The Wine Commonsewer

Breakfast Frittata With Avocado

2013-05-21T21:40:17-07:00

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Sometimes seat-of-the-pants cooking is best. This is what you can do with a leftover baked spud.

Coarsely grate potato as if making hash browns
Dice one medium-spicy yellow pepper
Dice one Serrano pepper
Dice about half a bell pepper for color
Dice half an onion

Throw all into a large mixing bowl and then combine with the following:

Add fresh thyme to taste
Add freshly ground black pepper to taste
Add three eggs
Add a couple of splashes of half and half

Mix thoroughly with a fork

Spoon into a hot cast iron skillet with grape seed or olive oil

Keep the fire low and cook until golden brown on both sides

Makes four good-sized servings. More if you use a smaller spoon

As Ever,

TWC

2006 Bennett Lane Maximus Feasting WineOnly The Beginning

2013-05-18T10:30:00-07:00

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Twenty eight years ago this morning we played this song instead of Here Comes The Bride.

By the time drummer Danny Seraphine came in with the big downbeat, Mrs TWC found herself at the altar. Her two grandfathers, one at each elbow, propelled her down the aisle, feet dangling three inches above the carpet. After which all three, stood stoically for the next seven minutes while the song finished.

We'd planned to celebrate at a favorite haunt of ours in La Quinta (pronounced Lah Keentah) but decided to stay in. Our afternoon & evening was filled with music, conversation, and wine. Dinner was as good as it gets anywhere. Possible exception: Flemings.

La Quinta Resort Gardens

Certainly it's nice to be pampered and the anti-pasta lunch spread may have been a little prettier at a high dollar eatery, but that stack of Samoleans in the front closet is still there.

New York Strip Steak

THE WINE

Though the name conjures images of Medieval Times and the Renaissance Faire for moi, Maximus Red Feasting Wine is a tribute to Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus, who was known for his legendary love of good wine and gourmet food.

The wine is a meritage in the tradition of Bordeaux, a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 14% Syrah, and 4% Cabernet Franc.

I loved the wine and at $35.00 it is well priced for a Napa Valley Meritage. It holds its own against considerably more expensive wines, which earns it a solid 25% rating on TWC's Standarized Price/Value Ratio. What that means is that the wine is as good as wines selling for 25% more.

The wine is an elegant wine, very opulent and dark in the glass. There are subtle aromas of blackberry, violets, leather, and bing cherry, all of which carry through to the palate. The wine has a long, dry, earthy finish.

We paired the wine with the aforementioned grilled New York Strip steak. It was awesome.

Us Toasting Our 28th With Maximus

As Always,

TWC

La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 2001

2013-05-11T00:20:00-07:00

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Guest Blogger and sommelier, Laura Diaz, takes us to sunny La Rioja this morning. Like, Laura, TWC has always been a fan of Rioja wines. One of my personal Top-Ten-Finest-Wines-Ever, was a Torres Gran Coronas.

The power of high quality wine has gone further than expected, especially in La Rioja, Spain. Not only has it delighted and surprised fellow wine fanatics, but it has focused the attention and respect of the international wine community on Spain, even inspiring Gran Reserva (Vintage), one of Spain's most successful telenovelas.

La Rioja wine has broken through geographical and often tense political boundaries between La Rioja and the Basque Country where the wine is jointly produced. To our delight, it has given a common identity to this Spanish region as they share the success of their wine. La Rioja Alta winery has produced one of the finest and highest rated wines, with a profound and complex character that shouldn't be missed.

La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 2001 is a delectable wine produced from Tempranillo grapes (90%) from 40 year-old vines located in Briñas, Villalba and Labastida that are perfectly complemented by a 10% touch of Graciano vines from Melchorón and Rodezno Briones vineyards, all of which belong to the DOC of La Rioja.

In February 2002, the wine was transferred to the self-made, 4 year-old American oak barrels being racked through the traditional barrel-to-barrel method for 4 years, every 6 months. The wine was bottled in June 2006 and has been maturing in the company's cellars for over six years. In order to preserve maximum organoleptic components, the wine was subject to a gentle filtration, which can produce few sediments with age.

Now is a perfect time to acquire this fiercely anticipated red wine from La Rioja. It is worth the effort of purchasing it simply for its exclusive quality and extraordinary taste, but it will also be a great acquisition for any wine cellar as it will continue to evolve for 5 to 6 more years, and has great drinkability until 2040.

SIGHT: Ruby red, with a slight garnet rim. Very bright, has thin and elegant tears.

SMELL: Fresh, vibrant, with fine notes of candied fruit, spicy black fruit, excellent ripeness with a hint of coffee and chocolate mint.

TASTE: Solid structure, round and sweet elegantly polished tannins. Silky, soft and durable aftertaste.

ALCOHOL: 12.5%

SERVING TEMP: 17 ° C (That's 62 degrees American) decanting recommended

PAIRING: Red meats, Añejo or other semi-soft cheeses, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota

As Always,

TWC

Tip of the glass to Ms Diaz, who has spent some time wandering La Rioja, enjoying the fine wines that the region has to offer. She also writes the fashion blog, Lalishion. We appreciate her efforts on behalf of The Wine Commonsewer.

How to Pronounce Viognier

2013-05-08T20:50:21-07:00

TWC