Showing posts with label Wine. Show all posts

Camping and the Keto Diet

I love camping!

I went camping for four glorious days in Northern California. I had a wonderful, relaxing time and I also managed to stay true to the Ketogenic Diet. I went out to eat two times and I also went wine tasting! Here I will share how I did it.

Breakfast foods:
A great breakfast, minus the bread there. I forgot to take a photo of mine.

Sausage-
I grilled up some sausage in advance so I was not carrying raw pork around in a cooler in the dead of summer. I like the Johnsonville hot Italian usually but to make sure I was not giving  my stomach any reasons to be a jerk to me while living in the woods for the better half of a week, I went with some double IPA sausages. I just opened the liner, pressed them into large patties and cooked them. I kept them in the cooler in a ziplock bag.

Eggs-
Eggs are a fantastic thing to bring camping. You can boil them for a snack or fry and scramble them for breakfast. I chose to bring raw, unbroken eggs because it was easy but if you want to scramble them for breakfast, you can crack a few into a container of your choice in advance. That way you have nothing to break in your cooler and you can just dole out the amount of pre-scrambled egg mixture you desire.
Nothing better than coffee and bacon in the morning while camping.

Bacon-
I don't eat much bacon irl but for camping it is a must for me and my family. It is a tradition. You can cook your bacon on the camp stove then crack your eggs or egg mixture right into the remaining oil leaving only one pan to clean. You can make a bunch then snack on a strip or two all day or add to your lunch as well.

Creamy, buttery coffee-
I brought loads of salt-free butter. I added a tablespoon or two of butter to my camp coffee. When the butter is melted, I add as much whipping cream as I like to my desired color. This is a very filling morning drink but it has only minimal nutrients so don't forget to eat something along with it to fuel you through to lunch.

Lunch foods:

Chicken salad-
I used some chunked and shredded chicken and tossed it with mayonnaise, black olives, chopped pickles and mustard. Add salt and pepper and if you want you can add full fat Greek yogurt. This can be stored in tupperware in the cooler and takes up very little space. I just pulled it out and ate with a fork right out of the container. I didn't have any dishes to deal with and could eat it safely in awkward, often sandy or dirty areas like at the beach.
Chicken Salad, photo and recipe are here from Lisa at Low Carb Yum. I love pickles in mine! She has very good advice on how to make it with the best Keto friendly ingredients.

Snacks and drinks:

Ice tea-
I filled a plastic milk jug with water and 4 bags of my favorite tea. There is no need to boil the water first. It seeps just fine in room temperature tap water and in cold water. I placed the mostly filled jug in the freezer over night. Once frozen, I added a bit more water and put the cap on. This is a clean way to keep your food and drinks cold in the cooler as well. As the frozen tea melts I would have a very cold drink. If you do not have the room to put a whole jug, you can do the same in smaller water bottles. Just drink the first inch or so, cram a tea bag inside and stand up in the freezer. Once frozen you can fill the rest of the way with water and place in strategic places in your cooler
We always have a great selection of fine cheeses when camping. Everything here (save for the bread) is totally Keto.

Cheese-
I chose 6 different gourmet cheeses. I ate them on little rounds of sliced salami or just with my hands. I had mostly soft brie like cheese but varied it with goat, cow, sheep and bison milks. I ate a couple harder cheeses too like my all time fave, Nicasio Square cheese. Mmm I want some to eat right now!

Cold cuts/charcuteries-
I brought along some sliceable salami as well as pre-sliced salami. I brought some coppa and prosciutto as well. I ate these as snacks or as the "chips" for my cheese.
More snacks, I loved those marinated mozzy balls.

Pork rinds-
These are the best for mindless snacking. They are super satisfying but have no carbs at all in them. Be careful of your protein intake though!

Macadamia nuts-
These are so yummy that they taste almost sweet to me. Another great snack to have while others might be eating chips.
A small taste of the many types of olives that are out there. I like to choose many varieties from the deli.

Olives-
I went to the market and selected several varieties of olives. They are filling, salty and good for you!

