March 5th, 2010
Vinni Bag is a reusable travel bag you can pack your beloved wine into so you can take it with you on the road (or plane that is). We’re all about reducing our carbon footprint and the Vinni Bag is one way of doing just that since it’s reusable over and over again. There’s nothing better then enjoying your own wine once you reach your destination away from home, and the Vinni Bag will help keep it safe during travel.
The Vinni Bag has received some recent press, check it out…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35647695/ns/travel-rob_lovitt_columns/
New gear for multi-tasking travelers
Accessories? These days, they’re more like necessities
By Rob Lovitt
Travel writer
updated 5:44 a.m. PT, Tues., March. 2, 2010
Tight travel budget got you down? The makers of luggage and travel accessories feel your pain.
Consider many of the new products at this year’s Travel Goods Association (TGA) show, opening today in Las Vegas. Instead of touting designer names and luxury logos, manufacturers are emphasizing affordability and the specific needs of individual travelers.
“Travel is a multi-segmented market,” says Michele Marini Pittenger, TGA president, “and each type puts different demands on travelers. So it only follows that we’re seeing more and more accessories targeting specific types of travelers.”
Found a new favorite wine or foreign olive oil, but feeling the squeeze from TSA’s 3-oz. rule on liquids? Pack your bottles in the inflatable VinniBag ($24.95), put them in your checked luggage and they’ll survive even the roughest baggage handler. Expandable air chambers provide protection against impact and leakage; the open design will accommodate odd-sized items (e.g., figurines, vases, perfume bottles) and the bag rolls flat when not in use.
Purchase the Vinni Bag today at The Wine Closet for only $19.99 http://www.wineclosetinc.com/store/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=vinni+bag&osCsid=932a501a5553566a11078d4f2e5e04f0&x=25&y=8
Tags: ellesco, rob lovitt travel writer, travel bag, traveling with wine, vinni bag, wine travel bag
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March 2nd, 2010
Here’s what’s going on this Thursday night at The Wine Closet…
Whether or not you’ve heard of or tasted wines from Mollydooker, this is a tasting NOT TO MISS! Seriously, I mean it when I say Australia’s best – I love all of these wines! But wait, there’s more…we’ll teach you to do the “Mollydooker Shake” – bonus!
For 12 years, Sarah & Sparky Marquis (pronounced Mar-kwis) have been “WOW”ing wine fans around the world with their award-winning Australian wines. This dynamic duo has been awarded the title of Australian Winemakers of the Year; is the only husband and wife winemaking team to receive Mclaren Vale’s prestigious Bushing Award three times; and is responsible for crafting four of only 24 Australian wines to receive 99 points from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate in the last 10 years.
Tasting is $18 per person for 5 delicious wines and appetizers- this Thursday, 3/4 between 6-9pm.
To view upcoming tasting events, visit us at http://www.wineclosetinc.com/store/events_calendar.php
So here’s a little info about the Mollydooker Shake and a link to the video demo created by Sarah and Sparky Marquis so you can check it out yourself.
Apparently, the Mollydooker wines are made with less sulfites and more nitrogen in an effort to help ward off headaches suffered by those who are allergic to sulfites. Because of the addition of nitrogen, the Mollydooker wines need to be “shaken” prior to consumption to help release the nitrogen – ever had a Guinness Stout in the can? – same concept used here, except there’s no nitrogen capsule inside the bottle.
The proper way to “release” this extra nitrogen within the bottles of Mollydooker wine is to unscrew the cap and pour about 3 ounces into a glass, screw the cap back on the bottle, turn the bottle upside down and give it a vigorous shake, unscrew the cap to release the gas (foam will be noticeable on top of the wine which quickly disipates), put the screw cap back on and repeat the Mollydooker shake once more, now the wine is ready to consume.
check out this link http://www.mollydookerwines.com/videos/mollyShake/mollyShakeNew.html - of course, this “shake” is not recommended on their Sparkling Shiraz for obvious reasons.
Enjoy!
