Tag Archives: 2011 Hahn Winery California Pinot Noir

Wines to Pair with Springtime #SundaySupper Dishes

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I love living in Northern California for a multitude of reasons.  Among them is my proximity to wine country.  I have wine country within 30 minutes to the East of where I live, 45 minutes to the South, and Napa and Sonoma are less 90 minutes away.  Of course, being a certified wine geek, I love wine.  But I also love wine country.  I often recommend to friends that don’t (yet;-) drink wine they take a drive to wine country anyway.  I make this recommendation for two reasons.  First wine country is just beautiful, especially this time of year (as you can see from the photo below) when there are harbingers of Springtime abound.  The other reason I recommend they venture into wine country is the food. You’ll find some of the best places to eat in wine country, whether you drop in at a  road-side Deli, or (if you’re lucky and patient) you go to a world-renown restaurant like the French Laundry!

Daisies, Blue Skies, Mustard Flowers and Baby lambs.. Must be almost spring in Sonoma County! (image courtesy of California Wine Country

Daisies, Blue Skies, Mustard Flowers and Baby lambs in Sonoma County… We’re on the doorstep of Spring!! (image courtesy of California Wine Country)

And speaking of great food, check out the sensational Springtime recipes the #SundaySupper family presenting this week! Whether it’s St. Patrick’s Day green, green food or spring inspired, the week’s #SundaySupper menu is sure to please your taste buds!  My wine pairing recommendations are italicized, Click on the name of the recommended wine to find out where to buy.

Pair these breakfast dishes, and bread with a Brut sparkling wine, which is the most food friendly style of sparkling wine. One of my favorites is Mumm Brut Prestige. It shows biscuit, sweet citrus, red fruit and subtle floral aromas.  and cherry , vanilla and citrus flavors with a creamy mouthfeel. I like the 

Pair these dishes with Pinot Grigio.  Look for the 2011 Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio Alto Adige.

Pair these dishes with Riesling.  I love the 2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Eroica Riesling. It’s off-dry  with vibrant acidity and a beautiful white peach, grapefruit and mineral character.  Or if you’re ready to switch it up a bit, and try one of something new, try with one of my perennial faves, the 2011 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier. It’s a blend of 79% Chenin Blanc, 21% Viognier that is low alcohol (12%) with an aromatic, juicy grapefruit, melon, passionfruit, and baked stone fruit character with great acidity that make it a versatile food pairing partner.

Pair these dishes with Sauvignon Blanc, I recommend the 2011 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc. It has a stone fruit, citrus and fresh tropical fruit aromas and flavors that is a manifestation of Springtime in a glass!

Try these dishes with a glass of Rosé, which is an underrated, food-friendly wine.  I’d generally recommend looking for 2012 vintage, but many are just now being released. A perennial favorite of mine is produced in Spain by Bodegas Muga.  Look for the 2011 Bodegas Muga Rosado. It’s a Tempranillo-based Rosé with floral, citrus, melon and strawberry character.  Want to know my other food and wine pairing tip? If I’m not sure about a food and wine pairing, I reach for Rosé!

Pair these dishes with Pinot Noir, the Chef’s wine.  Look for the 2011 Hahn Winery California Pinot Noir. It has wonderful mixed berry, lavender, and spice aromatics, that follow onto the palate.

Pair these desserts with Törley Doux Sparkling Tokaji. It’s a rare sparkling Tokaji, a wine produced in Hungary from a blend of blend of Furmint and Hárslevelű grape varieties.  It’s layered and concentrated with an intriguing dried citrus, tropical fruit, wildflowers, and honey character. 

I recommend you try these desserts with the 2010 Mourvedre Mon Doux

Here is the rest of this week’s Springtime #SundaySupper menu!

Frozen Desserts:

Beverages:

Please be sure you join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper. We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 p.m. EST for our weekly #SundaySupper  live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite cookout recipes!

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us throughTweetChat!

