2014 Cabernet and cherry muffins
International Cabernet Day is coming, and we celebrate by having our tasting sheet focus on all Cabernets and Cabernet blends. For the next few weeks, I will be sharing stories and recipes about our estate Cabernet Sauvignon. I am choosing this week our 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon that has yet to make an appearance on our tasting sheet but has last year during our vertical tasting. This is a wine; we haven’t opened up in a long while. But, this past week, I did! Every so often, I go into the closet…
ioned last week how I enjoy Robby’s Blend with plum dishes. Well, now I am craving a…
I’m gonna start off in the negative this week even though I try not to. I must share I had the world’s worst tasteless plums last week. They were so bad… How bad were they? Sounds like the start of a bad joke. Well, I bought five, I took a bite of the first one and struggled to take a second bite. I ended up not finishing it and I bit into the second one and it was just as bad as the first and really didn’t know what to do…
weeks ago, we were saddened by the news that Efren Chavez from High…
rday would have been my mom’s birthday. Its been three years yet it feels like yesterday she was here. I was thinking, what I should make for dinner that I know she would have loved. In the meantime, while I was thinking about different things she liked, I noticed this pan she had in the kitchen that she used for a few things like Stuffed Bell Peppers, Thanksgiving stuffing balls, and a few other dishes. It held 6 peppers perfectly. It…
Yesterday, for the first time I made pretzels and pretzel buns. They came out perfect and they were so delicious. We had hamburgers with the buns. But I was trying to figure out what I should do with the fresh strawberries I bought at the farm on Monday. I was running out of eggs and I wanted to use one for the hamburgers, so I kept thinking what to do. Then it hit me as I starred into the fridge, Strawberry lemon cake! I took a fresh lemon from our tree…
This past weekend, we bottled our newest vintages of wine. Now I’m back in isolation at home, deciding what new wine we’re going to have for dinner tonight. There are so many delicious choices.
Tartar sauce is a mayonnaise-based sauce or what we usually categorize it as a condiment. I love to read about the history of things and all week I’ve been trying to figure out when tartar sauce became a condiment for fish rather than meat.
I have been thinking what the meal should be for Ladies Night while I’ve been on my trip. Today we had an appetizer that reminded me of something that I thought would be delicious to share, a pumpkin ricotta tart with caramelized onions. I think this will be a perfecter starter to start the evening. Now, October is #MerlotMe month, so every course will pair with one of our award-winning Merlot’s. This will pair perfectly with our 2010 Merlot. It has notes of black cherries, blueberries and cinnamon. I love pairing…
Annually we have Paella Day at Reyes Winery. This year we are celebrating Harvest with Paella. We do a mixed version with chicken, fish and vegetables. Robert started making paella in the 1980’s with his childhood friend in Miami. He has created this recipe we feature this coming Saturday September 28, by choosing things he likes.
Paella is a rice dish that originated in Valencia, Spain around the 19th century. Many people around the world have believed that it is the national dish…
Grenache 
been a little different than I am used to. For instance, tonight ‘s…
This past weekend, I opened a 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon to see how it is developing. 2014, was a tough year for our grapes. We didn’t have a lot of water, which made the wine a bit astringent. If you follow me, you are aware that we have a Cabernet Vertical coming next week. I had someone ask me what type of petite bites I serve. Well, depending upon the wine and what is in season, from cheese to dessert and anything in-between. Last year, the 2014 was paired with a dark…
The first Release of the Aqua Dulce Delight was in 2011 and sold out over two years ago. I did save…
entonite is used to absorb and remove what is not wanted in a glass of…
is no fee to become a member, only a commitment that you will remain a member for at least four shipments. Every shipment you have an option of either having it shipped to you or picking it up at the winery. For instance, next weekend is our member pick up…
This past weekend, I was watching a movie about a couple falling in love at a vineyard. It was driving me crazy watching it because it had so many false facts about vineyard care. While I was watching this love story, I remembered that this was a sequel to another one that I remembered that had so many wrong facts that I looked up on their Facebook page and saw already thousands of people, commented what I…
I am probably writing for the last time about the award-winning 2009 Syrah, since we only have a few cases left. This has been one of my favorites since I started to work at Reyes Winery. I thought I would focus this week on a Syrah again, since it is International Syrah Day on February 16th. Last year for our annual Winemaker Valentine’s Dinner, I prepared a leg of lamb and served it with the 2009 Syrah. Currently, I…
What could be a more romantic way to celebrate your Valentine’s day than by bringing your loved one to Reyes Winery for a specially prepared wine pairing dinner? Every year, we have had a pink,…
This past weekend someone asked me about why do wineries blend wine. Last July, I wrote an article about wine blends and I mentioned about combining two or more wines makes each one better than they would be on their own. Sometimes wine varietals need other wines to help them have the complexity that a wine needs. Sometimes a wine can be flat and if you blend an acidic wine, it will create a blend that is balanced. By blending you…
Cabernet Sauvignon is a very bold wine that has possibility to overpower some dishes. Depending upon the tannins as well as the oak notes can make a difference in food pairings. When Cabernet Sauvignon is young, as this wine is, its elements are at is peak. As time goes on and the wine ages, it will smooth out, and the possibilities of food pairing will increase.