Tags: maitre 'd, mclaren vale, mollydooker, mollydooker shake, sarah and sparky marquis, sarah marquis, sparkling shiraz, sulfites in wine, the boxer, the scooter, the violinist, two left feet
Posted in New Wines, Red Wine, Wines, good wine | 3 Comments »
February 20th, 2010
Read below for day 4 of Mark and Kathie Johnson’s Lake Tahoe via Sonoma and Napa food and wine report:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1
It was another beautiful day so we drove around the lake with a stop at Truckee www.truckee.com . We got back as the sun was setting and the sky was turning pink. Tonight’s dinner was at Café Fiore www.cafefiore.com , a tiny little Italian restaurant, and one of our favorites. We started with our usual cheesy garlic bread oozing with butter. Sinfully good. Then after a simple salad and minestrone soup we received our entrees. Kathie got the spaghetti con salsiccia: thin spaghetti tossed with spicy Italian sausage, spinach, crushed red chilies, garlic, olive oil and lots and lots of pancetta. Delicious and a huge potion too. I ordered lamb chops (3 thick double cut) that were brushed with Dijon mustard, then coated with Italian bread crumbs, pan fried, then roasted to a rosy pink. Finally they drizzle an aromatic butter-garlic sauce on top. It was heavenly – crunchy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. But as great as the meal was it was topped by the wine: a 2004 Kosta Browne “Amber Ridge” Pinot Noir www.kostabrowne.com . This is the Holy Grail of Pinots, the kind of wine that you always search for but rarely find. It was simply amazing. A fabulous nose, bright cherry fruit, smooth yet complex…just nirvana. Kathie said it was possibly the best Pinot she had ever tasted. Alas, this was my very last bottle of the 2004 KB Amber Ridge, bottle # 1956 of 2546 bottles produced.
Tags: amber ridge pinot noir, cafe fiori, dan kosta, food and wine, kosta brown, pinot noir, tahoe, truckee, wine and food
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February 19th, 2010
Courtesy of Mark Johnson who recently toured Sonoma, Napa and Lake Tahoe with his wife Kathie for a food and wine vacation.
Here’s Day 3 for your reading enjoyment 
SUNDAY, JANUARY 31
We packed up early and hit the road to Tahoe, but of course we had to do a brief detour to Napa along the way. The Sonoma area fog gave way to a beautiful, blue sky morning in Napa Valley. We stopped first at the Mondavi’s new project called Folio www.foliowinemakersstudio.com . They were pouring several of their brands (Oberon, Spellbound, Medusa, Emblem) ranging in price form $20 -$70. They were just OK — at best. Not worth the stop. Next we went to Robert Biale www.robertbialevineyards.com. Now we’re talking! We had 4 great Zins, a big Syrah and a fantastic extended barrel age Petite Sirah. They do it right. A short hop away we stopped at Darioush www.darioush.com so we could nibble on their imported Persian pistachios while tasting. What a beautiful tasting room and an extremely profession tasting staff. We tried the 2007 Chardonnay (very good), the 2008 Viognier (tasty but too sweet for us), a 2006 Merlot (not bad), and the 2006 Cabernet (excellent). After a bit of schmoozing I got him to open the 2006 Cabernet Franc (very nice). So we bought some wine and pistachios to go. Great stuff, plus he waived the $25 tasting fee. We decided it was then time to finish on a high note and hit the long road to Tahoe.
Dinner tonight was at Kalani’s www.kalanis.com, a Pacific rim/Asian fusion restaurant. We have had some great meals here and some disappointing ones. Tonight fell flat. Other than a tasty appetizer of tempura crusted ahi bits with a teriyaki and eel sauce, all other items were uninspired, not even worth writing about. Thank God we brought a great wine, the 2006 Ramey “Ritchie” Chardonnay www.rameywine.com. Big, viscous, buttery and like the Benovia, enough acid to keep it all in balance.
Check out day 4 tomorrow!
Tags: biale, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, darioush, emblem, folio, folio winemakers studio, kalanis, medusa, merlot, Napa, oberon, petite sirah, ramey, robert biale, robert mondavi, sonoma, spellbound, syrah, tahoe, viognier, zinfandel
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February 18th, 2010
This Sonoma Food & Wine Report is courtesy of my dear friend Mark Johnson, who took is lovely wife, Kathie Johnson on a food and wine vacation through Sonoma and Lake Tahoe. Following is Mark’s review of the restaurants and wines they sampled on Day 2…
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30
The next morning we went back to Carneros Bistro www.thelodgeatsonoma.com for breakfast. Great coffee! They are really into the Locavore thing so most of the meats and produce are sourced locally. The house-made pico de gallo was great as was the thick cut bacon. The local sausage though was very blah. Fortified, we headed off to our first wine tasting appointment at Sojourn www.sojourncellars.com, just off the square in Sonoma. It’s a nice set up, you sit down at a table in a small living room and they poured 4 different 2008 Pinots and 3 Cabernets. 3 of the pinots were excellent, but we liked only one of the Cabs. Still, much better odds than most wineries. Definitely visit if you get the chance.
