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Fetzer and Falafel on a Friday

April 12, 2013

It’s Friday.

I picked up a bottle of Fetzer.

I got me a Falafel wrap.

Let’s have some Fun…

To the left of the Fetzer 2011 Shaly Loam Gewurztraminer, you will find a bomb ass Delux Falafel Wrap from Morgan Hill’s own Mr. Falafel. You could come to Morgan Hill to get the wrap, but you’ll find the wine EVERYWHERE… or at least Trader Joe’s.

Color: The wine is what I like to refer to as apple juice yellow. You will see a few bubbles in the glass. You will notice them more as you taste the wine.

Nose: Nice, subtle peach and mineral on the nose. Not overly complex, but enjoyable.

Taste: The bubbly frizzante action gives a fun, dancing component to the acidity and minerality. There’s a nice hit of lemon and peach fruit to go along with some residual sweetness.

Score: At $7, this wine will not change your life, but it is quite enjoyable. A solid 87.

With Food: I like my hearty, crunchy Falafels with a lot of heat. I always order them spicy. The acid on this wine takes the heat from the wrap on a fun little ride. The sweetness gives a cooling effect, so you are never overwhelmed by the heat. This is a mad dope pairing. That’s a good thing.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags:2011, Falafel, Fetzer, Food and Wine Pairing, Gewurztraminer, Morgan Hill, Mr. Falafel, Shaly Loam
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Napa at Night… And the Morning After

April 9, 2013

After a great AM and PM of tasting in the Napa Valley last Wednesday, Kara and I checked into our room at the River Terrace Inn along the Napa River.

We had a dinner reservation downtown set for 8:00, and had a little time to kill, so we took a seat at the wine bar in the lounge to have a glass before walking over to the restaurant…

I nice glass of Franciscan Merlot in the lounge. You know that I’m a fan of Franciscan.

After we finished our drink, we headed over to Morimoto Napa to have some Iron Chef quality Japanese food.

This is a super tasty Shochu cocktail. I love Shochu.

Here’s some dope Hamachi Tacos.

A BIG Green Salad

Here’s a little of everything… Wagyu Beef, Soft Shell Crab Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Spicy Tuna, and Spicy Salmon.

After an amazing dinner, we had a quick cocktail at Fagiani’s Bar…

Gin Martini

Before leaving Napa the next morning, we hit up the legendary Napa Valley Biscuits…

For a hot cup of coffee…

And a big ol’ plate of Chicken and Waffles.

Yum!

Thanks for the great time, Napa. You know we’ll be back soon.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags:Downtown, Fagiani's Bar, Morimoto Napa, Napa, Napa Valley, Napa Valley Biscuits, River Terrace Inn
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Sunday Night Merlot

April 7, 2013

While shopping, Kara suggested that we pick up some wine for Sunday dinner.

I was all, “Sounds good to me.”

I found this one at Trader Joe’s for five bucks…

Trader Joe’s 2011 Grower’s Reserve Merlot

I’ve always been a fan of these Trader Joe’s wines. They almost always bring some good juice at a good value. What made the sale for me was that this wine is certified organic.

Now let’s see what it has to offer…

Color: Dark ruby red.

Nose: This nose is quite complex. Blackberry and plum fruits. Green pepper. There’s a nice minerality, and even a hint of some Sprite soda.

Taste: For five bucks, I was surprised by the density and richness of the palate. Cranberry and blackberry fruits give way to a long acidity, and… yes… black olive.

Score: Another quality wine at a good price from Trader Joe’s. Pick it up. 87+

While I was putting together my tasting notes, Kara made a nice, light, Sunday meal…

Mixed Green Salad w/ Lemon Vinaigrette

Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic, and Basil. Put ’em on a nice crostini, and you’re good to go.

The Merlot and Tomato Crostini paired together quite nicely. The tomatoes brought out a sense of fresh berries in the wine.

Not a bad wine.

Not a bad meal.

