Recipe for: “Cuban” Ceviche

Attending a seminar sponsored by the official North American Sommelier Association (NASA), and by Tormaresca, a “producer of fine wines in both the north and south of the region”, I learned more than I thought possible about the heel of the boot of Italy, Puglia and its “native varietals, climate and geology.”

Introduction and Lesson

Our NASA lecturers, Alessia Botturi and Vito Palumbo, explained that NASA is the only official U.S. arm of the Italian association.  They share their knowledge on the smaller winemaking regions of Italy to make people more aware.  Today’s focus would be on Puglia and how it’s changed in the last 20 years from being known as “the cellar of Europe*” to a quality winemaking region of Italy.

(*Twenty years ago Puglia sold its wines to Europe – it was legal back then.  They sold bulk wine to France for their chardonnay, and being the home of bulk winemaking they had always good wine.  Puglia doesn’t want to sell to other parts of Italy today, they are investing money in their own region.  Now, with the decrease of quantity the quality has improved.  The change took place in the late 1980′s and we are now seeing their efforts in stores.) 

History of Puglia Region

Puglia is an ancient region, and there was lots of living going on before the Greeks came into the area.  Greek influences are still seen today in the grapes and vine training system.   Gastronomy, architecture and wine sum up the diversity of the region.  Sicily represents the gate to Africa, Puglia is the gate to eastern Europe.  

From north to south in Puglia – there are vines everywhere.  There have been changes in the last 10 years as big winemaking families have arrived and helped to grow the quality and the marketplace.  They gave Puglia the “right tools to develop” their winemaking efforts.  

It’s a Mediterranean sea region, with a warm climate almost year-round.   The area is comparable in size to L.A. and Orange County combined.  They want to be sustainable certified, 53% of the wine produced is red, and both the DOC and IGT production is increasing while table wine is decreasing.  There are 94k hectares planted, which is about four times what is planted in Napa.  The land is mainly flat and split into four main regions due to different soils types.  With 400 miles of coast, Puglia is one of the top ten places to visit in Italy, “no photo shop here, these photos are real.”  Our “virtual” tour included beaches, caves, beach towns, rainbows, olive trees, cheeses, pasta, salami, seafood and, of course, plenty of vines.

And the name Tormaresca means tower by the sea, which is the name of the producer’s estate name.

Tasting

2011 Roycello Fiano, 100% Fiano – This is the main white grape of the area. White peach, sweet white grapes and kiwi on the nose.  Nice mouth coating viscosity, acidic qualities, green apple, bright flavors.

2011 Tormaresca Chardonnay, 90% Chardonnay, 10% Fiano – Lemon zest, cut pears, white pepper on the nose.  Crisp, acidic, lemon-lime, lengthy tingling finish on the front of the palate.  I found it light, palatable, and would be great with a cold seafood salad.

2009 Torcicoda, 100% Primitivo – On the nose I definitely get the black fruit, green peppercorns, wet bark.  In the mouth dry, nice juicy blue and black fruit.  I really like the fruit on this one,  nice balanced with smooth tannins.  This my favorite of the day so far.  14% alcohol.  (NASA notes:  This grape thrives in the area, an early ripener, since the Roman time.  A full body, juicy reds, blackberry/plums/pepper flavor profile.  The name Torcicoda means tail twister, nothing to do with harming horses!)

2005 Masseria Maime, 100% Negroamaro – A darker color indicative of the age, bowl of dark/jammy fruits on the nose, a vegetable like sautéed mushrooms and a smoky characteristic.   On the mouth I got a dryer quality and less fruit, more smoke…was better with the mortadella and crispy Italian bread they gave the students.

2009 Trentangeli, 65% Aglianico, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah – Aromas of wet bricks, dark plums, eucalyptus/mint and smoke.  Nice balance of dry and fresh dark fruits, dust, smoke, and deep, resonant tannins.  Very nice.  The second favorite of mine in today’s tasting. Nice with the cool, seasoned meatball it was served with. Organic.  (NASA notes: Aglianico is not from Greece, only grown by the Greeks in ancient southern Italy.  Can age 20-30 years.   Called the Barolo of the south due to finesse, power, big structure/tannins. Very few producers in Puglia.)  

