What's for DINNER, Mom?

SORRY GUYS!! None of Mom's world famous Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde tonight!

What can we grab on the way home?? Dare we use the coveted Wawa hoagie coupons from a school fundraiser, or save them for another more perilous itinerary?? Pasquale's Pizza IS on the way home, and cheese steak calzone DOES sound good...

Next burning question that just may alter the time/space continuum; What wines do I have stocked at the house?

Hey, you can't blame me for trying to pretend dinner was NOT a rushed decision made on my way through town.

We can still enjoy our hastily acquired food on the real everyday china, all sit at the table (after everyone has SCRUBBED their hands thoroughly) and eat like civilized human beings. A nice glass of wine imparts the feeling that I had this all under control all along.

The stress of meal planning is almost universal this time of year. Just Mad Lib it:

"I have been so busy with__________ (activity) that I have no time to chop_______ (plural vegetable) or pan sear_________(cut of juicy meat), much less consider making___________(starchy carbohydrate you shouldn't eat, or have any business adding massive amounts of butter to)."

Blame it on baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, rototilling your garden. You can even blame it on daylight savings time! That extra hour of daylight still has us all fooled. I am constantly glancing at the clock only to gasp - "Holy cow!! Where did my late afternoon escape to; and, what can I pull off as dinner in the next 15 minutes??"

So, getting to the point, my schedule for the next few weeks is particularly precarious and I must plan accordingly. So, without further adieu here are my picks for pairing a wine to make dinner at least FEEL like, if not taste like I slaved over the stove all day.

Out of the ordinary:

Hoagies and OCTORARA ROSE' (-OR - Subs or Grinders; depending what part of Massachusetts you originate, or what the remainder of the states you hail from that subscribe to one of the trio)

I dare refer to this as my "Hoagie wine", so as to not offend Tim, or anyone else here revolving in finer wine circles. Amazingly enough however, the acidity of the wine balances with the traditional oil and vinegar, and the subtle hints of Cabernet Sauvignon compliment well with the peppery capicola and hard salami. Since it is a lighter Cab, it won't overtake the deli meats, rather punctuate them. I did lure a few unsuspecting participants with the unmistakeable and unrelenting bouquet of genuine Italian hoagie in all it's magnificent glory (I appologize to my customers that appeared right after I enjoyed said hoagie - it does tend to linger) to try it with a few wines and Octorara Rose' was the unanimous pick.

I must also add that the Octorara Rose' won SILVER at the San Diego wine competition!!

Congrats to Tim, and all who work endlessly to produce fabulous wine!

Stop by to give it a sampling - a lovely Rose' wine from both Cab's Sauvignon and Franc, a little lighter that what you might expect from a Cabernet. The brief science behind it is: the lighter vat "bleedings" from 2008 Cabernets blended with a little of the 2007 Cabs resulting in a light Cabernet, still with a nice oaky toast and Cab pepper - but not so deep a red to eclipse lighter fare as pork, or Italian chicken dishes.

The rest of my "fast food" from home and abroad pairings I will be trying for the duration of baseball season, and Twin Brook concert picnics:

Pizza (white): Pinot Gris (soon to be released!)

Pizza (red): Consiglieri

Cheese Burgers: Strasburger Red

Hot Dogs: Blossom Blush

Cheesesteaks: Cabernet Sauvignon

Sloppy Joe's: Icebreaker Blush

Mac N' Cheese: (add a little dried Basil) - Pinot Gris

(top with some Sofrito or salsa) - Chardonnay Reserve

If we all just close our eyes and savor every sip with a family meal, all will be right with the world, no matter WHAT'S for dinner!

Get Thee to a Winery!

Maybe a nice glass of Merlot would have made Hamlet a little less paranoid!

Perhaps - but most unlike the Capulet's and the Montague's (oh wait - that's a whole different Shakespeare tale), we all like to get along in the wine business. As members of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, we promote not only ourselves, but the other local wineries as well. We all have a unique approach to what we think the consumer will like in the way of blends and traditional wines. Of course, I think all of our wines at Twin Brook are wonderful! I also have my favorites at our local wineries; Silk from Va La, Steuben from Kreutz Creek, May Wine from Mount Hope, Pinot Gris from Black Walnut, there are just so many! I highly recommend you try them all - not at one time however.

The most recent vintage out at TB is our oak aged 2008 Chardonnay Reserve. Waiting anxiously in the wings is Consiglieri - almost ready to hit the shelves! I was also excited to find out this weekend that Black Walnut has released their apple wine for purchase. Mmmm - just a little sweet, and a tart apple taste just in time for fall.

This is a great time of year to stop in too. Harvest time in the vineyards will continue through the month of October, we all have some fun fall events planned, taste some spice wines, apple wines, and even spiced apple wines! Stock up for the holidays and start gift shopping early - we carry wine related gifts and wine making supplies too.

The Links:

BV Wine Trail info: www.bvwinetrail.com

Twin Brook Winery: www.twinbrookwinery.com

Other local wineries not on the Wine Trail that I recommend:

Va La Winery in Avondale: www.valavinyards.com

Mount Hope Winery in Intercourse: www.parenfaire.com

Brandywine Valley Wine Trail page will give you links to each of the wineries, directions, and upcoming events. Knowing where to go is half the battle.