Not a bad way to spend a Sunday night.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags:Food and Wine, Mixed Green Salad, Organic, Roasted Tomato Crostini, Trader Joe's 2011 Grower's Reserve Merlot
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Chowder

March 14, 2013

Sometimes, you just want some clam chowder…

Chowder

I’ve been eying these samples from Smith-Madrone, and decided to try one with the soup.

Smith-Madrone 2011 Riesling

Founded in 1971, Smith-Madrone only makes wine from their Spring Mountain District estate vineyards. The 2011 Riesling rolls in at 12.6% alcohol, and has just a touch of residual sugar (0.70%). The wine costs $27.

Color: Pale yellow with a golden tint to it.

Nose: There are massive amounts of green apples on this nose. There’s a good balance of lemon and minerals with a hint of peach skin.

Taste: In spite of the touch of residual sugar, this wine is quite dry. This wine has big acidity on the palate. Green apples are the core of this wine. Flavors of lychee, apple skin, lemon, lime, petrol, and rubber balls play very well together.

Score: This is a pretty tasty wine. I’m giving it an 89.

Let’s try it with the soup…

Clam Chowder with Crusty Bread and Sriracha

Originally, I was thinking about drinking a Chardonnay with the clam chowder. I figured the creaminess of the soup would work well with the creaminess of the Chardonnay. Now here’s the crazy thing… When I tried the soup with the wine, the acid of the Riesling played well with the fat in the chowder. What I’m left with is a really nice flavor of creamy lemon custard. Essentially, the chowder made the Riesling taste like a Chardonnay!

Riesling and clam chowder… What a great pair!

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags:Clam Chowder, Food and Wine, Napa Valley, Smith-Madrone 2011 Riesling, Spring Mountain District
Posted in Food and Wine | 2 Comments »

It’s Saturday. Why not celebrate?

March 12, 2013

Saturday night, Kara and I just had a hankering for sushi. We’ve been fans of CreAsian in Morgan Hill for a while, but recently learned that their corkage fee for wine is only 8 bucks.

I’ve been meaning to do a sparkling wine and sushi pairing for a while, so we picked this up at Trader Joe’s just before we hit up the restaurant…

Domaine Chandon NV Brut Classic

It’s funny… you know…

Domaine Chandon makes a solid California sparkling wine at $15. Great lemon and mineral characteristics. Festive and lively color and effervescence.

But…

At the end of the day, it’s just a $15 wine.

And yet…

When you walk into a restaurant with a bottle of sparkling wine, heads turn.

The family sitting next to us mentioned that we must be important people if we were rolling into the place with “Champagne”.

Our waitress asked us if we were celebrating anything special.

I told her that of course we were… “It’s Saturday!”

Here’s what we ate…

Seaweed Salad

Sashimi Tacos… A must!

From Kara to Jeff… Lemon Drop, Fuji Mountain, and Godzilla Rolls.

The truth is, as food-friendly as sparkling wine is… as good a job as these wines do with elevating the already sky-high flavors of sushi… and with as many good-quality California sparklers as there are in the 10 to 20 dollar range…

Why wouldn’t you drink sparkling wine more often?

Let’s all celebrate Saturdays more often.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

What’s your favorite sparkling wine and food pairing? What’s your favorite sparkling wine in the 10 to 20 dollar range? Leave a comment, and tell us about it.

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Tags:Brut Classic, Celebration, CreAsian, Domaine Chandon, Sparkling Wine, Sushi
Posted in Food and Wine | 5 Comments »

Bites and Bellies Full

March 4, 2013

This past Sunday, the Morgan Hill Downtown Association presented the first ever Bites of Morgan Hill. The event was put together as an effort to give exposure to many of the fantastic restaurants along Monterey St. in Downtown Morgan Hill. For $40, participants were given a ticket book and a map to guide you to 11 different restaurants. In exchange for a ticket, restaurants would offer you a plate of food, highlighting their culinary style.

Kara and I showed up a little early to the event, so we made a pit stop one of our favorite Mexican restaurants to kill some time…

Margaritas at Sinaloa.

