The Sarah Jane English Newsletter:  39th Edition
March 10, 2001

 

TOP PICKS FOR THE MONTH
(prices vary store to store)

Here are some Ports I just discovered--in time to enjoy fireside this chilly season.   History of Lindemans, Penfolds and of Seppelt:  Dr. Henry John Lindemans, a British Navy Surgeon, planted his first grapevines in 1843.  One of his aims was to educate people to drink and appreciate wine in an effort to curb the drunkenness caused by other spirits of the time.  He also believed wine had medicinal value.  Penfolds was founded by a young English doctor who migrated to Australia 150 years ago.  He studied medicine at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London where he probably met his contemporary.  He believed in the medicinal value of wine and made port and sherry for his patients.  Demand caused the expansion of the vineyard and his eventual transfer from medicine to the wine business.   The Seppelt family settled in the Baross Valley in 1851and purchased the family property now named fr them.  Storage facilities were completed in 1878 and Benno Sepplet laid away a 500-litre barrel (puncheon) of his finest port from that vintage--a ritual practiced years ever since.  Currently, with 9 million litres of maturing fortifieds, he boasts the finest and largest such collection of fine old wine stock.


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NEWS

RYLAND INN’S CRAIG SHELTON TAKES FULL CONTROL:  WHITEHOUSE, NEW JERSEY January 18, 2001- It was announced yesterday that managing partner Craig Shelton now owns 100% interest in The Ryland Inn, a New Jersey landmark.  Mr. Shelton has acquired all business and property interests from his former  partners: Paul L. Ferber and Steven J. Pozycki.  Following a 10 year association, Craig Shelton said: "We wish to thank these gentleman for this opportunity to pursue my life's dream of sole proprietorship of this historic property, and for the past years of their support."   The Ryland Inn, a 200-year-old country manor house, once a stagecoach stop for travelers on route between New York City and Philadelphia, was first opened to the public as a restaurant in 1935.  The Inn was owned and operated for 54 years by the Ryman/Black Family until it was sold to Paul L. Ferber in 1989.  It was a few years later that Craig Shelton became the managing partner.  "I am so pleased and proud that the business will continue in this direction,"  stated former owner, Phyllis Black.   "Throughout the tenure of Craig Shelton, The Ryland Inn has been decorated with countless awards and accolades.   Mr. Shelton, last year's winner of The James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic,  has consistently received the highest ratings from food critics of The New York Times, NJMonthly Magazine, Gourmet Magazine, The Star-Ledger and others.    Shelton states, "I want to thank the people of the great State of New Jersey for their unending support.  I am grateful for, and humbled by, the chance to contribute something personal to the rich legacy of The Ryland Inn.  Our future plans call for gentle and sustained improvement respecting that legacy.  Finally, my wife and I would like to say thank you to this community of wonderful people for making us feel so welcome.  There is no other place we would rather live."  The Ryland Inn is located on Route 22 West in Whitehouse, New Jersey.  Whitehouse is part of Readington Township, which is located 8 miles west of Bridgewater.  The Inn farms its own organic produce in season, on three  of its acres.  If you have not yet had the pleasure of Craig Shelton's superb cooking, deny yourself no longer.  It is one of my favorite restaurants.   Telephone: 908/534-4011

DELILLE CELLARS, Woodenville, WA, has been named Winery of the Year 2000 and winner of the Golden Corkscrew Award by WineToday.com, a New York Times owned website.  One of my favorite wine producers since beginning in 1992, it couldn't happen to nicer wines.  DeLille makes five wines: Chaleur Estate (a red blend), Chaleur Estate Blanc (a white blend), D2 (a second red blend with Merlot focus that's named for the Bordeaux route), Harrison Hill, and Doyenne (featuring Syrah). All of these wines are lovely.  According to the web site writers, "It wasn't easy to select the best winery from the nearly 8,000 wines reviewed.  There was no shortage of superb wine in 2000.  Sifting through hundreds of candidates, we narrowed the list to 10 and DeLille consisently produced wonderful stuff."     Additionaly, Decanter Magazine's Pacific Northwest Top 10 Wine List includes the DeLille Cellars 1998 Chaleur Estate--the only wine to receive the highest five-star rating, and DeLille Cellars 1998 Harrison Hill.  These wines have been remarkable since my very first tasting with Winemaker Chris Upchurch and Greg Lill almost seven years ago!  The wines just keep getting better and better--and so do Chris and Greg!   www.delillecellars.com

Sonoma County Showcase of Wine & Food 2001, a three-day event of wine and food with barrel auction July 12-14, sponsored by Sonoma County Wineries Association, contact 800/939-7666 or sonomawine@com.

