TaylorEason.com: Wine, Beer and Recipes

How to stay thin when you drink wine for a living – four nutrition guidelines

Taylor Eason — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:05:10 +0000

About five years ago, after a lifetime of eating and drinking carelessly, I started putting on the pounds. At 5'2", my height to weight ratio had topped new levels of embarrassment. That, and my clothes weren't fitting anymore and I'm too cheap (or lazy?) to shop for new clothes. So for the first time ever, I had to watch what I shoveled into my mouth. Mind you, I've never shoved junk or processed food down my gullet but mostly gourmet this, housemade that. It turns out even gourmet and homemade can be the wrong this and that. Here are my four guidelines for how to keep wine off your hips or tummy.

Doppelbocks: Two liquid bread beers to seek

Robb Larsen — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:35:16 +0000

The Doppelbock, a high-powered version of the German Bock, is a favorite of mine. It’s darker, chewier, heavier, sweeter, and higher in alcohol than its goat-labeled little brother. Doppelbocks originated in Munich during the late 18th Century where the Paulaner Monks brewed it as “liquid bread”, which isn’t a serious naming stretch since grain is used and it’s certainly not a watery brew. Those crazy Bavarian monastic peeps even dubbed it “Salvator”, which translates to “Savior” and many of my friends believe beer to be theirs. Paulaner owns the trademark to “Salvator” but many breweries add the “-ator” ending to their own take on the style.

Sippin’ and chillin’ white wines for spring: Tablas Creek & David Hill

Taylor Eason — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:25:00 +0000

Temperatures are hitting the eighties here in Sonoma County and my hands are reaching for some chilled white wines (and rosés, but that's another column). They seem to go down smoother and easier than the lonely, almost dusty Cabernets and Syrahs in the wine rack. And with more and more thirsty folks branching out from their normal white wine routine, I thought it appropriate to introduce a couple of other soft, aromatic, mouth-watering whites: Tablas Creek 2011 Cotes de Tablas and David Hill 2011 Pinot Gris.

Session beers: Desperately seeking moderation

Sean Ludford — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:37:53 +0000

A Session Beer is a beer that is relatively low in alcohol (5% or lower), balanced in character, and ideally suited for enjoying one after another. I’m getting just a little annoyed by extreme beers. Do you know what I mean? I’m talking about those striving to be the “hoppiest” or the “strongest” or the most peculiar. When I see brewers boasting that their new ale has more IBUs than ever recorded in history I simply can’t walk away fast enough.

Easy salad dressing recipe: Garlicky Lemony Vinaigrette

Taylor Eason — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:14:34 +0000

Sure, bottled salad dressings are quicker and more convenient. But homemade salad dressing tastes SO much better and fresher. This one takes 5 minutes to assemble, uses heart healthy condiments most people have on hand, and isn't full of the scary preservatives found lurking in most bottles. This tart, lemony vinaigrette keeps for about a week in the refrigerator and can be tossed with salad greens, drizzled over steamed green beans, or even used as a marinade for meat.

Visiting Pinot Noir country in Sonoma County: The best in the Russian River Valley

Taylor Eason — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:26:24 +0000

I have a confession to make: Although I live in the fortuitous California wine country, it's pretty rare that I visit tasting rooms. I remember back before I relocated to Sonoma County from Florida, I would ask friends who lived here what tasting rooms I should visit. I sought out the small, the family-owned, the tasty... and many had no insight. At the time, I was like, "What?? You don't go tasting on the weekends and loll in the vineyards?" I was aghast. I have a confession to make: Although I live in the fortuitous California wine country, it's pretty rare that I visit tasting rooms. I remember back before I relocated to Sonoma County from Florida, I would ask friends who lived here what tasting rooms I should visit. I sought out the small, the family-owned, the tasty... and many had no insight. At the time, I was like, "What?? You don't go tasting on the weekends and loll in the vineyards?" I was aghast.

Wine review: Jordan 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley

Taylor Eason — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:35:58 +0000

I will admit I'm not much of a Cabernet Sauvignon fan. Appreciation flows from so many other places, I rarely see the need to fawn. Often, it's a wine with so much tannin that it begs for food to balm its harsh edges and I'm kind of a wine-for-all-purposes kind of girl (before, during and after dinner). But sometimes, just sometimes, one drops in at a blind tasting that woos me. This happened one night when the Jordan 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon showed up.

