Our first annual "Open That Bottle Night" and 2 1/2 bottles later...

Last night we had our friends Jim and Maria over for dinner. We were celebrating the "Open that Bottle Night" which was officially on Saturday. (On Saturday Larry and I opened a bottle of Murietta's Well, Livermore Valley '04 Tempranillo. Very nice with our beef and shrimp stir fry we made.) They got a babysitter so they were in the mood to enjoy an evening with grown-ups. Well, that is really a loose term that we take lightly. Yes we are grown up, but some times we don't act like grown-ups. I decided to make an easy, homey meal of Cornish game hens. Earlier in the day I marinated them with EVOO, 1/2 lemon zest and juice, fresh rosemary, (that I ran outside to harvest in the rain), garlic powder, and both spicy paprika and fresh ground black pepper. I just rubbed this mixture all over the hens, put them in ziplocs and into the fridge for 5-6 hours. Then I made the mixture from Trader Joe's Harvest Grain blend mix. I cooked it according to the directions w/chicken stock instead of water. I then put it onto a cookie sheet to cool down. While it was cooling I put on top of it 4 garlic cloves chopped, another 1/2 lemon zested, a little bit of lavender salt, black pepper and a touch of cayenne. Then I took about 15 nice size white mushrooms, rough chopped them and cooked them in a mixture of EVOO and butter, about 1 tbl. of each. After cooling the mushrooms and couscous mixture I mixed it all together and put it into the fridge. About 1-1/2 hours before I wanted to serve I took out the hens, the stuffing mixture and 1 packet of goat cheese @3-4 oz. I crumbled the cheese into the stuffing, which I then packed into the cavity of the hens and closed it shut with a large toothpick. I put the hens, breast side up, into the 350 degree preheated oven for 50 minutes then turned up the heat to 400 degrees for another 15 minutes. I took them out and let sit for about 5 minutes. To serve I removed the toothpicks, cut the hens in half with kitchen sheers and served both halves of the hen on top of spinach that I lightly sautéed in EVOO with a splash of balsamic vinegar (I used Vanilla Fig balsamic) at the end. I served this meal starting out with a Palumbo Family, Temecula Valley, '06 Viognier. They are one of the wineries we visited while we were in Temecula in January and really liked. They are very small, family run, and have good wines. We had this wine with my homemade hummus served with vegetables for dipping. After that we moved to the dinner table and enjoyed a Rochioli, Russian River, '06 Sauvignon Blanc. This wine was amazing with the hens! It had great fruit forward, was fairly dry and very easy to drink. For dessert Maria brought individual chocolate molten cakes that we baked off after dinner. Jim brought a Meeker Vineyard, Russian River, '04 Fro Zin. This was a great dessert wine! It only has 12.2% alcohol but it is high is residual sugar, 17.4% which is what makes it go perfect with dessert. We had a great evening with good friends, good food and good wine. We even had enough energy to do the dishes before going to bed. What more can one want?

31st Annual Barrel Tasting in Sonoma this March

Come ye, come ye! It's that time of year for the 31st Annual Barrel Tasting in Sonoma County. It's not too late to get your tickets. This event goes on for 2 weekends! The dates are March 7 & 8, and March 14 & 15. 11:00-4:00 each day. The cost is $20.00 in advance or $30.00 at the door. No children are allowed, even babies. You will receive a wine glass and a map of all the wineries that are having their barrel tasting. Barrel Tasting is not a food or themed event. It's all about the WINE...it's a great way to taste the wine that is usually already blended and is waiting for its time to be bottled. If you like what you taste then I'm sure the winery will sell you futures to pick up when they are ready. This could be as long as 12 - 18 months. Many wines are so limited; buying futures is your only chance to purchase them. This is a nice casual event, usually taking place in the cellar of the winery or just outside, so dress in layers. The winemaker and/or owners should be there, so it's a perfect time to ask all those questions you've been wondering about.

