Memorial Day – The unofficial, official start of summer! A time to relax, reflect, and spend time with your friends and family!
Things on my list to do this weekend: Red, White, and Bubbles (all American of course!)
Red:
Slingshot Cabernet Sauvignon – $18-$23 – Napa Valley, CA
White:
Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay – $50 (pricey, I know, but worth it!) – Napa Valley, CA
Bubbles:
Ceja Vineyards Late Disgorged Sparkling Brut – $44 – Carneros (Napa), CA
Cheers!
Mads
I love Asian-inspired anything, which is kind of unfortunate, given my semi-newfound soy intolerance. womp. By omitting soy (for the most part), I have found so many ways to recreate what I love, with some new, bold flavors. Helllllooooo extra ginger! Not going to lie, I still eat it in very small doses, I just can’t seem to give it up!
These summer rolls started as an entirely different dish. When I entered the grocery store – my favorite asian-latin market – this meal was intended to be shrimp fajitas (um…Happy Cinco de Mayo – we haven’t exactly gotten the whole holiday thing down yet here at BLC). Then I found rice paper, and it was like heaven’s gates opened and boom…Mexican turned Asian and summer rolls were on the menu. Slight dilemma, I wasn’t exactly sure how the rice paper worked, and the directions were not in English. Thank jeebus for the internet.
Besides the assembly, which takes some getting used to, this dish calls for fresh ingredients that are easy to prep.
Ingredients:
Summer Rolls:
1/2lb shrimp (or 12-15 medium shrimp) – deveined, peeled and cooked as desired
large handful of rice vermicelli noodles, cooked to package instructions (very technical considering I have NO idea how much I used….)
a few large leaves of butter lettuce
1 raw carrot,peeled and julienned
1/2 cucumber, julienned (peel if you wish, I never do)
1 handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1 small handful Thai basil (or regular), chopped
4 spring roll rice papers
To make the summer rolls (modified from Martha Stewart) : Place 1/2 inch of cool water in a pie plate. Submerge a spring roll skin in water for 10 seconds. Remove from water and transfer to a clean work surface. Place 3 or 4 shrimp halves, cut side up, in a straight row across lower third of spring roll skin, over some lettuce. Top shrimp with carrots, cucumbers, cilantro and basil. Carefully lift edge of spring roll skin nearest you up and over filling. Fold sides over filling and continue to roll away from you until edges are sealed. Transfer summer roll to a platter, cover with a damp paper towel, and continue building remaining rolls.
Ponzu Dipping Sauce:
Citrus Ponzu sauce from an asian market
Rice vinegar
Sriracha
Fish sauce
lime juice
Mix in quantities to your taste – use a whisk to mix well. I prefer extra Sriracha, but I like spicy!
I like to serve mine with a lime wedge, with sriracha & cilantro over the rolls. then dip!
You’ll want to drink this with a light white (a French Viognier from Rhone), or a dry sparkling rose!
nom.nom.nom.
Cheers!
Mads
(p.s. – sorry for our brief hiatus last week, busy at work = no time to post. we’re back and in full force this week! let’s just count last week as our “spring break”)
Easter is a big family holiday – and you know what that means – a girl needs a cocktail to make it through alive!
My family is as amazing as it gets (as I’ve mentioned five million times), but when those large family debates happen, or when a cousin is crying for some random reason, a sistah needs a drink.
Mimosas are a classic cocktail – that I drink plenty of – but sometimes it’s nice to try something different! Here are some sips to get you through Easter brunch (or breakfast. or dinner. or lunch. or just life)…
Bellini – a fresh take on the classic Mimosa !
4 parts champs
1 part fresh peach puree (or go pre-made in the freezer section of the grocery store! lots of other fruit purees there too – raspberry, blueberry, strawberry!)
Add peach puree to a flute, add champs – done!
Champagne Mojito — a bubbly twist on the classic mojito!
Champs and Pomegranate Cocktail
tsp of pomegranate seeds
1 part pom juice
4 parts champs
combine in a flute and serve!
