California Wine Spot

PLACES TO STAY

San Ysidro Ranch
900 San Ysidro Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
Phone: 805-565-1700 • Fax: 805-565-1995

A Montecito morning at the San Ysidro Ranch is beyond special. It is heaven. Bird song and ancient oaks and vistas of Santa Barbara’s lovely mountains dotted with chaparral greet you as the fire crackles in
your cozy cottage, one of 40 on this historic, century-old property.Those in the know understand that while other Santa Barbara resorts may be nearer the ocean, none can compare to San Ysidro Ranch’s 500 acres in the heart of one of California’s most beautiful and exclusive enclaves between the mountains and the sea. And when the beaches are locked in fog, poolside at the Ranch guests are often warmed by the sun.

With Montecito Village just down the road, Santa Barbara’s world famous wine country within an hour’s drive and first-rate golf minutes away, the Ranch is sitting pretty. A recent $150 million renovation adds to the charm of its already enchanting character.

Each cottage has its own delightful décor, each bend in the 17 miles of pathways its own secrets and surprises. History is alive here not only in the Stonehouse Restaurant, originally a 19th century citrus packing house, but also in the guest list. John and Jackie Kennedy honeymooned here, and Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh were married on the grounds. And who knows what proposals, of romance or megabusiness, have been made by guests of fortune and fame then and now?

Among their number are family pets (their paw prints go in the guestbook) who can vouch for the Ranch's warm welcome and “Five Dog Bone Award” from Animal Fair magazine. Enclosed cottage porches are pooch friendly, and what a wonderland for “walkies!” And for wine. And for so much more. Welcome to heaven at San Ysidro!

Email: sanysidro@rosewoodhotels.com
website: www.sanysidroranch.com

A Recipe from Bargetto Winery - Perfect for Company

Cod with Summer Sauce                                                                                                                (Serves 4 colorful portions)

Michael Weller, a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, is a consulting chef to Bargetto Winery. He works in the San Francisco Bay Area as a pastry chef. “Pinot Grigio has become Bargetto Winery’s
most popular wine. Perhaps this is because of Pinot Grigio’s versatility. It makes a perfect refreshment wine to be enjoyed before dinner, light and fruity. It makes a wonderful accompaniment with hors d’oeuvres, picnic lunches or fish dishes….”

Ingredients:
2 cups clam juice
1 cup Bargetto Pinot Grigio
1 T. shallots, finely minced
1 T. canola oil
(4) 6 oz. ling cod fillets (or other tender white fish like catfish, sea bass, or halibut)
2 T. chilled unsalted butter, cut into four pieces
3/4 cup diced mango
1/2 cup diced tomato
1 T. chopped Italian parsley
2 T. extra virgin olive oil

Procedure:
1. Get out lots of pots. Company is always impressed when you have almost all your burners going.
2. Now relax and open up a bottle of Bargetto Pinot Grigio. This is going to be an easy recipe.
3. Put the clam juice in a pot and turn on the heat. All we are going to do with this is reduce it by half, but the steam will make it look like you are working really hard.
4. Put the cup of Pinot Grigio and the shallots in another pan and turn on the heat; again we are just reducing by half.
5. Check the pots and stir as often as you need to keep up the show, but you do not actually need to do anything except wait for the liquids to be half gone.
6. Now comes the only point where you have to actually cook. Heat up the canola oil in a sauté pan.     7. Season the cod fillets with salt and pepper, and cook them for however long it takes until they are done. It took four minutes per side for my thick ling cod; your mileage may vary. Hold the fish in a warm place for the two minutes it will take to finish the recipe.
8. Combine the reduced wine and the reduced clam stock.
9. Whisk in the cold butter until it melts.
10. Remove sauce from heat, stir in the mango, tomato and parsley.
11. Put the fish on a plate, spoon the sauce around it, and drizzle the whole shebang with the olive oil.
12. Done deal; now enjoy the food, the company, and especially the Bargetto Pinot Grigio.

The Only Wine Education That Matters...

The Only Wine Education That Matters…
“Wine” and “education” are two words that seem to go together a lot these days. I wish they didn’t. Why? Because all too often, wrapping a glass of wine up in a cap and gown is intimidating and completely misses the point of the wine experience. In fact, "wine education" can actually get in the way of your personal relationship with wine.

Certainly, there are many interesting areas to uncork about the world of wine. There are different wine regions, types of wine, wine and food pairings – as a field of study, wine can occupy a lifetime.
And there is nothing wrong about wanting to know more about wine, or hoping to understand the winemaking process, or viticutural techniques.

Yet, for the average person who just hopes to enjoy a glass with dinner, or who wants to order a bottle at a restaurant, this aura of “education” around wine is off-putting indeed.

