AM FOODIE, WILL WINE

[Corkey]

Here's where I'd like your input, what kinds of wines do you like to pair with the foods you eat?
Do you have a favorite vintner? Year?
Do you prefer white to reds? Cabernets to Merlots?

Do you like wine tours, where and would you recommend a wine?


We live in the North Coast wine country where there are ice wines and Late Harvest Rieslings. However we cannot get wines from the internets as there is a government hitch. We can only get wines from other states and countries that have a reciprocal trade with the state. So tell us your experiences with wine and food.

[SecretAgentMa'am]

I'm a firm believer in drinking what you like, not what is supposed to go with whatever you're eating. Which is not to say that some wines don't pair well with some foods.

I have some sort of weird thing that prevents me from drinking reds. I don't know why, but I can drink white all day with no problem. Even one sip of red, though, means a raging hangover the next morning. It kind of sucks.

So, whites only for me. We have a membership in the wine club of Hip Chicks Do Wine, a local, lesbian owned vintner. I'm in love with their Moscato and Vin Nombril (aka "belly button wine"). I also adore Ste Chapelle Soft Chenin Blanc, but they haven't made it since 2007 and I haven't been able to get a bottle for a couple of years. I really miss it.

[Corkey]

I too sometimes will cross the reds and whites, but not often. The heavier reds will give me a massive headache.
We went to several wineries when we were on our honeymoon in Niagara Falls. The best by far was the Inniskillin winery. There was a Pinot Gris that was to die for, alas we now need passports to get that particular wine. But their ice wine was delicious, it won an international medal for the first year it came out. Sadly we are not independently wealthy to afford that one.

[miss entycing]

the Merlot is exquisite... highly reccomend a bottle of 2007.
fabulous with a nice prime rib... even more decadent paired with dark chocolate.
:)
http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad34/entycingfemme/tumblr_l6eaao2GFC1qaw2a9o1_500.jpg

i had the pleasure of touring Stone Hill Winery while rolling thru Missouri-
i cannot remember what the name was, but they have a Pinot to die for,
and a champagne that was exquisite-
will get the names, and come back in!
:)

[Corkey]

the Merlot is exquisite... highly reccomend a bottle of 2007.
fabulous with a nice prime rib... even more decadent paired with dark chocolate.
:)
http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad34/entycingfemme/tumblr_l6eaao2GFC1qaw2a9o1_500.jpg

i had the pleasure of touring Stone Hill Winery while rolling thru Missouri-
i cannot remember what the name was, but they have a Pinot to die for,
and a champagne that was exquisite-
will get the names, and come back in!
:)

Who is the Vintner? OOps just saw the bottom LOL

[Corkey]

Well, tonight I had pan seared salmon, which was supposed to be last nights dinner but it hadn't thawed out yet. So anyway, salmon with caper linguini alfredo. The wine we picked out Saturday from a small road side stand that has it's license with a major winery in the area. It was Arrowhead Riesling and it is perfect with the salmon. The lady at the little store wanted us to stay and talk and wine taste all day. She was nonplused when I told her she got the pronoun right the first time. Ami and she talked knitting and the lady and I talked golf and wineries. It was fun. Had to return for some apple spiced wine to mull. Sometimes it's the people in small towns and rural areas that are the nicest folks and don't really care who you are.

[SecretAgentMa'am]

I spent a good two hours today braving the crowds at the most popular grocery store in town. I hate shopping in crowded stores, but it had to be done, I've been cooking out of pantry supplies for weeks. As a reward, tonight's dinner is Chicken and 40 Cloves with mashed potatoes and gravy. I think we're going to have Hip Chicks Do Wine Pinot Grigio with it. I usually go for very sweet wines, but the tartness of the Pinot Grigio is perfect with all that garlic.

[Corkey]

40 Cloves my gut thats enough garlic to send me to the hospital LOL. Definitely the acid is needed good choice!

[SecretAgentMa'am]

It's actually not a very acidic dish. The garlic is cooked whole with the chicken, so it gets baked in olive oil and pan juices for over an hour. When it's done, it's all soft and sweet and perfect for smearing all over crusty bread. Like roasted garlic, only it's all peeled first.

BTW, this is how I peeled all that garlic. It totally works! 3 heads of garlic all peeled and ready to go in the pan in under a minute.

0d3oc24fD-c

[Corkey]

It's actually not a very acidic dish. The garlic is cooked whole with the chicken, so it gets baked in olive oil and pan juices for over an hour. When it's done, it's all soft and sweet and perfect for smearing all over crusty bread. Like roasted garlic, only it's all peeled first.

BTW, this is how I peeled all that garlic. It totally works! 3 heads of garlic all peeled and ready to go in the pan in under a minute.

0d3oc24fD-c



Well I'll be damned, that a new one on me. Next time I ned to cook that much garlic (for others, serious garlic and onions allergy) I'll remember that trick.

[SecretAgentMa'am]

Oh man, I'm so glad that's not included in my long list of allergies. I buy garlic and onions in bulk. We go through them like whoa.

[Corkey]

When Ami gets to cooking her Italian food I sometimes have to leave the house, onto the porch, and get my eyes rinsed out LOL, she will use a whole head of garlic and an entire onion for one dish. Yea its like a garlic infused home we have.

[SecretAgentMa'am]

Before I learned the bowl trick, it was not uncommon for my hands to still smell of garlic the next morning. If I was making enough Italian to use a whole head of garlic, that would also mean 3-4 onions, at least.

[Corkey]

Before I learned the bowl trick, it was not uncommon for my hands to still smell of garlic the next morning. If I was making enough Italian to use a whole head of garlic, that would also mean 3-4 onions, at least.

Lemon juice for the hands, works for onions too, but not for chilies

[SecretAgentMa'am]

Lemon juice helps, but doesn't get rid of the smell completely if I've handled more than a couple of cloves. I keep a box of latex gloves in the kitchen for handling any kind of hot peppers.

[Corkey]

I use gloves but not laytex, they are talc free too.

[*Anya*]

It's actually not a very acidic dish. The garlic is cooked whole with the chicken, so it gets baked in olive oil and pan juices for over an hour. When it's done, it's all soft and sweet and perfect for smearing all over crusty bread. Like roasted garlic, only it's all peeled first.

BTW, this is how I peeled all that garlic. It totally works! 3 heads of garlic all peeled and ready to go in the pan in under a minute.

0d3oc24fD-c

Awesome! Can't believe I have been peeling them one @ a time all of these years!

Thanks!

[Spanky]

This is probably a no brainer... but years ago a friend introduced me to port wine... a good port paired with a high quality dark chocolate is a oral experience like no other... important to get the chocolate melting into the port in your mouth.