This time of year, up in Sonoma it is so beautiful it's almost indescribable. If you can imagine, beautiful rolling hills with fresh green grass, vineyards, fruit trees, cows, farms and wineries. The apple trees should have just started to blossom beautiful white flowers, sometime pink. Then you have the vineyards where the rows are intertwined with the vivid yellow mustard flower. You might see an occasional baby lamb or colt. It is just a fantastic time to go to the wineries. Go with friends, and explore the beautiful Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys. Check the listing as some of the wineries are only going to be tasting the first weekend and some are going to be open on Friday in addition to Saturday and Sunday.

Wine Tasting in the Winter

Yes it is February. We are in the middle of winter and as it turns out it's a perfect time to go wine tasting in California. Everywhere the hills are green, the mustard is starting to blossom and the vines are thinking of popping their buds. The temperatures vary depending on where in California you go, but in general there is only going to be a 20 degree difference, if that, from Temecula in the south to Anderson Valley in the north. The highs for the day can reach the 60's but you should plan on it being more like the 50's. The morning will be freezing, literally. Whether it's raining or a beautifully clear blue-sky day, the wineries will welcome you with open arms. Always, if you go on a weekday Monday - Thursday it will be very quiet and you might even have to call some of the wineries to ask them to open up for you. This is very nice though, you can get one-on-one with the winemaker or owner. You will learn all that you want to learn about wine and the winemaking process. Fridays - Sunday will be a bit more crowded, not too bad, but more wineries will be open. I hear that a lot of the winemakers like to come and pour on Fridays just to have a change in pace. Don't forget to try some of the regions that aren't off the beaten path such as, Temecula near San Diego, and the Gold Country which has over three different counties. In the Bay Area, try Livermore, Santa Cruz Mountains and the Anderson Valley, Mendocino Coast. All these areas are fairly touristy in the summer and fall. There all have great restaurants, bed and breakfasts and wonderful hikes in each area. Go to ViciVino.com for a listing of the regions and the resources in each region. Let me know where you went and how much fun you had.

Your life list animals to see in California

As I was donating blood the other day at the Red Cross, I read an article from the Via magazine that AAA puts out. The article is called, Call of the Wild. Basically, they were asking - what is on your life list? Their theme was "amazing animals". Did you realize that if you live on the West Coast there are some really cool animals to be found if you just try a little bit? I live in the Bay Area and I didn't even realize how easy it would be for me to go and see some of these animals. After each animal listed below, I have given you the wine region that would be in or near the location so you could stop and check out some wineries too.

Condor - The last of the nearly-extinct birds was taken into captivity in 1987. It joined the 26 remaining condors in a captive breeding program at the San Diego and Los Angeles Zoos. With the help of scientists, condors in captivity may be able to reproduce over four times faster than in the wild. By 1998, the captive condor population had increased to over 100. Scientists have begun to release the captive-bred birds into the wild in California and Arizona. One of the best places to view the graceful Condor is at the Pinnacles Visitor Center in Paicines, CA. This is south of Hollister and Solidad. They can be viewed all year round, midday and fair weather is best. 831-389-4485. Go check out Monterey County Wine Region.

Elephant Seal - Hundreds of thousands of northern elephant seals once inhabited the Pacific Ocean. They were slaughtered in the 1800s for the oil that could be rendered from their blubber. By 1892, only 50 to 100 individuals were left. Today, there are approximately 160,000 northern elephant seals. The elephant seal breeding season begins in December, when the first males arrive. From fourteen to sixteen feet long and weighing up to 2 1/2 tons, these huge bulls engage in violent battles to establish dominance. In late December, the females begin to arrive and form "harems" on the beaches of the Reserve. Much smaller than the males, they average ten to twelve feet in length and weigh 1,200 to 2,000 pounds. Three to six days after she arrives, the female gives birth to the pup that was conceived the previous year. Normally only one pup is born to each female, and she nurses for 25 to 28 days. This is the perfect time of year Dec-Mar to view these cute but smelly creatures. Go to Ano Nuevo State Natural Reserve in Pascadero, CA. This is north of Santa Cruz and south of Half Moon Bay off Highway 1. You should call in advance to make an appointment. 650-879-2025. Go check out Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley Wine Regions.

