Nothing beats a great summer salad and a cold glass of Organic Sauvignon Blanc. Todays organic food/wine match is a chicken and berry salad served with Paul Dolan certified organic Sauvignon Blanc.
About the wine:Paul Dolan Certified Organic 2008 Mendocino County Sauvignon Blanc Black bears roam the hillsides by the headwaters of the Russian River, where two adjacent vineyards (each with its own hydroelectric power plant!) provided the grapes for this wine. This northern vineyard area is a land of extremes, with cold nights and hot days. The wine has a distinctive kiwi fruit character, with bright citrus zest and lemon grass notes.This wine is the unique expression of a carefully nurtured piece of land, made manifest in each bottle. Grown without conventional pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, the soil is treated as a living, lifegiving system. Paul Dolans winegrowing practices create special wines, while sustaining the environment, the place they live, and the people who live there.
VARIETALS: 100% SAUVIGNON BLANCCOOPERAGE: 100% STAINLESS STEEL FERMENTED AND AGEDALCOHOL: 13.5% BY VOLUMETA: 0.64 G/100MLPH: 3.08RS: 0.12 CASES: 1,260
CASESSummer Berry Chicken Salad
Prep/cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
Look for organic berries that are firm and plump; a frosty look on blueberries indicates freshness and ripeness.
Time saver: Purchase a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods, discard the skin, and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Serving tips: Salad can be served with the chicken hot or at room temperature. Serve with split, warm whole-wheat rolls topped with a few thin slices of Brie cheese.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced scallion
¼ cup fresh raspberries
¼ cup fresh blueberries
¼ cup fresh blackberries
¼ cup fresh tart cherries, pitted and sliced in half
12 ounces cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 cups mixed salad greens
1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, vinegar, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add minced scallion. Carefully stir in berries and cherries. Add diced chicken and gently toss so as not to crush the berries.
2. Arrange greens on serving plates, top with chicken mixture, and serve immediately.
PER SERVING: 265 cal, 34% fat cal, 10g fat, 2g sat fat, 72mg chol, 28g protein, 16g carb, 2g fiber, 102mg sodium
Now pour a glass of the wine and enjoy!!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Some information on Biodynamic® preparations
Cowhorn manure preparation (also known as Biodynamic® preparation 500) is a vital part of the Biodynamic vineyard. The following videos help clarify the process and the general thinking behind utilizing these Biodynamic preparations and how they can benefit the soil in the vineyard. Fascinating! Enjoy!
Click here to watch about Biodynamic preparations in use at Rosnay in Australia!
About Rosnay: Rosnay is a vineyard and olive grove in NSW Australia that has been Biodynamic for 12 years. This video shows the process of mixing and spraying the Biodynamic Preparation 50 and the manure concentrate using flowforms and a small utility. By doing this at least twice a year they have been able to bring life and fertility back into their soils and produce wine, olives and olive oil with unique character, without chemical fertilisers and biocides. For more information visit them online here.
Click here to watch as Mark Beaman of Paul Dolan Vineyards goes over the biodynamic cow horn preperation.
The Organic Wine Journal interviews Nicolas Joly at Appellation Wines in New York. Click here to watch!
Click here to watch about Biodynamic preparations in use at Rosnay in Australia!
About Rosnay: Rosnay is a vineyard and olive grove in NSW Australia that has been Biodynamic for 12 years. This video shows the process of mixing and spraying the Biodynamic Preparation 50 and the manure concentrate using flowforms and a small utility. By doing this at least twice a year they have been able to bring life and fertility back into their soils and produce wine, olives and olive oil with unique character, without chemical fertilisers and biocides. For more information visit them online here.
Click here to watch as Mark Beaman of Paul Dolan Vineyards goes over the biodynamic cow horn preperation.
The Organic Wine Journal interviews Nicolas Joly at Appellation Wines in New York. Click here to watch!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Winery Spotlight: King Estate Winery
King Estate Winery is located southwest of Eugene, Oregon. It produces some amazing Pinot Noir (try their 2008 Acrobat--it's wonderful), Pinot Gris (the 2008 Signature is excellent), Vine Glace dessert wines and limited amounts of Chardonnay. In 2002, King Estate vineyards, nursery, and all surrounding gardens and landscaping received organic certification by the Oregon Tilth Certified Organic Association. They use some rather interesting methods...read on:
While many wineries are turning over a new leaf and using sustainable farming practices, King Estate takes this a bit further than most, especially in the area of pest control. They have on site (and encourage) a thriving raptor population. The raptors, specifically owls and kestrels, aid in pest control by reducing the numbers of rodents and birds that eat grapes. The winery has also partnered with the Cascade Raptor Center as a release site for orphaned and rehabilitated birds of prey. King Estate is an ideal release site for these birds because of their expansive property with highly diverse habitats. Across their 1,033 acres, there are grasslands, forests and many other natural environments that are suitable for specifics birds of prey. This partnership with the raptors allows the winery to reduce pests without using any type of toxic poisons whatsoever. This program is being expanded to include predator perches and new boxes for different types of raptors throughout the vineyards.
