The Wine Commonsewer™

2005 Sunset Ridge Petite Syrah

Good Morning Gentle Readers:

It is rare indeed when one has the opportunity to share an inaugural bottle of vino. I hadn't a clue that nobody at the table had tasted anything but a barrel sample until the wine was decanted and poured. Talk about flattered. Been rolling it around in my head for weeks, how, exactly, do you do THAT justice?

Discounting all of the distortions and distractions brought about by friendship, I liked the wine. A lot. Breaking bread, sharing wine, good times, good friends, catching up, laughter, kids playing, a comfortable camaraderie, all of that, taken together, inevitably makes a wine better than it has any right to be.

So it is both, important and immaterial, to remove the subjective from the objective. Which, of course, in the overall scheme of things, subjective is as much a part of wine as anything, otherwise nobody would touch white wine. Yes, that was a smirk.

The delight was mine, of course, but it occurs to me that we were so absorbed in laughter and conversation, that nobody......well, put it this way, there aren't any pictures. Say What? Not a single photo. This, an inaugural opening. Not a single cork had been popped. Ever. Until that night. Yet nobody was camera ready. That says something. At least to me.

Linda Stinson, Darrel Heirendt, Bret Stinson (sitting); proprietors of SRV

But, before all of that, Darrel (cowboy hat), who is also Vineyard Manager for Red Head Ranch, throws me and Mrs TWC into the car and we get a look at the oldest vines in SLO County. Truly Old Vine Zin, deadheaded, close to dead at one point, but now producing. We tasted the SRV Petit Syrah grapes just a few days before harvest and some Cab grapes from Red Head Ranch. The original farmstead with dirt floor basement, hundred year old oaks, and the ancient and tottering water tower (with windmill). No photos. Can you believe that? Did I already say that?

Later were spooning Linda's tasty red sauce over pasta and a simple salad (no the red sauce was on the pasta, not the salad). With wine. And laughs. Later, hugs.

The wine was decanted which, given its youth, turned out well, and as we sipped and swirled and sniffed and did all the usual wine things, the wine opened up nicely. I'm thinking that a year or two in the bottle may eliminate the need to decant.

I didn't take notes (or pictures) but I recollect the color as deep indigo running to purple with good legs. Ack! (think: Bill the Cat). I'm not big on wine snob jargon, but sometimes it's useful. Legs means that when you swirl the wine in the glass it leaves trails on the inside of the glass (the legs). Something like a vapor trail of wine. The more left behind the better. In this case indicating a substantial wine. Just my style.

The winemaker said pomegranate and red fruit. I tasted plenty of black fruit and a little characteristic pepper that faded away somewhat with air.

A beautiful wine. A wine for sharing. A wine for friends. A wine for lovers and sultry evenings in front of the fireplace with a chilly rain falling outside. A little pricey at $38.00 but I can get you a deal. You'll be hard pressed to find SRV at Cost Plus or  Trader Joe's so order it on the website and use the TWC code to pick up a nice little TWC discount of 30% off sticker. Sometimes it is who you know, eh?

Sunset Ridge Vineyards:

TWC discount code: twcsrv05 

Inaugural wine. That's never going to happen again. Save a bottle or two guys. Well, duh. Preaching at the choir. Done that before. A couple of times.

Snapshots of life, here and there, this was one. Kodachrome. Happy I was there for it.

As Ever,

TWC

Vinfolio Top 25 California Wines

Gentle Readers,

As always, this best-of stuff tends to be a little subjective but is interesting none-the-less. It goes without saying that, of course, first of all, you have to remove the whites from the list and that pares it right down to a manageable number. Results and reviews here.

Oddly enough, it is raining here at Casa de las Rocas Grandes. Stifling a yawn over that news? Consider that we haven't had any rain for more than a year and that it has been gently falling all morning and it gets a little more exciting. For us anyway.

As Ever,

TWC

tip of the glass to Tom Wark

The Art In Shooting

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Even the most jaded gun hater should be able to appreciate the artful symmetry in this.....

My gun boys will love it. Have to call them all boys, they get sort of bristly when you call them gun nuts.