"Taste of Terroir" in Sonoma County, Friday, May 11, at Kendall-Jackson Wine Center, located near Santa Roas, CA, contact: 800/535-5670, marie gewirtz at 707/431-2739, msgewirtz@earthlink.net

The 21st Annual Napa Valley Wine Auction "Ode to Napa Valley" June 7- 10, 2001, the world's largest charity wine event, contact: www.napavintners.com

CASTELLO BANFI executive Christina Mariani, the 30-year-old family proprietor of Castello Banfi, has been assembling a team to succeed the estate's founders: her father and uncle, U.S. wine maechants John and Harry Mariani.  "They created something that once seemed unimaginable and were decades ahead of their time.  Our challenge now is to take that one stel further," she says.  Fathers, of course, never the role of counselor, and John Mariani, at 68, remains an active force behind his daughter's daily decisions for the estate.  Her more daunting task is bidding farewell to Ezio Rivella, enologist and long-time friend who engineered the Mariani's dream at Castello Banfi and who retired December 2000.  Ms. Mariani graduated from Washington, DC's Georgetown Univeristy and received her MBA from New York's Columbia University.  She is responsible for global marketing, and will direct the company along with her cousin James Mariani, 35, who is responsible for import activities.

KORBEL CHAMPAGNE CELLARS was named the official sparkler for the Inaugural, the fifth consecutive Presidential Inauguration for KORBEL.

SONOMA MISSION AND SPA has opened a new restaurant.  Loated in the main building of the historic resort, the newly remodeled  Restaurant at Sonoma Mission Inn features an exhibition kitchen and tandoori clay oven.  Chef Toni Robertson and her culinary team combine their talents for this destination for fine dining.  800/862-4945, www.sonomamissioninn.com

KENDALL-JACKSON Winery Offers Interactive Online Wedding Wine Planner:  The cake's been ordered, the bridesmaids dresses selected and the band hired, but how much wine do you need for the reception?    Kendall-Jackson Winery has the answer on the web.  A direct link to the planner can be found on the winery homepage at KJ.com.   "We've noticed an increase in the number of questions about wedding wines nearly every day," said Susan Sueiro, Director of Internet Development for Kendall-Jackson. "The more we talked, the more we realized that wine is often one of the last things people think about when planning a wedding," she added. "In the end, people are grateful for anything that reduces the stress of wedding planning."    Sueiro gathered KJ's culinary and winemaking staffs, sought advice from local wedding planners and devised a simple to use Wedding Wine planner for the website. By providing basic information about the number of guests, menu items, style of the wedding, time of day and related items, the planner suggests wines that pair with the menu, along with suggested amounts of both red and white varietals, along with detailed information about the wines.   CONTACT SUSAN SUEIRO AT SSuerio@kjmail.com or (707) 525-6218, www.kj.com/wedding/

ZACA MESA has named CLAY BROCK Director of Winemaking.

JANET PAGANO, who had served as general manager for STONESTREET since 1998,  has moved to CARDINALE.  The Cardinale Estate in Oakville also serves as home to Lokoya and the soon to be released Atalon wines.  CHRIS CARPENTER has assumed winemaking duties at LOKOYA.

ROBERT MONDAVI has launched a new website: www.robertmondavi.com   Additionally, the Mondavi and Chilean Chadwick families joint venturehas launched a new line of ARBOLEDA wines, joining their other two lines--CALITERRA and SENA.

PEAK WINES INTERNATIONAL (PWI) is once again a producer of the most award winning wines in California.  Two GEYSER PEAK wines, Gewurztraminer and the Sauvignon Blanc, ranked as the most award winning wines in California.  Peak's VENEZIA dominated the Sangiovese category as the most awarded label with 40 medals.   Overall, GEYSER PEAK, acquired 465 medals for 28 wines.   In another instance, LISA and DARYL GROOM received the 2001  Tete de Cuvee Award for their outstandidng achievements in the wine industry and efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle at the Cotes du Coeur International Auction in Dallas.

BONTERRA VINEYARDS, one of the most successful producers of certified organically grown wines, has purchased the historic 378-acre McNab Ranch in Hopland, Mendocino County.  The ranch is certified bio-dynamic and will be the site for a new Bonterra winery.

STERLING VINEYARDS has begun an $7 million renovation of its 30-year-old winery.  It wil be completed this summer, 2001, with all aspects of the public tasting and touring areas modernized.  The aerial tramway and selected portions of the winery tourway will remain open during the remodeling.