2006 Bocca  di Lupo:, 100% Anglianico – An organic wine.  Aromatic, dark chocolate, velvety red rose petals, smoky qualities.  The taste was all tannins, peppery fruit, palate drying, excellent, drink now or later (if you can!)  Okay, so I now had a third favorite!  Excellent with salami, bread and basil.

Olive Oil Tasting

Puglia is also one of the first and largest olive oil producers in Europe.  Our speakers said it was the best in the world.  Different from Tuscany oils.  I relished both the sweet and spicy notes.  They recommended that you eat as a starter in the summer on grilled bread and tomato as bruschetta.  Everyone there wanted to buy it today, but it was not available.   

To name just a few off the top of my head:Pour into Haiti, Pour into Sandy, Sunset in the Vineyard, a Toast and a Wish, the Santa Clarita Wine Classic, Vine 2 Wine and the new event, morphing the two, the new Vine 2 Wine Classic.And most of these are annual events.

The “unbreakable” Pulchella glasses, photo credit: Rick Lott

Now, with Pulchella opening the only licensed and bonded winemaking facility in the Santa Clarita Valley, and wanting to keep my reputation for finding new venues for Eve Wine 101 events, it was a logical step for me to ask winemakers Steve Lemley and Nate Hasper to open up the winery for a fundraiser for my church, the Unitarian Universalists of the Santa Clarita Valley, www.UUofSCV.org for short.

Steve and Nate had donated to my church’s annual dinners and tastings for years.As I worked as the winery’s first unofficial “publicist” (Steve’s term) we had an unofficial “trade” of services – and more of an official respect for one another.

So, my church was the first, the little church that could – and did – get first dibs on a wine tasting event at the crush pad.Steve said he could manage up to 70, he upturned barrels to turn them into tables, created a raised platform/stage for speakers and set up a nice check in-and-out area.

Steve and Nate were there along with assistant winemaker, Jeff Prange, to lead us through a tutorial and tasting of several of their Paso Robles wines:

2010 Chardonnay; 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon “Le Screws”; 2011 Zinfandel City Slicker; 2011 Field Blend, Red Head Ranch, “The Red, White and Blue”; 2011 Grenache/Syrah blend, “Highs and Lows; 2011 Syrah, Volidores Vineyard; 2009 Tempranillo.

After Steve gave a short introduction – “Thanks for coming and supporting the church!” – Steve and Jeff talked about the flavor profiles of each wine and a little history of the winery.Pulchella had started in 2005 and went commercial in 2010.Steve said, “We like to let the wine make itself…the fruit dictates characteristics of the wine – that’s our style –we let the land make the wine while we just control the quality.”

Steve went on to discuss winemaking practices and answer questions from the group. 1.How secondary/malic acid is converted to malolactic acid and that’s what adds a creamy texture to wine.  2.Alcohol content can fluctuate by a percentage point or more.  3.It can take some 20-hour days “to express what you are capable of doing in blends.”

Jeff talked about how wine grapes soak up soil, flora, fauna and that process is commonly referred to as the terroir.Then he discussed tasting:“Don’t drink as fast as you can; instead look, smell, and then taste.” Begin by checking the color by holding your glass over a sheet of white paper, swirl the wine, notice the legs (equals the level of alcohol content).Note that as a white wine ages it will turn yellow then brown; while red goes to dark red to lighter red, then brickish, and then to brown.  Smell and then swirl and smell again.Now, Jeff told the group, “get your nose in there.”  It’s the taste and smells that make the wine interesting.

Steve added that the 2011 vintage has aging potential, or if it’s your preference, drink it now.  Decant your wine, according to Steve, only to introduce oxygen. White wine, that is usually not decanted, we want to drink no more than a year or two after bottling.