Our next appointment was with Kamen www.kamenwines.com, a very small producer of premium Cabernet and Syrah. This turned out to be a great tasting! At first he said we could open one wine and perhaps barrel taste one. However, after a bit of chatting while sipping their 2006 Cabernet ($75 and it will beat most Napa Cabs at twice the price) he also opened their very small production Syrah (80 cases, $70) and it was fantastic. We also tasted multiple barrel samples of future Cabs, Cab cuvees, and Syrah.
All other tastings were downhill from there:
Tin Barn www.tinbarnvineyards.com: boring
Anaba www.anabawines.com: OK, but simple and basic
Schug www.schugwinery.com: watery and just bad
Charles Creek www.charlescreek.com: forgettable
Roessler www.roesslercellars.com: surprisingly blah – and expensive
Eric James www.erickjames.com: yuuuuk!
So we stopped tasting and did a bit of shopping. Just off the Square I came across this tiny food shop, maybe 200 square feet, called La Bodega www.yelp.com/biz/la-bodega-cheese-shop-sonoma-2. It is an unusual little spot but the proprietor Rick Vargas is absolutely passionate about freshly foraged wild mushrooms and hand-made ravioli. We discussed for a while his different ravioli options, mail-order shipping, etc. As we were getting ready to leave he asked if we could stay a just moment and he would make us each a special ravioli. A few minutes later he presented us with a personally made wild mushroom (Black trumpet) ravioli drizzled with imported olive oil. It was sublime. I will definitely be contacting Rick in preparation for my next dinner party.
Finally we went back to our cozy cottage to relax, and I made Margaritas to “facilitate” the moment. Using blanco Tequila, fresh squeezed Meyer lemons (instead of lime juice), agave syrup, and a hint of Tuaca I made perhaps my best ever Margarita – perfecto!
We had reservations that night at Meritage Restaurant www.sonomameritage.com, in Sonoma, but over the cocktails we kept reminiscing about our great meal the night before, so we cancelled Meritage and booked a table back at Carneros Bistro — and once again we were not disappointed. First we opened a bottle of Ramey 2006 “Annum” Cabernet www.rameywine.com . This is their “best barrels” blend, and it is very good. Big, robust, and marvelous complexity. As for appetizers we succumbed to the siren call of the seductive crab dip again (YUM), and we tried something new: risotto fritters with a panko crust and truffle aioli. It was pretty good, but overall not that exciting.
Food service tonight from our friendly waitress was lightning speed compared to the previous evening and our entrees arrived quickly. Kathie had Sonoma duck confit & housemade duck sausage cassoulet. It was outstanding! Crispy skin duck, savory sausage, and tender beans all covered in a porcini and breadcrumb crust. I had the evenings special: a kobe/wagyu beef filet and a braised boneless short rib. The short rib was falling apart and had a red wine or port sauce (?), it was very good. The kobe was not as tender as I had expected, but it was quite flavorful, especially when dipped in the savory dark amber French onion “soup” mousse that came with the dish. We returned to our cottage quite sated.
Tags: anaba, barrel sample, cabernet sauvignon, carneros bistro, charles creek, commander, commander products, eric james, kamen, la bodega, mark johnson, meritage restaurant, Napa, pinot noir, ramey, rick vargas, roessler, schug, sojourn, sojourn cellars, sonoma, syrah, the lodge at sonoma, tin barn
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February 17th, 2010
Our dear friends, Mark and Kathie Johnson, of Commander Printed Products www.commanderproducts.com visited Sonoma and Tahoe recently and provided a detailed food and wine report which I broke out into daily reports – sort of a blow-by-blow/progressive food and wine report so be sure and check back daily for each days news:
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29
We arrived at the Lodge at Sonoma about 5pm Friday night. It was raining heavily (cats, rats and dogs). Thankfully just as it was time to walk to our cottage, the rain stopped. We celebrated by making a cocktail in-room, a Blushing Geisha: Tanqueray gin, pineapple juice, Cointreau, grenadine, and fresh squeezed lime juice. It really hit the spot.
Later I went to the lobby as they we having a wine tasting social hour. The wine was forgettable but they were serving some very tasty shredded braised short ribs on wonton chips. I asked the woman behind the counter how they were made. She described the hours of work marinating overnight in soy, hoisen, crushed peppers, jalapeños, etc, then browning, braising for hours and shredding. Too much work for me but they sure were tasty. It turns out she was Janine Falvo, the head chef at The Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar www.thelodgeatsonoma.com/Carneros-Bistro-WIne-Bar-31.html adjacent to the hotel. Luckily we already had reservations at this restaurant as it has received positive buzz over the years, and if these Asian rib wontons were any indication things were looking good for the night.