Dinner, eating out:

First night, Mexican-
I was so very disappointed to find out that my favorite Mexican restaurant had closed. The owners retired but sold the recipes to the new owners who opened a new place with a slightly changed name. The food was not quite as good and the menu was about one quarter as big so I was thrown for a loop when I arrived. I had planned on having fajitas without the tortillas but had to make new decisions. I chose the Al Pastor pork plate but instead of rice and beans as a side, I had a big ol' pile of guacamole. It turned out super delicious. There is a little orange and orange juice in it but not enough to throw me out of Ketosis. The cool, tangy guac went well with the pile of meat I had on the other side of  my plate. It balanced out the heavier flavors on the pork. I had enough to eat as leftovers the last night of the trip. I ordered an ice tea to go with dinner. I considered having a beer but I wanted to spend my daily dose of carbs on wine back at the campsite. I never get tired of tea. I have a pretty hefty selection at home and drink it every day so it was a good choice for this night.
You can have this at camp. Make the meat ahead of time and heat, make the quac in camp.

Second night, American brewhouse-
Another blow hit us when we learned that our second favorite restaurant in the Anderson Valley had changed owners. We heard that the original owners of the Buckhorn decided to up and leave but the bartender's girlfriend's parents promptly bought it. The menu needs a lot of sorting out still but I think they will be back to their old quality by next year. I could have gotten the burger with no bun but I was craving a grilled chicken breast so I got the wedge salad with chicken. The salad came with THE BIGGEST wedge of iceberg lettuce I have ever seen. It was a half a head of lettuce. That was smothered in bleu cheese, bacon and walnuts. The walnuts were candied but there were so few that it didn't throw me out of ketosis. They still added a great deal of flavor. I also opted for a diet coke because I was wanting some sort of sugar fix. It was gross (I'm not the sort who likes diet anything) but satisfying nonetheless.
I admit, it wasn't the prettiest looking meal but it was satisfying and tasty.
In camp dinners:

The best in-camp dinners are the ones you can do the most prep or even all the cooking at home. Pre-season and form hamburger patties, make meatballs, have hot dogs with sauerkraut, bring marinated steaks.
A hot dog while camping from previous years, just remove the ketchup and bun and you are set.

Night time desserts and boozy drinks:

Wine-
I went wine tasting at a couple of the wineries in order to pick some up for my brother as well as bring some chilled bottles back to camp for the evening. A little wine here and there is not too terrible for you in terms of keeping in ketosis. I tasted about 10 wines (and of course I did not spit!). I brought a nice Sauvignon Blanc back and had two small glasses of that. The other night I had only a half a glass because it was relatively sweet. Other wines that would be ok to drink are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, dry Rose, Merlot and Pinot Noir. The wines you want to avoid are the sweet ones like Muscat or Icewine.
We camp in the beautiful Anderson Valley which has beautiful wines.

Vodka-
This is the best choice if you are wanting to drink alcohol. It has low carbs and is clear which means it has less in it to make you feel crappy later. Vodka is just a nice and clean alcoholic option. I did not want to sit around the campfire taking shots of warm vodka so I created a cocktail that I quite like. I will put the recipe below. If you do not like vodka, you can drink almost any unsweetened hard alcohol like rum, tequila and gin. Stay away from anything sweet and you are good to go.
Lindt is easily the best tasting and best textured 90% dark chocolate out there. One square is 3 grams of Carbs.

Chocolate-
I did not want to just sit and watch the others make smores so I brought along some Lindt 90% chocolate. It is a little bitter if you are not used to dark chocolate but I found that the Lindt brand is a particularly good brand to try out the 90%. It is creamy and satisfying while at the same time, low on carbs. I ate two squares per night and stayed in ketosis.
Normally, I have s'mores paired with port or a late harvest wine. This year it was chocolate and vodka.

Cookies-
I did not bring cookies but I did intend to make some at home to bring. I got lazy. There are plenty of great recipes to find on the trusty interwebs for cookies you like.
So refreshing and tasty too! Photo is from Polar Seltzer, I drank mine out of a camp mug with a fish on it.cherry 

 Keto Happiness Drink

2 oz Vanilla Absolut
Flavored soda water like Orange or Cherry
Garnish, orange slice if using orange soda water, cherry (natural, not sweetened like maraschino) if using cherry soda water

Fill highball glass with ice.
Pour vodka over ice.
Top with soda water
Garnish with orange slice on side or cherry inside as desired.

