Category Archive for ‘WINOS Pick of the Week’ at Laptop Television Mom

Archive for the 'WINOS Pick of the Week' Category

WINOS Pick of the Week: Ksara Chateau 2003

Ksara Winery

I like to write about good wine, but I usually stick to California reds, with an occasional Chardonnay. (Okay, and I’ll uncork a Willamette Valley Pinot or a Tuscan Chianti every now and then!) But when I launched my WINOS Pick of the Week segment, I never imagined I would taste and enjoy a delicious red from Lebanon.

My husband and I recently made new friends through our daughter’s school, and we invited the couple (and their darling daughters) over for a dinner party. Our new-found friends, one of whom moved to the United States from Lebanon when she was 16, brought this wonderful Lebanese wine from Chateau Ksara for us to try. We were excited to sample this wine, totally new territory for us, and we openly acknowledged that California reds are our comfort-zone. That said, we were pleasantly surprised by the wonderful drinkability of this wine. I served it with a goat-cheese appetizer (read HERE for more information), and the flavors of the wine nicely complemented the flavors of the food. It certainly left us wanting more.

About the Chateau 2003: It was a tasty red wine from the first sip. I liked the berry flavors and the smooth texture. The Web site says the wine is good with red meat, and I agree. We followed the appetizers with healthy-sized Filet Mignons and a Tuscan white-bean dish. Click HERE to order the wine and have it shipped to the U.S.

About Ksara wine: Ksara wine is known as “the wine of Lebanon” and the winery is located in Beqaa, Lebanon. The official Web site can be found HERE.

All I can say is this… great wine, delicious food and new friends. What a wonderful evening!

- LTV Mom

Photo Credit: Chateau Ksara

Published

Stacy Libby

on March 26, 2009

in Food and WINOS Pick of the Week

. 2 Comments

WINOS Pick of the Week: Goosecross Cellars

My husband and I discovered Goosecross Cellars about 10 years ago, and I recently re-discovered their delicious wines with my girlfriends during a trip to Napa Valley. I introduced my three long-time friends (think best friends since high school!) to Calif. wine country, and I wanted them to experience the charming, warm, personal side of Napa. Goosecross Cellars was an easy choice.

The winery tasting room is tucked away from the busy highways and thoroughfares of Napa. It is a quaint room with friendly (and funny!) wine educators, which I’m pretty sure is the new term for sales staff. We tasted many fantastic red and white wines, and as a result, I had to whip out my credit card to cover the big purchase.

I shared one of the Goosecross Cabernets over Thanksgiving weekend, and decided it must be my WINOS Pick of the Week. I opened the 2005 Napa Valley Cab, and it was simply delicious. The wine is flavorful, smooth and tastes like rich berries with a touch of chocolate. We sipped the wine while sampling a cheese platter and munching on sausage appetizers… and I made certain there was not a drop of the wine left in the bottle. (It’s worth noting the 2004 Howell Mountain Caberent is even better, but the $69 price tag is forcing me to save it for my birthday!)

If you aren’t close to Napa Valley, the Goosecross Cellars online wine store can be found HERE.

Whether you like reds or whites — or even chocolate-dipped wines– I highly recommend Goosecross Cellars. Every wine is enjoyable and memorable.

Published

Stacy Libby

on December 2, 2008

in Travel, Trying to be Cool and WINOS Pick of the Week

. 2 Comments

WINOS Pick of the Week: Opolo Zinfandel

Opolo 2006 Summit Creek Zinfandel

Not only was it a wonderful WINO weekend, it was a weekend with my sisters! (Okay, one sister enjoys the wine, the other sticks to beer!) Regardless, we sipped a fantastic Zinfandel by a lake in West Des Moines, Iowa, and we are excited to share the recommendation.

It was a warm and beautiful Midwestern afternoon, so my sister and I headed to Gateway Market to sit outside and enjoy some food and wine. Upon entering the cool (and actually chic) market, I quickly spotted one of my favorite wines from Paso Robles. LTV Husband and I visited Opolo Vineyards several years back, so I was excited to share the find with my sister.