As we neared the end of the tasting, Steve announced that if anyone wanted to purchase any wine that day they would give 20 percent back to the church.One more instance of Pulchella’s unexpected generosity.

The winery is expanding this year to better accommodate winemakers that reside within a 200 mile-radius.   And though they are near capacity now, most of the wine in the winery barrels are Pulchella.And of that, 85% goes to their wine club.

Winemaker Nate Hasper and Eve

All in all it was a good 90-degree day to spend inside a winery.With three educators, a nice line-up of different varietals, a good crowd of church friends and their friends, nice stemless glasses (that I witnessed are nearly impossible to break), and a winery sink or floor drain to use as pour out buckets – we didn’t lack for anything.

Pulchella Winery

http://www.pulchellawinery.com/

SCV Custom Crush Services

http://www.scvwinery.com/

More local news

Eve’s Wine 101 would like to welcome to our newest sponsor Santa Clarita, California, SantaClarita.com! You can see now their advertisement on every page of our site.  Sounds like a good plan for your biz to advertise with us too?  Email me: eve@evewine101.com

The interior is flawlessly laid out (friend Kelly A. told me to get a seat at the “Chef’s Counter” to watch the action and I was not disappointed), great wood accents and plenty of seating.

The “Gastro Pub” menu was eclectic. Of the “small bites” I sampled the house BBQ chips, garlic/parsley fries and Crab Hush Puppies.  The “big bites” I tried were the White Fish Croquettes and Shepherds’ Sliders.  All excellent, reasonably priced (nothing over $9), and they promised even more additions by opening day.  There was a full page of craft beers (I had a little sampler) and a few wines by the bottle or glass (a lot of us enjoyed the Justin Cabernet).

Owners Simon and Shannon Mee, also owners of the popular Egg Plantation, greeted guests (Shannon on crutches due to a recent food injury happily hobbled along) and kept things moving with General Manager Alex Mclaughlin (formerly the head waiter at Maru in the mall until they closed) and Executive Chef Cynthia Lara who is a graduate of our own College of the Canyons Culinary Arts Department under the tutelage of Chef Cindy Schwanke.

All in all, there wasn’t anything I didn’t like!  Looking forward to gastro pubbing it again soon.

(Note, if you are on Facebook you can view the full album here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200598884601990.1073741831.1455706632&type=1

Reyes Winery will be hosting a winemaker dinner at the new location of Thelma’s and Luis in Valencia at the Town Center Mall  (24250 Town Center Dr. Suite 180, Valencia – in Maru’s former space) on June 1 at 6:30pm. $65 per person. Please call 661- 286-2162.

Please join Thelma’s and Luis & Robert Reyes of Reyes Winery on this spectacular first event for Chef Luis and his staff. There will be four artistic and scrumptious courses paired perfectly with Reyes Wines.

Chef Luis will start off with an appetizer course of Causa potato cake with tuna tartar and wasabi caviar….paired with Reyes 2010 Chardonnay.  The second course will be crispy skin wild king salmon with a fresh cucumber salad in a zinfandel ginger citrus glaze that is paired with Reyes 2011 Zinfandel. The third course will be a grilled filet mignon with a gorgonzola cheese sauce, sautéed Broccolini & zucchini ribbons with a blueberry cabernet sauvignon sauce, which will be enjoyed with Reyes 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon.

And finally desert, mango crepes and Reyes White Delight.

The Reyes Winemaker dinner at Thelmas’s and Luis  is $65/person

DON’T MISS OUT — RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW!

Call Luis at  661-286-2162

Sincerely,
Reyes Winery

I met Gary and his daughter-in-law Suzanne Phifer Pavitt at Julie Brosterman’s (Women & Wine) home for a private fundraising event and got my first taste of Phifer Pavitt Date Night Cabernet Sauvignon. They took their sweet time making a white but, with the 2011 inaugural vintage, and the 2012 I’m tasting today, it was well worth the wait.