Wine Pairings for #SundaySupper Birthday Celebration

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It’s the first anniversary for #SundaySupper this week!  I was excited when I saw the theme for this week’s #SundaySupper because, while I haven’t been part of the #SundaySupper movement from the beginning (my first post was Father’s Day last year), it’s a family I feel so fortunate to be a part of.

I knew little about food blogging community before Eileen McConnell Gross of Wine Everyday invited me to be part of the #SundaySupper Movement by offering wine pairing recommendations. I’ve been blown away by the creativity, compassion, and commitment the #SundaySupper family brings to the “Family Table” every week

The #SundaySupper mission is to Bring Back Sunday Supper around the family table in every home. It starts off as one day a week and soon becomes a way of life.

I’m laughing to myself as I write this because, as a self-described ‘wino with latent foodie tendencies” I love the recipes.  They’ve given me a ton of ideas, but more importantly inspired me to take action and do more cooking.  On the other hand, it can be a challenge to come up with wine pairing for such creative recipes. I’ve been stumped a time or ten, and often have to get more information to come up with a wine pairing recommendation. I very much enjoy it though, and miss it the weeks I don’t participate.

Ultimately, I hope that my wine pairing recommendations will inspire my #SundaySupper family and their readers to try some new and different wines (and wine regions) and gain confidence in pairing wine and with the amazing dishes served up at the family table every week.

Wine Pairings for 52 weeks of #SundaySupper

Image courtesy of solomonsporchradio.com

For this week’s birthday event by the #SundaySupper team was asked to choose recipes from contributors that have inspired them in the past year.  My favorite event was the 5 ingredients or less, when I limited my wine pairing recommendations to the 5 most food friendly wines.

Check out this week’s astounding recipes. My wine pairing recommendation are italicized. Click on the name of the wine to find out where to purchase.

What’s a celebration without some bubbly?! Pair these dishes with a Sparkling Blanc de Noirs, a sparkling wine made with black grapes. One of my favorites for under $20 is Chandon Blanc de Noirs.  It’s made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. It’s a lovely salmon color with a red fruit (cherry, strawberry, and red currant) character.

Try the following dishes with a Sauvignon Blanc.  Look for the 2011 Veramonte Ritual Sauvignon Blanc from Chile – it’s an elegant Sauvignon Blanc that sees a bit of oak, with pineapple, stone fruit, and citrus aromas and flavors.

Pair these dishes with a Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France. I recommend the 2011 Pascal Janvier Jasnières.  It shows a core of tangy apple, citrus fruit complemented by a mineral undertone. 

Pair these dishes and what you serve with the Harissa with a Riesling.  One of my favorites is the 2010 Trimbach Riesling.  It’s dry wine from the Alsace region with delicate aromas that belie its rich, fruity tropical fruit, peach and citrus flavors:

Pair these dishes with Pinot Noir.  Look for the 2011 Hahn Winery California Pinot Noir. It has wonderful mixed berry, lavender, and spice aromatics, that follow onto the palate.

Pair these dishes with a Sangiovese. Look for the 2009 Ninety+ Cellars Reserve Lot 57 Rosso Toscana.  It’s a blend of mostly Sangiovese (80%) with the balance split between Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.  Therefore it’s a what’s referred to as a “Super Tuscan”.  It’s loaded with blackberry, black cherry, and spice character.

Pair these dishes with a red Rhône blend.  I recommend the newly released vintage of one of my favorites, the 2011 Tablas Creek Vineyards Patelin de Tablas.  It’s a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Counoise. The blend of grape varieties produces a vinous synergy resulting in a fresh juicy red fruits, spice, and mineral character.

Pair these dishes with 2010 Ridge Vineyards “Three Valleys” Sonoma Zinfandel Blend. It’s a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Grenache, Alicante Bouchet, and a significant dose of old-vine Carignane that adds depth and acidity to this tasty blend.  It’s well-balanced has a bright red berry fruit, herbal and spice character. 