Usually when I decide upon a topic to write about, I usually choose a wine first. This week I chose the food before I decided upon what wine I would pair a dish with.
Someone asked me last week on a tour, its December, what are doing? There is always something happening at the vineyard all year long. Right now, we are preparing to bottle our 2016 & 2017 vintages. Every year we have an event at the vineyard for guests to see the bottling process. It will be January 5th from 12pm-4pm. Its $49 per person and it includes lunch, a glass of wine, a tour of the bottling line and you get to take home…
This California…
What wines to pair for your family Thanksgiving dinner?
For anyone who knows me, you know I love M&M’s and thought was my grandma’s fault. Every time, I go shopping at Target, I HAVE to peek at the seasonal flavors. I love to pair the flavors with notes from the wines. For instance, our 2009 Merlot paired well with the mint, the 2010 Merlot with the pumpkin pie and the 2011 Merlot with the coffee nut.
This coming Saturday, October 13th, Reyes Winery is hosting a Merlot Vertical. You will get to pair our award-winning Merlot with a tasty treat along with education about Merlot and our wines. I will be pouring from the 2009 vintage through the 2012, plus the newly released 2013, the unreleased 2015 and finishing with the 2015 Rose of Merlot.
This past weekend, we hosted our quarterly member ship pick up party. Many of our guests have requested some of my recipes that have not yet been added to my blog, including my strawberry black peppercorn Cabernet cobbler. Instead of having ice cream, It tastes amazing if you eat it with a little bit of brie or chèvre. I pair this with our 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon. Today I’m starting with dessert versus the salad or lunch course. The first…
Oxidation in wine is the most common wine fault. It is presence of oxygen and a catalyst is what makes the process to transpire. Oxidation can happen during different stages of winemaking through aging in a bottle. It can cause a loss of color, for instance the red wine will have a brownish tint. It reminds me of the color of a raisin. Sulfates are added to wine, to prevent this.
In a previous article I wrote about the history of wine barrels, I mentioned that around the 2nd century BCE that people realized that oak softens…
The third stage of an annual grape vine is “fruit set”. It follows flowering, when the fertilized flower begins to develop a seed and the grape berry to protect the seed. Every week I walk around the fields to see the progress of the grapes each season. I was so impressed to see how the grapes are growing this year. Walking around the Cabernet Sauvignon…
Cabernet Sauvignon is considered to be one of the most popular wines. America is the third most grown varietal around the…
I was reading an article the other day about wine blends are their origins then I came across an article about blending wine in a blender. Combining two or more wines makes each one better than they would be on their own. Sometimes wine varietals need other wines to help them have the complexity that a wine needs. Sometimes a wine can be flat and if you blend…
About 20 years ago, I remember being in the tasting room of Wente Winery during my internship and the tasting room manager was doing a wine pairing with me. He made beef jerky and paired it with their Cabernet Sauvignon. He also showed me a brownie mix they sold, that you add eggs, oil and Cabernet Sauvignon. I was sold! I have adapted this concept and made my own brownie recipe. Reyes Winery 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon has a sweet aroma gives this fruity wine its huge popularity. Raspberries, Cocoa and Blackberries…
This past weekend, we had many people ask about Petite Sirah. Why are they spelled different? Is Petite Sirah a smaller grape, lighter on flavor? Many people had so many questions, that I thought I would elaborate about Petite Sirah. A few months ago, I mentioned a little about one of my learning experiences of wine and Petite Sirah.