The winery also plants organic seeds for cover crop in their vineyards and garden areas. These organic seeds of Austrian Peas, Crimson Clover, Wheat, Oats and some flowering perennials encourages beneficial insects and suppresses weeds. It also acts as green manure and supplies nitrogen. King Estate also uses organic compost to fertilize. They produce over 1000 tons of compost a year which is then used to supplement the soil. They are careful to monitor the soil on the vineyard to maintain strong and productive vines.
Visit King Estate Winery at 80854 Territorial Hwy in Eugene, OR. I highly recommend taking the time to enjoy a meal in their estate restaurant which features some of their own organically grown produce. To order online, go to www.kingestate.com or place a phone order by calling 541-942-9874.
While many wineries are turning over a new leaf and using sustainable farming practices, King Estate takes this a bit further than most, especially in the area of pest control. They have on site (and encourage) a thriving raptor population. The raptors, specifically owls and kestrels, aid in pest control by reducing the numbers of rodents and birds that eat grapes. The winery has also partnered with the Cascade Raptor Center as a release site for orphaned and rehabilitated birds of prey. King Estate is an ideal release site for these birds because of their expansive property with highly diverse habitats. Across their 1,033 acres, there are grasslands, forests and many other natural environments that are suitable for specifics birds of prey. This partnership with the raptors allows the winery to reduce pests without using any type of toxic poisons whatsoever. This program is being expanded to include predator perches and new boxes for different types of raptors throughout the vineyards.
The winery also plants organic seeds for cover crop in their vineyards and garden areas. These organic seeds of Austrian Peas, Crimson Clover, Wheat, Oats and some flowering perennials encourages beneficial insects and suppresses weeds. It also acts as green manure and supplies nitrogen. King Estate also uses organic compost to fertilize. They produce over 1000 tons of compost a year which is then used to supplement the soil. They are careful to monitor the soil on the vineyard to maintain strong and productive vines.
Visit King Estate Winery at 80854 Territorial Hwy in Eugene, OR. I highly recommend taking the time to enjoy a meal in their estate restaurant which features some of their own organically grown produce. To order online, go to www.kingestate.com or place a phone order by calling 541-942-9874.
Enjoy a nice glass of Girasole Vineyards Pinot Noir or Pinot Blanc
I love my job. What other profession would allow me to research wineries all over the US and hunt down great bottles of wine to taste and report back on? Allow me to introduce my latest organic find: Girasole Vineyards in Ukiah, CA.
Girasole has been around for quite awhile, planted by Charlie Barra in 1955. Working in the vineyards came naturally to Charlie, as to his immigrant parents from Piedmont, Italy. Girasoles wines are all certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).
Last night, I had the opportunity to taste both the Girasole Pinot Noir and the Pinot Blanc. Both blew my socks off! First the '08 Pinot Noir:
The '08 Pinot Noir is light ruby in color with complex aromas of sandalwood, cherry, vanilla, and roasted nuts. This light to medium-bodied wine exhibits richly spiced flavors wrapped around a core of fruit and sweet toasty oak. The soft, pleasant texture in the mouth offers flavors of cranberry and cherry fruit followed by roasted nuts, cedar and a hint of black licorice that all seem to be in harmony. A versatile food wine that pairs well with a variety of cuisines and is also a great sipper. I have to say it was truly fantastic!
The '09 Pinot Blanc was also quite a find. Pale straw in color, this wine has very pleasant aromas of light honeysuckle, lemon citrus and almond husk. You just want to keep on sipping to experience the creamy and silky mouthfeel. The citrusy flavors are soft and elegant, yet balanced with a crisp, clean finish. This wine was just excellent and very enjoyable.
Both wines retail for under $25/bottle and are very much worth searching for. If you can't find them in your local store, visit their online store to have some shipped to you!
Girasole has been around for quite awhile, planted by Charlie Barra in 1955. Working in the vineyards came naturally to Charlie, as to his immigrant parents from Piedmont, Italy. Girasoles wines are all certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).
