Day 2 - Norway - World Cup Eating Challenge 2015

One of the best parts about this challenge comes from looking up food from countries I'm not as familiar with. I had Norway as country #2 on my list and my mind drew a blank. The only thing I could think of was the movie Frozen and aside from chocolate and sanwhiches, I'm not sure they really mention food at all. So it was off to the drawing board! Which looks a lot like a Pinterest board.

Ok, it's Pinterest.

Pinterest is my go to for looking up recipes a lot of the time. If you want to follow along with my ideas for future posts, definitely check out my World Eating Challenge board.

But I digress...  I found some recipes for Norwegian fish cakes and potato pancakes that seemed really amazing and I thought they would make a good breakfast.

Fish Cakes

These salmon and cod cakes looks so fresh and paleo friendly, I knew they would be great. I went to the market and was able to get fresh cuts of each fish. I didn't measure perfectly for the herbs though which I think was misstep #1. I also decided to skip out on the coconut flour since I don't think these types of things really need the binder. I was really happy with that decision.

Putting them all together was really easy though! I cut up the fish into small pieces and processed it with the herbs. I think I made have over processed them a little though. I wish I'd left the mixture a little chunkier. I also would suggest a second egg for moisture. After that, I just let them cook in some butter on the stove!

All in all, I found these to be really dry and I think it's for some of the reasons I mentioned above. I put more herbs than it called for, I over processed the fish which increases the surface area (faster cooking time), and I made 4 instead of two big ones. All of these changes would lead to faster cooking and just drying out of the cakes. I also didn't want to do the poached egg, mostly because I was short on time. The cakes were also really fishy. I think my cod wasn't great. I would suggest to only use salmon if you want to try this at home. I ate mine with a sriracha mayo which helped but you know it's not good if you're just trying to mask a taste.

Potato Pancakes

As good as the fish cakes looked though, they didn't hold a candle to the potato pancakes. I knew I could make some good substitutions to be able to pull these off. I'd use tapioca flour and almond milk instead of the regular versions and then honey and coconut sugar as toppings.

I made my mashed potatoes and then when I added in the rest of ingredients, it seemed too doughy and dry so I added another splash of milk... and then realized I was a total idiot. Of course the mixture should be doughy... I had to roll out the flat pancake shape. I tried adding more tapioca flour to thicken the goopey mixture but it didn't worth. Tapioca flour is a little to elastic so at such a high quantity, it made it really gummy when I tried to roll it out and make the pancakes. I ended up dumping everything. It was really sad.

Kitchen failures definitely aren't fun especially when it's not salvageable. Which is why I was happy I decided to go with a fun little addition to these dishes...

Ice Wine

Since I knew Frozen was from Norway, I wanted a little icey addition to the day's food. Since I'm such a wino, ice wine seemed like the best choice. Ice wine isn't from Norway at all but it's still cool. It's a dessert wine made from grapes left on the vine until after they have frozen. As such, it's only made it really cold areas like Canada, New York, and Germany.

I was happy to find this Vidal Ice Wine at Bevmo for a reasonable price. It had such a beautiful honey flavor and was super delicious. When the cooking gets frustrating, it's nice that wine doesn't disappoint.

Wine Wednesday - Hosting a Primal Friendly Happy Hour

I clearly love wine. There's no question about that. I also love all of the snacks that go so well with wine - cured meats, dried fruits, and cheese. I love cheese as much as I love wine and bacon. Yes, that much.

However, these are all things that are typically served on bread. As someone who strives for a primal (paleo w/ dairy)/gluten-free lifestyle, that's not really an option. Bread and flour are things that I might occasionally indulge in outside the home but I never buy products for cooking or serving at home. So how do you serve happy hour finger foods without bread or crackers?

Clearly wine glasses for your favorite team are also necessary - Go Giants!!!

The biggest thing is to have some sort of paleo alternative to use as your bread alternative. My favorite are fruits. My favorite cheese is the creamy blue Cambozola from Trader Joe's or Safeway. It's not something you can slice up and just eat in pieces but the tangy flavor of the blue is amazing on dried apricots. Sometimes I also wrap this in prosciutto and have it as a snack when I get home from work. In terms of wine - blue cheese and dried fruits go really well with Moscato and other dessert wines so this could also make for a dessert alternative.

As for the rest of the snacks, I opted for some grass fed Kerrygold Cheddar, sliced apples, plantain chips, and salsa. This mix of snacks was great for accommodating a variety of diets from paleo to vegan. It's hard to make everyone happy but it's easy to provide at least some other snacking option for your guests. I also made some paleo/vegan cookie butter later in the night which was perfect for dipping the apple slices into. 