Pair these dishes with a Moscato d’Asti from Italy.  Look for the 2011 Saracco Moscato d’Asti. It shows a sweet, fragrant, delicate, floral, tropical fruit, and a hint of honey character.  It’s “frizzante”, which means it’s not as effervescent as most sparkling wines. It’s a great example how a wine can work with multiple courses!

Pair these desserts with a Sauternes,  a sweet wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section of Bordeaux. They are made from  Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes affected by noble rot.  Look for the 2005 Guiraud Sauternes.  It has a full-bodied, honeyed, lemon tart, baked apple, baking spice, and  vanilla cream character

Pair these desserts with Port.  Look for Warre’s “Otima” 10-year-old Tawny Port. It’s a rich tawny with a toffee, caramel, honey and dried fruits character. 

This week we’re excited to announce a New Addition:  Tablescape by An Appealing Plan, Anniversary Dinner featuring Cheesecake with Fresh Berries originally posted by The Messy Baker Blog

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement.

Wines To Pair with Thanksgiving Leftovers #SundaySupper

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I was excited when I saw this week’s #SundaySupper theme – “What to do with Thanksgiving Leftovers“.  The theme provides a perfect opportunity to broach the perennial, and all to often fraught with anxiety, topic of which wines to pair with the Thanksgiving meal.  For you see, many of today’s Thanksgiving leftovers are a prime example of the challenge Thanksgiving presents.  It’s not the Turkey, which is the centerpiece of the meal, it’s the diversity of food and the corresponding tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and unami ) presented by the sides, sauces, desserts, etc.  Not to mention the diversity of preferences among those gathered around your table.

My recommendations for seizing this wonderful opportunity ;-) are twofold.  First, select food friendly wines, and secondly depending on how many folks are gathered around your table, have a wide assortment of wines from sparkling wines to whites, rosés,  and reds.

Wines To Pair With Thanksgiving Leftovers #SundaySupper

Thanksgiving Leftovers – Image courtesy of news.blogs.cnn.com

The other reason I’ve been looking forward to this week is more personal. My signature dish for Thanksgiving is a Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with Brown Sugar and Bourbon Cream. It’s seriously good cheesecake that my family loves.  But every year I have leftover pumpkin puree I swear I’m going to use after Thanksgiving, but inevitably end up finding in the back of the fridge sometime in January!  Not only that, one can only eat so many Turkey sandwiches! So I’m looking forward to the inspiring and creative recipes the #SundaySupper put on the Family table this week!

Check out this week’s lineup and my corresponding recommended wine pairings.

Breakfast & Brunch

Sparkling wines are underrated as food pairing partners, but for my money they offer the most breadth in terms of pairing.  They can work not only as an aperitif, but throughout the meal through to dessert. Pair these items with Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rosé.  It’s a sparkling rosé from Alsace, France with a soft, fruity strawberry, raspberry and a hint of citrus peel character that will be a good match for the sweet character of these delicious breads.  Go ahead, slather butter on them, the bubbles will cleanse your palate and get you ready for the next bite!

Main Course

Pair these dishes with a Chardonnay.  I like the 2010 Michael Pozzan “Annabella-Special Selection” Napa Valley Chardonnay because of its judicious use of oak, bold, yet balanced acid profile and tropical fruit, citrus, vanilla, and clove character.  It doesn’t hurt that it was #75 on the Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Values for 2012 either! 

Pair these well spiced aromatic dishes with Riesling.  I love the 2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Eroica Riesling. It’s off-dry  with vibrant acidity and a beautiful white peach, grapefruit and mineral character.
Pair these dishes with a white Rhone blend. What’s great about blends is that the combination of grape varietals creates vinous synergy – a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. Look for the 2011 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc. It’s a blend of Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne. It’s a crisp and aromatic wine with honeysuckle and stone fruit aromas that follow onto the palate. It also has very good acidity and an appealing minerality that make it versatile food partner.
Dry rosés are not just for summer, they can also work well for Thanksgiving too.  But avoid the sweet “White Zinfandel-ish pink wines!  The sweetness will clash with your cranberry relish and these wines lack the palate refreshing acidity to be versatile food partners.  One of my favorites is the 2011 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigar, a tasty blend of Grenache, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, and Mourvèdre that is chock full of strawberry, stone fruit, watermelon, and citrus flavors.