According to Gary the grapes are all from 40 year-old vines from the Juliana vineyard in Pope Valley, which is part of the Napa county AVA.

His method of winemaking madness included flying up from his home in Manhattan Beach on a weekly basis for three months to stir the lees. “I fly up there weekly to Santa Rosa,” Gary said. “I make about 20 trips from August 31 to December 30.” This was a point Gary drove home to me, as he believed it’s what made all of the difference in the flavors he wanted to achieve.

“Everything is whole cluster press,” Gary continued. “There is no fining, no cold stabilization and no malolactic fermentation.

Gary makes his Sauvignon Blanc in the Sancerre style for one reason, because that’s what Terry, his wife of 30 years, loves.

“We have great fruit; so we do a little as possible to it and just let it do its own thing. We do give it more oxygen (open the top of the tanks) than others do, or bleed oxygen through it after its fermented.”

“You will get stone fruit, citrus and as much mouthfeel as we could possibly glean out of that. We used two different kinds of yeast so that I could get both qualities of those fruits.

“Then we just put it in the bottle and it becomes poetry. Can’t mess with it then.” According to one of Gary’s instructor’s at Davis: wine is no more than chemistry until it goes into bottle – then it’s poetry.

“I’ve been a winemaker for 20 years. And I’m the only maker of white wine for Phifer Pavitt. I am the assistant winemaker to Ted Osborne who does the reds. And I would say this about Ted: I’ve learned more from him on a daily basis than I ever did at Davis. At Davis you learn a lot of stuff, make a lot of great connections and establish great resources – for when things go wrong.”

Tasting Notes

Phifer Pavitt

DATE NIGHT Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

14.5 alcohol, $30

Color: Beautifully clear, hay with an edge of pale honey.

Aroma: Lemon zest, lime twist, golden delicious apples, pear, stone fruit (apricot and peach), pale white pepper.

Taste: Very balanced fruit and acidity, the same aroma profile from the nose lingered through in the taste, crisp, lovely mouth-coating viscosity. Paired well with my Cobb salad (no dairy) and Gary’s cold shrimp and crab salad.

More on Gary: http://www.phiferpavittwine.com/winemakerblanc.html

Winery website: http://www.phiferpavittwine.com/

Dear Wine Friends,

Our Wine News is Brewery News: Popular Wolf Creek Brewery will open their new location in Mann Biomedical Park this weekend for tours and tastings – and the beer-making has already begun there!  During a “Sneak Peak Party” over the weekend we loved the handcrafted Ales, appetizers, desserts…and education. 

Wine Discovery of the Week: I arranged a wine tasting and lesson to be the first ever held in a new local winemaking facility.  Contact SCV Custom Crush Services if you want to see the place too!

Eve’s Wine 101 Event Picks: Celebrate NATIONAL WINE DAY with me only at Agua Dulce Winery for $10-$15 on 5/25, NEW: JOIN ME AND SUPPORT SEVERAL CHARITIES AT ONEHOPE WINE DINNER AT VINES ON 5/26 – 661-799-1234 FOR RESERVATIONS, Wine in the Pines 6/8,Ojai Wine Festival 6/9, the LA Wine Fest 6/8 and 6/9, Rhone Rangers 6/23 and save the date for the 2013 Vine 2 Wine Classic on 8/17.  And the ORIGINAL SCV WINE CALENDAR IS BACK UP!

This week’s…This is just the top portion of our Dear Wine Friend weekly newsletter.  If you want the rest of the news delivered to you via email every Friday email me at eve@evewine101.com with the subject line or body reading “sign me up!”

Hola Queridos Amigos, amantes del Vino, es un placer conocerles bajo lo que seguramente será un vino excelente! Es probable que ya me conozca o haya escuchado mi nombre ya que he estado escribiendo localmente por poco más de 17 años. Hace unos 7 años decidí escribir exclusivamente temas acerca de la educación de vino para principiantes.

I love being in Spanish!