We arrived about 8 pm and opened two bottles of wine: the 2007 Benovia “La Pommeraie” Chardonnay www.benoviawinery.com and the 2007 Black Kite “River Turn” Pinot Noir www.blackkitecellars.com from Anderson Valley. Next we ordered our appetizers: Dungeness crab dip with warm flatbread and dayboat scallops with spicy orange aioli. Then we waited… and waited. The kitchen was moving at a glacial pace, but it was OK as we were really enjoying the Chardonnay. It is a perfectly balanced Chard — big, rich and smooth yet it had just the right amount of acid to keep it all in check. Nice integrated oak and a crisp finish too. Finally our appetizers arrived. Wow, they were definitely worth the wait! The crab dip menu description does not begin to convey how sinfully delicious this dish is. They take chunky sweet crab, then add caramelized onions, cream cheese, jack cheese, poblano peppers, bacon and other herbs and turn it into this decadent and very rich dip. (I later got the complete dip recipe from Janine. I may be willing to share it with a select few – in consideration of a little baksheesh sent my way). Even the flatbread was great. They were dusted with black pepper, sautéed onions, red chili flakes, parmesan cheese and a hint of garlic. My scallop appetizer was also very nice featuring 3 large, perfectly seared scallops perched upon tempura fried potato rounds, accompanied by the spicy aioli.
We corked our remaining Chardonnay and moved on to our Black Kite Pinot while we waited (tick tock) for our entrees to arrive. However, once again we were in no big hurry and were simply enjoying the Pinot which featured a fantastic spice box nose. The wine was pretty big and full bodied and worked quite well with our entrees.
Ahh, finally the entrées arrive and we were not disappointed. Kathie had the pan seared sea bass with lobster hash and a truffled hollandaise. It was excellent, crispy and golden on the outside, tender and almost sweet inside. The hash featured tasty lobster bits, home fries, poblano chilies, onion, and red bell pepper. (this dish was featured by the Wine Spectator in 2008). I had the thick cut pork chop with some kind of cider (?) sauce and sides of fluffy ravioli like potato pierogies, and crispy Brussels sprouts. Let me stop right here and say that Brussels sprouts are not my favorite veggie. Only once before have I actually enjoyed them (thank you Steve Grossman), but these sprouts were amazing. They slice up the sprouts, lightly batter them and then fry ‘em up. And to top it off they drizzle them with a bacon vinaigrette. Marvelous! Anyway the pork chop was perfect, and the “ravioli” were very tasty too, especially when trailed through the juicy meat sauce. We were very, very content. And to top it all off, our pleasant waitress comped us on the two corkage fees, I presume due to the slow kitchen that night. We will return soon… which in fact we did.
Day 2 will be posted 2/18/10
Tags: benovia, black kite, blushing geisha, carneros bistro, carneros bistro and wine bar, chardonnay, cointreau, commander products, kathie johnson, lake tahoe, lodge at sonoma, mark johnson, pinot noir, sonoma, tahoe, tanqueray
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February 16th, 2010
Rob, Jerry, Donna and myself took a week off from work and headed out the 395 towards Mammoth Lakes www.visitmammoth.com for some fun in the snow. We left on Saturday the 6th at the beginning of a big storm front – it rained about half the time we were driving and snowed lightly once above Bishop. Roads were clear of hazards (including other cars), so it was a quick trip. We checked into our little condo around 4:00ish, settled in and then hit the Vons for a weeks worth of groceries.
Our in-home menu for the week consisted of chicken tortilla soup, chicken parmasan over linguini pasta, Mexican sopas and spicy sausage stuffed portabella mushrooms. All were delicious.
Our meals out were not as exciting…
First outing was to Burgers Burgers www.yelp.com/biz/burgers-mammoth-lakes.com located across from Mammoth Village on Minaret. I’ve come here every time I’ve visited Mammoth in the past as they make good, large burgers perfect following a day on the slopes. This visit was hohum for the most part. Rob and I split the buffalo burger which was overdone and dry - it was only saved by the grilled onions and mushrooms piled on which were quite tasty. French fries are okay, not the best – but overall, prices at Burgers is reasonable and they’re filling. They also have milk shakes (Rob had vanilla which tasted good, but was runny), and Mammoth Lakes beer on tap…which I thought was all blah except for the nut brown ale www.mammothbrewingco.com
Our 2nd outing was up the ski lift at June Lake www.junelakeloop.com – WOW, this is a steep climb up to the top and take about 15 minutes. Luckily it was an incredibly clear day, not a cloud in the sky. Once at the top you could see for miles, absolutely incredible. Their food at the mountain top lodge was quite good too. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with swiss cheese which came on a soft ciabatta-type roll and crispy fries. The soup special was a corn and sausage chowder and was delicious. Not being a fan of heights, I thought the ride down the ski lift would be difficult, but it was actually easier then the climb up – could have been due to the spicy bloody mary’s I consumed during lunch, which were also very good.