Once the event started, we would only have three hours to visit 11 restaurants. With an average of just over 16 minutes to spend at each restaurants, some would think it impossible to visit all 11 stops. If you thought that I wasn’t going to make it, you don’t know me that well…

1. Chicken Satay with Chili Peanut Sauce and Tempura Green Beans at Upstairs Jazz Café

2. A Hamburger and Grilled Artichoke from Ricatoni’s

3. Fig Brie Puff Pastry and Calamari at Ladera Grill

By the time we arrived at Bubbles Wine Bar, we figured that we were good on time, so we ordered some Sangria to go along with our food.

Sangria at Bubbles

The Sangria was good.

Now back to the food.

4. New York Steak Crostini and Crab Melt at Bubbles Wine Bar

5. Spaghetti Carbonara at Toto Trattoria

6. Steak Salad and Chicken Castroville at Huntington Station

At Rosy’s at the Beach, we had just enough time to order a beer…

A Short Beer

Okay…

More food…

7. Ahi Wonton at Rosy’s at the Beach

8. Fish and Chips from Champs Bar and Grill

9. Pecan Gelato and Fruit Crepe at Grinds Vines and Automobilia Café. Sorry for eating before taking a picture. I was kind of in a food coma at this point.

10. Some Amazing Pear and Gorgonzola Pasta from The Good Fork

11. Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese from BookSmart

What a great event.

Just thinking back on it, my belly is feeling full.

And you thought I couldn’t make it…

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags:Bites of Morgan Hill, BookSmart, Bubbles Wine Bar, Champs Bar and Grill, Grinds Vines Automobilia Cafe, Huntington Station, Ladera Grill, Ricatoni's, Rosy's at the Beach, The Good Fork, Toto Trattoria, Upstairs Jazz Cafe
Posted in Food and Wine | 4 Comments »

Trione with Ceviche Tacos

February 26, 2013

The other night, I was in the mood for something different…

So I made this…

Ceviche Tacos with Swai, Mango, Avocado, Chiles, and Sriracha

I had some more Tasting Room samples from Trione so I cracked them open to see what was doing.

Trione 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

The Trione 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is open-top fermented, and is a blend of three clones (115, 667, and 777). It’s got that light elegance that I really enjoy in a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. There are some really tasty mushroom flavors in this wine. The Ceviche Tacos bring out a nice peppery note in the wine. This is a solid 89 point wine at $35.

Trione 2008 Russian River Valley Syrah

Quite a bit of the Trione 2008 Russian River Valley Syrah is fermented as whole berry clusters in open top fermenters. The Syrah is hand-plunged up to four times a day. This is not your standard warm-climate Syrah. The cool Russian River Valley reels in the sometimes over-extracted fruit. The palate is full of yummy cherries and earthy tobacco. The Ceviche Tacos highlight a plumminess in the wine. At 90 points, this $32 Syrah is well worth it.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

What wine would you pair with Ceviche Tacos? Leave a comment, and let us know.

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Tags:2008 Pinot Noir, 2008 Syrah, Ceviche Taco, Russian River Valley, Sriracha, TastingRoom.com, Trione
Posted in Food and Wine | 1 Comment »

Trione with Pho

February 16, 2013

A few weeks back, the fine folks at Trione Vineyards & Winery contacted me to see if I wanted to sample their wine.

I was all, “Heck yeah!”

Early last week a package from TastingRoom.com arrived at my door. Inside were six 50 ml samples from Trione.

Trione via TastingRoom.com

Surely, when a grand total of 300 ml (less than half a bottle) of wine is placed before you, one could be tempted to taste them all in one sitting. However… with the diversity of styles, I figured it would be a better idea to taste them two at a time.

So…

The other day, Kara came home with a wicked cold.

In the Rad house… when you’re sick… there’s only one cure…

Pho!

While Kara was nursing herself back to health with her Vegetable Pho, I paired my Spicy Beef Pho with the first two wines from the Trione set.

First up…

Trione 2010 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc

The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc was tank-fermented and barrel-aged. It used a mixture of three different yeasts for fermentation, including the South African Alchemy II in order to impart a grassy characteristic. It retails at $23.

Color: Pale. I mean… look at it. It is a Sauvignon Blanc after all.