Mi experiencia se basa en más de 20 años de clases, catas, visitas a bodegas comerciales, leyendo todo lo que esté en mis manos, y  aun así todavía me considero una principiante del vino. La educación nunca termina.

Soy una lectora voraz y con ello también me he enamorado de la investigación en Internet para agregar a mis estudios. Me he dedicado a conocer personalmente a los enólogos, propietarios de tiendas, representantes de vino, los cocineros y los educadores. Y por supuesto, uso Twitter y Facebook para estar al día con las últimas noticias del vino.

En los últimos años también he colaborado con otras personas para realizar eventos de degustación de vinos para ayudar a apoyar a las víctimas de catástrofes: Servir en Haití, Ayuda para Japón y Servir en Sandy. Aunque prefiero escribir sobre los acontecimientos, he aprendido que ayuda cuando “servimos” vino por una causa. En noviembre de 2010 recibí mi certificación Nivel 2 Intermedio de Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET). Y en noviembre de 2011 fui entrevistada por el show de Internet The Wine Down, sobre el tema de “Inmersión del vino” por el enólogo Casa Dumetz, Sonja Magdevski (novia de Emilio Estevez) y su co-anfitrión Bartlett BrandonLa entrevista puede ser vista a través de este enlace: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deg0V7gyRcg&list=PLC0CC3F426BBF8150&index=5&feature=plpp_video

Mas columnas de Eve Wine 101 en forma impresa y en línea se pueden encontrar en las siguientes ligas: http://www.evewine101.com, http://www.scvelitemagazine.com/ y http://westranchbeacon.com

También se puede encontrar Eve Wine 101 en YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/Evewine101), Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/eves-wine-101-santa-clarita), Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/EveWine101/ o https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eve-Bushman-Eves-Wine-101/140201804492) y Twitter (https://twitter.com/ evewine101).

Cada Viernes envío por e-mail el boletín de noticias Querido Amigo del Vino, el cual da  noticias relacionadas con el vino y contiene enlaces hacia artículos de editoriales, redactores,  colaboradores, invitados y yo. También se incluyen los aspectos más destacados de nuestro calendario original de Santa Clarita Valley Wine (http://evewine101.com/scv-wine-calendar).  Para solicitar la inscripción al boletín semanal, basta con escribirme a mi correo electrónico: eve@evewine101.com.

La única publicación en la que hoy en día se pueden leer las columnas de Eve Wine 101 en español es en Nuestros Valles/Our Valleys. Estoy muy entusiasmada de tener la oportunidad de que  mis columnas sean traducidas y pienso que puedo servir a la comunidad latina para aquellos interesados en aprender más sobre el vino y las bebidas.

Salmon with Ginger Sauce

http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/13254/salmon-with-ginger-sauce.html

Ingredients

1 salmon fillet –1-1/2-pound, 1 inch thick.  (I bought three 8 oz. filets)

1 cup orange juice

1-tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (used regular)

2 teaspoons peeled grated gingerroot (one ginger root, larger than the size of the palm of my hand was barely enough once grated and compressed into a teaspoon.)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8-teaspoon pepper

Vegetable cooking spray

Directions

Cut fish crosswise into 6 equal pieces; place fish, skin side down (we don’t like skin, so I didn’t buy filets with skin on), in a shallow baking dish. Combine orange juice and next 4 ingredients; pour over fish. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 45 minutes (I put it all in a Ziploc baggie).

Drain fish, reserving marinade. Place fish, skin side down, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray, and broil 5-1/2 inches from heat 13 minutes (we went 8-9 minutes to not overcook) or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Place fish on serving plates (we kept in pan to stay warm) and keep warm.

Bring the reserved marinade to a boil in a saucepan, and cook 3 minutes. Pour over fish. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3 ounces fish and about 2 tablespoons sauce).

Served with boring Rice a Roni fried rice we added a little Worcestershire sauce too, a bagged Asian chopped salad and a 2010 Grey Wolf South Paw; a Rhône blend of Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne.  Was perfect, family voted to have again.