Last night, I had the opportunity to taste both the Girasole Pinot Noir and the Pinot Blanc. Both blew my socks off! First the '08 Pinot Noir:
The '08 Pinot Noir is light ruby in color with complex aromas of sandalwood, cherry, vanilla, and roasted nuts. This light to medium-bodied wine exhibits richly spiced flavors wrapped around a core of fruit and sweet toasty oak. The soft, pleasant texture in the mouth offers flavors of cranberry and cherry fruit followed by roasted nuts, cedar and a hint of black licorice that all seem to be in harmony. A versatile food wine that pairs well with a variety of cuisines and is also a great sipper. I have to say it was truly fantastic!
The '09 Pinot Blanc was also quite a find. Pale straw in color, this wine has very pleasant aromas of light honeysuckle, lemon citrus and almond husk. You just want to keep on sipping to experience the creamy and silky mouthfeel. The citrusy flavors are soft and elegant, yet balanced with a crisp, clean finish. This wine was just excellent and very enjoyable.
Both wines retail for under $25/bottle and are very much worth searching for. If you can't find them in your local store, visit their online store to have some shipped to you!
Incredible ECO-WINES and Oregon Certified Sustainable wine from Amity Vineyards
There are a few places on earth that simply recharge your soul. Amity Vineyards is one of these places for me. Yes, my happy place--one might even say heaven on earth. For me, absolutely nothing beats sitting at the top of the vineyard at the picnic table enjoying one of the best glasses...oh, okay...bottles of wine ever made while soaking up the view below.
Amity owner, Myron Redford, has been an environmental activist and proponent for sustainable winemaking and organic farming far before it was fashionable to do so. A founding member of the LIVE program, Myron and his wife Vikki’s commitment to sustainability is something that they hope is translated in their wines. And it is.
Amity began producing ECO-WINES in 1991 with the release of Oregon's first organic, sulfite-free Pinot Noir. Since then, Amity has been adding more and more organic wines to their ECO-WINE label. Here are their current offerings:
2007 ECO-WINE Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The 2007 Eco-Wine® Pinot Noir has a pleasant aroma of berries and red fruits, predominantly cherry and cranberry, with a hint of spice and vanilla. In mouth it is smooth with a long pleasant finish. It is ideal for pastas, black beans, fish, chicken and picnic fare.April Sale: Reg. $20.00 Now $16.00 bottle $192.00 case
2008 ECO-WINE Marechal Foch Organic
The 2008 ECO Pinot Blanc from Stater Vineyards shows aromas pineapple, stone fruits & mineral notes. On the palate the wine combines bright acidity and a round mouth feel with flavors of nectarines and pineapple. This is a wonderful wine to enjoy during the warm summer months with grilled white fish and seasonal green salads. April Sale: Reg. $15.00 Now $12.00 bottle $144.00 case
In addition to the ECO-WINE label, ALL of Amity's wines are Oregon Certified Sustainable and bear the logo on their bottles:
2008 Amity Vineyards Auxerrois
2008 Amity Vineyards Crannell Pinot Noir
2008 Amity Vineyards Croft Pinot Noir
2008 Amity Vineyards Crown Jewel Reserve Chardonnay
2008 Amity Vineyards Estate Dry Riesling
2008 Amity Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir
2008 Amity Vineyards Willamette Valley Gewurztraminer
2008 Amity Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc
2008 Amity Vineyards Willamette Valley Riesling
2008 Amity Vineyards Sunnyside Pinot noir
To help celebrate Earth Day's 40th anniversary this year, Myron and the staff at Amity are offering all of their ECO-WINE at a special discount price--throughout the entire month of April. I would heartily recommend you visit Amity's website and take advantage of their big sale today!
Amity owner, Myron Redford, has been an environmental activist and proponent for sustainable winemaking and organic farming far before it was fashionable to do so. A founding member of the LIVE program, Myron and his wife Vikki’s commitment to sustainability is something that they hope is translated in their wines. And it is.