For my preggo ladies — try the delish low calorie fruit sodas from world market – they have bubbles and are sooo tasty! Pour into a flute and pretend its champs!
Happy Passover and Happy Easter to my Jews and my Christians 🙂
Cheers!
Mads
“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”….this glass of Wine….thought Don Corleone, as he silently poured a glass of the Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Collection Claret…
The Godfather, The Outsiders, The Rainmaker…to name a few – Coppola is certainly best known for the many cult classics he’s directed. His talents in the vineyard (which started 35 years ago) are no less impressive than those on his film sets. Coppola has created an empire of varieties bottled in some of the coolest/cutest bottles we’ve seen. I want the bottles and I want his beret.
That’s a wrap!
Charlotte and Madeleine
“Come quickly, I am tasting stars” – Dom Perignon’s famous quote after his first taste of Champagne.
Seems like Dom and I were meant to be besties. As many of my most recent posts suggest, I am a sucker for all things sparkling. ‘Tis true.
Today we’re going to take a look at Extra Brut sparkling vs. Extra Dry sparkling. A majority of sparkling wines are categorized into five categories: Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec and Demi-Sec based on their sugar levels.
WineFolly shows how much actual sugar would be in each of sparkling
Extra Brut is literally extra dry – the most dry (least amount of sugar) of the categorizations besides Brut Nature, which is much less common. Extra Dry is between Brut and Sec, “middle of the road dry.”
Here’s a sparkling in each of those two categories to try:
Stellar Organics, Extra Dry Sparkling Wine (South Africa), $9.99
All my years (I’m so wise.), I thought Extra Dry was the driest sparkling. Learning something new every day.
Pop some bubbles!
Mads
I shared this bottle of sparkling with my best girl friends to celebrate a new baby boy! My friend (the baby momma) is the ULTIMATE fan of pink sparkling, so naturally, one day post childbirth, we were sippin’ the juice. Today is also her birthday so it’s pretty much the perfect little celebration!! Happy Birthday, Holls! xo 
I couldn’t have said this better myself, so here’s the background on this wine from their website: “Poema carefully observes the Cava DO’s stringent regulations to craft its top-quality, small-production Cavas which are crafted using the same traditional method used in Champagne. The extremely rare red grape Trepat is used to produce Cava Rosado. The grapes are grown in the Conca de Barberà region of Catalonia, whose limestone soils are ideal for this grape. A green harvest and careful selection helps to ensure that only ripe, pristine grapes are picked. Grapes are harvested manually and pressed in three different wineries close to the vineyards. Grapes are macerated for 16 to 20 hours before fermentation in stainless steel tanks for 15 days. Second fermentation takes place in the bottle according to Metodo Tradicional. Points of Distinction:
Year: NV
Grape Varietal: 100% Trepat
Region: Cava, Catalonia, Spain
Tasting Notes: Notes of strawberry, raspberry and cherry on the nose, with a strawberry and cherry flavors in the mouth with a consistent bead. Also on the nose are scents of rose petals. It’s a light and fresh wine with a crisp and clean finish. Balanced acidity which invites another sip. Gorgeous salmon color!
What we might pair it with: A great match with cold cuts, barbecue, and small game. Fruit salad or an arugula Salad with a lemon dressing would be divine. Basically, the perfect wine for a picnic.
Price Point: $10-$12
Comparable Wines:
Like last week, this wine is part of a “set” of sparklings made by this producer. I suggest buying all three and comparing them!
These sparklers aim to please — and tis the season to celebrate! 😉 Happy Spring! Cheers! Mads
All weekend I’ve been craving strawberries, so when it came to Sunday dinner, strawberry tartlets and champagne seemed like an excellent way to end the day. Because, why not?
In usual Charlotte fashion, this recipe was not followed to a T; the equipment was wrong, the ingredients were not measured accurately, and times were guestimated.
This recipe was taken from Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris.
Pastry Cream:
5 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature – Seriously, what does EXTRA large egg yolks look like?
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbs cornstarch
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp Cognac – Missed out on this.
