Friday Pick Jan. 27, 2012

Pinot

Pin itPlease let me know what you think of this pick by visiting my dumb ass on Google+. It’s Friday which means the weekend is here and it’s time to get your drink on! Okay, it doesn’t actually mean that. But the weekend offers a great opportunity to get together with friends for good conversation [...]

Move over Bordeaux, here comes Zinfandel

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Pin itSommeliers the world over have turned their backs on stocking their cellars with that same old swill from Bordeaux. Forget Burgundy, no one can afford it anyways. Collectors are stocking their cellars with the hottest collectible wine in 2012 — Zinfandel. Zinfandel, known for its aging potential is taking over America’s hearts and minds. [...]

Celebrating this week’s Zinfandel event in SF aka #ZinFest w/ @PortalupiWine

portalupi zin

Pin itJane Portalupi and her winemaker husband, Tim Borges met as kids in northern California over thirty years ago. As grown ups they married and started Portalupi Winery in Healdsburg, California. Tim and Jane set out to craft wines worthy of their Italian heritage yet stay true to their location in Sonoma. I love working [...]

Discovering Priorat: The UNwine region

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Pin it About an hour southwest of Barcelona is Spain’s Priorat wine region. With centuries of history and its proximity to a major city you might expect an experience much like driving to Napa from San Francisco. But upon arriving in Priorat, you’ll discover a unique place that history seems to have forgotten. Immediate impressions [...]

Le Plat Unique (Single Pot Provençal Chicken)

chickenprovencal

Pin it one 4-lb. whole frying chicken finely chopped herbs- thyme, parsley, rosemary, marjoram bay leaf 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 36 unpeeled garlic cloves fresh herbs for the pot- bay leaf, bunch of celery, bunch of parsley, sprigs of marjoram, rosemary, sage and thyme 1 cup dry white wine 10 small white potatoes [...]

Lettuce, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad

photo courtesy of cookinglight.com

Pin it  DRESSING: 1 TBSP finely chopped shallots 1 TSP Dijon mustard 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP fresh orange juice juice from 1 meyer lemon 4 TSP extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper Salad: 2 firm, ripe bosc pears, cored and thinly sliced 1 lb. baby mixed letuce (butter lettuce, arugula, etc.) torn into [...]

A Toast to Champagne INFOGRAPHIC

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Pin itChampagne

Bacon Christmas Tree

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Made in Mexico: 1998 Monte Xanic Cabernet Sauvignon

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Pin it Back in 1987 five friends got together with a vision to create a winery in Mexico that would be at a luxury level, yet be inherently Mexican. Hans, Richard, Eric Manuel and Tomas found a plot of land approximately 300 miles south of San Diego and 30 miles inland from the Pacific at [...]

See How 100 lbs. of Coffee Is Hand Roasted

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Pin itBakas Media partner Pangeo Coffee beans come from some of the most desirable growing regions around the world including Ethiopia and Sumatra. After the beans are picked and read for roasting, they’re sent to Denver, Colorado where each batch is hand roasted by Pangeo Coffee.

My 12 Wines of Christmas

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Pin itEach year everyone comes out with their top 100 wines list. They’re fun to peruse to see who picks what, but honestly how do rank 100 wines? And what’s the criteria that goes into picking them? This year I decided to pick my favorite 12 wines