Sacramento Zoo King of Feasts Ticket Giveaway!!

The Sacramento Zoo King of Feasts is on June 23rd from 6-9pm! Enter to win a pair of tickets over on cavegrrl.com!

Zinfest at Lodi Lake on May 19th!

The ZinFest Wine Festival will be held on Saturday, May 19th, 2012 from 12 noon-5:00 pm at Lodi Lake Park.

Sip, swirl and savor from a selection of 250 handcrafted wines from 50 Lodi wineries. Passionate winemakers and winery representatives welcome guests, offering practical knowledge and sharing their delicious wines. Enjoy local provisions, learn some new tips at the ZinFest Wine and Cooking Schools, or relax along the beautiful Mokelumne River to an eclectic mix of live music. Guests can peruse merchandise from regional vendors and take home a commemorative bottle of custom blended Old Vine Zinfandel from the ZinFest Wine Shoppe. There is no better way to celebrate the fantastic wines of Lodi Wine Country! Tickets include a ZinFest wine glass, wine tasting, participation in seminars and entertainment. Festivities are held from 12 noon – 5 pm.

Tickets are $45 in advance, $55 at the gate and are available for purchase after March 12th. You can click here to purchase tickets.

Must be 21 years of age to attend. As a friendly reminder, even great wines should be enjoyed in moderation. Designated drivers are strongly encouraged. Designated driver tickets are available for $10 each.

ZinFest takes place at Lodi Lake Park, located at 1101-1301 W. Turner Road in Lodi, California. Click here for directions and parking information.

The Wine Savor the bounty of the Lodi Appellation’s array of varietals- from Albarino to Zinfandel. With 250 Lodi wines to taste from, wine novices and aficionados are sure to find a new favorite!

The Food Indulge in regional cuisine from the best of San Joaquin County’s gourmet food purveyors. A selection of items will be available for purchase from each vendor, reasonably priced under $10.

Entertainment Lounge along the Mokelumne River or get up and groove to an assorted mix of live entertainment. Enjoy live bands, strolling entertainers and the ZinFest Piano Bar – where you can purchase a glass of wine, request songs and sing along with familiar tunes!
Merchants

Browse from a collection of artisan merchants as they display one-of-a-kind merchandise. Take a piece of wine country home with you, whether it’s local olive oil or reclaimed wine barrel furniture.

ZinFest Cooking School From regional celebrity chefs to local, award winning culinary experts, ZinFest takes great pride in creating fun and informative cooking classes for event guests. One winery is featured in each class, partnering winemaker with chef, for an engaging tasting and educational experience. Discover a new favorite dish and become the star of your next dinner party. The ZinFest Cooking School is open to all guests, with new demonstrations taking place each hour.

ZinFest Wine School Trendsetters and legends unite in the ZinFest Wine School. Listen as local experts and guest speakers engage in topics from “Blending your own Zinfandel,” to what cheese pairs perfectly with Lodi wines, and much more… Sip, savor and swirl your way through the afternoon. The ZinFest Wine School is open to all guests with new demonstrations taking place each hour. 

For more information on the event, including events on Friday, May 18th and Sunday, May 20th, click here!

Amador Wine Picks (Pix)!!

So AH and I conquered Amador this weekend for their Behind the Cellar Door event. It was a toasty 70ish degree day, and we hit four five different wineries. I took pictures of my favorite wines and I am sharing the labels and info with you, so that you know what to buy (me).... ;) 

First Stop: Shenandoah Vineyards...

2010 Shenandoah Vineyards Amador County Zinfandel

2008 Orange Muscat

I am not a dessert wine person, but I really liked this one.

Mapping out where we would venture next....

Deaver Vineyards...

2010 Viognier. Yes, please.

2006 Sangiovese

So, I thought, "Oh wow... this Sangiovese is really good and I don't typically like Sangiovese..."

I think part of the reason is it has had some time to lay down.

Then I had the Deaver Red Blend. Even better than the Sangiovese.

Sorry I can't find a link to this on their website, so I don't know the exact breakdown. :(

And this was my favorite Zinfandel at Deaver. It's their Signature Zinfandel.

Us, listening intently and having too much fun. :)

Next stop: Dobra Zemlja Winery (Doe-brah Zem-Ya)

Our favorite was their jug wine, believe it or not!

I also really dug their Barbera. 

Next was Driven Cellars

I really love their Pinot Grigio

And their Barbera...

And this is the view from Driven's picnic tables...

Last was Sobon Estate. And my favorite Zinfandel there is their Cougar Hill. And I kind of went crazy over their Barbera and their Rousanne. We bought two bottles of each. 

