Eve's Wine 101

Barrel Class Saturday, April 9th

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On Saturday, April 9th, I will be holding the famous barrel class. Over the years, so many people have expressed their wonder about the craft of cooperage. Like, “Isn’t it remarkable that it doesn’t leak?” or “How can all those pieces of wood stay together without nails or screws or glue?” And my favorite: “Simply amazing!”

 

At this class, you will learn all of the terminology of barrels and their parts, their care, and their use; and why, after all these years, they are still the best thing for most wines.

 

Home winemakers and lovers of the lore of wine think this class is great. If you have ever wondered about barrels and their value to the wine industry, you will get a deeper appreciation, not only for the vessel itself, but for wine in general.

 

Seguin Moreau Barrel

 

Who are the “cellar rats” and what does “racking” or “topping up” mean?

 

If you want to buy a barrel, what are the things you should look for?

 

Are Bordeaux or Burgundy barrels better?

 

Taransaud Barrel

 

What is better, French or American Oak?

 

How should you care for a barrel after you get it?

 

What is the best size barrel to use?

During this class, I will remove the heads (ends) of a barrel, shave the inside, toast it, and put it back together – and it won’t leak. Once you see this, you will be infinitely more confident in the care and keeping of your barrels. If you are a wine lover, you will have a much deeper appreciation for the art of wine.

 

Wooden Bung

 

The class is limited to 20 people and the cost is $30 per person or $50 for two. The cost includes a snack at lunch time. You will also get a leaflet I produced.

 

The hours are from 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. You can reserve a place by emailing me at krusewine@aol.com or by calling us at 408-842-7458. Remember this is a once a year class.

 

Bring Your Own Bottle Day

Saturday, April 16th

 

On Saturday, April 16th, we will once again hold a BYOB event featuring a fabulous red blend for our now legendary Claire’s Field Red table wine. Save your bottles or you can buy them new here for $8.00 per case.

 

Remember, this is the event where you get a great red table wine at a super price. With your own case of bottles, this wine is only $5 a bottle for one case or $4 a bottle for two or more cases.

 

Great wine is here every day at our winery.

 

Final Note

 

The’08 Zinfandel we have all been waiting for is almost ready to go in the bottle.

Tom

 

Thomas Kruse Winery – 3200 Dryden Avenue – Gilroy, CA

Phone: 408-842-7458

Email: krusewine@aol.com

 

Using my brand-spanking-new kitchen, with it’s ultra-convenient row of under-the-cabinet lighting, I thought heck ya, I’ll make a chopped salad to use every available counter space I have. Now, let’s see how I screwed it up:

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I forgot the Garbanzo beans on the bean aisle of the store.

I realized halfway through the chopping that I needed to divide the recipe in half, but I still used all of the red onions.

I found the red cabbage, that was supposed to be in the salad, in my new subzero fridge the next morning.  I’m blaming it on the fact that the fridge is too darn big…though we had one just like it before the remodel.

I didn’t like the “coring” of the vegetables, I mean, gee, I realize the little seeds in the cucumbers and tomatoes might add some moisture, but golly, really, anybody else here thinking waste?

I used a bag of lettuce and cut it with my kitchen scissors.  Why the hell not?


Then I ignored the “use sparingly” directions on the dressing and watched my family lap up the remains in their bowls with bread, as if I had served them soup!  But, it was actually Eddie’s fault.  He didn’t want the homemade dressing (I saved several minutes there!)  he wanted his Hidden Valley Ranch.

We paired the whole shebang with our Bison Grass vodka Martini.  (If you like, search this blog, I think I put that recipe up last week.)

Cheers to the new kitchen!  And ways I can mess it up!

Recipe: Elizabeth’s Chopped Salad Recipe

Elizabeth Mayhew

Ingredients
  • Dressing
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Salad
  • 1 medium-sized head iceberg lettuce, washed and dried
  • 1/2 medium-sized head red cabbage, washed and dried
  • 4 carrots, peeled
  • 4 celery stalks
  • 1/2 small red onion, skin removed
  • 1 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
  • 4 plum tomatoes, halved widthwise, cored and seeded
  • 3/4 lb. Provolone cheese
  • 3/4 lb. Genoa salami
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano
  • 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained, rinsed and dried
Preparation

To prepare dressing: Whisk together all ingredients until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve the salad.

 

To prepare salad: Chop all ingredients except garbanzo beans to desired size and store separately until ready to serve. When ready to serve, toss all ingredients together. Drizzle with dressing, one spoonful at a time, making sure not to over-dress.

Serving Size: Serves 6 to 8