Pair these dishes with Pinot Noir – a classic Thanksgiving recommendation because it’s fruity, low tannin high acidity nature.  On top of that, many Pinot have a cranberry, herbal, and baking spice character that complement, not only the turkey, but the timings too.  Look for the 2011 Hahn Winery California Pinot Noir. It has wonderful mixed berry, lavender, and spice aromatics, that follow onto the palate.

Pair these dishes with 2010 Ridge Vineyards “Three Valleys” Sonoma Zinfandel Blend. It’s a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Grenache, Alicante Bouchet, and a significant dose of old-vine Carignane that adds depth and acidity to this tasty blend.  It’s well-balanced has a bright red berry fruit, herbal and spice character. 

Soups, Salads, Sides & Starters

Pair these with a Brut sparkling wine, which is the most food friendly style of sparkling wine. One of my favorites is Mumm Brut Prestige. It shows biscuit, sweet citrus, red fruit and subtle floral aromas.  and cherry , vanilla and citrus flavors with a creamy mouthfeel. 

Pair these dishes with a Sauvignon Blanc.  I recommend the 2010 Leese-Fitch Sauvignon Blanc. It’s dry, crisp and clean, with citrus, flower and mineral flavors. 

Pair this dish with 2010 Ridge Vineyards “Three Valleys” Sonoma Zinfandel Blend

Sweets & Desserts

Pair this dessert with a Sauternes, a sweet white wine from France.  Look for the 2009 Chateau Doisy-Vedrines Sauternes.  It’s a rich and layered, with good acidity and a complex honeyed citrus, floral, white peach, fig and persimmon character.  And if you happen to have any leftover apple pie or fruit based desserts…Yum!

Pair these desserts with an Oloroso Sherry, a rich dense style of sherry.  I recommend the Sandeman Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Rich Old Oloroso Royal Corregidor. This one is redolent of caramel, butterscotch and fig, with notes of pear, orange and raisins, and a long sensual finish. And should you happen to have any leftover pumpkin, sweet potato, or pecan pie…O…M…G!

*Clink* – Here’s to you and your loved ones.  Remember that Thanksgiving is, most of all, a time to be thankful – for family, friends, and life’s many pleasures, including great food and wines. Happy holidays!

Please join on us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper on November 18.  In the evening we will meet at 7pm EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat.

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.

We’d also love to feature your recipe for Thanksgiving Leftovers on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board to share them with all of our followers, too.

 

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Pairing Wine with #SundaySupper Comfort Food Favorites

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When I saw the theme for this week, ”Pairing Wine with #SundaySupper Comfort Food Favorites”, my mind was flooded with thoughts of some of my favorite comfort foods.  The thoughts seemed to come in chronological order.  My first thoughts were of my favorite comfort food when I was a child – Grilled Cheese sandwiches prepared with a ton of butter slathered on the bread, with a couple of sliced of American cheese, and a tomato! Then came my adolescent years and Beef Stroganoff, made with ground beef, popped into my head.  Isn’t it amazing how you connect food to certain memories in your life?

Seafood Gumbo

My favorite comfort food – Seafood Gumbo; Image courtesy of whatdidyoueat.typepad.com

Then I had to ask myself the $64,000 question – If you HAD to pick one favorite comfort food what would it be. After what was a few seconds, but seemed longer, of running through a myriad of possibilities, I ultimately came back to my first thought – Seafood Gumbo.  I make it each year for New Year’s Day.  We invite my folks, kids and friends by to share the deliciousness and good times.  Thinking of it puts a smile on my face.  For me, that’s the essence of the #SundaySupper movement – breaking bread with family, and friends, and making memories!

Check out this week’s dazzling array of comfort foods from the #SundaySupper team!  My recommended wine pairing are italicized.  Cheers!