I'm telling you, this is so yummy, it's like a 50-50 bar or cherries and cream. If you are daring you can add a little whipping cream to the top!
Many flavors, many options.
Drinks, Keto, USA,
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Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP)


Last weekend was the ZAP Grand Tasting. It is always a great time...and educational too! Every year in San Francisco they have a grand tasting at Fort Mason. It is two giant warehouses full of booths represented by various Zinfandel producers. this year, the 19 annual ZAP weekend was host to 211 wineries. Each winery had at least two wines to taste. Some wineries had up to ten different wines to sample!


As a member of ZAP I was able to enter the tasting an hour earlier than the general public. Last year I had attended with a good friend of mine and we ended up getting a little toasted by the end of the event and had trouble finding a safe way to get home. (I am not a fan of public transportation). This year we got ourselves a hotel room within walking distance of the event. Genius!!


We got our hot pink wrist bands and entered the first auditorium. Immediately you can hear the rumble of the press and winemakers who were allowed in even earlier than we. Upon entering you are handed a wine glass and a baguette. There are two rows of booths on either side of the area and huge islands of fruit, cheese and breads dotting the center. We headed to XYZin first as the winemaker is a good friend of ours. The host at the table pours for you and the pours are deceptively small. It is large enough to taste but small enough to not get you knackered by the third booth. This is no exaggeration, these wines were in excess of 16% alcohol.


We made our way through the booths, sometimes choosing a favorite from last year, or a familiar brand and sometimes venturing to a new label. Sometimes the label caught our eye or the name of the place or we had just heard of it somewhere before. As time went by I got more and more forgetful of what I liked and didn't like so I had the great idea of taking a picture with my phone of the ones I liked. Here are the wines I liked the most this year:

Kokomo 2008 from Sonoma

Artezin, 2009 from Mendocino, also a favorite last year.

Plungerhead 2009 Old Vines from Lodi

Always a favorite, Hendry 2009 from Napa

John Tyler 2006 from the Russian River Valley

These were my favorites and as you can see, they are from all over California and are spread out in vintages as well. Another super fun part about going to ZAP this year was the free photo booth provided by a vendor. We went in it a few times, each time getting a bit sillier and sillier.

All in all it was a great success this year and I look forward to next year's Grand Tasting to learn about some new wines. Until then I shall spend the rest of this year tasting my new favorites.
USA, Wine
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First Week of Harvest 2010



As the title says, today marks the first completed week of Harvest for me. This year has been pretty crazy. This year in California has been what they call a La Nina year. A summer in a La Nina year is really mild or even cold. This kind of year always follows a year that is called El Nino. An El Nino year has extremely wet and rainy winter. The combination of these two years caused this harvest to act a little funny. Not to get all scientific on you, what has happened is the grapes developed late and now, all of the sudden, they are all ready to be picked at the same time.

The most grapes we have pulled in in a day is 225 tons. This week we have pulled in over 200 tons EVERY DAY! What does that mean? It means long, hard hours at work. It means I am not blogging as much and I am certainly not eating healthy. I am trying. It is on my mind - sometimes. But I don't know when I am going to have time to eat. I don't have time to cook. I don't have time to sleep. I don't even have time to drink my 2 liters of water, let alone go pee as often as I would have to if I did. (I also don't have time to write this blog, but shhhh).

I may not have mentioned this, but I was very recently promoted to Manager. This has had an impact on the amount I am working as well. I have much more responsibility which keeps me at work much longer than I normally would. It also means more meetings. All this is fantastic. I am thrilled. But there is absolutely no room for a weight loss plan. That is, none that I have fabricated before.

My company is the best company to work for. They know we are all working hard and they know we need fuel so they provide us with food. That food is in the form of all you can eat pizzas on one day, all you can eat Mexican food on another day and super burritos on yet another. They also provide us with cheese, chocolate and tons of cakes. I think half the company must have birthdays in August and September or something. To make matters worse (if you even consider all this a bad thing) is that on my one day off a week, we are still hosting pizza and bad movie parties at our house. There are days when I am eating pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This must stop! What do I do??? I need to pause and regroup. That is the purpose of today's blog: to take a minute to try to organize a plan. It is 21 days to the beginning of Fall, 36 days to my birthday, 59 days to Halloween and 78 days until I go to Hawaii. I need rules and I need to stick to them. The rules must be reasonable or I will not follow them so here is my attempt.