Amity began producing ECO-WINES in 1991 with the release of Oregon's first organic, sulfite-free Pinot Noir. Since then, Amity has been adding more and more organic wines to their ECO-WINE label. Here are their current offerings:
2007 ECO-WINE Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The 2007 Eco-Wine® Pinot Noir has a pleasant aroma of berries and red fruits, predominantly cherry and cranberry, with a hint of spice and vanilla. In mouth it is smooth with a long pleasant finish. It is ideal for pastas, black beans, fish, chicken and picnic fare.April Sale: Reg. $20.00 Now $16.00 bottle $192.00 case
2008 ECO-WINE Marechal Foch Organic
The 2008 ECO Pinot Blanc from Stater Vineyards shows aromas pineapple, stone fruits & mineral notes. On the palate the wine combines bright acidity and a round mouth feel with flavors of nectarines and pineapple. This is a wonderful wine to enjoy during the warm summer months with grilled white fish and seasonal green salads. April Sale: Reg. $15.00 Now $12.00 bottle $144.00 case
In addition to the ECO-WINE label, ALL of Amity's wines are Oregon Certified Sustainable and bear the logo on their bottles:
2008 Amity Vineyards Auxerrois
2008 Amity Vineyards Crannell Pinot Noir
2008 Amity Vineyards Croft Pinot Noir
2008 Amity Vineyards Crown Jewel Reserve Chardonnay
2008 Amity Vineyards Estate Dry Riesling
2008 Amity Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir
2008 Amity Vineyards Willamette Valley Gewurztraminer
2008 Amity Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc
2008 Amity Vineyards Willamette Valley Riesling
2008 Amity Vineyards Sunnyside Pinot noir
To help celebrate Earth Day's 40th anniversary this year, Myron and the staff at Amity are offering all of their ECO-WINE at a special discount price--throughout the entire month of April. I would heartily recommend you visit Amity's website and take advantage of their big sale today!
C'mon everyone--let's get Naked...(wine that is)
Last night, I was fortunate to try a great organic Riesling from Snoqualmie Vineyards in Washington State. The 2008 Naked Riesling was fantastic with deep apricot and sweet tangerine flavors that finished with a nice touch of honey and papaya. At around $12 this bottle was a steal--especially for an organically farmed and produced wine.
Snoqualmie has been a leader in sustainable farming and vineyard management in the Columbia Valley for years. In fact, Snoqualmie was one of the first Washington wineries to make wines from USDA-certified organically grown grapes at their very own certified organic winemaking facility in Prosser, WA.
Snoqualmie has a vineyard sustainability program that is in place in each of the winery’s vineyards and currently focuses on three main areas: (1) Viticulture, (2) Pest, Soil & Plants and finally (3) Water Management. Keeping on top of all these areas allows the fine folks at the winery to focus on crafting the best wines possible with excellent grapes and little intervention or processing. I think you will agree that their wines are very nice indeed.
While all of Snoqualmie's wines are made with minimal intervention, the grapes used in the Naked wine series are farmed as "au naturel" as possible. "Naked" is made with certified organically grown grapes in a certified organic facility. The winery has been making the Naked series since 2003.
As great wines should be recognized--it seems only fair that Snoqualmie wines received seven Best Buy designations in the March 2010 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Here is what the magazine had to say about the following releases from Snoqualmie:
2008 Naked Riesling: 90 points Best Buy
2007 Columbia Valley Merlot: 87 points Best Buy
2007 Naked Merlot: 87 points Best Buy
2007 Whistlestop Red: 85 points Best Buy
2008 Columbia Valley Chardonnay: 88 Points Best Buy
2008 Naked Chardonnay: 87 points Best Buy
2008 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc: 86 points Best Buy
Snoqualmie wines are readily available at most local wine shops. If you are unable to find the Naked wines in your favorite store, don't be afraid to ask for them. I promise they'll only giggle a little. You may also order them online by clicking here. Enjoy!
Snoqualmie has been a leader in sustainable farming and vineyard management in the Columbia Valley for years. In fact, Snoqualmie was one of the first Washington wineries to make wines from USDA-certified organically grown grapes at their very own certified organic winemaking facility in Prosser, WA.
Snoqualmie has a vineyard sustainability program that is in place in each of the winery’s vineyards and currently focuses on three main areas: (1) Viticulture, (2) Pest, Soil & Plants and finally (3) Water Management. Keeping on top of all these areas allows the fine folks at the winery to focus on crafting the best wines possible with excellent grapes and little intervention or processing. I think you will agree that their wines are very nice indeed.
While all of Snoqualmie's wines are made with minimal intervention, the grapes used in the Naked wine series are farmed as "au naturel" as possible. "Naked" is made with certified organically grown grapes in a certified organic facility. The winery has been making the Naked series since 2003.
