A Fine Friday

For this week's "vino venerdi" I tried a Pinot Noir. I have been wanting to try more Pinot Noirs because the region I am living in is known for PNs. If you have ever seen "Sideways" you know exactly what I am talking about.
For the meal I prepared a grilled tuna and peppers with caper vinaigrette. It was a great recipe!! The sauce was absolutely delicious. And the recipe could not have been easier, the entire thing took me about 10 minutes. It was a perfect Friday night meal. But now, you maybe asking yourself "a red wine with fish?" I thought the same thing...that these people are crazy telling me that the tuna will go perfectly with a PN. They were right...it was a great combo.
The PN of the evening was from the Rancho Sisquoc Winery. The grapes came from the Flood Family vineyards of Santa Barbara County. It had a very distinct cherry flavor. Mark kept commenting on the tame tannins. I think he likes a little more tannin and oak. However, he did manage to finish off a couple of glasses. I definitely enjoyed this wine and look forward to trying more wines from this winery.

Vino Venerdi a la Domenica

Vino Venerdi had to wait til Sunday, but like a good wine it became better with age. This week I did not necessarily pair it with any particular predetermined food, but the wine did go perfectly with the meal and not to mention was indeed enhanced by the food. The wine chosen (by my wonderful husband ) for this evening's tasting was Simi a Chardonnay from Sonoma County.

It was definitely good. I would not say it was the best Chardonnay I ever had but it was a lovely wine for a Sunday night. This is a subtle wine with a bit of an acidic lingering. There are some definite toasted oak notes as well, but not overwhelming so. No butter found in this Chardonnay. I am still on the look out for a nice buttery Chardonnay, so leave me a note if you have a favorite. This wine was good, but was even better when paired with our meal, Lime Ricky Chicken. The chicken enhanced the oak and smoothed out the flavor.

Wine Fest 2008

In honor of Michelle Wine-O-Wednesdays I thought I would post about my weekend at the Red, White, and Blues Wine Festival in Santa Barbara, CA. It was a huge festival with over 400 California wineries. Needless to say, I wasn't able to taste from every winery, but I tried my best! I tried to only taste the wines that were the specialities of that paticular winery. I also tried to stay away from wines that are from the nearby Santa Ynez valley. I was a little disappointed with some of the vendors when I asked them "what is your speciality?" and their reply was "wine." I was hoping for a little more insight than that.


Of all the wines I tasted, I do have a favorite from the afternoon. A 2006 Pinot Noir from Peter's Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast crafted Kokomo Wines. I am not a huge Pinor Noir fan but this wine was fantastic! The wine gives a bold flavor of ripe strawberries and spices. It also has a wonderful smoky vanilla aroma. It is way more than I would regularly spend on a bottle, but it would be great for a special occasion.


I may try to follow Michelle's lead, but with a teeny, tiny twist. I may try "Vino Venerdi." Vino Venerdi will be dedicated to trying new wine and preparing new dinner dishes to pair with the wine. Thanks for the great idea Michelle!