Thank you Paul for bailing us out when the car didn't want to run. :) You guys are good friends and I am so grateful. I am glad we bought a bunch of wine from you that day.

I am drinking the Barbera now. So very good!!

Social Media Roll Call:

Shenandoah Vineyards on Facebook, on Twitter

Deaver on Facebook. Deaver on Twitter

Dobra Zemja on Facebook

Driven Cellars on Facebook

Sobon Estate on Facebook, on Twitter

Upcoming events at Amador Wineries are located here. Cheers!!

Cakegrrl's BevMo 5¢ Wine Sale Picks!!

 Last Wednesday night, I was a guest at the Arden Beverages and More (BevMo!) for a media event to help promote the 5¢ Wine Sale. This sale has become a reoccurring marketing tool in which BevMo! sells a particular wine for a certain price (for example $12.99) and the customer can purchase the second bottle of wine for 5¢.

This is the first sale of the year and it runs until March 18th. It will feature over 250 wines from labels such as Francis Ford Coppola, Kuleto Estate, and Chalone Vineyard. The bottles will range all over the board in price from as low as $7 to as high as $70 per 750mL bottle. So, if you are a high roller and buying by the case, that means you can get one case of wine at full price and the second case for only 60 cents. 

How did the 5 cent sale begin? Why don't you submit your own creative story? Head over to the BevMo! facebook page and tell them how you think the 5¢ Sale all began. On March 18th, BevMo will pick a winner, and that person will receive a $50 discount card.

Now for a little tasting and my favorites of the evening! I stand behind my picks and recommend them for you to try as well.

The first wine we sampled was the 2010 Arco Magiore Pinot Grigio ($14.99). It was one of my favorites, slightly apricot-ish/peachy, yet fairly dry. Great wine for summer or with a light fish dish.

The next one was a 2009 Silverado Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (price not listed in my notes) from Napa. It was a total grapefruit bomb, so if that's your style, you would like this one (BF, are you listening?). It would be awesome with Thai food, sushi, or some other sort of seafood.

Oooh, well played BevMo!... getting interesting with a Torrontes. This is a 2011 Ceibo Torrontes ($19.99)--an Argentinian wine, and for me tastes like kind of a mix between Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. The big difference (once again, for me) is that a Torrontes usually smells very floral/"perfumey" compared to a Chardonnay. When I say "perfumey", I mean it in a good way. ;) It's also crisp like a Pinot Grigio, so that is why I drew that comparison. Totally worth a try.

The next two wines are some I ended up choosing to take home with me. First is the 2010 Francis Ford Coppola Director's Chardonnay ($19.99). It is pretty true to a classic Napa Chardonnay: Green apple and light buttery oak. And I kind of (not so secretly) love that style of Chardonnay.

My next favorite wine was the 2009 Schug Pinot Noir. It's a great bargain at $24.99, and then when you get the 2nd bottle at five cents, it's a steal. And, I will let you in on a little secret: This wine tastes even better in my Riedel Pinot Noir glass. It's what I drank last night with dinner. :) It's light to medium bodied and has a lovely bouquet of strawberries and cherries.

Next up, a 2009 Trailhead Zinfandel ($24.99), which for me for the price was just ok, but if you chop it in half with the benefit of the 5¢ Sale, it becomes more than fair. Normally this would probably not be an optimal everyday drinker, but when you cut the price in half, it's totally a pizza wine!

Next on the list is a 2009 Ranch 32 Cabernet Sauvignon ($19.99). It’s a good little wine and scored 90 points with Wilfred Wong. It’s not overly tannic and pretty much a “drink it now” sort of wine. It’s probably not going to improve all that much with age, but hey... Have some fun and buy 2 with the 5¢ Sale, drink one now, and lay one down for later. ;)

I am not sure why we tasted this one last, because it was not really much on the sweet side. It was a Cava Brut Rose by Campo Viejo ($16.99). OK, after thinking about it a bit, maybe I do know why you would drink it last. Because it would be awesome with strawberries and a cheese plate!!

Snacks provided to us by BevMo! were a Picot Brie cheese, Jarlsberg (love) cheese, Carr's Biscuits, La Panzanella mini crackers, and Columbus Dry Salami.

You can find BevMo! on Facebook here and on twitter here. Long live the 5¢ Sale!

Second Annual Riedel Wine Glass Seminar on Tuesday, February 28th

The Second Annual Riedel Wine Glass Seminar presented by the National Association of Catering Executives, Sacramento Chapter and Sacramento Magazine/Our Wedding Magazine in association with Sean Minor Wines and Arden Hills Resort Club and Spa will take place on Tuesday February 28, 2012.