Wines we enjoyed during our stay included Herman Story Grenache www.hermanstorywines.com, Roessler Pinot Noir www.roesslercellars.com, Terry Hoage ‘The Hedge’ Syrah www.terryhoagevineyards.com, Venge Champ de Fleurs white blend www.vengevineyards.com, Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon www.drinkcannonball.com, Chronic Cellars Sofa King Bueno www.chroniccellars.com, Villa Creek Willow Creek Cuvee and Barrel 27 Rhight Hand Man www.barrel27.com, Dubost Homestead Red www.dubostwine.com and a lovely 20 year Tawny Port from Ferreira.
All wines were great, especially after a day playing in the snow.
Tags: Barrel 27, burgers burgers, chronic cellars, dubost, ferreira, Herman Story, june lake, mammoth brewing co, mammoth lakes, roessler, terry hoage, venge, villa creek
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February 3rd, 2010
This idea was borrowed from the actual Judgement of Paris of May 24, 1976 when California wines kicked French wines in EVERY category – blew them all away…
No doubt we’ll be having some fun this Thursday night in our first ever all blind tasting – the wines that is, not the tasters We’re hosting a Bottle Shock party appropriately named “Judgement of Camarillo”, and will be pouring 6 wines; 3 French, 3 Domestic. Score cards will be provided to help you select your favorites.
There’s no wrong answers here, just good wine from different parts of the world in a knock-down, drag-out competition…all in fun of course.
Tasting is $15 per person and includes 6 wines and appetizers – this Thursday, 2/4 between 6-9pm.
Tags: bottle shock, camarillo wine tasting, judgement of paris, wine competition, wine tasting
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January 29th, 2010
The Dubost family www.dubostwine.com in Paso Robles sent this Tempranillo review conducted by the UCSD Med School Wine Group – pick up your bottle of Tempranillo at The Wine Closet today:
“…wanted to share this review from a UCSD Med School wine group. ”
Curt
Begin forwarded message:
Date: January 11, 2010 7:23:58 PM PST
Subject: Our Tempranillo Tasting
Dear Kate and Curt,
Wanted to let you know that the Dubost 06 Tempranillo arrived first thing in the morning on Saturday, well in time for our evening Tempranillo tasting. Thank you so much for providing the bottle, leaving us the unexpected Carmenere to try at our leisure, and for getting it here on time. You will be pleased to know that of the 7 Tempranillos at the tasting the Dubost was the number one rated by the group (based on the UCD ratiing scale and then giving a “group score” based on- 3 points for each person who rated it number one, 2 for each second place…). Five of the tasters rated the Dubost the number one wine and almost everyone placed it in the top 3. For your information I attach a summary so you can see the competition. There was, in fact, a seventh wine, funnily enough the most expensive ($50). but it was clearly corked so no one wanted to have anything to do with it and the couple that brought it were keen to return it to the wine shop from which they purchased it. The numbers represent the group score of each wine with the large font number indicating the top 3 group scores.
FYI, our wine group, fondly called The Oenophiliacs, is a group of friends, mostly colleagues who work and teach at UCSD School of Medicine, but including others from varying walks of life. We have been together for over 15 years and I dare say that our monthly tasting are the highlight of most of our social calendars. My wife Kathy and I urged all Oenophiliacs to visit you when then go to Paso Robles, and I suspect you will get some of us. I know we look forward to our next visit.
Sincerely,
David
WINE
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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| Marques de CaceresGran Reserva
2001
Rioja
$35- Whole Foods
|
DubostTempranillo
2006
$28
Cellar Door |
Paso de Paso2008
La Mancha
$9- La Costa Wine Co. |
Navarro Lopez2004
Valdepenos
$13- Bev Mo |
Cala Blanca2008
La Mancha
$16- Bev Mo |
Cepa 212006
Ribera de Duero
$26- La Costa Wine Co. |
Tags: dubost, paso robles, tempranillo, UCSD
Posted in Blogroll, New Wines, Red Wine, Wines, good wine | No Comments »
January 27th, 2010
Click the link below to participate in the 2010 Ventura County Star’s Reader’s Choice Awards and be sure and vote for The Wine Closet in all the categories that pertain to our business such as:
Best/Favorite: Wine Bar, Wine Tasting, Wine Store
http://www.vcstar.com/readerschoice2010/
Thank you!
Linda
Tags: readers choice, readers choice awards, VC star, ventura, ventura county star
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