Since this is a wine post, let's comment on that too. When you have a few people over, it's hard to accommodate every taste. I made sure to have a white and a red ready so at least in a broader sense, people can tell me what they are in the mood for. Luckily, I was hosting very close friends and I have a good feel for what they like in wine and it was easy to pick out bottles they would enjoy.

Wine Wednesday - Livermore Wine Tasting

I have some friends who live out in Livermore and have been constantly talking up visiting the wineries out there. It's definitely something I'd been wanting to do and with my recent series of "Lesser Known Wine Countries" I figured I could visit my friends, see some new wineries, and report back on one more county where you can try some amazing wines.

Fenestra Winery

I could probably right this whole post on Fenestra Winery. If Jackie didn't take me to so many amazing wineries, I probably would write this whole post on Fenestra. I might have to come back just to write a whole post on Fenestra. The fact of the matter is - they have amazing wines and a lot to choose from. I really love exploring wines that are unique varietals and made well. Fenestra excels on both fronts, offering a lot of Spanish and Portuguese grapes as well as a few Rhone varietals. There are few things I didn't like in their vast portfolio so I'm just going to mention a few of my favorites.

The 2010 Infared is the Fenestra GSM (43% Grenache, 39% Syrah, 18% Mourvedere). It was extremely well balanced and fruit forward. The wine also comes in a magnum size and they let you taste both. The magnum will develop slower and you can taste some more of the robust flavor since it hasn't settled as quickly. The magnum would definitely be what you would want to purchase if you are planning on aging the wine for a long time. 

The Dolce Francesca was another really interesting wine. This was a dessert wine but wasn't as syrupy as many I've seen. Instead the flavor was light and peachy with a hint of honey. 

And if you don't believe me in regards to Fenestra... they won an award or two!

Tenuta Vineyards

Well, it just wouldn't be a fun post without a gif. I really do love when Dan takes a bunch of pictures and Google gifs them for me because if a picture is worth a thousand words, a gif is worth a million. I'm sure there's some science behind that... yea... science!!!

Now that we're all happy about gifs, let's talk about wine! Tenuta has a wide portfolio of wines but they really excel in their blends. I always think blends are where wine makers have a chance to shine. Since you never know exactly how the grapes will turn out, a blend is a great way to bring together different varietals and a good wine maker will make the whole better than the sum of its parts. This was definitely the case at Tenuta and I suggest tasting straight to the blends if you visit. 

Tenuta was also the only winery that had a TV and sports playing in the background. This made the boys very happy. The owner's boyfriend even showed them to a room with a projector TV and beer tasting. It was definitely a great way for everyone to be happy!

Eight Bridges Brewery

I don't drink beer very often anymore. I used to go to beer tastings a ton but I noticed that it never sat well with me so I basically cut it out. However, Jackie planned a fun trip to a brewery so I thought I'd have a tasting as well. I loved the Twisted Red and the O’Beardsley’s Stout. The Stout especially had a wonderful chocolate and coffee flavor that was amazing.

We had a great trip to Livermore and I'd love to go back and check out even more of the great wineries out there.

Wine Wednesday - David Girard and Miraflores (El Dorado)

Dan and I have taken a lot of little weekend trips this summer. One of the most amazing things about living in California is that it's hard to take a road trip and not pass through some wine country. A few weeks ago, we passed through Anderson Valley on the way back from camping. A couple of weeks ago, we went to Tahoe for a wedding and I knew it was finally time to stop at some El Dorado Hills wineries. (You can basically consider this to be Part 2 of my lesser-known-wine-country series. At the moment, there are at least 4 parts but I know of many of wine countries that will be on the list in the future as well. )

I had wanted to make it to 3-4 wineries but we ended up getting a later start than I intended. However, we still were able to stop at two amazing wineries so here they are! I'm also sorry for missing a couple Wine Wednesdays. You know you've been slacking when your boyfriend who doesn't drink wine asks where your wine posts are. Sorry!!

David Girard

 David Girard came with really high praise from a friend. She basically told me I'd want to get married here. The winery is gorgeous and I'm kind of kicking myself for not getting any pictures of the estate. I was also excited because David Girard is a Rhone Ranger (the Rhone Rangers are a group that promote grape varietals primarily found in the Rhone region of France - Grenache, Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne, etc) and I was using that as a way to discover wineries that would have varietals I know I like.

 Admittedly, when we got to David Girard, we were all still in wake up mode from the weekend's festivities. It was a long drive from Tahoe to the winery and we probably should have gotten lunch first. You'll have to excuse my sparse pictures and notes but I do at least remember my favorites from the winery. The 2011 Coda Blanc, a white blend of primarily Roussanne and Marsanne, was very light and delicious. I was also a big fan or the 2009 Syrah. I took home a bottle of each and can't wait to have them again soon. Following me on Instagram is a great way to see when and how I enjoy these wines! 