Can't see it? Look here.

As Ever, TWC

tip of the glass to Chuck S

What We Did Over Thanksgiving

Gentle Readers,

Ahhh, Thanksgiving. The House Blonde's Thanksgiving Poem, Jake's plea on behalf of turkeys everywhere, a visit from the Dark Side, the Kosmik Kid on Spodee Ode, Palm Springs at night, Sonny Bono, and a great Bloody Mary.

Oh I know, just personal indulgence, but it's only five minutes and change. Worth a click.

Can't see the video? Click here.

As Ever,

TWC

Sometimes A Cigar Is STILL A Cigar (even if someone already smoked it)

Gentle Readers,

To protect the flavor and to keep the cigar from drying out, Romeo Y Julieta Cigars come in a really fancy aluminum tube with a cushioned screw cap.  After a night out with the Kosmik Kid in Palm Springs (more on that later), TWC ends up with just such a tube in his pocket. Yeah, I know, how did that happen? [shrugs]

The House Blond spies it at breakfast. Being a kid, she immediately discerns the utility and the cool factor of this unique shiny cylinder. So I gave it to her.

Fast forward to this AM and TWC reminds her not to take this fascinating and useful device to school with her to show her friends, because she will be expelled. Not expelled or disciplined for having an actual tobacco product on her person at her elementary school. But for the mere appearance of the possession of a tobacco product, which falls under the official zero tolerance polices of the educational extablishment.

Sharp as she is, I'm not sure it occurred to her that this might be a problem--just a little bit frightening (to me, anyway).

As Always,

TWC

Jacquie Lawson Does Pie

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

This Jacquie Lawson vid came this morning. Enjoy, she's good.

As Ever,

TWC

tip of the glass to Cindy B & Charlie

Jim On Thanksgiving The Thanksgiving Sermon

Gentle Readers,

Jim was a consummate connoisseur of fine food, fine wine, and godfather to my kids, a largely archaic and ceremonial post that meant a lot to him. He volunteered after That Boy (Jake) was born in July of 1996. At first, I thought it just a quaint way of expressing happiness for our first born. Eventually the realization dawned that Jim was quite serious.

Not being Catholic or Mafioso we weren't quite sure how to make it official so we settled on: okay, Jim Shepard is the godfather to our kids (but if we both die in a plane crash, the kids are going to Aunt Laura's--lawdy!)

I got a note from Jim on Thanksgiving of 2000, just a few weeks before the Reaper called for him on a bleak and icy stretch of cold dark roadway.

It's all cold and frosty here. But, given that this is a day of Thanksgiving, I'll count my own today. This is not such a bad tradition. It's healthy, methinks, to spend a few moments, if not an entire day, contemplating and appreciating one's blessings. And I'm not referring to luck. I'm talking about showing appreciation for all one has accomplished as well as for those who have helped us become what we are today. You've been a very positive influence in my life, and I want to thank you for that.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Jim

Ain't much of a segue, but I'm still struggling with the Thanksgiving Sermon, which ordinarily should flow like the wine does around here. For a reason that remains unclear, nothing much is flowing. Perhaps, like Hemingway or Hitchens, the wine isn't flowing neither and therein lies problem.

I guess the heart of the matter is that Thanksgiving remains unpretentious. One simple day set aside to give thanks for our many blessings. No gifts are required, yet our forebears have bequeathed us a magnificent American tradition spanning nearly four centuries. No gifts are required, yet bottles of wine, cranberry salad, and fresh pies will likely appear at your front door, accompanied by hugs and real whipped cream. No gifts are required, yet the homeless and hungry shall eat in shelters and churchyards across the land.

The patron saint of liberty, Thomas Jefferson, once said that friendship is precious, and my life has been blessed with the warmth of enduring friendship.

Ogden Nash noted that a family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold. I shopped for weeks at every Kids R Us across the state. It turned out I couldn't have done better than Jake and the House Blond, even with a special order. The price was right, too.