Comfort Food |Soups

Pair these soups with Chardonnay.  Look the 2010 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, which is widely available. It displays aromatic citrus, pear and hints of floral aromas that are followed by citrus, buttered toast and a hint of honey flavors.

Pair these soups with an Old World Sauvignon Blanc, which tends to have more minerality that New World Sauvignon Blancs. Look for the 2011 Domaine Cherrier Père & Fils Sancerre from France.  It displays a delightful lemon curd, verbena and herbal character.  

Pair these soups with a red Rhone Blend.  I recommend the 2011 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas (the white wine version is recommended for some main dishes below), a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Counoise. The Syrah adds dark fruit, flavors and spice.  The Grenache brightens the flavors and add acidity, while the Mourvèdre adds meatiness,  and the Counoise adds a bit of complexity.

Comfort Food  | Main Dish

Pair these main dishes with a Blanc de Noir style sparkling wine.  A Blanc de Noir is made with dark-skinned grapes used to make red wines like Pinot Noir , Pinot Meunier and/or other grapes.  I recommend the Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir.  It’s made with  90% Pinot Noir, and has wonderful red fruit and vanilla aromas are followed by creamy red fruit and citrus flavors. 

Pair these dishes with a Chardonnay.  Look for one that is moderately oaked such as the 2010 Wild Horse Unbridled Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyards Santa Maria Valley. It has a been aged in French oak for a few months.  It has a creamy lemon, green apple, and creme brulee character accented by fresh acidity and a touch a minerality.

 Pair these dishes with a white Rhone blend.  What’s great about blends is that the combination of grape varietals creates vinous synergy – a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. Look for the 2011 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc.  It’s a blend of Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne.  It’s a crisp and aromatic wine with honeysuckle and stone fruit aromas that follow onto the palate.  It also has very good acidity and an appealing minerality that make it versatile food partner. 

Pair these dishes with Sauvignon Blanc.  Look for the 2011 Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand with enticing grapefruit, and tropical aromas with juicy stone fruit,  and tropical fruit flavors. This one is available at Costco.

Pair these dishes with Pinot Noir.  I recommend the 2011 Hahn Winery California Pinot Noir. It has wonderful cherry, lavender, and spice aromatics, that follow onto the palate.
Pair these dishes with a Sangiovese. Look for the 2009 Ninety+ Cellars Reserve Lot 57 Rosso Toscana.  It’s a blend of mostly Sangiovese (80%) with the balance split between Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.  Therefore it’s a what’s referred to as a “Super Tuscan”.  It’s loaded with blackberry, black cherry, and spice character.
Pair these hearty dishes with a hearty wine.  I recommend the 2010 Bonny Doon Vineyard Contra Old Vine Field Blend.  It’s a rich blend of Carigane, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah loaded with dark fruit, spice, and a bit of smoke aromas and flavors.
Pair these dishes with a hearty Zinfandel.  Look for the 2009 Artezin Mendocino County Zinfandel.  It’s a well-balanced Zinfandel with plum, clove and spice aromas, followed by raspberry, plum, black cherry, and spice flavors. 

Comfort Food | Desserts

Pair these desserts with a sweet Moscato wine.  Try the 2011 Ecco Domani Moscato with its slightly spritzy mandarine orange, nectarine and honeysuckle character.

Pair this dessert with the 2011 Frisk Prickly Riesling a blend of 89% Riesling and 11% Muscat Gordo. It’s a slightly fizzy wine with very fresh acidity, that displays pear, guava, citrus and floral aromas, followed by peach, pear and a hint of mango flavors.  Available at Costco. 

Pair these wine delightful desserts (except the Smores Hot Cocao which will be just fine on its own!) with Graham’s “Six Grapes” Port. 

We have a very special guest this week, Lee Woodruff, wife, mother of four, author, CBS This Morning contributor and  founder of ReMIND.org.  We would be honored to have you join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper.  We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 pm(Eastern) for our weekly #SundaySupper  live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite Comfort Food Recipes.

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.

We’d also love to feature your easy go to recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers, too.

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