2012 Petite Sirah and Plum Chutney

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…

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Father’s Day Crab Carbonara and 2011 Muscat

Father’s Day is coming this week and my dad loves crab cakes. I made that back in November for his birthday. So, instead of the same dish, I thought why not pasta with crab! I am making a crab carbonara pasta. The traditional way is with guanciale or pancetta. I am substituting it with crab.

This Sunday its going to be hot! Having a pasta dish with a cold glass of white wine sounds fabulous! I am going to pair this with 2011 Reyes Muscat. There are just a few cases left. I have had a lot of fun pairing…

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Strawberry BBQ sauce and Shredded beef sandwiches and 2011 Reyes Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

Strawberry BBQ sauce and Shredded beef sandwiches

and

2011 Reyes Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

Last week I wrote about her newest release, our 2018 roses choice rose, and I was wondering what wine inspires me this week to share with you.  The 2011 Cabernet spoke to me and I’ve been thinking what dishes I am going to make for dinner that would pair the best. Every night I try to find something to prepare that we haven’t had for a little while just so that there’s variety every day. This week, we have had potato pancakes, poached…

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Crab Cakes and 2016 Renaissance by Reyes Chardonnay

This past week was my dad’s birthday, and every year I like to make him something special.  This year I made crab cakes and tartar sauce. I got up that morning and made him breakfast, lox eggs and onions. We then went to the cemetery to visit my mom and then for lunch we ended up having a scoop of ice cream.

I was going to serve avocado on the side and realized when we got home from our day that I forgot…

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Butternut Squash Chili and 2013 Renaissance by Reyes Sauvignon Blanc

Butternut Squash Chili and

2013 Renaissance by Reyes Sauvignon Blanc

By Beth Heiserman

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and knowing that I want to share some of my favorite recipes. Today, I went to the market to get some things and noticed all the pumpkin items. I must say, I never understand why the markets have items for Thanksgiving 6 weeks before. Then again, I saw Christmas stuff this week too.

Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay goes well with butternut squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. For this dish, I…

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Pumpkin Blueberry Bread and Reyes 2012 Merlot

Pumpkin Blueberry Bread and Reyes 2012 Merlot

This coming Saturday is my annual vertical Merlot tasting. I have been thinking today about what pairings I will have. Merlot is a medium bodied and low acidity wine that makes it easy to pair with many foods. It does pair well with lighter meats, like chicken and pork. The 2012 estate Merlot is an aromatic wine that has notes of blueberries and cedar. It is crimson in color with scrumptious notes of blueberries and spices. Being a well-balanced wine, its so enjoyable to have a glass by itself.

When I originally…

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Pumpkin Hummus

Pumpkin Hummus

by Beth Heiserman

Last week, I wrote about our 2010 Reyes Merlot and what pairs the best in my opinion. I have had many requests for this recipe. This is a great appetizer to serve at a Halloween party, Thanksgiving or even at any get-together. Every year, it seems pumpkin-spiced foods come out earlier and earlier. I must say, fall is my favorite season.

I have written many times about the 2010 Reyes Merlot. I feel this is the perfect wine to pair with pumpkin spice. Last year at the Merlot vertical, I paired a chocolate…

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Reyes 2014 Julia’s Blend Cherry Jam

Reyes 2014 Julia’s Blend Cherry Jam

By Beth Heiserman

I’m sure everybody has seen at the market how abundant and beautiful the cherries are this year. This week I decided to buy some cherries and make some jam. And of course, like always I always infuse wine into everything, Jams and jellies are no different. When I think of cherries there are a couple wines that come to mind, but the one that made me think the most this week because I haven’t used it in any recipe recently was 2014 Reyes Julia’s Blend. It is a…

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Heirloom tomatoes and Summer Squash Casserole

Heirloom Tomatoes and Summer Squash Casserole

by Beth Heiserman

A crisp cool and refreshing wine with a lighter dinner on a hot night. Most of us will agree, that when we get home from a long day at work during summer that sometimes we don’t feel like cooking. I tend to cook a few meals at one time and then enjoy them all week. I will say, I do have more of a challenge than others on reheating foods, since I don’t have a microwave at home. With this…

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Red, White and Blueberry Quinoa Salad

Red, White and Blueberry Quinoa Salad

by Beth Heiserman

 

This coming Saturday is our memorial weekend hike. Every month the brunch is seasonal. This week it is Red, white and Blue inspired.   First, I chose the food and then paired the wines. I will be featuring classic comfort foods with a twist and some of our favorite wines. Red, white and blue or I should say blueberry can be very inspirational.