ST. CLEMENT VINEYARDS has named Aaron Pott winemaker.    He had been Imports Winemaker with Beringer Wine Estates (BWE) since 1998.   David Schlottman, who had been senior winemaker, will return full-time to his duties as vice president of wine management for BWE.

NORTHSTAR is getting its own home.  Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates has announced it will purchase 30  acres of prime vineyard property in Walla Walla, Washington, and will plant vineyard and begin contruction on a winery and tasting room for its acclaimed Northstar Merlot later this year.


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NEW RELEASES
(quotes are winemakers' comments)

SEBASTIANI has released two new Vineyard Selection wines, wines researched vineyards that the family recognizes for outstanding wines.  Warren Dutton has supplied grapes to Sebastinani since 1985 and the family business relationahip goes back 70 years.  The SEBASTIANI family says this is an exciting time as they return to their roots by concentrating on producing only the best wines from premier vineyards.

KIM CRAWFORD wines follow the tradition of setting high expectations for Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand and believes the same is true for Chardonnays.  Here are two for you to try. 

ROBERT MONDAVI has released offerings from another successful year of production, including selections from ROBERT MONDAVI COASTAL, WOODBRIDGE, DANZANTE, and VICHON MEDITERRANEAN.  The California Cental Coast experienced an exceptionally cool growing season in 1999--one of the longest and latest seen there.   Yields were light and the flavors intense.  The news from Woodbridge is that Harvest 2000 was one of the largest crushes on record--50% above 1999.  Danzante is the newest line of wines from Robert Mondavi's Italian joint venture.

HOGUE CELLARS Winemaker David Forsyth says Columbia Valley riesling and gewurztraminer grapes were in short supply last year.  Whether this fact substantiates Chardonnay competition  no one knows.  "We still believe there's plenty of growth ahead for Chardonnay, especially the crisp, fruity style that we produce at Hogue for $10.  It's hard to find a better example of varietal Chardonnay."  All three wines are delicious with food.

GEYSER PEAK (Peak Wines International, PWI) Winemaker Mick Schroeter has taken the notion of vineyard designation to a new level.  The GEYSER PEAK BLOCK COLLECTION is comprised of wines not just from a single vineyard, but a selection from within a vineyard.   Each vineyard "block" exhibits unique character and true terroir.  First introduced earlier this year, the Block Collection is crafted from a broad spectrum of appellations including Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley, Carneros and Napa.  Prior to release these wines garnered gold medals at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair. 

McDOWELL VALLEY VINEYARDS in Mendocino County has released two new Syrahs.  The finest McDowell Syrah has changed the name from "Estate" to "Reserve." The change, while still an estate wine, permits greater   flexibility with vineyard designated tiers in the future.   The Mendocino Syrah has a new label for greater visibility.  Both are fine examples of Syrah.   Winemaker Bill Crawford is involved in extensive clonal trails of Syrah to determine the  profiles of these clones, site preferences and relative structure in order to blend America's best Syrah.

The Russian River Valley appellation is one of the few in California well suited for growing pinot noir grapes.  KENWOOD released its first Russian River Pinot Noir in 1990.  This 100% Pinot Noir is medium bodied and wonderfully versatile, reflecting the finesse and style that makes this Sonoma County region so noteworthy.

KENWOOD VINEYARDS 1999 Russian River Pinot Noir $17: "versatile, plum and cherry flavors with an enticing floral bouquet, 12 months in newer French oak"

GALLO has an array of wines under its umbrella--some imported and others home grown.  ECCO DOMANI and MASI CANALI are Italian imports while INDIGO HILLS, TURNING LEAF, ANAPAMU and GALLO of SONOMA come from California properties in the Central Coast, North Coast, and individual Sonoma County appellations.   One of my tasting groups tasted all of these wines recently and found that they represented some of the best reasonably priced wines in their cumulative experience.  Enjoy with a wide range of foods.

STONE CREEK 1998 California Merlot $8: Finding any Merlot for $8 is almost a miracle--espeically one as good as this one.  Light bodied, fruity.   Try it.