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs heavy cream
Mix eggs and sugar until thick and then add the cornstarch. Slowly pour in the milk while slowly mixing. Pour mixture into a saucepan and stir continually until it thickens. Beat with a whisk continually for another few minutes until it’s pudding-like. Add vanilla, butter, and cream. (If you have Cognac, this is also added here) Refrigerate until cold.
Tarts:
1 1/4 flour
3 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbs cold unsalted water butter, diced
2 tbs cold Crisco – ew, no.
1/4 cup ice water
2 cups Pastry Cream
2 pints halved strawberries
1/3 cup apricot jelly
3 tbs pistachios – I wish I had these. Steven Colbert’s commercials have clearly not had enough of an impact on me.
Combine flour, sugar, salt in a bowl and place in freezer for 30 mis. Put the flour mixture in a food processor (so I still don’t have one, I used my mixer instead), add butter and pulse (mix) until the butter is pea-sized. Add ice water and process till dough comes together. Form it into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill for a half hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface and fit into tart pans with removable sides (no tart pans, no removable sides, sigh…). Line tart shells with buttered aluminum foil and fill them with dried beans/rice. Bake for 10 mins. Remove foil, prick shells, bake for another 15 mins until lightly browned. Cool.
“Oh little heart pans. These will look cute”….WRONG!
Fill shells with pastry cream, arrange berries. Melt apricot jelly with water and then brush the tops. Voila.
Note: I’m definitely going to try this again using one large tart pan, because a) these came out ugly – I need more surface area for artistic arrangement of my berries, and b) I have a removable bottom tart pan – why didn’t I do this in the first place, you idiot?!
Pairing: My leftover mimosa champagne had to do, but my pretty tart will deserve something of higher caliber.
My little monsters.
Oh and in case you want to know what these should have looked like if I had had the right pans…Yeah I know…Beautiful
Bon Appétit,
Charlotte
*The wines we’re always drinking wouldn’t be possible without some seriously talented Winemakers. In the Vines will highlight several Winemakers from the around the world. We have asked them a series of questions about their lives and their jobs, and the responses are fascinating.
In the post yesterday about Eponina Brut, Madeleine mentioned winemaker, Wayne Donaldson. He is the former head winemaker at Domaine Chandon, and is the mastermind behind the first three sparklings to come from NakedWines.com.
For those who are unfamiliar with NakedWines.com, it’s a customer-funded wine business in the US, UK, and Australia. Investors, called Angels, pledge $40 a month (that goes towards their wine piggybank!) to be invested on independent winemakers that want to make wine on their own terms. A majority of these winemakers, including Wayne, have SERIOUSLY impressive backgrounds hailing from major wineries around the world. These high quality, yet affordable wines, are offered to Angels at a 40% to 60% discount. Angels also receive a free bottle of wine each month (as long as they are purchasing a case).
Mads note: I’ve been an Angel since the summer of 2013, I’ve ordered over 6 cases, and I’ve only had one wine that I wasn’t thrilled with. Some of my now favorite wines are made by independent winemakers at NakedWines.com and it’s a business that I truly support. On their website, I rate the wines and post on the various pages of the wines I love. The winemakers always interact with their community, some responding to each and every post. It’s a customer-centric business with ah-mazing customer service.
The company is so damn wonderful that they offer $100 vouchers (on cases valued at $160 or more – you can mix and match!). Click this link and use it. No gimmicks, no Angel commitment necessary, it’s really just free money. Like….I don’t even understand, but go with it. You’ll be happy you did, and you may even love the wine enough to become an Angel.
All-American Highest Rated Wines
Back to Wayne….he was the VP of Winemaking at Domaine Chandon and Newton Vineyard…whaaaaat? That’s just too cool. Not only is he making three fantastic sparklings at NakedWines.com, as mentioned in yesterday’s post, he also has a personal brand called Eonian. He sent his resume over, and my jaw-dropped. Seriously impressive, you guys.
He was also kind enough to answer the questions below for us! Q&A time!