The only real education you actually need when it comes to wine is the education of your palate. That is, your taste buds. And the best route to a diploma there is to make wine a personal adventure of discovery.

The assignment is always the same: try a new wine! By pouring many different kinds of wine, from different places, with and without food, you will soon learn what you like. Then, if you want to find out more, your own interest will shape your degree in wine. And that is an education!

Take TWO and Call Me When You're 100!

Everyone knows that a glass of red wine every day helps protect you from heart diesease.  But researchers have recently discovered that two glasses of wine a day nearly triples the heart-healthy benefits!  You'll also help lower your risk for diabetes and you could cut your risk for Alzheimer's by a whopping 30%

Source: Reader's Digest Medical Report

The Greatest Gift!

TO YOUR HEALTH
THE GREATEST GIFT
Sometimes, the greatest gift you can give to yourself is so simple, it’s complicated…. What is that gift?

It has to do with a glass of wine. It’s about sitting down for a few minutes to just savor aromas and flavors and textures. And the moment.

The greatest gift is allowing yourself to say, “Time out!” It’s giving yourself permission … to … just … stop. To relax. To breathe deeply.

With a glass of Pinot Noir, you’ll breathe in aromas of raspberries. With Cabernet, maybe cherries. Chardonnay can serve up the tropics with pineapple and mango. Every wine says “hello” in its own way. Sitting back and listening is a luxury you can’t afford to miss…

Hundreds of scientific studies have shown dozens of benefits coming from a glass of wine a day. But just the simple act of taking a few minutes to get off the merry-go-round and unstress, with a glass of wine, is a health trip all by itself.

A glass of wine is a gift you can enjoy every day. So, uncork and unplug. Salud to a healthy 2008 with many moments of relaxation!

PLACES TO STAY

South Coast Winery Resort & Spa
34843 Rancho California Road
Temecula, CA 92591
(951) 587-9463

Setting: Southern California’s unique Temecula wine country just 1 hour from San Diego and freeway close to Los Angeles

The Buzz: Affordable luxury “in the vineyards” at one of Temecula’s most popular wineries.

The Experience: South Coast Villas makes it easy to embrace the wine country lifestyle with vineyards at your doorstep and a tasting room full of laughter just a brief walk away.

76 Villas
“Good morning!” has a special ring to it at South Coast Villas, where you’ll pull back the covers and open your patio door onto your very own block of South Coast estate vineyards.  The vines wind through 76 villas on the grounds of South Coast Winery, Temecula’s ultra premium wine resort, and they are just part of this fabulous Southern California wine country experience.

Dream Maker Beds
The villas are arranged in pleasing quartets, but there are no common walls, and your private patio gives you a front row seat to enjoy life among the vines.  Amenities include a fireplace, a complimentary bottle of South Coast wine, “his and her robes”, a spa tub, and a bed that is the culmination of nine prototypes as South Coast searched for the perfect dream maker.  It exceeds all expectations.

Go Out…Or Not
Located at the center of Temecula’s burgeoning winery scene, you will be perfectly situated to tour, taste and relax at will.  Whether you decide to visit other wineries or simply revel in the on-site delights of South Coast Winery, the choice is yours.

220 Awards in 3 Years
Just a few minutes’ walk through the vineyards brings you to South Coast Winery where you can enjoy complimentary tastings of its outstanding wines. 

Don’t Miss the Spa!
On the walk home, be sure to stop by the three-story, 11,000 sq. ft. GrapeSeed Spa for a “Champagne Facial” or “Monticelli Mudwrap.”  Then, finish up with a glass of wine on the spa terrace overlooking Mount Palomar.  Or, take a dip in the pool and soak up some Southern California sun in your oversized chaise lounge.

Your Table Is Ready
As evening falls, the hum of crickets is matched by the sigh of a breeze through the vines as the sky prepares a typically spectacular Temecula sunset.  Don’t want to drive somewhere for dinner?  Don’t have to.  Just walk over to the winery where the staff of the Vineyard Rose restaurant will see to your every desire.  That is wine country living, South Coast style!

An Italian Favorite from Mount Palomar Winery

“This Italian recipe is the perfect match for our Super Tuscan red,” says winemaker Etienne Cowper.  “The creaminess of the Risotto nicely offsets the layers of complexity in this wine blend.”

Risotto
(serves 6)

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups dark Mount Palomar Super Tuscan Red
2-1/2 cups Arborio or Carnarolli Rice
½ cup finely chopped shallots
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano, if available)
3 T extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Heat chicken broth until hot, but not boiling. Maintain the heat on low. In another large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. Sauté shallots until softened, about three minutes. Add rice and stir making sure that the rice is well coated with the oil and onion mix. Cook rice grains until they become translucent, but not browned.