  CINNABAR attracted alchemists in the 14th century.  They   sought a way to transform base metals into gold or silver and cinnabar was valued for its properties.  As a winemaker, owner Tom Mudd considers himself a modern day alchemist, inspired by his beautiful mountain vineyard and the transformation of rainwater to wine.   European settlers first planted vines in the  Santa Cruz Mountains in the 1800's.  CINNABAR is the last link in a unique series of ridges ideal for growing grapes. The region begins in Woodside and extends south including the old La Questa Vineyard, Ridge Winery's Montebello Vineyards, Mount Eden Vineyards and Cinnabar.   The grape clones for Chardonnay and Cabernet are descended from Corton Charlemagne and Chateau Margaux,  producing small-berry clusters that yield an average of 2.5 tons per acre.    The vineyard is completely hand-picked and dry-farmed.   Tom Mudd designed the state-of-the-art winery, building caves into the hillside to provide natural cooling for barrel storage.  The wines include Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountain Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Central Coast Chardonnay, Central Coast Merlot, and Mercury Rising, a Bordeaux-style red wine.  Founded in 1983, Tom was a senior research engineer at SRI International (Stanford Research Institute), and had 10 years of home grapegrowing and winemaking experience at his one-acre vineyard in Woodside.  He and his wife Melissa Frank started Cinnabar by clearing 23 acres of hillside land.  There are currently 32 acres and George Troquatois the winemaker.
CINNABAR VINEYARDS AND WINERY has an inaugural release of its Reserve Chardonnay (1998) and the current Central Coast Chardonnay (1999).  With a greater percentage of estate fruit, the Reserve carries a California appellation: Bien Nacido Vineyard adds viscosity and Sleepy Hollow offers bright acidity, spice and minerals.  Treatment in the cellar differenciates the two wines.  CINNABAR 1998 Reserve Chardonnay is $35 and the 1999 Central Coast Chardonnay is $17.50.  www.cinnabarwine.com

Dry Creek Vineyard was the first winery established in Dry Creek Valley after Prohibition. David Stare arrived in 1972 when grape-growing in Sonoma County was in total neglect.  Old-timers watched in amazement as he ripped out prune orchards to plant grapevines, thinking he didn't realize that  economic reality had forced scores of wineries to previously close their doors.  Only three producers—Pedroncelli, Frei Brothers, and Fredson–had managed to survive.
But David's pioneering vision--including planting sauvignon blanc--launched a new era of premium wine production in the Dry Creek Valley.  From the  first vintage, his "new style"  Dry Creek Valley wines were  sensational. Dry Creek Vineyard was instrumental in petitioning for legal regional appellation recognition of Dry Creek Valley in 1983.  Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, a 110-member regional organization, was initially headquartered at Stare's winery.

ST. SUPERY VINEYARDS and WINERY released its California Moscato as the first millennial wine of 2000.  Once available only at the tasting room, high demand had Winemaker Michael Scholz increase the production.  His unique style emphasizes aromas and flavors of  ripe peaches and apricotswith notes of tropical fruits and pink grapefruit.  It is clean and crisp and nice for aperitif or dessert.   ST. SUPERY also released its fourth vintage of Meritage wines.  These red and white blends are from Napa Valley and reflect St. Supery's dedication and consistency when top quality grapes are blended in the Bordeaux tradition.  Each label illustration is unique too.  The artist depicts what St. Supery might have looked like had he or she been a saint (There is no St. Supery, the winery is named after Edward St. Supery, the property owner in the early 1900s).  www.stsupery.com

BELVEDERE VINEYARDS and WINERY espouses the philosophy that exceptional wines come from exceptional places; in other words--to coin Belvedere's phrase--"wines inspired by honest land."  In behalf of that belief, BELVEDERE VINEYARDS and WINERY has released five new wines.  Belvedere has spent 15 years seeking out exceptional vineyards, asking the difficult questions again and again. Is the site cool enough to produce interesting flavors? Is it well drained enough to permit the right amount of moisture? Is the soil frugal enough to provide just the minimum of nutrients? And finally, but perhaps most importantly, is it the right site for a given varietal?
Over half of Belvedere's Vineyards are planted on hillsides, many in marginal climates making them more difficult to cultivate. But it is in these places, maintains vineyard director Arthur O'Connor, that grapes achieve their most intense varietal expression. Despite distinct differences among microclimates, all of our vineyards are located within a few miles of the winery in Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley.  The belief is that   proximity to the vineyards means watching the vines daily and picking the grapes at peak flavor. Since the winery is situated near the joining point of three renowned Sonoma appellations, the winemaker can produce wines reflecting several distinct terroirs. www.belvederewines.com

LAKE SONOMA WINERY has released its robust 1997 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $21.   It captures the true varietal character of Alexander Valley with its lush berry and cherry fruit flavors accented by herbal notes.  It's 100%, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon.  Enjoy!