The wine is absolutely wonderful. We tasted flavorful black cherry and smooth spices. The wine was drinkable immediately after opening, so decanting is not necessary. Flavors were great at room temperature, and tasted great with or without food. It was easy to drink, and we had no trouble finishing the bottle. (We even shared it with the guy working the wine bar, he liked it too!) It was reasonably priced at $24, which makes it both affordable and delicious.

So, if you ever find yourself in West Des Moines, head over to Gateway Market, grab a bottle of Opolo Zinfandel and eat the amazing burger in the cafe! Bon appetit!

Published

Stacy Libby

on October 13, 2008

in WINOS Pick of the Week

. 2 Comments

WINOS Pick of the Week: Ceago Del Lago Cab

My husband
and I were introduced to a wonderful new wine over the weekend. Our
friends shared a fantastic Cabernet from Ceago winery in Lake County, Calif. The winery says
the wine tastes of "red cherry, mocha, cinnamon and spice." I
agree, and more importantly, I thought it was drinkable, flavorful and very
complementary of the dinner I served.

This cab was
a great addition to my self-proclaimed gourmet BBQ (think steak burgers, and
potatoes with arugula, bacon and Gruyere cheese). The cab was smooth and
easy to drink. I highly recommend it, and think it would be good with or
without food.

After
our party finished the bottle, I decided to research the
winery online. I discovered the grapes are grown in the unique style of Biodynamics. According to the winery web
site: “Biodynamics is a science of life-forces, a recognition of the basic
principles at work in nature, and an approach to agriculture which takes these
principles into account to bring about balance and healing. Biodynamics is an
ongoing path of knowledge rather than an assemblage of methods and techniques.”

In my mind,
the most important part of biodynamics farming is that “no use of chemically
synthesized fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fumigants, no hormones,
antibiotics, growth regulators or GMOs.”

Finally, the
winery also says “each farm is a living entity and has its own
individuality.” As a Midwestern girl who
loves her California wine, I love this
motto and I love this wine.

The Ceago winery is open for tasting and tours, or you can order wine HERE. Enjoy!

Published

LaptopTelevision

on September 7, 2008

in WINOS Pick of the Week

. 1 Comment

WINOS Pick of the Week: C.G. di Arie

We had long-time friends visit for the weekend. As usual, we had a great time together, focusing on the kids during the day (park-time, play-time, together-time) and on the adults during the evening (catching up, sharing words of wisdom, and enjoying delicious wine).

We met our friends in Silicon Valley and spent lots of time sipping Napa and Sonoma wines. Since they moved to Grass Valley, Calif., about three hours North, they have introduced us to some wonderful wines from the Shenandoah Valley. When we visit them, we frequent an adorable little wine-shop in Nevada City and a glorious wine bar/restaurant called Carpe Vino. (Isn’t that a great name?!)

So, sticking with the tradition, they shared a delicious bottle of Zinfandel from a winery called C.G. di Aire. We had never heard of the winery, but quickly noticed the winemaker’s signature on the bottle. We happily uncorked the bottle…

The Zin was fruity and delicious. It’s not so bold that you need food to capture the flavors, but we could certainly taste the berry and cherry (with a hint of vanilla). It almost tasted like a smooth jam or jelly. As we sipped the Zin outside in the cool air, it was warming and filling and oh-so-tasty.

If you are reading this post from outside Northern California and want to give C.G. di Aire a try, you can find distributors HERE; if you are local and want to check them out, click HERE.

Previous "WINOS Picks of the Week"

Published

LaptopTelevision

on July 21, 2008

in WINOS Pick of the Week

. 4 Comments

WINOS Pick of the Week: Leal Vineyards

It’s time for another WINOS Pick of the Week, and we’ve uncorked a Syrah.

The hubby and I enjoyed a fantastic bottle of Syrah this weekend. Now, I am usually one to skip Syrah and go straight to Cab or Zin, but this is a special Syrah from Leal Vineyards.