Add ½ cup of red wine and stir while cooking for 2-3 minutes. Begin adding hot broth, a soup ladle at a time, and continue stirring until absorbed before adding more broth. Alternate adding wine in place of broth, about two times broth to one time wine – keep stirring! Make the final several liquid additions using only the Super Tuscan Red. When finished, the rice should be creamy and tender, but slightly firm, it takes about 30 minutes. At finish, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and just enough broth to keep moist and creamy, if needed. Remove from pan to serving bowl, and stir in parmesan cheese, saving a bit to sprinkle on top of the individual servings.

www.mountpalomar.com

La Famiglia Winery Spotlights Italian Wines in Dry Creek Valley

Name:  La Famiglia Winery

Location: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County

Owners:  Steve and Bruce Cousins, Bob Fruguli

Winemakers: Jessica Disney Boone; Jeff Gaffner, Consultant

Established: 1994

Annual Cases Produced:  15,000

website:  www.lafamigliawines.com

"La Famiglia” is a name that easily evokes a beautiful image of a family gathered around the dinner table. The sounds of laughter mix with the clink of wine glasses raised in a toast. This is family, and this is the idea behind La Famiglia, as conceived by Robert Mondavi, a winery making fine Italian wines to be enjoyed by his famiglia and poured with pride.

When Robert Mondavi Winery and its subsidiaries were purchased by Constellation Brands, Steve and Bruce Cousins and Bob Frugali of Armida Winery seized the opportunity to buy La Famiglia. “La Famiglia wasn’t a corporate idea. It was Robert Mondavi’s personal project and it was started and nurtured extremely well,” says Steve. La Famiglia could be easily managed inside their existing winery in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley, begun in 1990, and today home of the popular “Poizin”, a killer Zin, as well as a bevy of stunning single-vineyard Zinfandels, Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from renowned Dry Creek, Russian River and Alexander Valley growers. Armida and its tagline, “Italian Roots, California Soil” tips the hat to its three founders’ Italian heritage. With La Famiglia, they can amplify their celebration of Cal-Ital wines.

La Famiglia’s new owners, like Robert Mondavi, share a tradition of home winemaking that predates today’s wineries and served as the root for their current passion. “My grandpa, Ceasar Ciardelli, and his friends made their own wine in their garages. He lived into his 90s,” recalls Steve, “and there are many stories … When I got into the wine business and started to learn about wine in the mid-’70s, I realized grandpa’s wine was pretty bad,” Steve laughs. “So I started to pay attention to what he was doing, and I could see neither he nor his friends had the cleanliness thing down. I told him, hey, your wine could be a lot better. We have this piece of equipment at the winery called a membrane filter … he finally let me
take one of his four barrels to try it out.” Steve grins at the memory. “I emptied the barrel down the drain and re-filled it with Zinfandel. When he tasted the wine, he immediately asked if I would do the same for his other three barrels, and I did this for years! He never knew…” Years later, who can say that grandpa, now gone, doesn’t know the truth and smiles down upon his grandsons and their La Famiglia?

US Moving ON the Wine Trail

According to a study commissioned by VINEXPO, the top international wine competition held in Bordeaux each summer, the U.S. will be the world’s leading wine consumer by 2010. Though our per capita consumption (around 15 bottles per year vs. Italy’s 48) lags far behind other countries, the size of our population accounts for our sales volume. Within three years, the U.S. is on track to consume 3.8 billion bottles of wine and will surpass wine sales in Italy and France. This is an amazing fact considering that
wine has not really become part of our culture in the way that it is for some other countries. Unlike their European counterparts, children in America typically don't grow up seeing wine on the table, or being handed a glass of watered down wine to go along with their dinner. American bars generally serve mostly beer and hard liquor, not so much wine. Nonetheless, our wine consumption is going up, and perhaps we can thank people in their 20s who are one of the fastest growing wine-consuming demographics. Whatever the cause, the result is something to toast tonight, with a glass of wine!

Say Cheese (and Fruit)

When serving wine with cheese at the end of a meal, add fruit or nuts to the cheese plate.  Most cheeses are so salty and/or acidic that a successful wine-and-cheese pairing is difficult; however, something sweet will balance their saltiness and acidity and create a "bridge" to the wine, making the overall pairing more harmonious.  Some sliced fresh figs, ripe pears or plums, berries, glazed walnuts, and roasted almonds are all possibilities.  In Spain and France, fruit pastes like quince paste and dense tortes made of dried fruits and honey are also very popular and work wonderfully with wine.  These can be found today in most good cheese shops.

source - www.pageaday.com