Peterson Il Granaio

Posted on March 15, 2013 by matthewjramsey

PetersonGran2 Some days ago we experienced a couple of snow days in the plains states. Schools, government and business closed as a blizzard settled into my small town. As a teacher, snow days are something very special. One whole day without plans. They aren’t like other days off, full of errands and activities. A snow day is free.

Snow day food is different, too; perhaps a day of snacking, or a slow, Sunday style meal, prepared on a Thursday. This snow day included a hearty beef stew. I had about six pounds of trimmed rump roast, carrots, onion, garlic, tomatoes (fire roasted, sun dried and paste), and button mushrooms. I also found a few springs of fresh thyme and a jar of crushed hot paprika chilies. There was also red wine.

It has been a busy few weeks and my recent wine club box sat unopened next to the wine rack. I hauled it to the living room and sat on the floor exploring each bottle. It was like the adult version of lining up Hot Wheel cars or Barbie dolls. I settled on the Peterson Il Granaio and what a great choice it was. The richness of the stew complemented the sweetness of the wine in a way that lifted both the beef and the cherry flavors. The heat from those preserved chilies lifted the wine for an amazing compliment. My only regret is that I used a cup of the wine in the preparation of the stew and that was two less glasses to drink. I’m going to drink this wine a lot in the future; particularly with a hearty dish that finishes with a kick.

The gift of wine

Posted on February 17, 2013 by matthewjramsey

Photo by Marni on Flickr.

Wine is perhaps my favorite thing to give as a gift. Holiday gifts to colleagues, presents for the host or hostess of a dinner party, house warming presents or a token to celebrate one of life’s surprises or successes, wine has a place in almost all situations where a gift if necessary.

I often find myself culling through the racks of bottles in my cellar trying to decide which wine would best fit the occasion and recipient. For intimate friends, a bottle that tells the story of a road trip, a memorable meal, or a visit to Sonoma County. For colleagues, the bottle they might like best and for family, the wine closest to your heart.

Lately, I’ve been giving the 2010 Gunfighter Eberle Zinfandel. The wine has received many accolades over the last several months, from Gold Medals at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair and Houston Wine Competition to a best of class award from the San Francisco Chronicle. It is a dark purple wine that almost jumps from the glass in a fruity explosion. I’ve enjoyed it with Korean style flatbread pizza, smoked pork shoulder, and beef ribs finished on the grill with a spicy dry rub. The beauty of gifting this bottle is sharing a glass with friends.

2009 Eric Ross Gout de la Vigne Syrah-Viognier Blend

Posted on February 10, 2013 by matthewjramsey

I’ve written before of my love for the corkage fee. We take a bottle of wine to a favorite spot with a pretty good idea of what we will be eating. The paring is usually predictable and we’ve taken no risk in ordering a bottle outside our knowledge base or comfort zone. It isn’t my only method for enjoying wine at a restaurant, but it is handy for a special meal.

This holiday season I enjoyed a memorable night out. Before leaving I texted my friend and asked if she’d prefer a safe or adventurous wine. Of course, she replied, adventurous. The decision was between a pinot from Eric Ross and the 2009 Syrah-Viognier Blend. I’d tasted the pinot and was happy to have a few bottles in the cellar, but the Syrah was an impulse buy, perhaps thanks to the label. I’d been saving it not quite sure what to expect. It was delicious. We enjoyed appetizers of roasted beets, pickled onions, spicy deviled eggs and rabbit pate. Our entrees were roasted pork belly and a well-prepared rib eye beefsteak. The next day I called Sami to order a couple more bottles of this delightful wine. They should arrive any day!

Struttin’ though the vintages

Posted on January 23, 2013 by matthewjramsey

One of the things most enticing aspects of joining a wine club was the ability to taste a winemaker’s offerings over time. Last summer, I took at bottle of Eric Ross’ Struttin’ Red to a poker game. It was a 2010. It was a great bottle for this setting. Most of my fellow aspiring card sharks are beer drinkers, so I was not going to be called to share much more than a swallow. I would also be consuming it over several hours. The fare for these gatherings is a typical chip/salsa, salami, olives, stinky cheese and other spicy bits of summer goodness. The bottle held up terrifically. As the night went on, the wine developed and was different from all four glasses.

Fast forward to a Friday night at the end of my first week back to work after the holiday break. I was tired and had some friends coming to socialize. For fun, I brought my remaining 2010 bottle of Struttin’ from the cellar and opened it along side the 2011 offering. Each wine shared a common structure, but achieved different results on the palate. The 2010 seemed spicier at the finish, but the fruit of the 2011 seemed to life the wine. Bother were incredibly fun to drink and fueled our conversation into the night. I’ll definitely hold on to a couple 2011 bottles to see how they compare to future offerings.

Pairing wine with food is about experimentation

Posted on December 8, 2012 by matthewjramsey

2010 Peterson Old School Zifandel

We can read the online reviews, the producers information, the tasting notes, and even consult our friends, but eventually we have to stare down our wine racks and make an educated guess about which bottle will best compliment our meal.