Miraflores

Miraflores, on the other hand, was not one of the Rhone Ranger wineries and I wouldn't have heard about it at all if a friend didn't say they were wine club members and were stopping in to pick up a case of wine. I'm so happy they mentioned it because we absolutely loved the winery. They had a very long list of wines and complimentary tasting so we ended up just staying until closing and enjoying the wines and the property.

Miraflores also participates in a Futures program. Since they have to pay taxes on all of their wine before they can sell it, selling bottles at a discount before they are released helps them manage their costs. For that reason, they let visitors do barrel tastings complete with explanations on how the tastes will develop and mature as the wine ages. It was a really fun experience. My favorite barrel wine was the Tintoretto - a special wine made from dried out grapes. This means they need to use three times as many grapes to produce enough juice, making it one of their priciest wines. However, the method of production creates a vibrant and unique flavor. It definitely showed a lot of promise and I would recommend buying futures of it - the only way to snag this interesting wine.

Always make sure to match your wine!

If you like receiving a bottle when you pay for it, I was also a big fan of the Barbera and took some home. Miraflores has a big portfolio and gorgeous winery, so mostly I just recommend making a visit and discovering what your favorite wine is.

It's nice to just add that it was a really fun day with friends. We were on our way back from a wedding that was just an amazing weekend spending time with college friends that have scattered all over the country. Getting an extra afternoon with a handful of those people was just a great way to come off an incredible weekend.

Wine Wednesday - Anderson Valley

Before we get into this week's Wine Wednesday, I just want to say how sorry I am about the damage in Napa after the earthquake last weekend. I've seen how much time and energy goes into the wine making process and I can't even imagine what the loss of so many barrels will mean to the wine makers who have invested so much in their craft. If you'd like to help out, here are some resources:

Napa Earthquake - Help Needed Forum

Napa Earthquake Volunteers

Aveo Wines Napa Quake Fund

While Napa is picking up the pieces though, my next two wine posts will feature lesser known wine areas in California. Napa and Sonoma get a lot of the attention but there are lots of wine regions in this state. On a camping trip a couple of weeks ago, we found ourselves driving through Anderson Valley and knew we'd have to pop into a few wineries on the way back.

Before we get to the wine though, let's just talk about where we camped. We went up to Navarro River Redwoods State Park and camped out at an awesome site right on the beach. We were able to spend an afternoon splashing around on the (very drought affected) river, and playing in some of the very climbable trees. It's definitely a trek from San Francisco (about a 3 hour drive) but it's fun to discover another corner of this beautiful state.

As some of you know, I don't really drink beer. While I clearly love wine, I tend to grab ciders for more beer-esque occasions. We picked up a case of Angry Orchard hard cider which included samples of some new flavors. I really loved the Elderflower and was happy that it wasn't overly sweet but still had a lot of great floral notes. 

But let's get back to the important stuff... the wine tasting! 

Our first stop was Brutocao Cellars. One of our fellow campers, said that she had seen a winery with a sign for Port and chocolate tastings. Everyone in our group thought this sounded amazing so our first mission on our drive back was to try to find that sign. Luckily, my boyfriend spotted it and we were quickly followed by our friends. 

The first amazing thing about Anderson Valley tastings - they were all complimentary and involved long lists of wine, of which you could choose 5-6 to try. Anderson Valley is known for their Pinot Noir and Brutocao was no exception but they also carried a variety of other French and Italian wines. I had a long list of wines I wanted to try but limited myself to their 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir, 2010 Primitivo, and 2010 Quadriga (a blend of Sangiovese, Primitivo, Barbera, and Dolcetto). The former wines being excellent representations of their varietals and the latter being an exceptionally balanced and smooth blend of four tasty Italian grapes. 

I also really enjoyed the chocolate tasting. There were 3 options, all being creamy truffle chocolates. My favorite was the Grand Marnier and I made sure to take home a jar of it as well. 

Our seceond stop was Husch Vineyards which was just bonkers cute. Even though their tasting room was snug, they managed to fit out large group. There was a little deck, as well, that we trickled out onto (pictured below). Husch, is well known for their award winning Pinots. The style was a little different from what I tend to prefer, but I was fascinated by their dessert wines. The most interesting to me was the late harvest Sauvignon Blanc. I'd never seen someone make a dessert wine from that grape and it was interesting to see how the lighter qualities of the wine remained while still taking on the properties of a dessert white. I took a bottle home so that I can try it again sometime as it definitely was a unique wine (my favorite!). 

