Remember how awesome birthdays were when you were a kid?
Do you really remember the feeling?
Do you remember thinking your birthday was a holiday?
Do you remember thinking that there were no rules that applied to you?
I do.
The older I get (and I know you feel the same way), the less important I know my birthday is in the grand scheme of things. I don’t really bother to set up birthday parties for myself anymore. I don’t really care to plant the seed in people’s minds when my birthday comes near.
If you know it’s my birthday, and you wish me a happy one… cool.
If you had no clue, and you treated me the way you always do… cool too.
At the end of this day… my birthday… I’m still the same person I was yesterday (and will be tomorrow).
So…
There is a neat little side effect of the explosion of social media.
Everyone knows when it’s your birthday. Everyone.
I was very stoked by how many people took time out of their day to send me well wishes on my Facebook wall today. It took each of them a matter of seconds, but it made my day. So to all my friends who I have not yet thanked directly, you will be hearing from me soon. I love you all.
As a birthday treat, Kara took me over to my favorite sushi restaurant (CreAsian). Here are a few highlights from tonight…
Hot miso soup and cold Yaegaki Sake.
The Yaegaki Sake was served slightly chilled. The color was clear as the dickens. The wine was full-bodied with that caramel flavor that drives me bananas.
Kara and I shared some dope Sashimi Tacos. Sweet. Sour. Umami. Oh mommy!
As far as birthday meals go, this was the happiest.
If only I had something to eat for dessert…
Good thing I'm a teacher... I was hearing "Happy birthday Mr. Solomon!" all day long. Kool-Aid and Reese's make the perfect nighttime snack.
After my run today, I had to swing by Target to pick up some stuff…
Then it hit me…
I should to do a Target wine tasting!
Target has an okay wine section. It’s slightly bigger than Wal-Mart’s, but with a few higher priced wines.
Since it’s a Wednesday (and I ain’t about to lay down the big bucks on a Wednesday foo), I picked up a simple little bottle of Ravenswood Zinfandel for $6.99. I decided to pair it with a DiGiorno frozen pizza.
So here is how it all went down…
Ravenswood 2009 Vintners Blend Zinfandel
Ravenswood is a well-known producer of California Zinfandels ranging from cheap grocery store wines to high-end single vineyard bottles. The Ravenswood 2009 Vintners Blend Zinfandel falls under the former category. For a Zinfandel, it has moderate alcohol (13.5%).
Color: Dark ruby-red.
Nose: Chalky and spicy bell pepper and oak. Blackberry and strawberry fruit. Fresh herbs. Nice.
Taste: Chalky (I love chalk) dark raspberry and plum fruit up front. There is some nice subtle oak on the palate. The only part of this wine that I’m not into is this touch of unripe cherries.
Score: This is a nice wine for a weeknight. Give it an 86+. For seven bucks, give it a try.
Now to the food…
DiGiorno Spinach, Mushroom, and Garlic Pizza on a well-seasoned pizza stone.
This was a good pairing!
The spicy garlic and creamy cheese brought out a really nice fennel characteristic.
This morning I woke up early to set my fantasy football lineup, when I was all…
“I should make some dope breakfast for my sweet honey baby. Something that I’ve never made before…”
It took me a moment to think it up, but then I was all..
“I know what to make! Breakfast burritos! Hell to the yeah!”
I kickpunched the air in celebration, quickly hopped into my car, and headed over to the local Safeway to get some ingreetz (“ingredients” if you’re a square).
Here’s what I came up with…
For Kara, this burrito has gold potatoes, onion, refried beans, cilantro, chiles, and scrambled egg whites.
For me, substitute the egg whites for the whole egg and add some leftover bratwurst. That's right... Brats! It's Oktoberfest, baby!
Here’s how it looked when it was all done…
Breakfast burrito, bratwurst, and chilaquiles with Safeway Select Green Salsa.
Why wouldn’t you stuff this breakfast in your face?
