TASTING IN ARROYO GRANDE - Phantom Rivers Wine

 

TASTING IN ARROYO GRANDE

Phantom Rivers Wine

Our friends, Candace and Craig, own a beautiful, “weekend” cottage in Arroyo Grande (translation: large creek) California, complete with a crackling creek (un poco not grande) running through the back of their property.   

Recently, Candace invited us there for the weekend (hence the “weekend” cottage moniker).

In the evening, sitting on the deck sipping wine many feet above the crackling creek, is like sitting in a beautifully landscaped tree house.   

 

Amid the tall trees, sloping hillside and lower decks...

...Craig has created a little Garden of Eden.  I definitely could live there.

When we did leave the cottage, we strolled Branch Street (Arroyo Grande’s charming “Main Street”), walked the trails to Pismo beach and winery hopped, sipping the wines fantastic.  Yup, the area’s filled w/ some great wineries.  I told you I could live there.

Our first winery stop was Phantom Rivers Wine right on Branch and a stone’s throw from the cottage.   

 

It was cool early in the early evening so we grabbed sweaters and walked to town.

The tasting room is a charming blue bungalow that was built in 1905 w/ a front porch, a small back deck and three rooms to sit and sip.   

We opted for the front room and sidled up to the bar.  Our barista, Debbie Rau, the tasting room manager, told us that the winery was created in 2004 by The Nipomo Wine Group, four couples who love wine and love living in California’s central coast.  They named their winery Phantom Rivers after the rivers of fog that fill the central coast valleys, keeping the vineyards cool at night and early morning, then evaporating into the air like a… phantom.

We started w/ the 2008 Chardonnay, Edna Ranch ($22).  I’m a chardonnay fan, and I loved this wine which was aged in a combination of French oak and stainless steel.  Crisp, yet those hints of vanilla and spices were there to tantalize my tongue.

Next was the 2009 Luna Rosa, a Paso Robles blush wine ($14) made from 100% zinfandel grapes.  Yes, the winery calls it “blush,” not rose, but it’s a fine rose to me (a rose by any other name…) and the perfect wine to sip on a summer’s evening while sitting on Candace & Craig’s deck musing over the flora and fauna and that crackling creek.

One of my favorite Phantom Rivers wines was the 2009 Grenache, Santa Barbara Highlands ($24), aged for 16 months in light American oak.  It had the aroma of a candied apple and tastes of vanilla and butterscotch.  I kid you not.  I could smell and drink this wine in a closet and be totally happy in the dark.  Does this make me a closet Grenache lover?

The 2007 Pinot Noir, Wolff Vineyard ($26) was aged in a combination of new and neutral oak barrels for 15 months.  A bit of cherry, strawberry and spice – I wondered if it was the new oak or the old that added the spice?  Did the new add the cherry or was that the old?  What about that strawberry?  I may never understand the complexities of winemaking – but I know what I like and I liked this pinot.

Onto the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Still Waters Vineyard ($22), a full-bodied wine.  Aged for 15 months in American oak, this wine w/ its hints of currants and cherries made me think grilled sirloin.  Of course, almost any full-bodied red makes me think of steak.  Red meat, red wine – no blushing here!

Another favorite of mine was the 2006 Syrah, Central Coast ($20).  This wine was aged in American and French oak barrels for 18 months and its flavors of rich red fruit, pepper and spice make this a great wine for the price.  Again which country’s barrels did what – I didn’t care, I just wanted to keep sipping…

The 2006 Paso del Sol – 65% syrah, 20% cab & 15% mourvedre ($30) was created as a tribute to the local Santa Maria style tri-tip.  I’ve never had this particular tri-tip, but this wine is certainly worth trying w/ tri-tips from anywhere.

You know how fashion shows always end w/ a bridal gown?   The crème de la crème of the runway?  Well, most good wine tastings end w/ the dessert wine and the Paso Robles 2009 Zin Port put the crème in the de la crème.  So deelish, in fact, that Candace bought two bottles.

So if you’re passing through town, park your car and walk up the front porch steps and into a fine wine experience.   

 

Or go online and check out the wine club.  You’ll be happy you did.

Phantom Rivers Wine

211 E. Branch Street

Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

805-481-9463

http://www.phantomrivers.com/

TASTING IN ARROYO GRANDE - Phantom Rivers Wine

TASTING IN ARROYO GRANDE

Phantom Rivers Wine

Our friends, Candace and Craig, own a beautiful, “weekend” cottage in Arroyo Grande (translation: large creek) California, complete with a crackling creek (un poco not grande) running through the back of their property.  Recently, Candace invited us there for the weekend (hence the “weekend” cottage moniker).