The other night I found myself facing a dilemma. The meal. Two poblano peppers stuffed with chicken, rice and cheese. A healthy dose of home canned salsa and some salty, blue corn tortilla chips. I must have stood looking at my bottles for 20 minutes. This was a dish with loads of flavor. I finally decided on the 2010 Peterson Old School Zinfandel. As I opened the bottle I notice the top of the cork read, “no soulless wine.” I knew I’d need a wine with some serious soul to enhance this meal.

I sad down to eat and began working my way into the peppers. A few bites of the stuffing before cutting up the whole pepper; a little salsa here and the crunch of the chips. Every few bits I’d stop to taste the wine. The initial flavors remained and the finish was peppery, but the middle really fell off. My consideration of the wine continued as I finished eating, but half way through, I realized this bottle was not enhancing the meal. I set the glass aside, finished the meal and retired to the study to grade a few term papers. The glass and the bottle accompanied me.

As a post meal drink, the wine opened back up. The fruit returned and I’d almost say the glass achieved a cooling effect on my palate. The wine had soul and I can think of the other dishes I would pair with the wine. Something less spicy maybe a plate of dry rubbed pork ribs finished on the grill, or grilled strip steak. I was happy I’d opened the bottle. Sometimes we have to miss the mark to discover if the soul of our wine compliments the soul of our dish. Luckily with these mistakes, there is still wine!

Zero Manipulation Wines From Peterson Winery

Posted on November 17, 2012 by matthewjramsey

Peterson Winery

I’ve been studying menus for years. The bookmarks on my web browser read like a Beard Foundation nomination shortlist. Some of these restaurants are close, some are far; most are places I’ve visited, others I dream of. A few are the spots where I will celebrate the attainment of personal goals in the coming years.

I’m starting to feel my way around the wine list and when I find one posted with the online menu I have whole new detail over which to obsess, research, and cross-reference. I’m also begun to understand the benefit of the corkage fee.

Living in a city famous for barbecue does not offer the same bottle choice as I experience in my travels to the west coast. As my palate is only beginning to develop and I’ve focused my initial exploration of wine on Sonoma County, it often helps for me to bring a bottle I already know I’ll love when enjoying the work of my favorite local chefs.

When Sami offered me a taste of Zero Manipulation from Peterson Winery, I knew exactly where I would take the bottle. My favorite weeknight haunt focuses on naturally raise livestock. Their dishes are inventive and full of flavor, it is almost possible to taste the earthy space from which the animals came. From my sample glass, consumed while standing in a Geyserville storefront to an open kitchen 1,847 miles away, the connection was real.

It took a few weeks to get my wine shipment because of the summer heat, but one evening not so many weeks ago, I headed out with two bottles; one for the owner, who always treats my kids and I well, and one for the table. We feasted on fresh salads, stinky cheese and the sausage from both goat and lamb. Our knives and forks chattered amidst the clinking of glasses, another celebration made better by the hands of local producers.

Peterson Winery ‘Zero Manipulation’ Philosophy:

At Peterson Winery we practice the philosophy of Zero Manipulation. Our definition of Zero Manipulation is using the most gentle winemaking techniques possible to maximize flavors, aromatics and the original essence of the wine. The less you do in the course of a wine’s tenure in the cellar, the more of that essence you’ll have to bottle. Every time you do something to a wine, you take out a little of what you started with.

Great wine has to be about place. Place in wine is only achieved if the bottled wine reflects where the grapes were grown. There is a huge difference between a great wine that carries a sense of place, and a wine made to taste more appealing with the overuse of new oak, or the presence of residual sugar. When you taste a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel or a Bradford Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and you have a sense of where that wine originated, then the essence of place has been captured. Our goal is that every vintage captures that sense of place in every wine we produce.

Pairing Wine with Food – One Time Spaceman, Moon Duck

Posted on November 9, 2012 by matthewjramsey

Over the last few months, wine has become an everyday addition to my life. Well, not every day, but two or three bottles a week if I’m not too busy with work and kids. This fact has created a different response in how bottles are paired with food. I continue to execute an extravagant dinner once a month and carefully select the bottles that complement the subtleties of the fare, but more and more I want to share a bottle with some friends and not go to all the trouble.

A few weeks ago two of my favorite colleagues, the ‘family’ I get to pick, came to the house after an evening advisory board meeting. The buffet of roast beef and not-so-great eggplant parm, provided sustenance, but little more to satisfy any real act of celebration. To right our mood I picked a bottle of One Time Spaceman, Moon Duck, from the row of like bottles on the topmost tier of my cellar rack. It is so much a favorite, that Eric, one of my guests, has given me the nickname, One Time Spaceman. To add to the table, I found a bit of chicken liver mousse, a slice of balsamic/lime headcheese, and a few lardons of home cured pork belly. A jar of canned pickled green tomatoes provided the acid to counter the richness of the charcuterie. We lifted our glasses high and toasted to our continued professional endeavors.

Very little work. A tasty result. Happy guests. This has become what wine is about.

If memory serves taking a right as you leave Locals and a walk of little more than a few seconds, will lead to a nice selection of well-prepared cured meats for you next impromptu gathering.