I know some of you may think it’s a silly question, considering that this is a blog about wine.
But…
I ask again…
Have you seen it?
Sideways
Released in 2004, the Academy Award Winner (best adapted screenplay in 2005) follows two buddies as they go on a road trip through Santa Barbara’s wine country. Miles, the main character, is obsessed with Pinot Noir. Obsessed! He won’t shut up about it.
That being said, probably the most famous line from the movie can be found here (edited for the purposes of keeping this blog family friendly)…
In the following months and years, many a wine folk began to speculate that Miles’ love of Pinot Noir and disdain for Merlot had changed consumers’ perceptions of the two grapes. They believed that the average wine buyer would go into a store thinking, “If Miles isn’t drinking any F-ing Merlot, then I ain’t either.”
Truth be told, The Sideways Effect didn’t have much of an impact on Merlot sales declining… though they have gone down. The greatest impact was on the increase in Pinot Noir price and case sales.
That makes sense to me.
To a new wine drinker, Merlot has a bigger name. Pinot Noir, on the other hand, was for a long time a lesser-known hipster type of varietal. Once Sideways opened the door to Pinot Noir, and people began to realize how delicious it was, sales went through the roof… Along with the price of the delicate grape.
Today, it is tough to find a good bottle of Pinot Noir under 15 bucks. And, dare I say it, not even worth your money to gamble on a bottle under 10. Today, the “value” is found in the 15 – 25 dollar range. Even nuttier than that, the big boys of Pinot Noir are in the 45 – 80 dollar range.
We are talking about Pinot Noir, right? The “Black Pine” (translated from French) is one of the lightest, most delicate red wines that you could possibly drink. Most are ready to drink the day you bring it home, and you wouldn’t want to cellar any of ’em for longer than 5-7 years (and that’s pushing it).
But I have to say…
Pinot Noir is delicious.
It’s one of my favorite grapes.
The problem is that they are so expensive, it would cost a fortune to taste ’em all.
At least…
That’s what I thought…
Now THAT's what I'm talkin' 'bout!
Last Saturday, Kara and I hit up Cin-Cin Wine Bar in Los Gatos to do a little Pinot Noir tasting. For 35 bucks, we got to taste the best Pinot Noirs from several distributors in the area…
Folks lined up to get their Pinot On.
Plus there was food!
See? Food!
Here’s how it all went down…
Table One
Pelerin 2008 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands $29): This is an EARTHY pinot. Lots of mushroom with a hint of rosemarry and bacon. 90 points.
Pfendler 2008 Pinot Noir (Petaluma Gap, Sonoma $40): Right away, you get to know how versitle a grape this is. The Pfendler tastes nothing like the Pelerin. This has loads of bright red fruit on the palate with a smokey finish. 89+ points.
Ryan 2009 Silacci Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Range $42): This is a well structured, well made Pinot Noir. It tastes expensive. The problem is that it’s not my cup of tea. Unlit cigar (nice) with bright red fruit (nice). It just didn’t work for me. Still a good Pinot… Just not what I’m into. 88+ points.
Cipaiaux Cellars 2009 Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands $44): Bell pepper and leather. Nice. 89 points.
Table Two
Chateau de Beauregard Bourgogne Rouge 2007 Memoire du Terrior (France $24): The more I get into all these big, bold, wines, the more I’ve come to appreciate the subtleties of a nice, light, Burgundy. Light strawberry fruit, with good acidity and minerality. 88+ points.
Firesteed 2007 Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley $25): Sweet tarts and nerds for days. This is a fun one. 89 points.
Mohua Pinot Noir (Didn’t catch the vintage = ( Central Otago, New Zealand $23): Bright fruit with good acidity. 88+ points.
Papapietro Perry 2007 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast $46): Candied strawberries and smoke. Very balanced. 90 points.
Emeritus Vineyards 2008 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley $32): This is loaded with DEEP fruit flavors. Bright red fruit and berries. Hella smoke. This is a very nice bottle of wine. Very nice! 91 points.