In the evening, sitting on the deck sipping wine many feet above the crackling creek, is like sitting in a beautifully landscaped tree house.  Amid the tall trees, sloping hillside and lower decks, Craig has created a little Garden of Eden.  I definitely could live there.

When we did leave the cottage, we strolled Branch Street (Arroyo Grande’s charming “Main Street”), walked the trails to Pismo beach and winery hopped, sipping the wines fantastic.  Yup, the area’s filled w/ some great wineries.  I told you I could live there.

Our first winery stop was Phantom Rivers Wine right on Branch and a stone’s throw from the cottage. 

 

It was cool early in the early evening so we grabbed sweaters and walked to town.

The tasting room is a charming blue bungalow that was built in 1905...

 

...w/ a front porch, a small back deck and three rooms to sit and sip.  We opted for the front room and sidled up to the bar.  Our barista, Debbie Rau, the tasting room manager, told us that the winery was created in 2004 by The Nipomo Wine Group, four couples who love wine and love living in California’s central coast.  They named their winery Phantom Rivers after the rivers of fog that fill the central coast valleys, keeping the vineyards cool at night and early morning, then evaporating into the air like a… phantom.

We started w/ the 2008 Chardonnay, Edna Ranch ($22).  I’m a chardonnay fan, and I loved this wine which was aged in a combination of French oak and stainless steel.  Crisp, yet those hints of vanilla and spices were there to tantalize my tongue.

Next was the 2009 Luna Rosa, a Paso Robles blush wine ($14) made from 100% zinfandel grapes.  Yes, the winery calls it “blush,” not rose, but it’s a fine rose to me (a rose by any other name…) and the perfect wine to sip on a summer’s evening while sitting on Candace & Craig’s deck musing over the flora and fauna and that crackling creek.

One of my favorite Phantom Rivers wines was the 2009 Grenache, Santa Barbara Highlands ($24), aged for 16 months in light American oak.  It had the aroma of a candied apple and tastes of vanilla and butterscotch.  I kid you not.  I could smell and drink this wine in a closet and be totally happy in the dark.  Does this make me a closet Grenache lover?

The 2007 Pinot Noir, Wolff Vineyard ($26) was aged in a combination of new and neutral oak barrels for 15 months.  A bit of cherry, strawberry and spice – I wondered if it was the new oak or the old that added the spice?  Did the new add the cherry or was that the old?  What about that strawberry?  I may never understand the complexities of winemaking – but I know what I like and I liked this pinot.

Onto the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Still Waters Vineyard ($22), a full-bodied wine.  Aged for 15 months in American oak, this wine w/ its hints of currants and cherries made me think grilled sirloin.  Of course, almost any full-bodied red makes me think of steak.  Red meat, red wine – no blushing here!

Another favorite of mine was the 2006 Syrah, Central Coast ($20).  This wine was aged in American and French oak barrels for 18 months and its flavors of rich red fruit, pepper and spice make this a great wine for the price.  Again which country’s barrels did what – I didn’t care, I just wanted to keep sipping…

The 2006 Paso del Sol – 65% syrah, 20% cab & 15% mourvedre ($30) was created as a tribute to the local Santa Maria style tri-tip.  I’ve never had this particular tri-tip, but this wine is certainly worth trying w/ tri-tips from anywhere.

You know how fashion shows always end w/ a bridal gown?   The crème de la crème of the runway?  Well, most good wine tastings end w/ the dessert wine and the Paso Robles 2009 Zin Port put the crème in the de la crème.  So deelish, in fact, that Candace bought two bottles.

So if you’re passing through town, park your car and walk up the front porch steps and into a fine wine experience.   

 

Or go online and check out the wine club.  You’ll be happy you did.

Phantom Rivers Wine

211 E. Branch Street

Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

805-481-9463

http://www.phantomrivers.com/

ATKINS - RAW PESTO "PASTA"

ATKINS - RAW PESTO “PASTA”

Does anyone like to diet?  I mean really, what’s to like about depriving yourself of some of your favorite foods…the very foods that caused you to have to go on a diet in the first place?  Well, I’m dieting and I’m bitching about it everyday even though I find Atkins a ‘livable’ diet (I’m a protein girl)…

The other night, however, I stopped bitching.  Richard grilled some salmon and made pasta.  Raw pesto pasta.  I know.  I know.  No pasta on Atkins.  But like South Beach Diet’s mashed cauliflower recipe to dim the craving for mashed potatoes – this dish was conceived to dim the craving for spaghetti… or linguini…  or …  you get the picture.  It’s actually zucchini cut into julienne strips that “impersonate” noodles.  It’s a visual.