SIGNORELLO VINEYARDS makes limited quantities of premium varietals that blend classic French winemaking characteristics with California fruit.  The style of winemaking is directly tied to its vineyards.    Signorello makes lush, concentrated fruit flavors, and good acid balance in all its  wines. The goal is to have wines with early accessibility, as well as potential to develop additional complexity as they mature.  SIGNORELLO VINEYARDS has introduced its new proprietary white wine blend "Seta."  This barrel fermented blend of 60% Semillon and 40% Sauvignon Blanc is made in the style of a traditional white Graves from Bordeaux.

     STONESTREET was established in 1989 by the Jackson family.  From the beginning, the winery focused its attention on Bordeaux varietals--primarily Cabernet and Merlot--produced from grapes grown along the hillside amd mountain vineyards of Sonoma Couonty's Alexander Valley. Last September the winery celebrated the opening of a new winemaking facility conducted under General Manager Janet Pagano.    The first production was 60,000 cases from Winemaker Mike Westrick who has been at STONESTREET since 1992.  "Our new winery was built for the small lot, high quality winemaking we practice here," he said.  "From the basket press to the small fermentation tanks to the separate temperature controlled fermentation and barrel storage room, this is one of the finest and most efficiently designed wineries in the world."

FOREST GLEN's winemaker Ed Moody has been polishing some new releases.  These wines continue to sell well across this country and it seems Ed has found a way to make wines that are just plain delicious and affordable.

BRANCOTT VINEYARDS in new Zealand has reported another exceptional harvest and 2001 looks to be a worthy successor to 1999, and 2000.   Brancott produces three distinct tiers of wine.  BRANCOTT ESTATE Wines, about $25 each, are crafted  from specific vineyards within Brancott's holdings and reflect the unique terroir of a few premium acres.  They are labeled with large letters, "B," "P," "O" and "R" respectively.  BRANCOTT RESERVE WINES, $16 a bottle, result from vintner selected, perfectly ripened fruit from various prime vineyards chosen by Brancott's senior winemaker, Jeff Clarke.  BRANCOTT VAREITALS, $10 each, are produced from the full range of acreage available to Brancott's winemaking team.  Each wine exhibits the distinctive, fruit forward "zip" and food friendly acid structure for which New Zealand's white wines are known.

CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE and COLUMBIA CREST both  make wines from Columbia Valley, Washington.  The vineyards of Columbia Valley are seated east of the Cascade Mountain range.  Up to 14,000 feet high, the mountains effectively block eastward-moving wet weather systems from the Pacific Ocean, so just six to eight inches of rainfall reach the growing region annually.  If you've never visited Washington state, the mountains divide what seems like two separate parts of the world.   Differences are  dramatic and dynamic.  It's beautiful country on both sides.  

PEAK WINES INTERNATIONAL (PWI) has several new releases.   PEAK WINES INTERNATIONAL (PWI) is once again a producer of the most award winning wines in California.  Two GEYSER PEAK wines, Gewurztraminer and the Ssauvignon Blanc, ranked as the most award winning wines in CAlifornia.  Peak's VENEZIA dominated the Sangiovese category as the most awarded label with 40 medals.   Overall, GEYSER PEAK, acquired 465 medals for 28 wines.  

BEAULIEU VINEYARD, having celebrated its centennial vintage in 2000, is not resting on its laurels--and there are many over the past 100 years!--but striving to meet the challenges of each new vintage.  BEAULIEU produces wines that represent the best of their type according to the growing conditions of the vintage.   In this group there is the first California AVA Syrah, $15, a 1999 vintage.   Though less expensive, it's  very drinkable and in larger production than the limited BEAULIEU 1998 Winemakers Collection Syrah, $25.  Also, 1999 yielded some of Beaulieu's best Pinot Noirs to date, reflecting vintage intensity but also new Dijon clones and viticultural practices--shown in both the Coastal and Carneros bottles.   The 1999 Zinfandel is a "killer" wine--showing the blessings of the mature Beaulieu vineyards in Calistoga and St. Helena.  The 1999 Chardonnays--Carneros and Coastal--show the combination of lower yields and a cool harvest season with unusually brihgt and vivid flavors.  As always, enjoy dirnking BEAULIEU.

MICHEL PICARD says that as the name on the label, the grapes are grown in his family vineyard or with long-standing relationships with local growers, and crafted under his supervision in Burgundy. 