Table Three
Easton 2008 Pinot Noir (Sierra Foothills $28): A light Pinot Noir with hints of bacon smoke. 88+ points.
Paoul Hobbs 2009 Crossbarn Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast $34): This wine has a smokey nose with tons of ham on the palate. Very nice. 89+ points.
La Follette 2009 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast $28): Smokey nose (there’s something about table 3). There is a nice sugary strawberry fruit with pork and tomatoes. Dope! 90 points.
Soter 2009 Mineral Springs Pinot Noir (Yamhill-Carlton $45): Sugary bright fruit. Mushrooms. Bacon fat. This wine was delicious! 92 points.
Table Four
Now…
Table four, here…
This is my jam!
Louis Latour Santenay Rouge 2005 (France $23): This was a fun bottle. You are not going to find many 2005 Pinots just lying around. Bright cherry fruit with a lively acidity and cinnamon and clove spice. 90 points.
Faiveley Mercurey Rouge 2008 (France $24): This was one of the more tannic Pinots of the day. Good strawberry fruit. A very laid back wine. 89 points.
Argyle 2009 Nuthouse Pinot Noir (Dundee $61): Quite possibly the best Pinot Noir I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. The gentleman serving the wine informed us that the Nuthouse vineyard used to be a nut farm. In the wine, you can definitely taste the earthy flavors from the soil. There is a bigtime macadamia and marcona almond presence in the mid-palate of this wine. Plenty of herbaceous notes on the finish… particularly rosemary. You have to try this. 93 big ass points.
Thomas George 2009 Pinot Noir (Russian River $41): This wine was a real crowd pleaser. Sun-dried tomato with tons of herbs. I loved this one too. It reminds me quite a bit of the Pinot Noir of Willams-Selyem. Very awesome! 92+ points.
Paraiso 2009 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands $23): This is a DARK Pinot. Smokey and rich. 88+ points.
Table Five
This is the La Rochelle table.
This is also when time started to run out for the event, so we had to speed up our tasting…
La Rochelle 2010 Pinot Noir Rose ($19): Grapefruit. Nice. 88+ points.
La Rochelle 2007 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir ($72): Buttery with balance. The most expensive wine of the day. Good, but NOT worth it. 90 points.
With one minute left, we skipped table six.
So…
Table Seven
Au Bon Climat 2009 Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County $25): This was the only wine left at table seven, but I am glad we got to try it. The Au Bon Climat is exactly what I expect a Pinot Noir to taste like. Light, bright strawberry fruit. Dope acidity. Balance for days. Nothing major. Just goodness. Get yourself this 9o point wine. Enjoy it now with someone you care about… like I did.
For those counting, that was 22 wines we tasted… all Pinot Noirs.
After that much wine, the only thing left to do is lay down on the couch…
Warning:What you will find below are my results for the Stay Rad Interactive Wine Tasting Volume 1. If you would like to participate, please read my previous post and get a hold of the Folie a Deux 2009 Menage a Trois first.
If you have the wine, please decant it for 30 minutes before tasting.
Don’t worry…
I’ll wait…
Ready?
Okay!
Now, feel free to taste and make notes before you read on OR taste along with me as I attempt to guide you through this wine.
C’mon everybody… Let’s have a “Menage a Trois”!
A long time ago, Kara and I were prepping for a day trip to Napa. As I often do, the day before the trip I printed of some coupons from Wine Country this Week and Cheers 2 Wine. One of the coupons was for a free tasting at Folie a Deux, a small tasting room that sits right along Highway 29 on the South end of Oakville. We had driven by that place several times in the past (you really can’t miss it), so we decided to give it a go.
“Where are you guys planning on going?” the gentleman behind the counter asked us, as he poured me a taste of Riesling.
“We’ve got a coupon for free tasting at Folie a Deux…” I responded.