Nose: Crisp lemon and grapefruit notes to go with a nice minerality.

Palate: There’s a good viscosity to this wine. It is grassy, but not in an over-the-top type of sense. Nice tropical fruit flavors transition into a crisp acidity.

With the Pho: This wine begs for spicy Asian food. The heat from the Pho helps in highlighting some big grapefruit flavors and minerality in the wine.

Score: 89 points for this one. Nerdier than your average Sauvignon Blanc… At 23 bucks, this wine is just interesting enough to make it worth it.

Next up…

Trione 2008 Russian River Valley Chardonnay

These grapes were hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed before transfer to new and used French oak. They used the lees from the previous vintage to get fermentation started. I’m pretty sure that’s the same process that Dave TheVegetarian uses to make bread dough. It retails for $30.

Color: On the pale side of golden-yellow.

Nose: This wine is straight up butterscotch and popcorn. Depending on who you are, this could be a great thing.

Palate: To those of you that love buttery Chardonnays, this is the wine for you. All butter, but not in a goopy sort of way. There’s a nice, crisp green apple frutiness and acidity.

With the Pho: Upon tasting the wine, I was fearful that the pairing would be a disaster. When’s the last time you had Pho with a side of buttered bread? That being said, the wine did not overwhelm the Pho. The soup actually highlighted some surprisingly enjoyable green caramel apple flavors in the wine.

Score: More and more, I find myself seeking out Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. Always balanced. Always complex. Always enjoyable. This wine falls into my wheelhouse. It’s definitely a croud-pleaser, and a solid effort from Trione, but I could find you something just as enjoyable in the $20 range. 88+

Two wines down.

Four to go.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Have you ever had Trione before? What’s your favorite wine and Pho pairing? Who makes your favorite Californina Sauvignon Blanc? What’s your go-to wine region for Chardonnay? Have you ever used TastingRoom.com? Leave a comment, and let us know.

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Tags:2008 Chardonnay, 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, Pho, Russian River Valley, TastingRoom.com, Trione, Wine
Posted in Food and Wine | 5 Comments »

Sushi and Wine for my Valentine

February 15, 2013

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day.

You knew that already.

Did you also know what Kara and I drank to celebrate?

If you followed @JeffIsRad on Twitter, there’s a chance that you did.

For the rest of you, here’s what we had…

Krupp Brothers 2008 Black Bart’s Bride White Wine

This wine was given to us as a wedding gift from Jan and Dr. Jan Krupp of Krupp Brothers and Stagecoach Vineyard way back in 2010. We decided that Valentine’s Day was as good a day as any to break this puppy open and see what it had in store.

So… we took the bottle down to our favorite sushi restaurant, CreAsian, to have a taste…

Here it is. Black Bart’s Bride.

The wine is a blend of 70% Marsanne and 30% Viognier from the L2 and 14B blocks of Stagecoach Vineyard. The wine was barrel fermented on its native yeast, went through 100% natural malolactic fermentation, and was aged sur lie for 9 months in 85% new French oak. It has an awe-inspiring 14.9% alcohol. The Wine Enthusiast gave it a 93. Needless to say, this is a wine geek’s dream (Do you hear that, Wine Geek?).

Color: Super yellow golden straw in color.

Nose: White flowers, honeysuckle, and dried apricots.

Taste: This wine is ridiculously big in its mouthfeel. In spite of its big, oily viscosity, the Bride has a nice, crisp acidity to go with it. The palate is all flowers, honey, petrol, and mineral.

Score: I really like this wine, but I’m not one to slap a 93 on it like the Enthusiast. I’m going 89.

Now…

The write-up in the Wine Enthusiast warns that this wine may be a difficult one to pair with other foods, and I agree…

But…

If it’s gonna work with anything, it’s gotta be Asian.

My feeling was that the oiliness of the fish would bring out secondary flavors of the wine.

Sure enough… as we got into the meal, it’s the crisp acidity that continued to be highlighted in the Bride. It’s that same acidity that helps make the flavors in the food just pop.

Speaking of food…

Here’s what we ate at CreAsian…