Wine under $10 review: La Ferme Julien Blanc 2011

Taylor Eason — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:48:05 +0000

Available exclusively at Trader Joe's -- not sure if it's distributed outside California, but let's hope it is -- La Ferme Julien Blanc from France's Luberon region is a luscious blend of white French grapes most people have never heard of: Ugni Blanc [oo NE blanhk], Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and an odd-man-out Italian grape, Vermentino. Smooth and tasty, it's a perfect warm-weather wine with food like raw oysters, slightly spicy fare, or simple roasted chicken. And it's staggeringly inexpensive... $6

More flavor, less money: Buying wine on a budget

Taylor Eason — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:11:21 +0000

Although most are loath to admit it, we all want to squeeze as much value from every dollar, even if we’re rolling in it. I have a friend who doesn’t want for much, but games the sales and savings cards systems with the giddy relish of a child at Chuck E. Cheese. I’ve not graduated to her level of discount-dom, but I admire and perhaps even aspire to her level of value vigilance. For bargain clothes, Groupons and anything household, she is my muse. Cheap wine (ahem... inexpensive wine), however, lies firmly within my sordid skill set. More and more Americans are drinking wine on an everyday basis, a trend I applaud with glee. But most people can’t exactly fork over $20 per night for this daily pleasure. So I’m here to serve up my favorite wine regions for super cheap, tasty wines to pair with dinner or to scratch that end-of-the-work-day relaxation itch we all have.

Good enough to eat with a spoon: Truffle Tremor cheese from Cypress Grove

Taylor Eason — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:52:39 +0000

Cypress Grove Creamery's Cheesemaker Mary Keehn started raising goats in the 1970s, but didn't begin making her magic until 1983. Immediately, her passion turned into winning awards for her now-famous chevre-based goat cheeses like Humboldt Fog, named after northern California's weather phenomenon in Humboldt County. Today, to focus her energy on cheesemaking, she no longer raises the goats and the milk comes from local sustainable farms that partner with Cypress Grove. Her success has revitalized the farming community by creating opportunities for small dairies to thrive. The initial concept for her amazing Truffle Tremor, back in 2009, involved flavoring fresh goat cheese with truffles, but Keehn thought the truffle overpowered the young cheese. She felt the truffles pined for the complexity of a ripened cheese so she went that route instead. To introduce the namesake umami-ness, Keehn experimented with a variety of truffle products, including truffle oil, before settling on a canned grated black truffle from Italy.

Cocktails: Getting the recipe right for the perfect drink

Sean Ludford — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:10:41 +0000

An expected garnish to the cocktail renaissance is the great number of cocktail recipes being published in print, online, and on coasters! The up side is that more people are making cocktails at home as opposed to a decade ago. With exploration come the inevitable questions. At BevX our Cocktail of the Week feature is one of our top three weekly segments each week without fail. As you can imagine, we get a lot of questions regarding cocktail making. One persistent question -- and a good one I might add -- concerns the recipe itself. We are hardly the only publication to offer a recipe for a Mai Tai, Margarita, or Negroni. Occasionally a curious reader will ask why our recipe differs from another trusted source. “What is the right recipe for a Mai Tai?” is a common refrain. Unfortunately my answer is so vague, seemingly politic, and irresolute that it makes my teeth hurt. The best way that I can explain it is by making an analogy that many people can relate. “What’s the right recipe for jerk chicken, chili con carne, Bolognese, or coq au vin?" Surely great chefs across the globe don’t use the same exact recipe for these classic dishes. Does just one of thousands of award-winning chefs possess the right recipe? Of course not.

Recipe: Quick, delicious thighs, Caribbean Jerk Chicken of course

Taylor Eason — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:34:21 +0000

Dark meat chicken gets a bad rap. Sure, it's a tiny bit higher in calories but chicken thighs and drumsticks boast more flavor and juicy, savory goodness. Plus, they're not going to set me back as many shekels. In this jerk chicken recipe, the Caribbean seasoning rub includes the earthier scents of nutmeg and allspice, which melds well with this fattier meat. This super fast, super flavorful recipe takes about 5 minutes to prep and 1o minutes to cook, so feel free to whip it up for a weeknight meal.

Everyday drinking wine review: Seghesio 2010 Zinfandel Sonoma County

Taylor Eason — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:17:06 +0000

I don't hear much about Zinfandel these days, except during the annual Zinfandel Festival in nearby San Francisco. Last year, I produced a video which asked winemakers to describe their ideal Zinfandel food and wine pairings. The results were above and beyond the normal BBQ and grilled beef responses... Asian food? Mole? And why not? Low in tannins, high in juicy flavor with some having plenty of acid, Zinfandel can create quite the zesty love affair with food. Seghesio is a classic producer of Zinfandel, hanging their hat on the varietal and other Italian grapes such as Barbera (one of my favorites that they produce). Purchased in 2011 by Crimson Wine Group, I worried their quality would lag behind profit pressures but they seem to have weathered the transition pretty well so far.