“Well… I guess that’s a reason to stop there,” he responded as he shook his head in disapproval.
I’ll never forget those words. I’ll never forget the look on his face. It was all I needed to know. Folie a Deux get’s NO respect in Napa.
No respect.
You can’t call it the Rodney Dangerfield of wine. Although Rodney always claimed that he got none of it… He was, in fact, a well-respected comedian.
So, let’s compare it to punk rock…
Let’s imagine that Napa was the punk rock capital of the planet. Let’s say Napa was home to the Ramones, the Stooges, X, and The Clash.
The Stooges = The Ridge Vineyards of Punk Rock
If the wine of Napa is punk rock, Folie a Deux would be Good Charlotte…
Punk?
Look…
I don’t hate Good Charlotte. They’ve recorded some catchy tunes.
Remember the time they ripped of this Steve Miller song…
and made this steaming pile of crap?
(By the way, if you are wondering where Steve Miller is on the wine spectrum… He’s Two-Buck Chuck.)
What I am saying is this…
No fan of music would ever consider Good Charlotte to be a punk band. They have a lot of fans. A lot! Way more fans than I have on Facebook. But… They are not respected as a punk band. You know… ‘Cause they’re not punk. They’re about as punk as discussing who is punk and who isn’t (which ain’t punk at all… Or is it?).
Did I ever mention to you that I used to work for a record store when I was in college? Well I did…
So, one day I was at the store on an early Sunday morning, filing CD’s in the punk section. As I was organizing the Dickies row, I looked over to my right to see the singer (or the guitar player… They’re twins right?) of Good Charlotte spending a lot of time in the G’s of punk. A lot of time!
At first I was all, “Maybe the guy from Good Charlotte really likes Good Riddance”. But then it came to me… “This fool thinks that we are filing his album in the punk section!” I approached with caution, and asked if he needed any help.
“Nope. Just browsing, bro.” He then quickly ducked his head in shame and walked out the door.
Now look… If the guy from Good Charlotte doesn’t know that his own band isn’t punk, then how can any of us know how do define and classify music… or wine, for that matter.
Anyways…
In spite of the wine guy’s disapproval, we headed over to Folie a Deux to do some free tasting…
The first thing you will notice is that the tasting room is home to two wineries… Folie a Deux and Napa Cellars. On top of that, Folie a Deux has a side label called Menage a Trois. So if you think about it, there are THREE wineries in one tasting room! And if you want to add to the confusion, all of these wines are owned by Trinchero Family Estates. So really, in spite of all the different labels, it is all just ONE winery.
To be honest, I don’t remember much of the wines we tasted. It was a long time ago, and I didn’t take any notes. The one thing that did stick in my mind was that they did have a red blend that they were pushing pretty hard… and it had a pretty cute name…
Menage a Trois!
The Folie a Deux 2009 Menage a Trois is a blend of three red grapes; Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Get it? It’s called Menage a Trois ’cause there are three grapes in it! As you read in my last post, I got this wine for $7.97 at Wal-Mart.
Now…
Let’s give her a taste!
Folie a Deux 2009 Menage a Trois in the decanter.
Don’t Forget:This wine was decanted for half of an hour. You should do this too.
Color: This is a dark red. When you hold your glass up to the light, you’ll see a red brick color around the edge of the rim. Do you see it?
Nose: As far as fruit goes, there are some tart cherries and raspberries on the nose. This wine is a little tight, so if you really want to smell what’s going down, jam your nose right in the glass. After a bit, you will pick up some blueberry fruit. There is a minerality to this nose. Think of green tea and chalk (I love chalk!). Do you smell it?
Taste: When you give this wine a whirl, swish this baby around in your mouth for a good thirty seconds. There is a medium weight to this wine that may remind you of milk in its density… You should get some strawberry and cherry fruit. There is a tart acidity on the mid-palate that reminds Kara of a cheap sort of wine. I tend to agree with her, but it is quite pleasant overall. There is a little bit of smokey ham and bell pepper on the back end.