Husch was also the first winery we went to that feautured grape juice - non-fermented wines. We had a few drivers and they loved it. It's so smart to have a non-alcholic beverage alternative for drivers, and our group really appreciated it. One person in our party even got a couple bottles of it. 

The last winery was also gorgeous and that was Navarro Vineyards and Winery. They also had a big portfolio of wines. I was getting a little wine fatigue by then but I really enjoyed the Edelzwicker - a blend of 47% Pinot Gris, 27% Gewürztaminer, 25% Riesling and 1% Muscat. The dry Pinot Gris really balances out the sweet and floral notes of the other wines and it ends up being a really stand out blend. 

This was also a winery that had tastings of their non-alcoholic wine juice. There were three options and the tasting room employee even offered to mix them into a wine juice cocktail for our DDs. Dan really liked his and once again, it was great to have an option other than water for the drivers.

If that wasn't enough, Navarro also had cheese tastings with pairings. There were several great options and my favorites were the Laychee goat & sheep milk cheese and the Boont Corners Reserve. 

All in all, wine tasting in Anderson Valley was amazing. I really loved that all the wineries offered something extra whether it be cheese, chocolate, or just some non-alcoholic options. Even though I don't expect wineries to step outside of their specialties, it was a nice touch that really added to our experience. I know our group of friends, who varied in wine experience, all had a good time. 

Of course, on our way home, my phone buzzed with a Facebook notification. It seemed that I was tagged in the ice bucket challenge for the second time. Since I had a cooler full of dirty camping ice water that was going to get dumped out anyways, I didn't really have any excuse.  So, here's my ice bucket gif for all of you. I also donated to the WWF Tigers fund. I know the challenge is supposed to raise money for ALS but it seems like they've gotten a lot of donations so I decided to support a cause that is important to me... because tigers are awesome.

 Also - thank you to Selin Sevencan for letting me use some of your photos! My phone was charging during some of our wine tastings so I didn't get to take as many pictures and I would have. I appreciate you letting me use yours!

Wine Wednesday - Outside Lands 2014

So after all those pre-Outside Lands posts, I'm sure you're wondering what I actually decided to try while I was there? Here are the food and wine dishes I enjoyed during the festival. I really made the most of the wine tastes so I could try as much as possible. At $2-3 per taste, it made my wine tickets last much longer and when I did want to grab a glass and go, I already knew what I liked. The prices below are per bottle, not Outside Lands prices.

Wine

2012 Qupé "Bien Nacido Cuvee"

Qupé was my first stop at wine lands. The weather was unexpectedly nice in the Outerlands so starting with the white blend seemed fitting. The blend is about 2/3 Viognier and 1/3 Chardonnay. I really liked the way these came together. Viognier can be a little too frilly for me while Chardonnay can be too oakey but together, they balanced wonderfully. The Viognier was definitely the more prominent of the wines allowing a lot of floral notes to shine through.

Price: $20

2013 Verdad Sawyer Lindquist Vyd Rosé of Grenache

Verdad is a little side brand of Qupé and I was really excited to try their Grenache Rosé. It was a really high acid crisp rosé with notes of cranberry, strawberry, and lemon.

Price: $18

2012 Qupé Central Coast Syrah

The Syrah was also very nice. It was a dry red with notes of dark berries, cranberry, and hint of tobacco. The last note was really hard to pick up and I spent a long time just trying to figure out what the last taste was before I got it. 

Price: $20

2013 Rosé of Pinot Noir 

Red Car is a wine that has a very distinct label and even though it was on my list, I had a big feeling of Deja Vu when I approached their booth. I'm sure I've tried it before but the problem with trying so many wines all the time, is that stuff falls through the cracks. This rosé was much lighter in body and flavor than many others that I have enjoyed. Fermented like a white wine, without any skin contact, the pale salmon color is much lighter than a traditional rosé. This is definitely a wine for people who want something very very light. 

Price: $25

2011 Calder Charbono

My favorite thing about wine tasting is finding wines I've never tried before so as I was wandering around the wine tent and found a red called "Charbano," my interest was piqued. I asked the booth what it was as many times wines with interesting names are blends. The winery representitive gave me a really condescending response that it was a varietal. She then told me it was similar to Pinot, Gamay, or Barbera. It was really frustrating though that her first answer was still rude. I always thought the point of Wine Lands was a way to get exposure for your wine. I understand that a lot of people there just want to get drunk, but there are also people genuinely interesting in discovering new wines and if they ask about something unique that you have, don't shut them down. The pervasive snootiness that some people have with wine drives me crazy. I've meet so many friendly and amazing people in the wine industry who just want to educate people on what makes their wine special and that gets ruined when others have rude and condescending attitudes to people curious about wine.