Roosevelt Elk - The largest of the elk subspecies, their coloration varies from deep copper brown to light tan depending on location, season, and gender. The Roosevelt elk overall tends to be more dark brown in color. The rump patch is light beige. The legs and neck are often darker than the body. The Roosevelt elk averages 8 feet in length. Mature males have large antlers that sweep back toward the rump. Roosevelt elk are the largest of all elk subspecies. Elk can run long distances at 28 to 29 miles per hour and for short bursts can reach speeds between 35 to 45 miles per hour. There can be up to 14 feet between one track and the next of the same footing by a speeding elk. Bulls, cows and calves are all excellent swimmers. The elk can be seen best at Prairie Creek Redwood State Park, Humboldt County, CA. At this state park there is plenty of hiking in the Redwoods, nature study, wildlife viewing, beach combing, and picnicking areas. There is a visitor center with exhibits and a nature store. Other Park wildlife you will find there could be animals as black bear, deer, coyote, mountain lion, bobcat, skunk, fox, squirrel, chipmunk and many others. 707-465-7347. Go check out Anderson Valley in Mendocino County.

The American Bald Eagle - This histoic bird is the largest avian in North America. It has a wing span of 6-8 feet. They can be found near the border of California and Oregon, in the Klamath Basin. There are over 500 eagles in this area. They spend most of their day scavenging for food. Be sure to bring your binoculars for good views. If you are an avid bird watcher you might want to check out the annual Winter Wings Festival which will take place this year Feb. 13-15. Go check out Applegate Valley, and/or Rogue Valley wine regions in Southern Oregon. Also North Coast Mendocino County.

When you drink wine, you use 6 senses

Did you know that when you drink wine you are using all your six senses? Wait, did I say six senses? I bet you thought we only had five! I was reading a blog today about understanding your senses and relating them to drinking wine. This article is very good and you should check it out to learn more. The title of her article is "Your nose knows - But Can We Trust It?" Jill Sloan of CorkSavy.com writes it. What I found interesting is that she covers four of the six senses. Smell, taste, touch and sight. But she doesn't talk about the fifth and sixth sense.

The fifth sense is to hear. Now, when talking about wine and the actual tasting experience I can understand why she left it out, I mean you don't have to hear wine in order to taste it or enjoy it. But when you are at a winery tasting, you are usually with friends or family. There is the person behind the counter pouring your wine, and most times other people are their tasting too. If you were to imagine tasting the wine at a winery with earplugs in your ears do you think that you would have the same experience as you would hearing others talking about the wine, asking questions, the clanking of the glasses, etc. Personally I think it would be a completely different experience. If I wanted to concentrate on the flavors of the wine I was tasting, it might be a good thing to have total silence. But to get the whole experience of why we go to wineries; to taste the wine, talk with whom you came with, ask questions about the wine, listen to the birds in the trees. If you don't want that experience then you should just go to the store, buy a bottle of wine, bring it home and taste it there.

There is a sixth sense. Some believe that it is like having e.s.p. But, while I was attending a seminar back in the late 90's at a conference for the ACF, American Culinary Federation, I learned about the Asian belief of the sixth sense. And, I became a firm believer of it. It is a combination of some of the senses, mostly scent, sight and taste. What this sense does is, it puts you in a place in time that comes forward from the back of your memory bank. For example, when you go home to mom's and she is baking chocolate chip cookies, once you smell them it would instantly bring back a memory of you as a kid eating those cookies right when they came out of the oven with a tall glass of milk. You remember the smiles all around, the kitchen exactly as it was then, the apron mom was wearing, and best of all, the happy times you were having. A good sixth sense memory of mine happens almost every summer. When I'm outside reading a book or gardening, there is a beautiful blue sky, and one of those small two-seat airplanes flies by. All of a sudden I'm taken back to the mid 60's at my at my aunts house in L.A. My brother and I are in in the backyard and are playing in plastic dish tubs filled with water, measuring cups, and rubber ducks. While we were having a great time cooling down, a few small airplanes kept flying by, as she lived in the flight pattern for Van Nuys airport. So when I hear that sound I associate the fun time when I was four/five years old and oh so innocent.