Q:Tell us a little about yourself! Name, Title, Where you’re from, etc.
A: Wayne Donaldson, Winemaker, Born in Melbourne, Australia
Q: How/when did you get started in the wine business?
A: My family had a light engineering business that specialized in thermal insulation in the wine industry. As a kid I would always help dad out during the holidays from school and fell in love with wine country and the people.
Q: Three fun facts about your wine business – go!
A: 1/ Over 16 years of sparkling wine experience 2/ I could never find out when working for LVMH how many bottles of Dom Perignon are made. 3/ I have a small personal brand called Eonian.
Q: What are your three favorite wine words?
A: Typicity, Feckleberry, Attack (BLC note: Feckleberry – awesome!)
Q: Tell us your favorite story about your life in the wine business – (ex: meeting someone fantastic, tasting a particularly awesome vintage as it made its way through the aging process).
A: Spring in Champagne is one of the most magical times of the year. I never get tired of that. (BLC note: wanderlust – party of 2!)
Q: What is your favorite wine that has come from NakedWines.com?
A: Gosh, I love them all we have such a supremely talented group of winemakers producing outstanding world class wines
Q: What makes your business unique?
A: I specialize in methode traditional sparkling winemaking for Nakedwines.com
Q: Outside of NakedWines wines, what is your favorite wine?
A: I can never answer this question whenever it is asked. It’s like asking which of my daughters is my fave. I love them all the time but sometimes one is great the next day the other is great. Just depends on the moment.
Q: Fave food/wine pairing?
A: This is like the question above. There are just so many great combinations, although freshly shucked oysters and a glass of Blanc de Blancs is hard to beat.
Q: Travel experience that everyone must have?
A: Climbing to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (BLC note: Wanderlust, party of 2, part 2!)
Well, friends…it’s safe to say Wayne is a pretty awesome dude. And NakedWines.com is a pretty awesome company.
**This post was not sponsored by NakedWines.com. We truly just love their business.
Cheers!
Madeleine & Charlotte
On this special Wine Down Wednesday, I’m featuring a sparkling wine that is part one of a two part post, with the second post being about the Winemaker, Wayne Donaldson. This former head winemaker at Domaine Chandon, is now working at NakedWines.com to produce three excellent sparklings made in the same style as Champagne. We’ve been talking to him and will be featuring him on our blog tomorrow in our winemaker series!
Let’s get back to business….sparkling. My favorite kind of business.
You guys know my feelings on all things sparkling, and this wine is up there with the best of them. While I can admit my palate is still forming (ummm example a: I had Louis Roderer Cristal this weekend and while it was delish, I must say that there are many more inexpensive wines that compare), this wine is on my list of favorites (including his two other sparklings at nakedwines.com).
The price point (as an Angel) is right on target with my $10-$15 range.
More to come on NakedWines.com tomorrow! I LOVE this company, a lot.
Year: 2012 and 2013 grapes but a Non-Vintage wine
Grape Varietal: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Region: Sonoma and Mendocino, California, USA
Tasting Notes: Rich and creamy, yet dry & crisp at the same time, Brut Bubbly, with notes of vanilla and yeast. A bit of a sweet taste, but certainly not a sweet wine. Drink solo or pair with juice for mimosas or bellinis!
What we might pair it with: Breakfast foods, of course! Or oysters, mussels, and clams.
Price Point: Normal $24.99, Angel Price $11.99
Comparable Wines: My suggestion would be to purchase this sparkling, and also his other two sparklings at NakedWines.com and compare the three
Cheers,
Mads
You know how I know I liked this bottle? I kept it after over a year…sitting there empty, as a reminder to always get it again. I haven’t gotten quite into the full swing of Spring, but it seems like this bottle might be a great way to kick start that soon.
Brought by one of my friends at a dinner party, this was the first Italian red semi-sparkling wines I’d tasted. This type of wine is literally named “Blood of Judas”; Icky name, delicious wine.
2011 Ca Montebello Sange di Giuda
Salute,
Charlotte
Bordeaux-Line Crazy 