatoes (1 lb) sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 ounces soft chevre (goat cheese), crumbled |
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Preparation
Heat oil in a medium skillet or sauté pan. Add onions
and sugar to the pan. Sauté onions about 15 minutes
over medium heat, stirring frequently until soft and light
golden. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, curry, salt, pepper
and wine. Blend well; add to onions.
Rinse salt off eggplant slices & pat dry with paper toweling.
In a greased 11/2-quart casserole dish, layer 1/3 of the slices
of the sweet potatoes and eggplant, topping the layer with
1/4 of the onion mixture; repeat this 3 times.
Top with onion mixture. Cover and bake in preheated 350°F.
oven for about 45 minutes. Add the crumbled chevre and bake
another 15 minutes. Serve immediately, spooning any remaining
sauce over each serving.
Preparation time: Preparation time: about 25 minutes
Cooking time: Cooking time: 1 hour
Makes 4 servings.
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Quote:
"Wine is food; it should taste good.
It should be fun; you should look forward to it and not be
intimidated by it."
Justin Meyer American Winemaker |
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