Rule 1: Drink as close to two liters of water a day as possible
This is free and the easiest thing I can do if I am committed. I am going to keep a 500 mL cup on my desk and drink four of them in a day.

Rule 2: Eat a large breakfast
Even though I don't have time to cook in the morning I bought a giant box of instant oatmeal packets that come in five different flavors to keep me from getting bored. The highest calorie packet is the chocolate chip one that is 170 calories but it also has 3g of protein and 5g of fiber. I also will try to eat left over dinners for breakfast.

Rule 3: Eat as much fruits and veggies as possible.
I already use the Vita Mix to make smoothies at night to enjoy at breakfast. I use great fruits like Acai berries, Goji berries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries and whatever else I have laying around the house. I buy large, frozen, unsweetened bags of these fruits so they never go bad and are always on hand to make a cold smoothie. I buy unsweetened cherries in a can to save me the time of taking the pits out. (you can buy Acai juice and Goji berries in the freezer section of Whole Foods). Additionally, I find it very easy to grab random fruits and veggies I have from my delivery box to bring for lunch. I keep some olive oil at work to add flavor.

Rule 4: Eat less pizza.
I am going to eat the pizza. It is free and it is delicious. What I need to do is decrease the amount I eat. How to do this? I am not sure yet. Perhaps by making sure I am not hungry before I get my pizza. Or by only grabbing two slices, not eating the crust and deffo not loading ranch onto it. I think a combination of the above will help.

Rule 5: Eat a light dinner.
This will the the most difficult of all. Normally I would also say to eat early but I do not have that option because I get home at 8pm, a half hour before I need to go to bed, anyways. So the next best solution would be to eat light. This will be hard for me because the bf wants a big meal and he is the chef at the moment. To help with this I will treat it similar to the pizza problem. I will make sure I am not starving before I get home, perhaps by eating an apple during my drive home or just before I leave work.

Rule 6: Get sleep.
I will try my best to get 7.5 hours of sleep a night. Even if it means I am just laying in bed, not ready to be there.

Most of this stuff I can do at work because most of my time will be spent at work. What I will do is make reminder notes and put them where I can see them. On my desk I will have a note that tracks my water intake and my meals. I will also have a reminder to eat less pizza. Let's hope this works because I have not budged on my weight for the past two weeks.
Wine
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Almost Harvest!!!



My job has seasons. It is something I love about my job. I am not doing the same thing year round. We just came out of Tirage season which is when we bottle the wine then let it sit for a year or more as the yeast forms the bubbles in the bottle. The season we are heading into now is Harvest. Harvest is when we actually harvest the grapes. The grapes come in, get dumped into a press and pressed. The juice is collected and allowed to ferment in giant tanks. My job is quality control throughout the entire process. Harvest lasts about three months and during those three months I work 16 hour days six or seven days a week. Needless to say, I will be blogging a little less during this season.

These next few weekends are precious to me because they are the last of my summer. They are the last time I will have two days off in a row until at least Halloween. I try to really pack in summer activities. I had one activity that I didn't quite finish the last time I tried. This past weekend I had to take care of unfinished business. I am talking about Alamere Falls. If you recall in my last blog, I ended up going on the wrong trail and hiked 14 miles total. This time around I only hiked 11 miles but I made it to the falls. It took us about 5 hours to complete and I am sore today for it but it was totally worth it. I am posting some pictures below to prove I did it:



We hiked way past the falls (you can see them in the distance) then doubled back along the beach
USA, Wine
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Wine - How to Properly Store Wine