Healthy side recipe: Fennel salad with mustard dressing

Taylor Eason — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:28:22 +0000

I'm one of those weirdos that doesn't like licorice. Black or Red. Groan. No... it goes beyond that. It makes me nauseous... unhappy and desirous of fleeing. So it wasn't until well into my adulthood that my love affair with the fennel bulb began. Before I discovered this root vegetable, I assumed fennel arose from the same family as anise, which is the base flavoring of licorice (or, at least, it's supposed to be but today's chemical candy is anyone's guess). It's certainly related to anise but fennel bulb is the milder-flavored underground portion of an herb, which, coincidentally, is the basis for the controversial grog Absinthe. I've already posted a main dish using this root veggie, Spicy Shrimp with Sauteed Fennel, but this super-fast side can give you all the mild, delicious flavor without the hassle of cooking. I re-created this salad recipe after enjoying it at a Tampa restaurant and now it's a staple in my salad arsenal.

Wine review: Pepi 2011 Chenin Blanc Viognier California

Taylor Eason — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:57:44 +0000

One the juiciest parts of blind-tasting wines is the shock and awe when you uncover a really, really tasty find. It's like unearthing a lost twenty in your jacket pocket or getting something on sale that you needed anyway. A delicious surprise. I hadn't tried Pepi wines for many years, finding them rather boring and uninspiring in days past. But this fruity little Chenin-Viognier number caught the eye of every taster at the group tasting table. From the wine pro to the casual consumer, virtually everyone gushed, anxiously awaiting the "reveal" to find out the price. So they could go buy a case. They got their wish... Pepi Chenin Blanc-Viognier is quite affordable at $10. I hadn't tried Pepi wines for many years, finding them rather boring and uninspiring in days past. But this fruity little Chenin-Viognier number caught the eye of every taster at the group tasting table. From wine professionals to casual consumers, virtually everyone gushed, anxiously awaiting the "reveal" to find out the price. So they could go buy a case. They got their wish... Pepi Chenin Blanc-Viognier is quite affordable.

Wine value review: A to Z 2010 Pinot Noir from Oregon

Taylor Eason — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:09:39 +0000

The hunt for an affordable, everyday Pinot Noir just might be over. It’s not a coincidence that it hails from Oregon, the temperate vacation home for this finicky grape. But A to Z Wineworks isn’t your normal, everyday winery… they don’t have a physical location where you can bask in the wine country lifestyle. They

Simple weeknight recipe: Smoky garbanzo and spinach stew

Taylor Eason — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:47:45 +0000

This recipe can be thrown together as soon as your feet hit the welcome home mat. Takes about 10 minutes to make and 30 minutes to cook. Earthy, savory and filling, this stew cures what ails you, warms the cockles (whatever those are) and leftovers freeze well for the next rainy or cold day.

The 3rd annual cold weather seasonal brew challenge: Eight winter ales reviewed

Robb Larsen — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:55:17 +0000

Beer maestros brew for the seasons: Light and thirst-quenching suds for summer, malt forward amber brews for autumn, and for spring-refreshing beers with some hop presence and a decent malt backbone. Winter -- with the cold, snow and lack of daylight -- requires a whole different kind of beverage.In winter, beer drinkers across the land reach for rich and robust brews to warm the soul. Brew masters and breweries everywhere, of course, realize this and release their cold-weather winter offerings, usually called Winter Warmers, Christmas Ales, Holiday Ales, or Winter Ales/Lagers.These solstice-celebrating suds can be of any style but are usually of the heartier variety -- Old Ales, Scotch Ales, Brown Ales, Porters, Stouts. The vast majority utilize roasted and crystal malts to achieve a darker, richer flavor profile. Some of these malt-forward, substantial beers are spiced and most are well above 6% ABV (Alcohol by Volume). Speaking from years of experience, many do indeed elicit a warming feeling.

What I did on my Christmas vacation: The Tampa best food and wine edition

Taylor Eason — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:50:41 +0000

Since moving to California almost two years ago, I've craved quite a few tasty morsels hidden in the folds of Tampa's food underbelly. On a recent trip back east, I undertook the momentous effort of packing all these culinary cravings into one very short gorg-cation. The result was not only weight gain and stomach bloating but often reminiscent bliss beyond compare. The details are too delicious and would be mean to share completely, but the highlights are the best restaurant meal destinations a person can have in Tampa in four days.

Bubbles for all occasions: Great sparkling wine and Champagne for the fizzy holiday

Taylor Eason — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:00:24 +0000

For many sparkling wine houses, this time of year produces 50% of their sales. Tis a shame that wine drinkers save up their bubbles and celebrate fizz strictly in December -- a bottle of bubbly could be a celebration unto itself. But perhaps our American puritanical roots prevent us from indulging too often? Ever the eschewer, that doesn't stop me. Come join me in my every day gustatory party with this list of consistently well-made, delicious bottles of sparkling bubbly and Champagne