Score: Look… This is a gimmicky wine. It’s like Weird Al and the Offspring did a guest spot on The Simpsons. But… For what it is… At eight bucks a bottle, it works. Give it an 87+. Bring it to a party. You may not get rave reviews, but you may not get dissed either.
So, there I was. Just making some vegetarian chili…
Then it came to me…
We should have a Menage a Trois!
Not just me…
We!
Hear me out…
I was at the ol’ Wal-Mart today, and took a quick peek at their wine selection. It’s not the best. Actually, it’s not much of anything. But what Wal-Mart does have going for itself is that the prices are reasonable. Plus… If you can find a wine at Wal-Mart, you can find it anywhere.
I picked this one up today for $7.97…
Folie a Deux 2009 Menage a Trois California Red Wine - It's about time!
Now, I’ve had this wine before. Odds are, so have you. According to an article on WinesAndVines.com, Menage a Trois topped the list of 30 wines with the most momentum in 2009 (according to the IRI marketing group).
So, I was thinking…
Why don’t we have a Menage a Trois?
All of us!
Think about it…
You can find this wine everywhere, and it’s hella cheap.
What I’m gonna do is taste the wine between now and Friday. I’ll post my notes on Saturday.
That gives you a day or two to find and taste the wine.
You can take your own notes, then compare yours with mine.
Even better…
You can taste the wine WHILE you read my tasting notes.
Then you can leave a comment (or Tweet me your notes @JeffIsRad or #StayRad) to let me know what you think.
Now that I’ve given you your homework assignment, do you have any questions?
Sometimes I have trouble thinking about what I’m gonna write for this blog.
Lucky for me, this is a wine blog. So when in doubt, I just pop open a bottle and start tasting.
It’s a win-win, if you think about it.
I found this one at Trader Joe’s for $5.99…
Grifone 2008 Chianti Riserva and some flowers.
By law, all Chianti must be made of at least 80% Sangiovese. True to form, the Grifone 2008 Chianti Riserva is made of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. By the way… The fact that this bottle says “Riserva” on the label means absolutely nothing. A Chianti Classico Riserva, on the other hand, is said to be the good stuff. If you plan on opening one of those up, please let me know.
Anyways… Let’s get back to the Grifone.
Here’s how it went down…
Color: Dark brick-red.
Nose: Dark cherries, plum, and cellar dust. Nice!
Taste: Dang! This wine is ultra-tart. It’s got lots of dried cherry fruit, but the palate is dominated by a skunky barnyard flavor. I should have decanted this for a bit before diving in.
Score: Here’s where it gets interesting. On first taste, I was not a huge fan of this wine… BUT… I respect it. It does not taste cheap (if that means anything to you). It is very well made. This wine has structure and backbone, and I think would go well with big foods. Steak, pasta, and burgers come to mind. The problem was that I didn’t have any food with me at the time. Give this wine and 86, and save it for something meaty.
Now, I just have to figure out what I’m gonna drink when I think about what to drink next…
Kara and I go to a lot of local wine strolls and tasting events…
A LOT!
Over the last couple of years we’ve become very familiar with Aver Family Vineyards. A local, family run vineyard, Aver showcases their wine at many of these events. Not only is their wine always delicious, but you will often find John Aver (the owner) pouring and talking about his wine. For the longest time, the only way you could taste their wine was at a local event or if you joined their mailing list…
But now…
They have a tasting room!
Their tasting room and vineyard is located just off of Watsonville Road in Gilroy, close to other Santa Clara Valley favorites like Jason-Stephens, Sycamore Creek, and Clos La Chance. It is only open on the third weekend of every month, so plan accordingly.
So a few Saturdays back, Kara and I were trying to figure out what we wanted to do…
I was all like, “Is this the third Saturday of September?”
She was all like, “Yeah!”
So I was all like, “Let’s go to Aver Family Vineyards!” I grabbed her by the arm and rushed her out the door.