Summer is coming up faster than we know it. Soon, it will be here and the sun will be shining. Shining sun means warmer temperatures. Warmer temperatures mean warmer homes. Warm homes mean spoiled wine. That is, unless you know how to properly store your wines. Most of us are not fortunate enough to have a wine cellar or other controlled temperature environment to store our wines. Closets, pantries, garages and corner of rooms serve as cellars for many people. How do we know if our wines are being stored at the right temperature or in the right way? Red wines need to be stored different from white wines and white wines need to be stored different from champagnes and sparkling wines. What are the rules? There are three main factors to consider when storing wine: Light, Temperature and Bottle Position.
Light
Wine is bottled in dark glass to help protect the wine from UV rays. Some bottles are even coated with a UV protection layer. Sunlight and florescent light will damage wine. Wine that is subjected to UV rays for a period of time will be come light-struck. What happens is the light moving through the wine initiates a chemical reaction producing sulfurous compounds. We are all familiar with the smells and tastes sulphur can produce, rotten eggs, for example. Other chemicals that can be produced are called mercaptans which give off a boiled cabbage or skunky flavor and aroma. All of which are unpleasant. So keep your wines out of the light. If you are unable to store wine in an area that is not periodically exposed to light, wrap the bottles in cloth, block the light source or simply store the bottles in case boxes.
Temperature
Temperature is an important factor that will influence the quality of your wine. A bottle stored in an area with vastly fluctuating temperatures will age the wine at a rapid rate rendering it spoiled. Imagine the wine heating up and expanding, pushing wine or vapor out the cork, then cooling down, drawing air inside the bottle. It is like the bottle is hyperventilating. Too much oxygen circulating in the bottle will oxidize the wine prematurely.
Keep the temperature of your wine as constant as you can. If possible, do not allow the wine to fluctuate more than 5 degrees F in a day. Try not to let your wine get above 75 degrees F more than brief periods of time, like when you are transporting it home. Heat damaged wines can take on a brown color. White wines turn a honey-amber color and reds turn a rusted brick color. The flavors can range from a bruised apple or sherry taste to a sweet, chemical taste. Certainly not flavors the wine maker had intended you to find. If your wine gets too cold the only real damage you can impart is slowing down the aging process. To ensure proper aging, keep the wines from dropping below 40 degrees F for extended periods of time.
For a collection of varying wines the ideal temperature for storage is 55F degrees. If this is not an option for you, do not fret. What is more important is avoiding the temperature fluctuations so a wine stored at 65 degrees F constantly is much more protected than a wine that varies between 50 and 60 degrees F
Those who are able to store white wines and red wines separately will want to adjust the temperatures for each. White wines should be stored between 47 and 55 degrees F and red wines should be stored between 55 and 60 degrees F
Bottle Position
Most of us know you should store a bottle on its side but what many do not know is that is not always the case. First of all, most wines should be stored on their sides. Red and white still wines have a narrow neck and the cylindrical cork sits snug inside. When bottled, the corks have a very specific moisture content to make this snug fit happen. If a wine is being stored for long periods of time standing up, the moisture in the cork will diminish as the air moved in and out of the bottle and as time goes by. The dry cork will lose its snug quality and become smaller and brittle. This will allow more air to move in and out of the bottle, aging the wine and diminishing its quality over time. When a still wine is laid on its side the wine is in contact with one end of the cork it slows the passage of oxygen back and forth through the opening creating a more natural aging process.
Champagne and sparkling wine are different. The neck of their bottle is slightly angled and the cylindrical cork is forced inside with tremendous pressure. Many people do not even realize that when going in, champagne corks are cylindrical. The shape of the bottle and the pressure used to insert the cork cause the iconic shape we all associate with champagne and sparkling wines. The reason there is a difference between the sparklers and the still wines is pressure. Sparkling wines and champagnes are under a great deal of pressure. We can feel that pressure when we open the bottle. We want that pressure because that is what keeps the bubbles inside. It is this pressure and bottle shape that forms a very tight seal leaving the need for laying bottles down obsolete. In fact, storing champagne bottles upright is better for them. The lack of contact between the wine and cork helps prevent the wine from absorbing any off flavors or aromas from the cork. Corks can be the source of "cork taint" also known as TCA which is a nasty, moldy aroma and flavor that you do not want in your wine.
Standing up sparkling wines is optimal but if you only have a wine rack, laying them down will not destroy your wine. If you do have a wine rack, try to store the sparklers on the bottom, then the whites leaving reds on the top. This will employ the "heat rises" law and keep the most sensitive wines at the cooler level. Using this same concept, if you have a wine refrigerator, store your most expensive wines at the bottom. This way, if there is a power outage, these wines will remain the coolest.
Other storage concerns:
Vibrations. Storing wine in an area where there is vibration can ruin a wine. Areas like in or around a refrigerator, near a washer and dryer or on the side of the house the train runs by subject the wine to vibrations. The vibrations cause the sediment in the wines to stir up changing the taste profile of the wine. Vibrations can also cause oxygen to circulate faster and micro bubbles to form, aging the wine prematurely. For the same reasons, a bottle of wine should be moved and transported as little as possible.
Humidity. It is important to control humidity when storing wine long term but it is something that is difficult to control in a closet or pantry. Too much moisture will cause mold which can penetrate the cork and give a bad taste to the wine. Not enough moisture can dry out the corks. Try to adjust the humidity in an area wine is being stored to keep from any extremes.
External Aromas. Keep wine stored away from chemicals, foods or strong aromas. The breathing nature of wine will cause the odors to be absorbed into the bottle. Storing your wine in a closet with moth balls could give your wine a character you were not looking for.