Does this dish taste like pasta?  No.  But, since we eat w/ our eyes as well as our mouths – your eyes can trick you into believing it does.  I don’t know if my eyes fooled me or not, but I loved this raw pesto pasta “invented” by vegan chef Mark Reinfeld, the founding chef of Blossoming Lotus in Portland, Oregon.   Not being a vegan (not even close) this dish was perfect w/ the salmon and would be perfect w/ a steak off the grill.

RAW PESTO PASTA

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced into ‘noodles’ (approximately 4 cups)

Pesto sauce ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil, firmly packed

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts

1 medium/large clove garlic

2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice

¾ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

pinch cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, optional

1 teaspoon seeded and diced jalapeno pepper, optional

Garnish:

12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

8 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

4 teaspoons pine nuts, optional

Directions:

To make the ‘noodles,’ cut the zucchini into ¼-inch-thick slices, and then lay each slice on its side and cut into ¼-inch-thick julienne strips.  Place in a mixing bowl.  Alternatively, use a mandolin

on the small julienne setting.

 

To make the pesto, in a blender or food processor, combine the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast (if using – Richard didn’t) and jalapeno (if using – Richard didn’t) and blend until smooth.  Be careful not to over blend.  Depending upon the strength of the blender motor, you may need to add a little more olive oil to process smoothly.

Add the pesto to the zucchini ‘noodles’ and toss gently but thoroughly.  Let sit for 10 minutes so the zucchini softens.

To serve, divide the mixture into four bowls or plates, and top each serving w/ 6 cherry tomato quarters, 2 olive halves and 1 teaspoon of pine nuts, if desired.

Variations: pesto made w/ walnuts or macadamia nuts instead of pine nuts.

4 servings

9g total carbs – 7g net carbs – 2g fiber – 4 g protein – 21g fat --- 220 calories

AN ODE TO THE TOMATO - Provencal Tomatoes

AN ODE TO THE TOMATO

Provencal Tomatoes

Growing up on Long Island, one of my many summer food ‘joys’ (besides sweet corn, fried clams, crab cakes, steamers, homemade ice cream cones, watermelon...) was ripe, juicy, freshly picked tomatoes.  Not just any tomato – but sweet New Jersey tomatoes.   I’d slice them in half, sprinkle w/ a little salt and eat them as I would an apple.  Didn’t want them in a salad – why would anyone want to mix this delectable flavor w/ greens or a dressing?  Certainly not I.

Living in Los Angeles a zillion years later, I miss those tomatoes of my youth…  LA has great heirloom tomatoes and friends have grown some pretty tasty ‘regular’ ones…  but a delicious, big, bright red, beefy beefsteak just isn’t happening in Southern California (can’t speak for the north).  To me, those California impostors are tasteless.  So I’m always looking for a new way to serve them when Richard brings them home… I’ve cut them up, salted them and tossed them w/ a balsamic vinegar dressing… I’ve diced and sautéed them to toss in pasta… and I’ve even roasted them.  All delicious dishes, but still not the same as biting into a slightly salted, ripe, New Jersey tomato.

I still haven’t found that elusive tomato here on the left coast, but I recently discovered a really wonderful tomato dish while flipping through the TV channels on route to HGTV and accidentally landing on the Food Network.  That itself made Richard laugh.  Me watching the Food Network!   I love to write about food, but he knows I don’t like to watch people actually prepare the food… but Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa) was talking tomatoes.  Provencal tomatoes.  I stopped.  I listened.  I copied down the recipe (for Richard, of course).  So, the next time he bought those big, ripe, California tomatoes, he made the dish.  Was it as good as my tomato memory?  Well, no.  But really, not much can compete w/ a beloved, childhood memory.   Have to admit, though, Ina’s tomatoes were definitely tomato-licious.

 

PROVENCAL TOMATOES

(Inspired by Julia Child –

Barefoot Contessa Family Style)

Ingredients:

6 ripe tomatoes (2-1/2 to 3-inches in diameter)

1-1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

¼ cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)

¼ cup minced fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup grated Gruyere cheese

Good olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Cut the cores from the tomatoes, removing as little as possible.  Cut them in half crosswise and, w/ your fingers, remove the seeds and juice.  Place the tomato halves in a baking dish.

In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, scallions, basil, parsley, garlic, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Sprinkle the tomato halves generously w/ salt and pepper.  With you hands, fill the cavities and cover the tops of the tomatoes w/ the bread crumb mixture.  Bake the tomatoes for 15 minutes or until they’re tender.  Sprinkle w/ the cheese, drizzle w/ olive oil, and bake for 30 seconds more. 

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 8

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/provencal-tomatoes-recipe/index.html