But I digress... the wine itself was super interesting. Per their site, Charbano only has 70 acres in California and is extinct in France. The wine had a very intense nose. The earthy, berry taste was definitely reminiscent of Pinot. It was a very interesting wine and I'd love to try it again. Maybe next time I'll get to talk to someone willing to share more about the wine with me. 

Price: $28

Broc 2013 Love Red California

It's hard not to love the Love Red blend by Broc. The primarily Carignan blend also includes some Valdiguie and a dash of Petite Syrah. It's an very balanced blend and a smooth light red with cranberry and smokey notes. 

Price: NA

Kibo Junmai Sake

These little cans of sake made their appearance at the press tent and I had to have a taste. I don't drink sake often but it's something I really enjoy. I particularly love to have some when I eat sushi, but as a person who generally gets sushi as take out to eat at home, I don't have good sake nearby to pair with it. I've tried to buy inexpensive bottles before but they tend to not be good quality and come in huge bottles that are more than I could drink in a night. So when I saw these little cans of Kibo sake, I was really excited. The cans are going to retail for about $5 each and are the perfect size to have with one meal and not worry about wasting the rest of a bottle. Besides having a great size and price though, I was pleased with just how drinkable the sake was. It's light and refreshing and definitely something I could just sit around sipping, with or without sushi. 

The little can also honors traditional Japanese packaging. The brewery where it is made was destroyed in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. However, in the 3 years since, they've been able to re-build and launch their new sake. 

Price: $5

Sean Thackrey "Pleiades XXIII" Old Vine Red Blend

This is really the kitchen sink of red blends. The wine includes Sangiovese, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and more. The nose was beautifully filled with ginger and cloves. The red was very light with a little of spiciness and earthiness. The hints of ginger carry through from start to finish. It's probably worth noting that it's one of the few wines I went back and got a glass of. I'm basically adding it to my K&L cart right now...

Price: $24

2013 Wind Gap Trousseau Gris

This was another wine that showed up in the press tent and I was excited to try it. I love Trousseau Gris and this one didn't disappoint. The nose is super light. The wine is very high acid, with tangy lemon and grapefruit notes. This would be an ideal wine for a hot summer day.

Price: $24

Food

 The first night there, I was really craving a lobster roll. I knew this had to be my dinner that night. I was a little disapointed with it though. It still tasted awesome but for the price ($19!) it was not nearly as full as the one's the restaurant. It didn't really live up to my picture of an overflowing lobster roll. As you know, this inspired me to make my own rendition of the New England dish.

One of the fun little perks of the Press Tent was a special food and wine press release. One of the presenters was the owner of AQ & TBD. Even though I wrote about their restaurants, I wasn't familiar at all with the dish they were bringing to the event. However, they brought one of their Spaghetti Sloppy Joe sandwiches to the press event and Dan was able to snag it. Since it's basically gluten on gluten and wrapped in gluten, I let him enjoy the whole thing. He loved the sandwich though and has been bringing it up constantly. Apparently the dish is something you won't ever find on their menu but just a late night snack that the restaurant employees like to enjoy after their shifts. The treat was a way for the fancy restaurants to have a more low key dish for Outside Lands.

I still needed to eat though. I really wanted to try a bacon flight from Baconlands at the GastroMagic stage but they were sold out. Who sells out of bacon???? I really needed my bacon fix though so we went to the Bacon Bacon truck. I snagged this awesome double burger and instead of onions, they gave me extra bacon. It was happiness. 

We were able to sit back with wine and bacon and enjoy the Killers. It was definitely a great way to end a really long weekend. Until next time Outside Lands!

Wine Wednesday - Rhone Rangers Edition

It's hard for me to bring you into my world of wine without the Rhone Rangers coming up. Without this group, I wouldn't be writing a post about wine right now. Volunteering at a Rhone Rangers event last year was a big introduction to a lot of winemakers for me and it opened a door that lead me to countless tastings, wine friends, and even getting a certification in wine tasting (the Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level 2). This was a week where I just wanted to come home and open bottles of wine that I knew I loved. Let's talk about why.

Billionaire Wine

I ran into Stark Wine at the Vinter's Festival before I became friends with the Rhone Rangers. That was before I knew about best tasting practices or taking notes but I liked them enough to buy two bottles. That year my birthday fell on the release date of Iron Man 3 and I knew exactly which wine I was going to pair with the film. Months later when I got to know Christian and Jen Stark, I joked with them that I associate their wine with Iron Man. They told me they're also trying to grab the Game of Thrones crowd. I knew we'd get along just fine.

