Gray skies, temperatures on the chilly side and a few drops of rain couldn’t deter hundreds of wine lovers from enjoying the World of Wine barrel tasting event presented this past weekend by the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association. 27 wineries offered tastes of their wines, though not all offered barrel samples. If you check out my ticket on the right side of the page, you’ll note I paid a visit to every single participating winery. Ah, the sacrifices I make in being a wine writer.

I tip my cap to the Temecula Valley Wine Society who did a stellar job checking people in, pouring wine, serving food and so much more. It was great to see Marshall Stuart, Jim & Christine Hart, Dorian & Les Linkogle, Ray Falkner, Nick Palumbo, Marcello & Damian Doffo, Robert Renzoni, Bob Olson (owner of Danza del Sol, formerly Filsinger), Jennifer & Rick Buffington, Phil Baily, Steve & Valerie Andrews and to meet South Coast’s head Chef Dean Thomas, Van Roekel winemaker Gus Vizgirda and Dave & Gail Bradley, owners of Read more »

The IFWTWA “Conference At Sea” was an opportunity for a group of writers to not only enjoy a cruise on the Caribbean, but also to see the inner workings of a cruise ship. As a wine writer, I was curious to see the challenges faced by a Cellar Master whose job includes making sure that more than a thousand different wine drinkers each week are happy with what they are offered. Fernando Bacsa has a passion for what he does and he clearly loves his work. He has been with Holland America for thirteen years now and says “it’s not just a company, this is my family.” He does have a family at home in the Philippines, though; a wife and three children. His two sons want to follow in his footsteps and are already in training to work for Holland America.

Fernando got a degree in hotel operations in the Philippines and then began work as a catering supervisor in Libya, working for Moammar Kadafi in the Presidential Palace for five years. He was also employed by Nelson Mandela, so you can safely call him Read more »

After a wonderful day on the Island of Grand Turk, we re-boarded the ms Eurodam and got right back to work. There were wines, avocado oils and balsamic vinegar to taste! Linda Kissam was our host as we tasted 10 wines from Keyways, Tesoro and newcomer Lorimar. The group was impressed with the selection provided and Linda did an excellent job presenting the wines. We then tasted some incredible avocado oils from Oak Mountain: Toasted Onion, Chili, Roasted Garlic, Lemon Pepper and Key Lime, followed by the Dark Sweet Cherry Balsamic Vinegar. Avocado oils have a higher flash point, meaning they can sustain higher cooking temperatures before burning. All of them tasted delicious and the balsamic vinegar was a big hit. After the tasting, we retreated to our cabin to freshen up and then made our way to the Crow’s Nest for the drawing for IFWTWA’s scholarship auction. Not only am I Read more »

To say this has been an interesting week would be a gross understatement. My wife Laura and I learned we would be joining a group from the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) on their Eastern Caribbean Cruise about two weeks prior to departure. Late Friday evening we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to board our ship the following morning. When we awoke it was 43°, pouring rain and windy. We both remarked the beginning of our Alaskan cruise had been far warmer. The Eurodam is a lovely ship, about two years old now (a baby by nautical standards) and carries approximately 2200 passengers. We set sail under stormy skies about 6:00 pm with the ports of Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay Bahamas lying ahead of us. We quickly began meeting members of our group – Leigh Cort who specializes in historic inns of the south, Chef Jean Read more »

Steve & John Thornton

In my last post I reflected on the incredible events that have happened in the few months since we launched WINEormous. I had intended that to be an all-encompassing story, but what has happened to us in the Temecula Valley alone deserves its own focus. WINEormous began as a concept. It would be a blog with stories focusing on wineries and the people who make them run – owners, winemakers, pourers, folks on the bottling line, all of them. We are blessed that there is so much material in our own backyard. At last count there were more than thirty wineries in the valley with more on the way. I’ve written about seventeen of them, so I have my work cut out for me.