Time: 6:30p.m.– 9:00p.m. (Doors open at 6:00 p.m.)

Tickets $75 are per person  and $85 after February 15. To register, please click here.

Arden Hills Resort Club and Spa is located at 1220 Arden Hills Lane Sacramento, CA.

This unique and fascinating wine glass seminar will be led by Sylvie Laly of the world famous Riedel Glassware. She will showcase Riedel’s Vinum XL glasses and teach about the relationship between the shape of the glass and how the wine tastes, and the enjoyment of wine to our Sacramento community.

The seminar includes a set of four Vinum XL glasses ($123 value) post presentation hors d’oeuvres and sample wine from Sean Minor Wines. Sacramento NACE is offering this fascinating seminar to all interested parties (over the age of 21), whether you are a sommelier, in the food and beverage field locally, a restaurant owner, or a wine connoisseur.

Please join this spectacular presentation where everyone will gain new perspective on how the bouquet, taste, balance, and finish of wines are affected by the shape of the glass. Representatives of all the newspaper companies, TV channels and free lance journalists are cordially invited to make this event a successful one. Doors open at 6:00p.m. Seminar starts at 6:30p.m. Post seminar hors d’oeuvres are from 8:00 – 9:00p.m. For more information please visit: Sacnace.com

Below is footage from last year's seminar:

Almond, Rosemary and Date Crackers (Gluten Free!)

Last night was one of my favorite nights of the month, wine tasting night (with a local wine group to which I belong) at the Barton Gallery (next to Michaelangelo's Restaurant.

Typically, we each bring a bottle of wine (based on a theme we decide ahead of time for the month) and a dish (if we can) to share. This month was sort of a competition to choose the themes for the next three months, so we brought bottles to vote. The very best as decided by the group would win the themes for February, March, and April.

Some of varietals, regions, themes present last night were: Alsace, San Luis Obispo, Barbera, Barbaresco, Tour of Italy, Rare Italians, and the Middle East. We decided that next month's theme would be Alsatian Wines, and it was an easy decision after we tried an Alsatian Riesling (C and R brought, the Domaine Gresser Riesling, Alsace 2007 to be exact) that had all the great characteristics of a Riesling, such as clean, bright, and crisp, without being sticky and cloying.

I brought these Rosemary Date Crackers to the tasting because I wanted to make sure there was some sort of cracker/snack I could eat once I got there. I do sometimes get weak and miss bread/crackers at wine tastings, but these crackers were way more flavorful than store bought. The original inspiration came from Elena over at Elena's Pantry, but I have changed it up quite a bit. Enjoy!

Almond, Rosemary and Date Crackers (Gluten Free and Paleo!!)
2 cups blanched almond flour  
(Tip: Make your own with raw almonds and a food processor)
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tbs fresh or dried rosemary 
(Tip: If you use dried, you can grind up with a mortar and pestle to release the oils.)
4-5 Medjool Dates, chopped
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Tbs unsalted organic butter


1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine almond flour, salt, rosemary and dates.
3. Mix in egg, butter and oil until well combined. It's really best if you dig in and mix with your hands.
4. Roll out the mixture between parchment paper with a rolling pin.
5. Cut dough with pizza cutter, or for fun, you can use little cookie cutters. I left the rolled out pieces right on the paper and placed the paper on a cookie sheet to bake.
6. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
7. Bring to wine tasting and people will love you for them. :)

Evergreen Escapes Wacky Quacky Holiday Lights and Wine Tour

Are you in Seattle for Christmas/New Years or will you be traveling there? If so, I want to tell you about a fantastic holiday venture that will delight any food and wine lover! The Wacky Quacky Holiday Lights and Wine Tour!

Evergreen Escapes has teamed with Ride the Ducks of Seattle, Fall Line Winery, and Maven Meals for a ride through downtown Seattle to view the prettiest light displays, followed by the ultimate food and wine experience at the Fall Line tasting room.

Lights Tour: This is the ceiling of the vehicle. All decked out for the holidays!! The vehicle is semi-open, so bundle up and cover up with the blankets provided in the vehicle (the DUKW 'Duck' -- an amphibious landing craft developed by the U.S. Army during World War II) on the tour.

This is Macy's display, which is right across from the Mayflower Park Hotel where we stayed.

Trees in Occidental Park were dressed in sweaters!

De-boarding the amphibious. I loved this kid's Angry Birds hat.

Then it was into a HEATED caravan :) and onto Fall Line Winery for the food and wine pairing (don't worry, the kid was not on the wine portion of the tour and only there for the duck!)

 

The winery name: The owner of Fall Line, Tim Sorenson, and his wife Nancy Rivenburgh are both avid skiers, and the name Fall Line worked because a perfectly balanced skier will leave behind a "fall line" on a slope.