She was like, “Here we go again…”
Upon our arrival, we were greeted on the patio by one of the servers. She poured us a glass of their 2007 Family Album Cabernet Sauvignon, and suggested we take a seat outside and enjoy the nice weather while she served us.
Here’s how it all went down…
Aver Family Vineyards 2007 Family Album Cabernet Sauvignon ($25)
Color: Ruby red.
Nose: Chalky (I love chalk) blueberry and red fruit.
Taste: Plum and cassis. It’s ripe with chalky tannins.
Score: This is a tasty wine that is meant to drink young. Give it an 89, and give it a try.
Aver Family Vineyards 2008 Homage Syrah ($35)
Color: Dark ruby-red.
Nose: Tires layered with cranberry and raspberry.
Taste: Tires and sour cherry. It’s rich and jammy, but there is a slightly sharp and astringent characteristic.
Score: 89-
Aver Family Vineyards 2008 Hope Rhone Style Blend ($35)
The Hope is a blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 21% Petite Sirah, and 9% Mourvedre.
Color: Dark ruby-red.
Nose: A tight nose of chalk and tires.
Taste: Bright red fruit with a lively acidity. Tasty bike tires and black olives on the finish.
Score: This is a dope Rhone. 89+ foo!
Aver Family Vineyards 2007 Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon ($35)
The Heritage is a Bordeaux style red with 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 3% Malbec.
Color: Dark ruby to purple.
Nose: Big black and blue fruit. Chalky. Nice!
Taste: Big plum fruit with leather and tobacco leaf.
Score: A very strong 90 points.
Aver Family Vineyards 2007 Blessings Petite Sirah ($45)
As we were served the Blessings, our server said to us, “This stuff is gonna be the Aver Family Cult Wine!”
Color: DARK Ruby Red… DARK!
Nose: Inky blueberry and chalk. Dope!
Taste: If this wine were a country music band, it would be called Big and Rich, because it is big and rich. The tannins are round and rad. There’s a bunch of ripe, lingering blue and blackberry fruit on the palate. It’s F-ing D-Lish!
Score: A BIG 92 for a BIG wine.
I’ve gotta say that I was hella stoked on my visit to Aver Family Vineyards.
You will be too!
Go mark your calendar for the third weekend of next month, and check ’em out.
I rarely order dessert. When I do, I usually share it.
When folks try to share dessert with me, I often turn it down.
When folks get all pushy with dessert, I eventually say yes… only to sneakily throw the dessert away when nobody is looking.
I’m just not a dessert kind of guy.
But…
Recently… and I don’t know why…
Recently, I’ve been obsessed with dessert wine.
I haven’t been drinking much of it… mind you…
I’ve just been obsessing about the idea of it…
I can picture myself in a smoking jacket with a splash of something strong and sweet in my glass. Reading a good book. Listening to classical music. It sounds mother #@*%ing classy.
Recently, I have also been reading a lot of ENOFYLZ (a wine blog my Martin Redmond, the self-professed “Wine Drinkin’ Fool”). In the blog, Martin has been writing a lot about dessert wines… and it has been getting me pumped!
So here is my plan now…
Whenever I am out to dinner, and I’m thinking about some dessert, I’m gonna order me some dessert wine…
The other night, I finished off my meal at Bubbles Wine Bar with this…
Chateau Grand Piquey 2007 Sauternes
I was really stoked on this Chateau Grand Piquey 2007 Sauternes. Primarily made from the Semillon, the grapes in Sauternes are allowed to hang on the vine until “noble rot” sets in. The noble rot (Botrytis fungus) sucks out water from the grapes, leaving concentrated sugar for the dessert wine. The fungus itself also gives the wine a yeasty type of flavor. Good stuff!
The other night, Kara needed sherry for a recipe, so I picked up this…
Pastora Amontillado Sherry
This Pastora Amontillado Sherry is a medium dry, oak-aged, fortified dessert wine. Imagine a sweet whiskey with a lot less alcohol.
