January 12, 2013 – 12:01 am
If you are looking for a warm pick-me-up dinner for a cool, winter day, try this easy recipe from USA Rice Federation. Perhaps add a loaf of artisan bread and a salad to complete the meal.
Enjoy!
Kathy
Chicken Soup A La Parisienne
Servings: 6 servings.
Ingredients
6 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch slices
3/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup dry white wine
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon summer savory leaves, crushed
2 to 3 cups boned cooked chicken, in large pieces
1 14-1/2-ounce can all green asparagus (cut spears, tips included)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Combine broth, rice, peas, celery, onions, wine, salt, pepper, thyme and savory.
- Bring to a boil.
- Stir, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
- Add chicken, asparagus and parsley; cook 5 minutes longer.
- Adjust seasonings, if necessary.
Recipe provided by USA Rice Federation
January 10, 2013 – 12:01 am
Trattore Estate Wines
Roussane, not as popular a grape variety as other white varieties like Chardonnay and Riesling, is making headway in the wine world. Having other white varietal wines adds to the pleasure of enjoying wines.
Last night we had a glass of Roussane wine from Trattore Estate Wines in Sonoma County. The winery is in the Dry Creek Valley AVA. Vineyards at Trattore are interspersed with olive trees, which are used for olive oil.
The Trattore Roussane 2010 has the image of a tractor on its label. The owner of Trattore Wines has had a passion for real tractors since he was a child. In fact, he named the winery Trattore, which is Italian for tractor. Visitors to the winery will notice an emphasis on tractors.
The Rousanne 2010 was produced with Roussane, Marsanne, and Viognier. Last night the straw color wine reminded us of a mouthful of fruit with tropical notes. The wine also had a hint of almonds. This wine would be delightful paired with hard cheese and crackers. The winery suggestions for pairing this Roussanne included roast chicken with herbs Provence, cheese soufflé or grilled vegetables.
An article about Trattore Estate Wines is available at
http://winetrailtraveler.com/california/trattore.php.
January 9, 2013 – 8:32 am
The Homeplace Vineyard
Another option to the traditional Valentine’s dinner is to treat your special friend or lover to the SoVA Wine Fest on February 16. The Wine Fest takes place in Chatham, Virginia inside the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex from 12Noon to 6pm.
The SoVA Wine Fest will have 12 wineries, more than 100 wines, live music and food. All of this for $10 tickets in advance or $15 at the gate.
The Wine Fest is sponsored by the Southern Virginia Wine Trail located in a lovely rural area of Virginia. Tickets are available http://www.sovawinetrail.com/festival.
If you have the time, spend a few extra days and visit the individual wineries on the Southern Virginia Wine Trail. You will discover a variety experiences but all with a friendly welcome and wineries looking forward to sharing their stories.
When we visited the wineries on the SoVA Wine Trail, we had a great time. Check out the articles we wrote at http://winetrailtraveler.com/virginia/southernregion.php.
Enjoy southern hospitality in Virginia.
Cheers! Kathy
January 8, 2013 – 12:02 am
Reif Estate Winery
As amazing as Icewine is, this delectable beverage can be used in other ways. The Reif Estate Winery website mentions that Icewine can be poured on ice cream or fresh berries. In addition, Reif Estate has given permission for us to use their Icewine Martini and Icewine Royale on the Wine Trail Traveler website. Check the recipes out below.
Icewine Martini
1.5 oz Reif Estate Vidal Icewine
1.5oz vodka | Add ice and stir
Garnish with a frozen grape
Optional: Rim the glass with sugar
Icewine Royale
- 1 oz Reif Estate Cabernet Franc Icewine
- 3 oz sparkling wine
Garnish with strawberry
We visited Reif Estate Winery a few years ago and enjoyed the experience. We remember the tasting room, vineyards and particularly the Sensory Garden just outside the tasting room. The Sensory garden has four sections. The color of each area represents the colors of wine. People can smell and compare the aromatics in the garden with the aromatics in a wine.
A few days ago we were reminiscing with a good friend about visiting wineries in Canada. She described a winery but could not remember the name of it. She stayed at a nearby bed and breakfast. The winery sounded familiar and we discovered it was Reif Estate Winery. She also remembered the Sensory Garden. Wineries have stories to tell that are fun to talk about with others.
Read the article about Reif Estate Winery at
http://winetrailtraveler.com/canada/reif.php.