The 2005 Syrah is unfiltered, which makes it extremely flavorful, and made from San Benito Valley grapes. It was smooth with a black cherry-like flavor. We enjoyed it while watching a movie, but it would be great with medium rare steak, or even a spicy ahi tuna steak.

If you are not familiar with Leal Vineyards, it’s the product of a San Jose kid with a dream. Owner Frank Leal had the vision and the work ethic to build this winery from scratch. The winery is located on beautiful property in Hollister, Calif., just 30 miles south of San Jose.

In October 2004, Food and Wine Magazine named Leal one of the 20 Best New Wineries in the world. In 2006, two of Leal’s biggest fans (yep, Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson) made a visit to the winery.

My family and friends have enjoyed many bottles of Leal wines over the years, and I hope many more people explore and discover these delicious wines. Leal wines are served in many restaurants, and distributors can be found HERE.

Previous "WINOS Picks of the Week"

Published

LaptopTelevision

on June 28, 2008

in WINOS Pick of the Week

. 2 Comments

WINOS Pick of the Week: Burrell School

Last week, I launched my new "WINOS Pick of the Week" series where I blog about newly discovered wines. It’s my own way to honor the only hobby this working-mom has time to enjoy (and wine goes well with Laptop Television). And as a reminder, WINOS stands for "Women in Need of Sanity"… and that is where the wine comes in.

This weekend, my husband and I uncorked a bottle of High School Sweethearts, which is a Zinfandel-Syrah blend from Burrell School Vineyards in Los Gatos, CA. I really want to write some language that would make a sommelier proud, but all I can say is… wow.

For the record, I love Burrell School wines. They have never bottled a wine I didn’t like, but had never tried this blend prior to last weekend. I have always loved their Zinfandel, and they make one of the few Syrahs I actually like, so the High School Sweethearts is a blend made in heaven.

My husband and I tried to come up with some words to explain the wine, but we had a hard time capturing the flavor in a few words. It’s smooth, fruity (but not too jammy), and very flavorful. Like the wine I wrote about last week, no food required to enjoy this red. In fact, we sipped while watching a rerun of Law & Order while eating some homemade vanilla ice cream.

Bottom line, even if you have to drive to Burrell School (Highway 17 and Summit Road in Silicon Valley)… get there fast and enjoy!

Published

LaptopTelevision

on June 2, 2008

in WINOS Pick of the Week

. 3 Comments

WINOS Pick of the Week

What’s this all about?
Today, I’m kicking-off a new series to discuss one of my favorite topics… wine! My husband and I started a "new thing" where we are trying a new wine each weekend, and then I decided to share my thoughts and opinions on LTV Mom. I’m calling the series LTV Mom’s "WINOS Pick of the Week." Please share your thoughts on my picks and also send recommendations for us to try.

Love the Title?
The title of the blog posts is an homage to a cookbook I think is really clever. I’m a working mom who loves to cook and drink wine, and I’m desperately in search of some sanity! Needless to say, this book is right up my alley and can be purchased here. With all that set-up, here is my first "WINOS Pick of the Week."

Cinnabar Mercury Rising

Cinnabar is a wonderful winery located in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Silicon Valley. My friends and I found the winery during one of the annual Santa Cruz Mountains Passport Days. The site is breathtaking, but was only open to the public four times a year. The winery recently opened a tasting room in downtown Saratoga, Calif., so I highly recommend a visit if you are in the Bay Area.

While you are there, enjoy the delicious Chardonnay and Merlot, but the must-try (and buy) is the Mercury Rising. It’s absolutely delicious and certainly memorable. It’s tasty, but not too powerful. It’s a perfect blend of fruit and smooth, a very good red for someone who likes red wine but is afraid of a big Zinfandel. And, unlike most reds I like, you can enjoy Mercury Rising with or without food.

Here’s a link to find where you can buy Cinnabar wines. Enjoy!

Published

LaptopTelevision

on May 26, 2008

in WINOS Pick of the Week

. 2 Comments