Luckily, we live in an area where wine is accessible and temperatures are relatively mild. This gives us little excuse to stock up on wines. So take your coats out of your closets and toss the beans out of your pantry. Make room for your new wine collection to enjoy for years to come.
Wine
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Irish Food and Wine



St Patrick's Day is just around the corner. It is a time when we get to eat and drink our way through the Irish culture. Restaurants and bars serve Irish fare from a full Irish breakfast to Irish stew to the traditional American-Irish dish of corned beef and cabbage. At the restaurant or bar you will be offered the traditional pairing with these foods: Beer. If you celebrate by going to bars you will most likely come across a pint of Murphy's or Guinness, perhaps a shot of Jameson or a glass of Baileys. Admittedly, a Guinness or Harp do pair beautifully with the dishes of Ireland. Their robust, full body and bittersweet after taste lend themselves beautifully to the strong, hearty flavors of the Emerald Isle but what if you are not a beer drinker? What if you are hosting a party or serving Irish food at home? Many wine lovers simply won’t give up wine for beer even if Saint Patrick himself were at the table. Some dishes are easy to pair wine with and some are not as easy. I have compiled a small list of traditional Irish dishes and the wines that pair best with them. This article attempts to answer a question no one really seems to be able to answer: What wine should be served with corned beef and cabbage?

Let's begin with a classic entree: Irish stew. Start by breaking down the individual ingredients in the dish. Traditionally lamb is the main component of the stew. It is also the dominant element because the influences of the barley, stock and potatoes provide more subtle flavors. Even with this classic dish, recipes may vary; some may call for beef rather than lamb and some may suggest that Guinness or wine to be added. If you are making a hearty lamb stew you will need a substantial wine to go with it. A round Zinfandel with smooth tannins will go perfectly with an Irish stew. The sweetness of the stew's barley and carrots will compliment perfectly with the hints of jam and fruits in the Zinfandel and the wine's tannins and richness will match that of the strong, gamey flavor of the lamb. If the stew is made with beef, a good Cabernet would be your best choice. And, an Argentinean Malbec would nicely compliment a stew containing Guinness or a hearty wine.

Another traditional Irish dish is shepherd's pie. Shepherd's pie is a meat and potatoes kind of meal so similar principles apply to pairing this with a wine. A Zinfandel or Cabernet is going to be your best bet. This time, you may want a bit sharper, more acidic version of these wines because a shepherd's pie is thicker with the ground meat and mashed potatoes. You want a wine you can take a bigger gulp of to help wash down the food but still can stand up the flavors.