It’s not bad. I like it, but sherry seems to be much more of an acquired taste.
The sherry got me thinking…
I’ve known of sherry my entire life, but in almost 33 years on this planet, I’ve never had any until this week. In fact, I don’t think I know anybody my age that drinks sherry…
Anybody!
So I’m wondering…
Does anybody out there drink sherry?
If so, how old are you?
Is it a generational thing, or am I just trippin’?
I’m not saying I make pizza with barbecue sauce on it…
I make regular pizzas on my barbecue.
Here’s how…
Make sure your pizza dough is resting at room temperature before you start working with it. Leave it on the counter, and start prepping your toppings…
The key is to pre-cook your veggies... Here I caramelized some onion with olive oil and garlic.
And here are some portabella mushrooms, sliced thinly and cooked to release their meaty flavor...
You know you've got to use simple fresh ingredients, so I snipped some basil from my garden.
So the thing about barbecuing a pizza is that you have to work quickly once the dough is on the grill. Because of this, you must make sure that all of your toppings are ready to go before you throw anything over the fire. I made two pizzas the other night, so I prepped my toppings like so…
Caramelized onions, portabella mushrooms, and smoked mozzarella for pizza number one...
Tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella for pizza number two.
Now time to bring out the dough!
I bought this stuff at Trader Joe’s for a few bucks, but you can make your own for a few cents…
Using hella flour on a cutting board, I prefer to stretch my dough by hand instead of rolling it. That's right. My hand is blurry. Don't judge me!
Be sure to preheat the grill to medium for 10 minutes while you are working the dough, then use your trusty pizza peel to transport the pizza to the fire…
Brush the dough with olive oil, and place it on the grill (oil side down) for 3 - 5 minutes. Brush the exposed side of the dough with olive oil while you are waiting.
Use the pizza peel to flip the dough. Immediately place all of the toppings on your pizza except for the cheese. I put tomatoes and fresh basil on this one...
This mutant pizza was topped with caramelized onion and portabella mushrooms.
Let the pizzas cook for another 5 – 7 minutes to get them all blistered and crunchy. Throw on your cheese and slam down the lid with anger for the last minute.
Here’s how they turned out…
Tomato, fresh basil, and mozzarella... Bright and whimsical.
Caramelized onion, portabella mushrooms, and smoked mozzarella... Earthy and refined.
These pizzas were so delicious, they put me into a food coma. When I awoke, I realized that I had tasting notes for a wine I had already reviewed before. The results of which were surprising…
Trader Joe's 2010 Grower's Reserve Zinfandel from Paso Robles... Again!
The first time I reviewed the Trader Joe’s 2010 Grower’s Reserve Zinfandel I was not stoked. This was a five dollar wine that I decanted for three hours… Just long enough for it to fall apart. I paired it with a pulled pork sandwich, and it just didn’t work. You can read the post yourself, or you can just trust me that I gave it an 84.
But this time…
This time it was different…
This time I popped and poured the wine immediately.
This time I paired it with two dope barbecued pizzas.
This time…
This time it worked!
Color: Red to purple.
Nose: Bright cherry and raspberry fruit.
Taste: Nice dark plums with bright cranberry and raspberry. This medium weight wine gave a nice chalky (You know I’m ’bout it!) plum skin finnish, and paired nicely with both pizzas.
Score: I was hella stoked on this wine… this time. It doesn’t have the backbone to age for a long time, but what it is bringing right now is dope. Buy this wine for a green back at TJ’s, and drink it NOW… unless you’re driving… Why you are driving while reading this blog, I’ll never know… Pull over! Give it an 89+ foo.
So… Here I am telling you to how much I loved a wine that I hated a few months ago…
Has this ever happened to you?
Was it bottle variation?
Has my palate changed?
Was it the difference in how long the wine was open?
Stay Rad 