Smell - Did you know that the sense of smell is 1000 times more sensitive than the sense of taste? The sense of smell is unique in that the scent message passes directly through the brain allowing your conscious to identify the scent. Although our sense of smell is most easily stimulated, it is also the most easily fatigued. For example, when you smell delicious cooking aromas in your kitchen after a few minutes the scent is no longer noticeable. If you left the room and came back the aroma would be fresh again. Scientists have cataloged over 10,000 smells that humans can distinguish. Since the chemical make-up of wine frequently has a combination of these smells, our memory may suggest a subtle recognition of familiar scents.

Taste - Today it is known that the entire tongue surface senses all the tastes. The tongue has about 9000 nerve receptors called buds that sense the different tastes. Taste, unlike smell that has over 10,000 variables, has really only four basic categories: Bitter, salty, sour, and sweet. The sense of taste can become tired in much the same way as the sense of smell. In fact, it can take as much as ninety seconds to recover from a bitter or astringent taste in your mouth. Chocolate and cheese also have very long aftertastes and can cloud the ability to taste wine. So the next time you are at a winery tasting wine, don't have any cheese with the wine. Have crackers or water to help cleanse the palate. Many wineries have dark chocolate pieces for you to try with their red wines or dessert wines. This is o.k. as long as it is the last wine you will be tasting for awhile.

Touch - Feeling often described as the sense of touch, affects taste. For example we can feel a difference between ice coffee and hot coffee, or between carbonated soda and non-carbonated fruit drink. When wine is described as “full-bodied,” it is not meant that the weight or texture of the wine is “full”; it more often applies to wines that are high in tannin or alcohol. Tannin is a very significant element of wine flavor, but it is not so much a sense of taste but a sense of touch. It makes your mouth pucker. The interesting fact about tannins is that it is one of the few flavor elements in wine that cannot be smelled. Similar to tannins, alcohol is mainly experienced as a sense of touch. Wine served cold may taste less sweet and more acidic then the same wine served warm. For that very reason fruity wines are recommended to be served chilled while dry wines are served closer to room temperature.

Sight - With wine we frequently use color as a predictor of what we expect in taste. When we see white wines that are bright clear and pale green we expect a young and dry wine. When we see a golden brown, we might be anticipating nectar –like flavor, etc. In other words in tasting wine, you anticipate the tasting experience first by looking at the wine and then you confirm the wine experience after smelling, tasting, and feeling the wine. The next time you have some friends over try this experiment. You need to have a blindfold, a chair next to a table, two red bottles of wine, bagged, two white bottles of wine and some dry crackers (unsalted). Try to have the wines at the same temperature because if the white wine is cold and the red isn't that could be a dead giveaway. Have one person at a time sit down, blindfolded, sample one of the wines and see if A) they can tell you what color they think the wine is, B) they can try and tell you what varietal the wine is. Complete all four wines with this person then start on the next person. After everyone has had their turn, reveal the wines and see who had the most right answers. This opens up conversation and laughter for quite awhile.

People are not born with a wine palate; it is literally an acquired taste. By developing sensitivity to different flavors and aromas, then by determining your specific preferences, and finally creating a memory of these tastes, you begin to develop your individual wine palate. Don't be frustrated at first, this becomes easier once you can identify the flavors and smells in the wines that you taste. Have fun exploring using all your senses the next time you go and taste wine.