An aching back, sore feet and purple hands....what a wonderful day!

Today we bottled a new Bordeaux blend at Amalthea; Europa VII, 33% Cab Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 33% Cab Franc.  This has been in the barrel since 2007 - Licorice,  plum and black cherry on the nose, it will be a powerhouse.  We bottled 130 cases - give or take.   Because we're such a small winery, everything is done by hand. Basically, we form a line, hook up the pump to a dispensing mechanism that fills 4 bottles at a time, and corking machine, (both of which have wonderful French names and writing on them, but don't ask me). The dispenser is calibrated by the bottle size.  One person hands over 4 empty bottles for hooking up on the dispenser, and as they are filled, they are handed to the person manning the corker, then over to the wipers who wipe off any excess wine and pack them in the cases.  I was a wiper today.  By the end of the tasks, my hands were purple! 

It was hot as Hades today and I was glad to be in the cellar where its always cool.  What I really liked best was being part of something that will eventually become a work of art to be enjoyed with friends over a wonderful dinner.  We took turns figuring out what this wine will eventually pair well with. 

BTW - we got a profile in the Newark Star Ledger!1  http://www.nj.com/insidejersey/index.ssf/2009/04/vintage_jersey.html

Upstairs in the tasting room, it's been so much fun to see how the current vintages are evolving.  The Merlot is just perfect, forming nice, spicy notes and a little leather and clove in the bouquet.  The Cab Franc is at the mellow stage, nice balance of spice and strawberry. The Cab Franc Reserve continues to mature into one of the best Francs I've had....tons of strawberry and rhubarb with a slight spice just starting to develop (and this one is still a baby, only two months in the bottle - just wait until next year!).  The Cab Sauvignon is all red raspberry, bright and fruit forward, but subtle.   The Europa IV - 66% Cab Franc and 34% - has turned the corner and is ripening into what will be a wonderful vintage.  

I was so beat when I got home, it was all I could do to throw together dinner, but I managed to grill steaks.  I took Cindy's suggestion at Figs, Lavender and Cheese and put a smoked paprika rub on a couple of T-bones and grilled them, serving them with brown rice and steamed green beans.  I paired it with a 2002 Llewelling Cab...perfect age, and mellow, raspberry, black cherry and tobacco......yum. 

I'm catching up on old movies on TMC - a good night :)

Lazy Friday Night...and Shrimp Mediterranean

The kids are at their father's, my brain was full from a hectic week from work, so when Friday rolled around, I knew I needed a quiet night and a little cooking to chill me out.   I poured a sherry fino (Thanks to my friend Paul for turning me back on to this wonderful stuff!) and started to make dinner.  I had seen a recipe for Baked Shrimp with Feta on Simplyrecipes.com, and knew that was what I had to have.   I opened a lovely Pinot Grigio (small Italian vineyard) and cut a slice of crusty Italian bread - it was heaven!

 

I Have NOT Fallen Off The Face Of The Earth.....(it just looks that way)

I work in a business that is a quarter by quarter race and our end of quarter was just insane.  This quarter is off with a bang, so the daily pace hasn't slowed a bit.  The winery has been super busy as well - I was in the fields stripping vines, which entails following the winemaker as he prunes the vines and pulling all of the cuttings off the wires so that they can be picked up by the tractor.  If not there, then pouring tastings, stacking glasses and preparing to bottle.  Forget about picking up a golf club, or even getting to the gym. I need a weekend to sleep and better calendar management ;-)

More when I have time...I have LOTS of recipes to share...

I Love Facebook....

Why? Because I can keep in touch in with old friends.  I used to work for the world's greatest research firm - unfortunately it was not a money making model and we got acquired by a much more successful organization.  It's a great gig - believe me. I had to leave and come back to realize it.  Still, the friends that I made at the old company have turned out to be some of the most cherished that I have.  We may only see each other occasionally, but when we do, the years fall away.  

Anyway....back to Facebook - the best part of this is that we stay in touch via Facebook - we were and are, a force of geeks and Facebook works for us.  We can keep tabs on each other...and because of this, I was able to connect with my pal Paul, whom I adore, to let him know that I'll be in his neck of the woods for a business trip.  Paul, because of the ease that Facebook allows, (or they may actually TALK to each other, but I can keep with my train of thought) Paul to reach out to one of my all time favorite guys Slaby, to get together and have dinner at a wonderful Boston tapas place.   Isn't technology a wonderful thing?? This will make my whole trip  :)

Weekend Recap

I'm suffering from anti-camera-itis.  Not sure why, I just forget to dig the camera out.  The weekend was pretty quiet. R was due to have a sleep-over Friday night and one of her guests was grounded Friday afternoon, so that shot that.   To make her feel better I made her a special wild mushroom and truffle pizza.  It was gorgeous and tasted great - do you think I remembered to take a picture of it?   NO!!!!!  Simple recipe - roll out some frozen pizza dough (after it's thawed - obviously), brush with a little truffle oil. I buy mine from this local purveyor, JD Gourmet and it's pungent as all get out.  Saute wild mushrooms, shallot  and baby bellas in a little olive oil and butter. Spread over the dough, add shredded mozzarella and drizzle white truffle oil over top. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes and you're in heaven. 

Saturday I had to run errands, get the car fixed and see my mom for a bit.  The kids built my latest addition to the wine rack while I made dinner - can't even remember what it was now...  Watched the Graduate and fell asleep on the couch. 

Sunday, went into the winery and Louis told me I was ready to give tasting's. I did okay, still need to remember a lot more, but it was fun.  The 06 Cabernet Reserve is drinking so well right now - smooth, full with nice berry and some plum, not the least bit tannic...it's drinking more like a Bordeaux than a straight cab. The 06 Chardonnay has turned the curve, it's getting more golden and is becoming more buttery than ever.  All I can say is WOW.  While we have a loyal following, this place is the best kept secret in NJ!

After we closed, Louis' mom made us some incredible pasta fagiole which we happily paired with the Cab Reserve.  She's a lovely lady and my co-worker and I had a wonderful time eating and laughing with her in the kitchen of the tavern.  A great ending to the day.

It never fails to amaze me....

....When I hear from someone that they read my blog.  I don't get a lot of comments, so in my mind, I have maybe a half a dozen pleasant, faithful souls who humor me and read my ramblings, but once in a while, there are a few things that make you realize you are out there far more than you realize.  For example, I logged into my gmail account the the other day and received a lovely email from my favorite wine merchant - Mr David Moore of Moore Brothers wine shop.  I had mentioned that I stopped into Moore Brothers to pick up some Chinon Cab Franc after visiting my mom in the hospital.  Mr. Moore wrote that he appreciated the reference and that their thoughts were with me.  I would recommend Moore Brothers (and have, many, many times) to anyone who loves and appreciates fine wines - but this small note, makes me appreciate them even more. If you are in the Philadelphia metro area, the Wilmington area or in NYC, go immediately to this wine shop - it is an education, an experience and an all around great place to experience wonderful wines that you may not see every day. 

If that email were not enough, I was chatting with my old boss today who mentioned that my blog was enough to make him want to become a chef - and a Facebook comment also mentioned my blog.  It warms the heart - I appreciate all of this so much.  It's my passion and my joy and I'd write it even if no one read it, but  c'mon folks, comment!

Look at what I woke up to this morning

Plotting world dominance, no doubt.......if they ever decide to get up.....