SAN TELMO, celebrated its second vintage in 2000 and the third vintage that involved the U.S. team of "flying winemakers" Greg Fowler and Paul Hobbs.  They feel it takes a couple of years to learn to red mature vineyards and surrounding terroir.  Having accmplished that, they feel they've hit their stride with  Argentian counterpart, Esteban Castel.  The consequent is four delicious and reasonably priced, food friendly wines.

VALLEY OF THE MOON 1999 Chardonnay, Sonoma County $15: "Rich and luscious, this well-balanced, 100% Chardonnay has undertones of green apples and pears and is a delightful accompaniment to spring's lighter fare.      Enjoy with baked sea bass and Pear, Papaya and Mango Salsa (please see below).

ROBERT CRAIG WINE CELLARS has released two new wines: 1999 Russian River Valley, Sonoma Chardonnay and 1998 Affinity. Bob is originally a Texan and worked at The Hess Collection before begining his own winery. These lovely hand-crafted, limited release wines are worth the search.

BARTON $ GUESTIER has been producing wines for 275 years in France; however, B & G is a relative newcomer to the production of varietal wines in Languedoc-Roussillon.  With each vintage, the company's strong grower relations and commitment tog rape quality continues to sculpt B & G varietal wines.  The result is fruit driven wines of good value.  www.bartonguestier.com

CAIN FIVE has introduced its newest CAIN CUVEE, $24.  The blend is 83% 1998 vintage, 17% 1997 vintage.  The grapes are 76% cabernet sauvignon, 7% merlot and 17% cabernet sauvignon.  Winemaker Chris Howell says "This wine is NOT all about big oak and inky, drying tannins.  In Cain Cuvee we look for bright aromas to combine with a mouthwateringly fresh palate and a silky finish.  It's just the thing for today's lighter and spicier dishes.

BECKER VINEYARDS brought me a case of wines representing its total production.  What a treat!  These award-winning Texas wines offered a lovely array of delicious tastings.

CAFARO's View from the Vineyard: Joe Cafaro tells me he's now getting 80% of his grapes from the Cafaro Family Vineyard. "I'm hoping for 90% in a year or two.  The 15-acre hillside vineyard at 500 feet is south of Stags Leap District."  I visited the vineyard with Joe while it was being cleared and readied for planting.   Amazing is the only word for the boulders that the earth-moving machinery turned up--many of them a rounded four by four feet.  The four-year-old, densely planted vines produced 55 tons of grapes last harvest.  "The close  spacing allows us to harvest nearly four tons per acre despite the young age," Joe says.   "We monitor the vines closely throughout the growing season, thinning fruit as necessary to achieve the 6.5 to 7 pounds of fruit per vine we believe is optimum.   Limiting the amount of ripening fruit per vine allows complete grape ripeness and full development of rich, concentrated flavors and aromas."   CafaroCellars is a small winery with a total production of 3,000 cases.  "The limited production allows me a hands-on approach, watching each wine closely helps capture the balance and depth of flavors we hope to achiee with each vintage."


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Kendall-Jackson's Wedding Wine Planner: KENDALL-JACKSON Winery Offers Interactive Online Wedding Wine Planner:  The cake's been ordered, the bridesmaids dresses selected and the band hired, but how much wine do you need for the reception?    Kendall-Jackson Winery has the answer on the web.  A direct link to the planner can be found on the winery homepage at KJ.com.   "We've noticed an increase in the number of questions about wedding wines nearly every day," said Susan Sueiro, Director of Internet Development for Kendall-Jackson. "The more we talked, the more we realized that wine is often one of the last things people think about when planning a wedding," she added. "In the end, people are grateful for anything that reduces the stress of wedding planning."    Sueiro gathered KJ's culinary and winemaking staffs, sought advice from local wedding planners and devised a simple to use Wedding Wine planner for the website. By providing basic information about the number of guests, menu items, style of the wedding, time of day and related items, the planner suggests wines that pair with the menu, along with suggested amounts of both red and white varietals, along with detailed information about the wines.   CONTACT SUSAN SUEIRO AT SSuerio@kjmail.com or (707) 525-6218, www.kj.com/wedding/


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PEAR, PAPAYA and MANGO SALSA with Valley of the Moon Chardonnay

1/4 C  Fresh Pear, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1/4 C  Fresh Mexican Papaya, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1/4 C  Fresh Mango, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1/4 C  Chopped red onion

1 tsp. Minced garlic

1 tsp. Minced ginger

2 tsp. Diced serrano chili

2 T.    Chopped cilantro

1-2 T. Fresh lime juice

  Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for 1 hour.

 


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