When you’re new, you start with a blank canvas. Getting your foot in the door can be a daunting proposition. Linda Kissam was instrumental in opening many, many doors for us. She now serves as executive director of the Fallbrook Area Visitor’s Bureau and is the former executive director of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association. When I first approached her about lining up interviews with some of her clients, she delivered in a big way. I thank Linda for setting up stories about Thornton, Orfila, Keyways, Oak Mountain, Temecula Hills, Villa di Calabro, Briar Rose, Ponte, Tesoro and Fallbrook Wineries for me. I have her to thank for putting me in touch with Vine Times magazine, a publication for which I now contribute. She arranged for me to attend a luncheon with members of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association of which I am now a member. I’ll be joining Linda this coming Saturday for Read more »

It’s been a hell of a year. Until early May, I was selling real estate, or at least attempting to. In March, my then fiancée, now bride, Laura and I spent the weekend in Paso Robles with our dear friends Denny and Jodi Jones. If memory serves me correctly, it was the 5th visit there for Laura and me in about a year’s time. We took Denny and Jodi to one winery after another, introducing them to winemakers we had met and to some phenomenal wines, too. At the end of the weekend, Denny told me what an incredible experience they’d had. He told me I ought to think about taking people out and giving others the same experience we had shared with them. That started the ball rolling. I had been writing a blog on a real estate web site for about two years, sometimes writing about real estate, but more often about travels, wine and life in general. My brilliant wife suggested I started a wine blog and do what Denny suggested and start taking people to wineries. The seed was planted. The name WINEormous popped into my head and we both liked it. We chuckle sometimes when we hear wine descriptions that talk about pencil shavings and the like. We love a good nose on a wine, we love to swirl the glass and let the wine open up, then savoring the mouth feel and picking up the fruit. That’s when I came up with Read more »

Cafe Champagne

Since women are responsible for over 50% of wine purchased, Mrs. WINEormous decided to check out some food and wine options for Thanksgiving.

Since Executive Chef Steve Pickell of Cafe Champagne at Thornton Winery has been creating delicious Thanksgiving menus there since 1993, we decided to join him, Thornton’s winemaker, Don Reha and Temecula public relations guru, Linda Kissam for lunch and tastings at Cafe Champagne on a recent weekday.

We reminisced about fabulous dinners past and planned for even more amazing events to come.  Some of Chef Pickell’s Thanksgiving musings: “I keep family traditions alive in some menu items.  There is always turkey prepared like I’ve had my whole life.  At Cafe Champagne we also serve fish, pork and vegetarian entrees.  The majority of guests choose turkey every year.”

Entrees for vegetarians might be in order for your dinner,  Instead of just letting them fill up on side dishes he suggested grilling portobello mushrooms or making them in a lasagna for their meaty texture to compliment the rest of the meal.

Now what wines to pair with this feast?  Both Steve and Don Reha had suggestions to enhance, not overpower my Thanksgiving experience.  Two or three selections should please every palate.  Don helped to break it down with wines he had created.

Start out light with appetizers or soups.  A sparkling wine that is festive (Thornton Non-Vintage Cuvee Rouge), or a crisp Gewurztraminer which relies on spices in the structure.  “Otherwise you’re just drinking bread.” Reha commented.

I had heard that Pinot Noir was the top choice for pairing with turkey,  Again Don suggested that I break with tradition and try a Rose because it’s not too dry for sweet dishes and keeps the palate fresh. “There is nothing in turkey that can stand up to a big backbone of red,” he explained.  Mr. WINEormous whose alias should be “Big Red” looked crestfallen.

Well if you can’t break with tradition choose a red blend like our Thorny’s Cote Red, a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Barbera and Sangiovese.  It’s structure won’t interefere with your food,” he hastily suggested.

Moving on to dessert we tasted Thornton’s  2006 Late Harvest Zinfindel and explored desserts that are pumpkin pie alternatives.  Although in most homes a dessert change would be an addition not replacement.

Time was running short and Don and Steve had just whet my appetite.  I was ready to attend Steve and Anthony Bartoletto’s cooking class on Saturday afternoon.

Great decision!  Easy to create recipes paired with fabulous wines.  These were much more than little sample sips and bites.  Here’s what we made and paired:  Butternut Squash Soup paired with Viognier, Cranberry Cherry Compote, Maple Roasted Pork Loin, Sauteed Apples and Onions and Potato Mushroom Gratin paired with Cabernet Merlot; and Gingerbread Bread Pudding paired with Late Harvest Zinfindel.

I left class inspired and eager to experiment until I realized that I would be spending Thanksgiving in Baltimore with family.  We leave you now to explore and create your own traditions.  Or better yet, make reservations at Cafe Champagne and just sit back and benefit from the masters.  Call 951-699-0099.

Look at our current New Weekly Recipes for Steve Pickell’s turkey salad recipe for those leftovers.

Ahi & Avocados

Brein En Croute

Hamburger & Fries

Dessert

Chef Steve