Joan Crawford warned that Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell. It's just about right when the love of a good hearted woman kicks the smoke alarms off every so often. My cousin John calls it sizzle.

On another note, my clients have made it possible for me to earn my living in a rewarding and altogether pleasant way. I am forever grateful to each of them for that as well as the loyalty and friendship over the years.

On the eve of this High Holy Day of The Wine Commonsewer, I'll leave you with a couple of thoughts.

First, from Episcopalian Bishop Phillips Brooks, who departed this fair earth some one hundred years ago.....

Stand up, on this Thanksgiving Day, stand upon your feet.  Believe in man.  Soberly and with clear eyes, believe in your own time and place.  There is not, and there never has been a better time, or a better place to live in.

Second, from Harriet Beecher Stowe.....

The king and high priest of all the festivals was the autumn Thanksgiving. When the apples were all gathered and the cider was all made, and the yellow pumpkins were rolled in from many a hill in billows of gold, and the corn was husked, and the labors of the season were done, and the warm, late days of Indian Summer came in, dreamy, and calm, and still, with just enough frost to crisp the ground of a morning, but with warm traces of benignant, sunny hours at noon, there came over the community a sort of genial repose of spirit - a sense of something accomplished.

Oh and, one more thing, Gentle Readers, thank you for stopping by The Wine Commonsewer now and again.

May each of you enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving that is exactly what it should be.

A tip of the glass to your health!

Happy Thanksgiving.

As Ever,

TWC

A Simple Turkey Brine

Gentle Readers,

A little late for this, you should have begun already. Or, you can trot it out come Christmas. 

For the uninitiated, brining a turkey ensures a moist delicious bird even if your oven is unforgiving or your smoker tends to dry the turkey.

You'll need a big pot or other container. It has to be non-reactive, meaning plastic, glass, or stainless. Don't use cast iron or aluminum.

• Bring l.5 gallons of water to a gentle boil
• Add 1.5 cups of kosher salt
• Add 1.5 cups brown sugar
• Add 1/8 to 1/4 cup thyme leaves (fresh is best)
• Boil long enough to dissolve salt and sugar
• Stir occasionally

Allow the mixture to cool to room temp (you don't want to prematurely cook the turkey). Once cooled, put the turkey in the pot and fill the pot with the cooled brine mixture. Cover the turkey completely, cover the pot with foil or a lid, stick it in the fridge until Thanksgiving. 24 hours of brining is sufficient.

When you're ready to cook, rinse the turkey, discard the brine, and you are on your way to a succulent main dish.

FAQ

• The turkey does not taste sweet or salty
• Season as you would normally
• Cook normally
• The turkey will not be watery
• This brine does not impart much flavor to the turkey
• If the brine doesn't completely cover the turkey add more water

Done correctly, your turkey should look like this:

As Ever,

TWC

That Ain't Meat

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Just before dinner, I'm absent mindedly pawing through the mail when I hear the House Blond from the kitchen:

Mom, I'm tired of meat for dinner. Can I have a hot dog instead?

As Always,

TWC

2005 2 Up Shiraz

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

2 Up is a traditional game of chance played in pubs throughout Oz so it was just a bit serendipitous that TWC was willing to take a chance on a screw top wine. You know, Gentle Readers, that I am against screw tops on principle. Not only is wine RED but real wine bottles are sealed with cork.

Robert Parker called the 2005 2 Up a 90.  Oh sure, well deserved, and I was impressed, but get this: The wine is under-ten-dollars (US). $8.99 to be precise. Best Shiraz in that price range I've had.

2 Up is big, bold, and rich. In the glass it's ruby red sliding into deep purple and loaded with earthy, spicy, peppery blackberry, currant, and raspberry flavors followed up with a smooth balanced finish. I don't like the term fruit bomb and fruit forward is too snobby for a Commonsewer, but 2 Up Shiraz is, well, a fruit bomb  and I like it. You will too.

Serve this wine with hearty beef stew or grilled London Broil (pepper steak), game, lamb, or any other substantial fare.

If you didn't realize that clicking on the 2 Up label would take you to the winery website, click here.

As Ever,

TWC