Bangers and mash is a delicious Irish meal. Named for the way the sausages have a tendency to explode when cooked, bangers are usually pork-based sausages that are juicy and full of flavor. The mashed potatoes or "mash" are served covered in a thick gravy. This wonderful winter meal goes perfectly with a Syrah or Shiraz. These wines are known for having full body with bold fruits and tannins that marry well with the flavors and textures in bangers and mash.
If you are lucky enough to be having my favorite St Patrick's Day meal, a traditional Irish breakfast, then you'll be having eggs; Irish sausages; Irish bacon (which is basically a thick slice of ham); white and black puddings; and a selection of mushrooms, beans, broiled tomatoes and boiled potatoes. No matter what time of day you have this meal, it still is a breakfast and I recommend having a light and bright Sparkling Wine or Champagne. The acidity of Champagne cuts through the fats in the eggs, butters, and meats giving you a fresh, clean palate. If you put a couple drops of green food coloring in the bottle it makes for a beautiful presentation when you pour as well
The most difficult pairing is also one of the most common meals served on St. Patrick's Day: corned beef and cabbage. If you look online to find what wine you should serve with corned beef and cabbage, you'll find a wide range of opinions and suggestions. There are suggestions that range from hearty Chiantis to sweet Roses. Why are there so many confusing differences of opinions? The answer lies in the dish itself. People are thrown off the right track because the main ingredient is traditionally beef brisket. The thought of a juicy, red beef brisket may generate thoughts of big red wines but we must remember this is a boiled dish so the actual flavors are not dominated by the beef itself. The dominant flavors lie more with the brine, the fats and the cabbage. The brine on the corned beef gives it a tart, salt, almost tangy taste and the additional fatty flavors call for a wine with enough acid to balance the dish out. The cabbage needs some acid and some fruitiness in its wine pairing. Cabbage is a difficult vegetable to match with wine altogether because of its sweet and sulphurous qualities. Put all these ingredients together and you will find you need an white, acidic wine with fruit or even citrus characteristics. Your best choice would be an Alsatian Riesling or a German Riesling. A Riesling will provide a crisp, off-dry citrus flavor that's followed by a smooth fruity finish which goes well with the fatty and salty flavors in the corned beef and cabbage. A second choice would be a Sauvignon Blanc. This varietal is not overpowered by the cabbage, cutting through the sulfur and providing a tart, citrus taste that offers a refreshing balance to the dish.
If you or your guests insist on a red wine with the corned beef and cabbage meal, then serve a Grenache. The Grenache has a big, berry flavor mixed with a peppery finish that would marry well with the briny tastes in the corned beef. A Sonoma Pinot Noir can offer the right amount of acids to match the bold flavors of the brisket and brine.
Now you can feel confident about pleasing your wine-drinking guests, if you follow these suggestions. But remember, if all else fails, Champagne goes with everything!
Wine
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Grocery Store Decisions




We have all been there, standing in the wine aisle of the grocery store, wide-eyed, staring at the seemingly endless array of wines not knowing what to choose. Do you go by how cute the label is? Do you go by the price? Most of us probably do a combination of the two. If you are lucky, you already know the varietal you are looking for but that doesn't narrow it much down. In the end you may just leave with a wine you know nothing about except that it is the right varietal in the right price range. You may tell yourself that it doesn't really matter if it is good or bad because you are just drinking it yourself but what if it is a gift? Are you buying mediocre wine with a pretty label?
The solution is: Educate yourself. Wine education, unlike so much Math or English education, is lots of fun. The first thing to do is head out to a winery or wine bar. Think of the tasting room as your classroom. What a tasting room provides is an array of wines to taste before buying and, often, an informative tasting room staff member. We are lucky to be here in the Bay Area where most of the wines in our grocery store come from just next door. I suggest begin by picking a winery or wine bar to visit. If this is a trip to educate yourself, I suggest going on line, finding a map of the area you are interested in visiting and clicking on each winery to find the ones with the largest selection of varietals. One I like a lot is Cline Cellars. It is only a 15 minute drive from Marin and offers a wide variety of Rhone wines. A visit there will make you an expert on wines associated with the Rhone region and if you were still hungry for more learning you can cross the street to Jacuzzi where they offer a selection of Italian wines made by the same winemaker. If you prefer to stay closer to home there are also wine bars that can provide you with a sampling of wines for a nominal fee. To visit one of these I suggest searching online for the ones nearest you and then go to their web sites and looking to see if there is an event. Sometimes you can even meet the winemaker at these events. Who better to give you a mini lesson about the wine you are tasting?
Once you have learned what varietal or regional wines you like, you can plan your next trip to visit a few wineries that are known for that wine. You can do this by looking at the same map as before but now be more focused on wineries that produce more of the wine you are looking for. For example, I love Sauvignon Blanc. I planned a trip up to the Napa region to visit some wineries that I knew had at least one but often two or more Sauvignon Blancs to taste. By doing that I learned that I prefer Napa grown Sauvignon Blanc to Carneros and I do not care for the 2006 vintage at all. I also came back with a list of wineries that make great wines so the next time I am at the grocery store I know right where to go. In time, you will become familiar with the labels that you like and dislike.

By only a couple quick, well planned trips to your local wineries you can become that person that everyone calls for advice when they are standing in the wine aisle of the grocery store.
Wine
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