Christian and Jen though are great - they have always been so kind of welcoming to me and my friends. As a wine club member, they've always been accommodating to my requests to swap out wines and change my orders. They've been great in so many ways and on top of that they have great wine.

The wine I picked to have last week was the Stark  Trimble Vineyard Carignane. Cariganane is one of many grapes that I hadn't heard of before I delved deeper into the wine world but I have since fallen in love with it. This carignane has a beautiful dark cherry flavor. The wine paired beautifully with my wine (a different wine..) braised pork chops, quinoa, and Waldorf-esque salad. The wine is still a little young and I can tell it's one that will get better as the years go on. Jen told me, however, that they are quickly running out of this beautiful wine - news that is surely going to be very bad for my wallet.

The Wine Shepherd

Let me tell you about my afternoon last Wednesday. I had to get to my work in Mountain View, to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco by 6pm to pick up my Outside Lands tickets. Clearly I had to drive (usually I take the train and get to read/nap, it's pretty nice) and even though I left work just after 4pm, I got to the park at 5:40pm. I was hoping to be able to squeeze in a few laps at Kezar Stadium so after another 20 minutes of driving through crazy SF streets, I was finally there... and two hours in a car meant I really had to use the bathroom. This is SF though so all of the bathrooms were locked and I just had to hop back in my car and go home. My drive home was wretched. Not only did I really have to go, but starting from no one letting me out of my parking spot, every turn was filled with jerk drivers being inconsiderate. I was hoping to still get a run in and was going to map out how long a block loop was in my neighborhood so I could use that as a measure instead of laps (the goal was a speed run where you run shorter distances at a faster pace to improve time). Of course, my computer was having serious issues and I couldn't get any site to load, much less my mapping site. By that point I was just frustrated. It seemed like the universe didn't want me to run and neither did I. I just wanted some yummy fried food... but I didn't earn it with a run so I had to think of what would work with the confines of my very paleo kitchen.


As much as I liked my pork chops from the night before, I just wasn't feeling them. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find a package of grass fed sliders. I threw some bacon in a pan, seasoned and grilled my sliders, and added all the fixins to make some pretty awesome little sliders. That wasn't enough though - I was so frustrated and I knew I needed a good bottle of wine so there was only one thing to do - open up the 2012 Two Shepherds Grenache, one of my all time favorite wines. It only took a few sips of this awesome juice to relax me a little bit.

This Grenache is truly a special thing. To start, it's a beautiful clear garnet color, uncharacteristically light for the grape. Everything about it is light and delicate including having a very low 13.3% alcohol level. It's definitely a wine you can enjoy anytime and it stands so well on its own (but also did great with my little sliders). It has high acid and beautiful light cranberry notes.

Sometimes I pour Two Shepherds wine at events and it's great gig. Pouring a wine you love is the chance to tell tons of people about something really awesome. His wine is so uniquely crafted that there's always a huge line at his table and people are always shocked at how different his wine tastes. That difference is the love and care he puts into making wine that he would want to drink. It's something I've seen in a lot of the Rhone Rangers but never so clearly as with Two Shepherds. As frustrating as my afternoon last week was, I know William Allen has had a worse one recently so I toast to him for all he's done for me and I can't imagine what it's like to say goodbye to a furry friend. Flash was an amazing dog and I'm sure he's running with new youth up in heaven.

Field of Life

Campovida holds a little special place in my heart. While I was familiar with and loved their wines, they really made an impression on me almost a year ago. A guy I had been dating for a little while invited me to go to a wedding with him at the Campovida estate in Hopland. I'd tasted their wines several times and was excited not only for the invite, but also to get to visit the home of a wine I loved. That wasn't the only love in the air though because after a couple of glasses of Syrah later, me and that guy decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend. It wasn't moments later when the waiter came by and asked Dan if his wife wanted another glass of wine. He responded the way any guy would - "Wife?? She only just became my girlfriend!"

I bought several bottles of wine that weekend and joined the wine club shortly after. Even though Dan isn't the biggest wine fan he loves Campovida as well and comes with me to all of the member pick up parties. When I was deciding what wine to round out my Rhone Rangers post, it didn't take me long to decide on Campovida. I'd had a long weekend of Outside Lands plus an intense Spartan Race and then woke up early Monday to run a training 5k so curling up with a movie and a great bottle of wine was a no brainer. I can't seem to stay stocked in the memory-making Syrah so I went for the next closest Rhone wine - the Grenache. The Campovida Grenache, while not as light as Two Shepherds, stands tall in it's own right. It has a beautiful red berry flavor and lovely spiciness. It was definitely the perfect way to relax and end my Rhone week.