As great wines should be recognized--it seems only fair that Snoqualmie wines received seven Best Buy designations in the March 2010 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Here is what the magazine had to say about the following releases from Snoqualmie:
2008 Naked Riesling: 90 points Best Buy
2007 Columbia Valley Merlot: 87 points Best Buy
2007 Naked Merlot: 87 points Best Buy
2007 Whistlestop Red: 85 points Best Buy
2008 Columbia Valley Chardonnay: 88 Points Best Buy
2008 Naked Chardonnay: 87 points Best Buy
2008 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc: 86 points Best Buy
Snoqualmie wines are readily available at most local wine shops. If you are unable to find the Naked wines in your favorite store, don't be afraid to ask for them. I promise they'll only giggle a little. You may also order them online by clicking here. Enjoy!
Reuse that empty wine bottle!
Happy Earth Day! Today, as part of our recycling/earth friendly theme at the Examiner, I thought it would be fitting to showcase some rather ingenious ways to reuse an empty old wine bottle.
The first is obvious, recycle. The old wine bottles of today can become new by simply putting them into your recycling container. The other ideas are a tad bit more creative and fun--be sure to check out the slide show to see some of these ideas in use.
Here in our house, we end up with a lot of empty bottles...it's one of the benefits of the job! To try to do our part to reuse them, we make our own "aqua globes" for watering potted plants. The bottles actually add to the look of the planters...but you can hide them in the foilage as well if you want to. Here are some other recycle ideas for your empties:
The first is obvious, recycle. The old wine bottles of today can become new by simply putting them into your recycling container. The other ideas are a tad bit more creative and fun--be sure to check out the slide show to see some of these ideas in use.
Here in our house, we end up with a lot of empty bottles...it's one of the benefits of the job! To try to do our part to reuse them, we make our own "aqua globes" for watering potted plants. The bottles actually add to the look of the planters...but you can hide them in the foilage as well if you want to. Here are some other recycle ideas for your empties:
- Use the bottle as the base of a candle, adding a hurricane top. A display of several different sized bottle candles can be just gorgeous.
- Use clean empty and de-labeled wine bottles to serve water at your next dinner party. Different colored glass bottles can give a nice effect to your table.
- Carefully place clear or multi-color LED light strands into bottles for decoration. A fun winery we visited had the bottles suspended on a line with the lights inside--very cool indeed! If you are handy, you can carefully drill a hole in the bottom of the bottle to thread the cord through.
- Use various sized bottles for decoration on cabinet tops.
- Different sized bottles work very well as bud vases for single flowers.
- Select some pretty colored bottles and sit them on a window sill. The light shines through them and it's really quite beautiful.
- Fill wine bottles with sand, turn bottles upside down and bury half way into dirt (or put upside down bottles onto dowels) to line a garden bed.
- Get a large quantity of olive oil, pour it into large jars, sprigs of your favorite dried herbs, cover and let sit for a while in a dark place. Whenever there is a gift occasion, strain some oil into a wine bottle, add some dried herbs, cork it and refrigerate--you have a great gift ready to go. (Be very careful when flavoring olive oil with garlic or other food items. There is a very serious risk of botulism, which can be deadly...I recommend staying away from garlic and using only dried herbs--keeping the mixture refrigerated at all times to be safe)
- Buy wicks attached to covers (available at some vineyards) to turn your old wine bottle into a lantern using lamp oil. These are very pretty.
- If you have artistic talent you could paint vines or flowers and vines on used bottles and give the bottles as gifts--they do make great vases.
- Fill bottles with marbles or sea glass and put them in windows. They're beautiful.
- Another great use for wine bottles is using them for bath salts that you make. You can purchase the plain, non scented salts at any craft store and add what ever fragrance you'd like to them. You can find the various fragrance oils needed at the craft store also. Add a cute "stopper", place a ribbon around the bottle and you've got great and inexpensive gifts.
- Fill the bottles with homemade flavored vinegar. First decide which vinegar variety you'll use. Next place any fresh herb you'd like in a large container (not the bottles at this point) and pour your vinegar over the herbs, covering them completely. Store the container in the fridge for about 2 weeks. Once the time period is up, strain the liquid/herbs through cheesecloth, then add to bottles. A quicker way is to bring the vinegar to a simmer before pouring over herbs. It'll help bring out a deeper "flavor". Be sure to keep both mixtures refrigerated, even after transferring to the bottles.
- Empty wine bottles can be used for almost any dry household ingredient such as coffee creamer, sugar, dry dishwasher crystals, bubble bath and even rice!
These are just a few ways to reuse the empty wine bottles you may have. If you can think of any other ideas, email me at winefromthevine@gmail.com and I'll add them to the list!
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