Next time you visit a winery, discover the story of the winery.
Cheers, Kathy
January 7, 2013 – 9:41 am
Vigilance Tasting Room Overlooks Vineyards and Clear Lake
Last night our healthier dinner included a fresh green salad, salmon cooked in Après Vin varietal grape seed oil and brown rice cooked with onion. The rice was cooked with low sodium salt. For a beverage, we enjoyed a glass of Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from Vigilance Winery & Vineyards in Lake County, California. The wine was excellent with the salmon.
Vigilance Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Red Hills, Lake County was a straw color. Terry commented that this wine “has a lot going on in the aroma,” noting that there were notes of citrus including lime and grapefruit on the aroma. The taste started with yellow stone fruit nuances leading to lime. The after taste also had grapefruit and lime notes.
An article about Vigilance Winery & Vineyards is available at
http://winetrailtraveler.com/california/vigilance.php.
Enjoy 2013!
Cheers, Kathy
January 5, 2013 – 8:50 am
Earlier this week we had dinner guests who are vegetarians. I wish I had the recipe below to serve. It would definitely have added to the dinner of macaroni and cheese and meatless lasagna. This vegetarian recipe, Chile Relleno Casserole, is from Huber Cellars located in the Sta. Rita Hills Viticultural Appellation in California. This is a small appellation of about 100 square miles located in Santa Barbara County and includes 45 wineries.
Enjoy! Kathy
Chile Relleno Casserole
Ingredients
12 green Chiles, seeded and sliced onto quarters (you can also add some red peppers)
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
4 egg yolks slightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 Tbsp Cayenne pepper 3 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup evaporated milk
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
Directions
- Layer the Chiles and cheese, alternate in a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
- Mix together the egg yolks, salt garlic, cayenne, flour and milk.
- Fold the egg whites into the mixture and pour over the Chile and cheese layers.
- Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 1 hour.
Serves 8 to 10
Use this as a side dish – I like to serve it with some ham, maybe rice and potatoes, salad and bread. Also makes a great vegetarian meal. Enjoy this with Huber Chardonnay!
Recipe and suggestions provided by Huber Cellars in the Sta. Rita Hills Viticultural Appellation, California
January 4, 2013 – 10:24 am
At Museo del Vino Vernaccia di San Gimignano
Last night we enjoyed a home cooked dinner with our daughter and friends. Our daughter, who lives in the New York City area, asked for a home cooked meal but noted that her friends were vegetarians. After discovering that salmon would be fine, we made a home-style macaroni and cheese and a green salad. We used Aprés Vin’s Mint Chardonnay grape seed oil to flavor the salmon.
With dinner we served an Italian wine, Tropie, a Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2008. Everyone commented on how they liked the wine, a somewhat unusual white wine to find. The wine was delicious and did not take away from the salmon. Even with 14 percent alcohol, the wine was smooth and tasty. While it paired well with dinner, this is a good wine to sip.
The Vernaccia grape is unusual in that the primary place vineyards are in the San Gimignano area. The grape is not easy to grow but does well here. A small museum, Museo del Vino Vernaccia di San Gimignano, is located in the city of San Gimignano.
While browsing a restaurant’s wine list or a wine shop look for an Italian Vernaccia.
Cheers,
Kathy
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Winter Edition of Wine Trail Traveler Released
The winter edition of the Wine Trail Traveler Quarterly was just released. It is now available at http://winetrailtraveler.com/newsletter/magwinter1213.pdf.
This issue is filled with photos from our recent visit to wineries in North Carolina. North Carolina offers delightful wineries large and small but all with delightful experiences and stories.
We were able to include a visit to Biltmore Estates that also includes the most visited winery in the United States. One North Carolina winery has a unique connection with llamas. Check out the llama photo we took while at Divine Llama Vineyards.
While in North Carolina we asked wineries for recipes that use wine as one of the ingredients. Three recipes we collected are in the Quarterly.
Since our fall edition of the Quarterly, we have published our first book, A Wine Journey. Frequently people have asked us questions about our first experience publishing a book, so we have included answers to several questions.
Winter is the time for Icewines. Our Icewine article provides insight into the production of Icewine and provides information about Icewine festivals for 2013.
Meghan Neumeier has written an article in her Wine in the Bible series. This time she explores why Daniel refused wine from King Nebuchadnezzar.
We hope you enjoy this winter edition.
Cheers!
Kathy and Terry