 

After 4 years of winemaking studies and apprenticeship, they founded Fall Line Winery in June 2003 and in 2004, moved it to the South Seattle neighborhood of Georgetown (its present location.)

Really cool map of Washington AVA's was on the wall.

The tasting room was decorated so pretty with lights and little herb baskets (containing rosemary and sage). The lights in the room were turned down and the tables were lit with candles.

Food (provided by Seattle's Maven Meals) and wine for the evening were set up at three stations. The first station (the Snoqualmic Pass Station) featured this table of appetizers which included locally made Beecher's Cheeses, cured meats, an olive tapenade, and a roasted vegetable spread. The wines for this course included a 2008 Red Mountain Artz Vineyard Bordeaux-Style Blend and a 2008 Yakima Valley Boushey Vinyeard Bordeaux-Style Blend.

 

Tim Sorenson, the winemaker.

At the Crystal Mountain Station, a Carnival Squash Lasagna layered with a sage bechamel sauce and cheeses was served with a garlicky grilled broccoli. This pairing included two more wines, the 2008 Red Willow Vineyard - Yakima Valley and a 2009 El Otro - Yakima Valley Tempranillo with which the BF absolutely fell in love (before he found out it was rated 92 points in Wine Advocate)!

Station 3 was Hurricane Ridge and a Brandied Cranberry Short Rib served with Whipped Garlic Red Skin Potatoes. We sampled this dish while sipping a 2009 Exhibition - Yakima Valley (my favorite wine besides the Tempranillo served at the earlier station, and a blend of 46% cabernet franc, 34% merlot, 16% cabernet sauvignon, 4% tempranillo). The last wine of the evening was the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon - Yakima Valley.

Dessert was a duo of Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and a Bittersweet Chocolate Cake. They went over very well with the crowd around me as I had another glass of the Exhibition instead. I really want to stress that no one was left hungry and the portions were sizable. If there was something left on the table and you wanted another taste, you were welcome to have it. The same goes for the wines.

And here's Tim at the end of the evening, adding up all the wine my BF bought!
A whole case of Tempranillo, and another case of mixed wine.

Do you want to get in on this tour and wine/food tasting fun?? There are still seats remaining for December 23rd and December 30th! You can book your experience here. Also, if you are a participant on the Holiday Lights and Wine tour, you will receive a 15% discount on a purchase of three bottles of wine or more.

You can find Evergreen Escapes on Facebook here and on twitter here.

Ride the Ducks is on Facebook here and on twitter here.

Fall Line Winery's Facebook page is here.

Maven Meals is on Facebook here and on twitter here.

Napa Day Two Continued: Frank Family Vineyards

Frank Family Vineyards (first constructed as Larkmead Winery in 1884) was not really on my planned list of wineries, but they happen to make one of my favorite wines (2010 Napa Valley Chardonnay). During our tasting at Duckhorn, we found out that we were minutes away from Frank Family--and we had some extra time before heading back to dinner at Hurley's--so we decided to stop in.

Once we were ushered into one of their tasting rooms, I saw this really cool tapestry on the wall of all the area appellations. I wish I had one in my house!

We chose the premium wine tasting for $30, and it began with a 2010 Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay ($32.50/btl) This is hands down one of my favorite wines. It’s a perfect balance of fruit and oak. It’s my old standby on a menu if I want to just go with something I really like.

Here's my BF and our host, Rick. He was very knowledgeable and guided us through the tasting. Also on our list was a 2009 Carneros Reserve Pinot Noir, a 2009 Napa Valley Zinfandel, and a 2008 Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

I am a huge fan of social media, and when I arrived at Frank Family I "checked in" on both Facebook and Foursquare. Then I got a message from one of my twitter friends, David Cole (who also happens to make great wine). He told me to ask our host if we could taste the Winston Hill (it was a wine for sale on our list but not for a regular tasting). The Winston Hill is a Cabernet blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvginon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. Rick kindly allowed my request and brought out the bottle. It was a nice treat because a bottle of this wine is $150.00 (yes, per bottle, and you have to be a wine club member to get it).

The BF bought some wine at Frank Family as well and just last week we opened the second bottle of some Chardonnay he bought. We had it with some fish he made (excellent, by the way) and some rainbow chard sauté and roasted eggplant dip that I made. Most of the produce I used to prepare dinner came from my It's Organic Delivery box.

And I end this post where I began. With a taste of the Frank Family Chardonnay. Cheers!

You can find Frank Family on Facebook here and follow them on twitter here. For more information on the winery, you can call them at (707) 942-0859 or visit their website here.