Lemony Paired with Lemony

Since lemon is one of my favorite mouth sensations, I decided to bake a pie and pair it with an equally lemony wine. This delicious pie is from a recipe I found on the Food and Wine web site, Lemon Ice Box Pie. First of all I don't really bake all that much, unless of course it's lemon or chocolate related. So I'm really proud of myself for attempting and accomplishing what I set out to do, which was to pair a lemon pie with my favorite lemony wine, Orvieto. The combination was perfect! as evident from the "oh my gods" from the friends, I served it to. Now in order to save my figure, I'm going to share the remains of this pie with my neighbors.

On second thought....this pie is worth the extra 30 minutes on the treadmill......

Enjoy!

Wine Gelee Heaven

You know I believe in having great food, in fact, I believe in eating meaningfully! This plate has what's left of what I call heaven. (it's left on the plate only because I needed to take a picture of it). Two pieces of cornbread crackers, topped with goat cheese and Bordeaux wine jelly. Complete heaven! I served it at a wine party I hosted, and it was a solid hit. First off when you open the jar of wine jelly and smell it.....it has you at hello and you know you're about to experience something special. Order from the european wine table and put it on topped of any cheese and cracker combination. Enjoy!

Vineyard Chic Wine Display

When you're on a budget and need to store your inexpensive and not so inexpensive wine, on top of wanting your display to look vineyard chic, what do you do? You go to your local wine shop and ask them for their empty, never going to be used again, wine crates. These were free and they are beautiful. In fact, I not only have crates for my wines, I have crates for my favorite food magazines also, placed strategically around my home. To be quite honest with you I don't believe in temperature controlled wine refrigerators. Being an "old world" kind of girl, I like placing my wine in one location and leaving it there until I'm ready to drink it. Wine is fine as long as it's stored at a constant temperature and not juggled around. Wine doesn't like being disturbed. My wine is just as happy as can be in these crates. I even have 1998 Pommard in the second crate.... I may have to drink that soon.

Vineyard Style - Tiger Mountian Vineyards

This beautiful foliage with future wine hanging from it is what might be the most perfect food.....yes wine is food, not just for the body, but for the soul. These grapes look perfect, foliage and all, but what's really important is what the wine maker does with them. Will these grapes be allowed to show themselves without too much interference? That I hope would be the case with the wine makers at Tiger Mountain Vineyards, located in Northern Georgia. These grapes are from what will be their 2009 Tannat. Tannat is a french originating red variety. Winemakers at Tiger Mountain Vineyards barrel-aged this wine for 23 months to develop multiple layers of dark berry flavors and soft tannins. It pairs well with lamb or beef. Martha Ezzard, one the owners of this beautiful winery was kind enough to share one her recipes me, so I'm going to share it with you.

Enjoy!

MARTHA'S SHRIMP AND AVOCADO FETTUCCINE WITH VIOGNIER

(serves six)

4 tbls butter

1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 tbls minced fresh parsley

1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 tbls Tiger Mountain Vineyards Viognier

1/3 c heavy cream1/4 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground pepper

red pepper flakes (pinch)

1 firm avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced

Step 1: Melt 1 tbls butter over medium heat; ad minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add parsley, shrimp and Viognier and stir for 2 minutes, until shrimp turns pink. Place on side dish.

Step 2: In the same skillet, melt 3 tbls butter and reduce heat to low. Add cream, parmesan and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook 3 minutes until cheese melts and sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper. Add sliced avocado, saving a couple of slices to put on top.

Step 3: Cook fettuccine al dente; drain and place in warm serving dish. Add shrimp mixture and toss to coat fettuccine thoroughly.

(Hint: If you wish to cook and drain the fettuccine ahead, add a little olive oil and toss as you set aside while finishing the sauce, so the fettuccine doe snot become sticky.)

SERVE WITH CHILLED TIGER MOUNTAIN VIOGNIER!

Harvest Time 2009

There is nothing glamorous or romantic about hand-picking wine grapes, this I found out while on my intern stint picking thin skinned Malbec grapes at Stonewall Creek Vineyards over the week-end. Myself and a few other die-hards started picking at about 9:00 am on Saturday and about 1/4 of the way into it my only-child-syndrome kicked in and I thought, boy, they should hire somebody to do this, but then I remembered that's why I was there! I persevered and learned a few things. I learned the only thing great about hand-picking wine grapes is the joy of knowing that only the best selected grapes will go into that vintage and the anticipation of a wonderful wine to come. You know, hand harvesting is a standard in most old world wine regions like Bordeaux, Loire and Germany. In fact, in some of those wine regions the vines are planted on steep slopes and the only way to harvest is by hand. Which brings me to another revelation....harvest time brings wine passionate people together. After picking we partook of a tradition that happens in most Italian vineyards, the harvest feast.

We feasted on sheep’s milk cheese zucchini lasagna, sliced tomatoes with mozzarella and olive oil, and local French bread. The vegetables were grown from the garden next to the vineyard and the bread was from the local baker. Oh, and with the meal we shared a Malbec from Argentina, Catena 2006, imported by Billington Wines, Springfield, VA. All of this meal sharing was done while overlooking this beautiful vineyard....... I have to say.... it was worth it!

Bordeaux and Me

I have a true love affair with Bordeaux wine. There is nothing like a Bordeaux whether its generic (Bordeaux or Superieur), district or commune level. Of course I can hardly afford the commune level or highest appellation wines. I'm talking about the first growths; Lafite, Latour, and the Mouton-Rothschild. These I can dream heavily about and only imagine the complexity and ah ha! moments it would bring. The day will come for me, but until then I'll take a district like this Reserve De L'Estey Medoc 2006. This wine was firm and structured upon entry. A melding together of three grape varieties unmatched anywhere in the world, in my opinion. Deep berries, with wood and spice all rolled together to make one perfect union. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Malbec. I purchased it a Trader Joes for about $9.99. Have it with your next steak and sauteed vegetable dinner. Living the wine life doesn't have to cost a lot. Viva la Bordeaux!

Wine : Reserve De L'Estey Medoc

Importer : Plume Ridge Wine Negociants