That was also the evening that we all learned about Robin Williams' passing. It seemed like the best way to remember an actor that contributed so much to all of us, was to enjoy one of his films. I had also just finished Peter and the Starcatchers so my pick was Hook of course. RIP Robin - you brought smiles to so many faces and you'll live on in your films and comedy for many more lifetimes.

Wine Wednesdays - Meaty Zins, Close Encounters, The Best Theater in San Francisco, and Birthday Drinks

I'm sure it's been a long week but luckily Wine Wednesday has rolled around once again which means more wine posts for you (and hopefully you're own glass... or bottle when you get home!).

Meaty Zins

This was a really fun week for me. I'm a member of several wine clubs and two of them only do shipments twice a year. Both of these were wines I'd tried once and decided to join their clubs since they were delicious and inexpensive. At the end of July, I received my first wine shipments from both of these clubs and was really excited to dive into their wines... so I had them both this week.

The first winery is a local East Bay wine maker - Urbano Cellars. Their tasting room is on 4th Street in Berkeley so it's definitely worth checking out if you don't want to drive all the way out to wine country.

I was craving a big steak dinner so I decided to try Urbano's 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel. It was also one of the wine's I hadn't tried yet so I was excited to give it a shot. The flavor on it was very intense and you could really tell it was getting a lot of complexity from the old vines. It's crazy that an 8 year old wine was still so robust and this one could stand up in a cellar for many more years. The flavor was a meaty, leathery, deep berry taste and it was a very well done Zin. It went great with my steak and veggie dinner. If it's not obvious from the picture, I was really excited to cook again after our trip to San Diego!

Urbano Cellars 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel $25.00

Close Encounters

The other wine club I tried a bottle from was Area 5.1. I'm not going to lie, we walked into their tasting room because of the name. We ended up finding a winery with a really fun premise and really unique

blends. You'll be seeing their wines here again, but let's talk about last week's wine - Close Encounter (even their names are fun!), a blend of  Grenache Blanc, Roussane, and Loureiro. 

The wine was very acidic with notes of lemon and grass. It was really crisp and refreshing and went really well with my roast chicken over roast veggies (seriously, was so happy to cook again!!!). 

I also want to say how happy I was that this wine had a low alcohol of 13.5%. I tend to have two glasses of wine a night and I can definitely feel the difference between a 13.5% and an 18%. I like wine because I like the taste, not because I want to get wasted every night. I really appreciate wine makers that focus on high quality, delicious wines instead of pumping up the alcohol content. It's nice to have two glasses of a good wine and not feel tipsy. 

Area 5.1 2012 Close Encounter $24.00

The Best Theater in San Francisco

When I watch movies at home, I like to curl up on my cozy couch with a glass or two of wine. So why can't a theater give that same experience? Well, the Kabuki Theater in Japan Town has solved this problem. The theater has bar areas built into the common areas. Some can only be accessed before shows but there is a whole floor of only 21+ theaters so you can take your beer, wine, or cocktail into the movie with you. In addition to that, the seats are large plush lounge chairs (which you reserve ahead of time so no worries if you want to hang out at the bar until the minute your flick starts) and there is a little table between every two seats so you can easily rest your drink and any food you got. Oh yes, the food - Kabuki goes well beyond your normal theater fare and offers options like pizzas, salads, sandwiches, and other small bites. They even point out which items are ready faster if you don't have a lot of time between shows.

So Friday when we wanted to see the most anticipated movie of the summer (at least for me), Guardians of the Galaxy, of course we were going to pick the theater where we could guarantee our seats and enjoy a glass of wine. I was really happy to be able to sip on some Petite Sirah and enjoy a Margarita pizza (yes, sometimes I go crazy and have pizza) while watching an awesome flick!

Birthday Drinks

Sunday was the birthday of my lovely boyfriend so of course we celebrated... with drinks! Dan loves cider so there was only one place to go... upcider, the only cider bar in SF. We have a lot of fun trying new things there and we have very different tastes so it's nice to get to try a bit of something that I wouldn't have ordered myself. For example, I got this dry apple Sonoma Cider aged in Bourbon barrels called The Anvil. Dan got Pineapple cider. We are just two very different peas in a pod sometimes. All in all, it was a nice quiet way to spend his birthday enjoying a drink that we love and that happily is becoming more and more popular!

On a side note, one of our favorite things about upcider is the people watching. It has huge glass windows that overlook a busy intersection on Polk St. If you love casually judging strangers over cider (they have beer and wine also, not to mention a decent food selection) then definitely check out this little gem. 

