Blue skies and balmy daytime temperatures have been the rule of the day for weeks and weeks now, and everyone is starting to get a bit nervous. Water levels in local reservoirs are still healthy, due to last year’s wet winter, but very little rain and/or snow has fallen in California this season. The vineyards […]
New Year’s Greetings Read More »
No doubt about it – we are in the thick of it. It is now raining lightly and we expect continued wet weather over the next several days. We enjoyed a picture perfect September, with day after day in the mid 80’s; but things changed quickly over the weekend. Last week was our busiest of
This is a good recipe to have in your Holiday collection. It can be done ahead of time, and can easily be doubled or tripled. Ingredients 3 10oz packages frozen spinach, thawed 6 tablespoons butter 1 cup chopped onion 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoons black pepper ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ¾ cup
Butternut Squash Gratin Read More »
The rush is over. We opened our cellar doors one last time on November 8th for some Late Harvest Riesling, but that was it. The wines have finished primary fermentation and are awaiting their long winter’s nap. May they rest in peace. Meanwhile the cellar staff is gearing up for winter bottling. Through the New
When you have three fig trees, you’ve got to develop a series of recipes (kind of like zucchini). Here’s a versatile recipe, one that goes well with crème fraiche and/or pound cake. Ingredients 2 pounds fresh figs ¼ cup sugar Zest from ½ orange Juice from ½ lemon 2 tablespoons water Wash figs and cut
The rush is over. We opened our cellar doors one last time on November 8th for some Late Harvest Riesling, but that was it. The wines have finished primary fermentation and are awaiting their long winter’s nap. May they rest in peace. Meanwhile the cellar staff is gearing up for winter bottling. Through the New
Our 2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris was a 2011 Gold Medal Winner! Nine other wines were also awarded: Silver: 2008 Russian River Valley Chardonnay Garagistes 2009 Russian River Valley Riesling 2010 Sonoma County Rose of Pinot Noir 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2009 Russian River Valley Chardonnay Bronze: 2008 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Russian
2011 Sonoma County Harvest Fair Read More »
So what do you do with a bunch of quinces? Jam doesn’t quite work. After a little research, it seems that quince is the main ingredient in membrillo – a Spanish spread that goes well with cheese and red wine. And it’s easy! INGREDIENTS 4 Quinces, peeled, cored and chopped Water Sugar, to be determined
The last grapes are in today, putting an end to a long and difficult harvest. It was a season characterized by low yields (up to 25% below projections). Furthermore, grapes picked over the last several weeks often were faced with mildew, adding to the challenge. However, our own grapes came in prior to the rains,
No doubt about it – we are in the thick of it. It is now raining lightly and we expect continued wet weather over the next several days. We enjoyed a picture perfect September, with day after day in the mid 80’s; but things changed quickly over the weekend. Last week was our busiest of