I will have a “Red, White, and Blueberry Quinoa salad”. Quinoa is always a favorite when I serve it. Also, on the menu, are other brunch favorites…

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Reyes 2013 Quinn’s Zin Chocolate Brownie

Reyes 2013 Quinn’s Zin Chocolate Brownie

by Beth Heiserman

Like I mentioned in my article on Sauvignon Blanc last Friday, when I was at the farmers market last week I had come across the most tasty and delicious blood oranges. All week long I’ve been enjoying this juice. Yesterday I was reading articles on my phone and came across a recipe that I had to try.  It was an olive oil chocolate cake with blood oranges.  This is a vegan recipe.  Of course I did alter the recipe that I did see. I…

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Celebrate Sauvignon Blanc Day!

Celebrate Sauvignon Blanc Day!

By Beth Heiserman

I’ve been in the mood for a green bean casserole. So, I went to the market the other day to get all the fixings that I would need. The first thing that I needed to put on my shopping list was celery to make cream of celery soup. Believe it or not they were out of celery. I had a very difficult time for a couple days finding a market that had celery. I went to another market and it was so…

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Is Moscato the same as Muscat?

Is Moscato the same as Muscat?

By Beth Heiserman

Every weekend, guests come to our tasting room and request Moscato instead of Muscat. Is there a difference, Yes! First, the name Muscato is Italian for Muscat. Muscat grapes are grown all around the world. Every country refers to the grape differently. In Italy it is Muscato D’Asti, Germany has Muskateller; while France, Australia and America have Muscat. France generally only uses the Muscat grape in fortified wines but can be found in sparkling and a still dry white wine depending upon the region. Germany grows predominately two…

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Truffle Turkey with Renaissance by Reyes 2016 Chardonnay

Truffle Turkey with Renaissance by Reyes 2016 Chardonnay

By Beth P. Heiserman

I was out shopping for a gift the other day and came across this fabulous olive oil and vinegar shop. They had so many choices for me and then I saw the truffle oil and felt inspired. I do have white truffle Dijon mustard that I enjoy using too. A schmear on a sandwich or a dab to gravy adds such amazing flavor.

Truffle oil seems to be one of the new trendy foods. Most seasoned chefs don’t like to use truffle oil because it has…

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Reyes 2011 Les Deux Rois Blackberry Serrano Jam

Reyes 2011 Les Deux Rois Blackberry Serrano Jam

By Beth Heiserman

 

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, I would say are the two most famous red wines. They are the kings of red wine. This week, I am sharing with you a favorite, 2011 Renaissance by Reyes Les Deux Rois. This is our “Two Kings” red wine blend. The two grapes make up this amazing and award-winning Bordeaux-style red blend. For hundreds of years, these two grapes are widely known around the world.

Cabernet Sauvignon classically provides the blend’s structure, with heavier tannins and more acidity than Merlot….

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What is the difference between cooking wine and wine you drink?

What is the difference between cooking wine and wine you drink?

By Beth P. Heiserman

 

This week, I had a customer ask is there a difference between a cooking a wine and wine that is called for in a recipe. The answer is yes and no. It depends upon the wine that is part of the recipe. But for the most part, the main difference is the quality of wine. Drinking wine is a much better quality. Cooking with a drinking wine will give you a better dish because…

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Come celebrate National Wine and Cheese Day at Reyes Winery…

Come celebrate National Wine and Cheese Day at Reyes Winery…

We will be having a Vertical Tasting at Reyes Winery on
Saturday July 14th from 12pm-2pm. Please arrive 15 minutes early to check in. I start promptly at noon.