Wine Wednesdays: What does the T-Rex Drink?, Stop the Press, and Comic Wining

One of the many things I talked about doing now that the World Cup Challenge is over, is Wine Wedenesdays! The idea is to give you a glimpse of some of the wine (and sometimes more) that I enjoyed the week before. Because I'm not perfect and I'd like to break these posts into themes, I'm not going to define "a week." It might be Sunday-Sunday. It might be Tuesday-Tuesday. It might be Tuesday-Sunday. It might be one day. The posts will vary in length and detail. Basically the only thing that will be consistent is the name and that I'll talk about wine.

What Does the T-Rex Drink??

Completely unrelated to wine - I kind of love the T-Rex. It started because I bought a workout tank top that says "T-Rex hates push ups." I realized this is one of the many things that we have in common - hatred of push ups, love of meat, and arms that sometimes just aren't as long as you want them to be. The T-Rex and I are soul sisters. I've since expanded my T-Rex shirt collection and it's a little bit of a running joke with me and my boyfriend.

So when I was sent a sample bottle of wine called Carnivor as a sample, I was just elated. It's not too often (I mean, it happens but
not frequently) that I fall in love with a wine because of its name. However, the meat eater in me was really excited to try it.

The wine itself was very nice. Carnivor is a Cabernet Sauvignon. A lot of times these can be very overpowering but this one was a little smoother which was very nice. I paired it with a steak and potatoes dinner which also helped to temper the intensity of the wine. I don't drink a lot of big bold wines but when I do, I take advantage of how well they go with super meaty dishes. It felt especially appropriate to have a big hunk of red meat with a wine called Carnivor. Normally, my wine pictures also include whatever I paired it with but the meat eater in me couldn't wait to eat all of the steak before I remembered to take a picture. Oops!

Carnivor 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon  $15.00

Stop the Press

While drinking wine at home is really fun, drinking wine out and about can be even better. My buddy Natalie and I were long overdue for a wine date so we decided to meet up for a couple of glasses before I took off for Comicon. I couldn't think of a better place to go than Press Club, one of my favorite wine bars in San Francisco.

Since I was out with a friend I didn't take any tasting notes and frankly, I was a little more into chatting with her than picking out nuances in my wines but I can post this awesome picture of us wining together and let you know what each of us had.

2011 Nita, Priorat, Spain (Garnacha / Carinena / Cabernet Sauvignon / Syrah) $17 / glass - This was definitely a bigger red than I was hoping for.

2011 Pinot Noir, Estate, Bethel Heights, Eola Amity Hills, Oregon $18 / glass - This was Natalie's first wine. She loves Pinots and was hoping to try something new. The distinct taste of Oregon Pinots wasn't really what she was expecting though.

2011 Minervois, Château Massiac, Languedoc-Roussillon, France (Syrah / Carignan) $11 / glass - I enjoyed this wine way more than my first glass. Carignan is a wine I'm really starting to get into and this blend was really balanced.

The first two glasses we got were a little pricey. Luckily, we slipped them in just before happy hour ended and got $3 off each one. As you can see by their menu, Press Club has a variety of wines at a range of prices. It's a great place to go to try new varietals or unique blends. Unfortunately, most of San Francisco has figured that out as well and it's pretty crowded.

Comic Wining

I was planning on using my Wine Wednesday to talk about some of the wine I had while at Comic Con. Of course, I definitely had a few glasses of vino while on my little nerdcation. Unfortunately, so much of the weekend was a blur and I was exhausted most of the time so most of my glasses of wine were just a way to wind down a little at the end of each day. The only ones I really remember was from a winery that I saw few times on various menus and was able to try two of their wines - Stark Raving Red and Stark Raving Malbec. Once again, I maybe chose these because of the name. I mean, they also seemed like the best options at the bars I was at but the name helped a lot too. In both cases, the wines were not super expense. It seems like you can a whole bottle for about $13. The wines are super drinkable and were great for a tired Nikki that just wanted to relax with a glass of wine. I think these would be great to take to parties. They have a decent price point and a screw top so they are convenient and economical without being super cheap.

Stark Raving Wines $12.99

In addition to wine, I made sure to celebrate National Tequila Day on Thursday. While my drink of choice was just a simple tequila, soda, and lime, the real highlight was that it gave excellent powers of Giant Jenga.

You may think I'm exaggerating, but seriously, I think Giant Jenga is my calling in life. We played for over two hours and 4-5 tequila sodas and I never lost a game. I beat all of my friends and Indiana Jones. I may need to invest in some Giant Jenga blocks for the apartment and keep practicing!