Go and get acquainted with a great wine!

Don't be like Hamlet, get out and enjoy yourself!

Buy your mother a bottle of wine while you are at it.

Vinifera? I hardly even know ya!

Vinifera vs. Hybrids

(and other basic stuff)

While touring the lovely fall countryside here in Chester County (or anywhere really except Siberia), you find yourself intrigued by a sign for a local winery and decide to stop in.

Upon entering, you are immediately greeted by the smell of aging wine and a few friendly fruit flies. Passing the racks on your way through the tasting room you notice a few unpronouncable names (we will leave THAT tutorial for another day) and a few wines that are priced about the same as your minimum credit card payment, or the emergency room co-pay if you have kids. Still, don't be discouraged and try to slink back to your car unnoticed. Belly up to the bar and get comfortable!

Where to start? A tasting, yes, that will do. Most wineries charge a fee, and at most, you certainly get your money's worth in not only wine and information, but if you are lucky enough to go in on a day when we are sampling sugar concentrations - some more wine and some more great info served with a side of humor. If thrust into this situation, again don't be discouraged to speak your mind, my final vote has occasionally been "I like this one - I don't know why, I just like it!"

So, getting back on track here - in the grand scheme of things, an evening out at your favorite eatery you will pay on average $8 for a 5oz. glass of wine from a member of the waitstaff who doesn't even remotely like wine and has absolutely no clue of what you should have with your chicken parmesan. At your local winery, you can pay an average of $1 per ounce (at Twin Brook, you will get a one ounce pour each of 7 different wines for $5) and some even pair wines with a cheese, chocolate, or specialty bread. Currently, we have released our Chardonnay Reserve, and are pairing it with a raspberry ale infused cheese. Mmmmm, heavenly! Also, some wineries offer tours for free! Just ask. Locally, about half of the tasting rooms are located on the growing and production premesis. As I said before, we love wine, and we LOVE to tell you about it!

What Now?

You are asked, dry or sweet? Well, what makes a dry dry and a sweet sweet? A dry wine has no sugar added before bottling, an off dry has a little bit, and a sweet has more sugar added to it. It is highly recommended to start with your driest selection first and work your way down to the sweetest so you can better taste each wine for what it is.

Oaked or not?

This is another thing you might hear from your tasting tour guide. I have found people who say they don't like chardonnay try our Naked Chard ("naked" because it is aged in a steel tank, not an oak barrel - and not personally accosted by the wine maker in the nude) only to find out they really like the chard, and that it is the oak they do not prefer. Steel tank aging will allow the true nature of the grape variety to come out. Oak will give a little deeper color, added flavor, and intensity to the wine. More on the different oak characteristics and a little science behind it another day. I don't want to steer you off course again.

Red or White?

Red wine is red because, after we brutalilize the poor little things, the crushed grapes and their juice are fermented together for about 2 weeks. The juice is then pressed out. The red color comes from the skins, not the juice. If you eat red grapes, you will notice the juice is clear.

White wine is white because immediately after crushing, every last drop of juice is pressed out and pumped into a tank.

Vinifera or Hybrid?

Wait, what? In a nutshell, vinifera wines are from grapes that are or are directly related to the European variety Vitis Vinifera; the chief source of Old World wine. Merlot, Cabernets, Chardonnays, etc. are labeled as such, are often oaked, and tend to be more expensive. Hybrids are just that - a cross breed. Not exactly the Heinz 57 of wine, we know their parents and who set them up on their fateful blind date, just that they are further out on the 'family vine'. These are wines that will usually be less expensive. Traminette, Vidal, and Vignoles are among the more common hybrids you will find.

Growing the grapes and making the wine - well that is pretty much equal to rocket science. Knowing what you like, and trying something new shouldn't be.

Drop on in, we have a glass waiting for you!

Vini Viti Vino

viticulture- noun: the cultivation or culture of grapes especially for wine making

vinification- noun: the conversion of fruit juices (as grape juice) into wine by fermentation

vino- noun: a more romantic way of addressing your wine

OK, OK! Enough of the formal wine lingo. We have to start somewhere, you know!

I will try to keep it simple, but there are times I will have to throw in a little tech speak just so we can all sound like we know what we are talking about when visiting our local winery.

Don't be shy!

Wine tasting should not be intimidating, especially after a few samples! We are not wine snobs, we just really really like wine, and we LOVE to tell you about it!

(Just in case you haven't noticed yet, I have a very bad habit of over using exclaimation points. Believe it or not, I even go back and edit some out when I am done, life is just very intense at any given moment!)

Get To Know Me!

This is excellent! I can combine my love of wine, taking too many pictures, and weave my web of colorful ramblings all in one neat forum! Now, if we could only sample the wine...

In brief; I am a busy Mom of 3 boys - my life revolves around football, wrestling, baseball, music lessons, you know the deal. I have worked at Twin Brook Winery in Gap, PA for almost 4 years on and off when the family schedule allowed me the opprotunity.
With all of the new things I have learned working regular hours, I think I have to write them all down before I forget!

If anyone actually finds my little spot here on blogger, I hope you enjoy my pics and musings!