We will be serving our Muscats from 2011-2016 and Sweet Serenity, a dessert wine made from our 2009 Muscat. Sweet Serenity has won Gold & Best in Class in the 2014 Long Beach Grand Cru and a bronze in the 2014 Los Angeles International Wine…

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Let’s celebrate Grenache

Let’s Celebrate Grenache
By Beth P. Heiserman



Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine varietal in the world. It grows well in hot, dry and windy climates like Agua Dulce. It ripens much later than most varietals. There are different types of Grenache; Noir, Blanc, Gris and Rose. It is mainly grown in France, Australia, Sardinia/Italy and the Central Valley of California. Most likely the grape originated from Spain during the period when the Aragon Crown ruled according to ampelographical evidence.The study of ampelography helps identify and classifies…

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Syrah or Shiraz?

Syrah or Shiraz?
By Beth P. Heiserman

When I first started at Reyes Winery in Agua Dulce, I remember trying the 2009 Syrah. It became my favorite instantly. It has such a great smokiness and is so fruit forward that I knew it would be perfect to pair with bison or lamb. I have paired this wine with everything from Sloppy Joes to a leg of lamb. Syrah is sometimes known as Shiraz. It is grown all over the world. Its dark skin…

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Is Your Beverage Vegan?

Is Your Beverage Vegan?

With more emphasis on organic and vegan options winemakers are changing the way they make wine.

by Beth P. Heiserman

 

What do you know about your wine? Is it vegan? How can you find out?

Winemakers, brew masters and distillers may include animal by-products directly in their products, or use them during processing and filtration.
In the course of processing the product sometimes dairy, honey and other items are added.
During filtration, which happens just prior to bottling, products like isinglass (from fish bladder,) gelatin, egg whites and other materials are used.Read More

Reyes 2011 Muscat Green Beans

 

 

Reyes 2011 Muscat Green Beans

By Beth Heiserman

 

Ingredients

 

6oz green beans, cleaned and trimmed

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp lemon pepper

¼ cup Reyes 2011 Muscat

Pam

 

Directions

 

  1. Heat large sauté or frying pan with lid.
  2. Spray Pam on pan.
  3. When pan is hot, put green beans in pan. Add salt and lemon pepper. Cook till they have some color.
  4. Add Reyes 2011 Muscat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Serve.

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Reyes 2011 Chardonnay Onion and Corn Bread

 

2011 ChardonnayReyes 2011 Chardonnay Onion and Corn Bread

By Beth Heiserman

 

This is a bread machine recipe. It will make 1 ½ lb loaf.

 

 

Ingredients

 

½ cup Reyes 2011 Chardonnay

½ cup water

¼ cup olive oil

1 egg or 2 egg whites

1 tsp kosher sea salt

1 tsp seasoned pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp sugar

1 cup corn flour, preferably yellow

2 ¼ cups bread flour

2 tsp bread machine yeast

 

¼ cup sautéed onions, chopped

¼ cup fresh or frozen corn

Pam

 

Directions

 

  1. In a small frying pan, heat the pan and spray pam.
  2. Sauté chopped onions until they start…

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Reyes Winery 2010 Chardonnay Scrambled Eggs and Chicken Sausage Hash

 

Reyes Winery 2010 Chardonnay Scrambled Eggs and Chicken Sausage Hash

By Beth Heiserman

 

Ingredients

2 lbs. Chicken apple sausage, out of the casing

2 apples, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

¼ cup of Reyes 2010 Chardonnay

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp kosher sea salt

2 tbsp butter or pam

 

 

5 eggs, mixed

2 tbsp butter or pam

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp kosher sea salt

¼ cup of parmesan cheese

Remainder of liquid after sausage hash is done

 

Directions

 

  1. In large frying pan, cooking over medium heat, brown the chicken apple sausage with butter.
  2. After 10 minutes, add the onions, salt and pepper; continue to brown slightly.
  3. When sausage is cooked, add  Reyes 2010…

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