Vino In My Dino

Pantry and Wine Friendly Recipes for a Pandemic

April 1, 2020 14:08

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In a recent post I mentioned I was trying to come up with wine tips-outside of hand sanitizer-and cooking with it was one of them along with what I have learned about the chemistry of using wine in a sauce. I have gathered hundreds of recipes over the years and always strive for what I call 'pantry friendly' recipes-you know, the ones where you don't have to go to a specialty store to buy an ounce of caviar.

Let’s begin with one of my favorite recipes because polenta is a comfort food I grew up with-think of it as Italian grits. Parmesan Polenta with Sausage Ragu

I found this recipe while searching for easy dinners and while it takes a little bit of time between cooking the sauce and the polenta, Sunday dinner anyone?, this brings simple ingredients together deliciously. Here are a few photos when I made this not long ago.

Here are a few tips: buy fresh basil-nothing like fresh to give a dish the best taste but in a pinch use dried basil-a teaspoon of dried to a tablespoon of fresh herbs. I buy the better grade canned tomatoes-but whatever you have on hand should work. Regarding the type of sausage, I like spicy but you can use the sweet Italian type and will still work, you can also replace pork sausage with turkey sausage very easily.

Your pantry, my pantry-there may be a difference in what you keep or have on hand. Sometimes Ed just shakes his head at my ‘substitutions’ and I admit they don’t always create the same recipe. Don’t be afraid to be creative-if you don’t have leeks use onions. If you don’t have ground turkey use ground beef. Cooking at home doesn’t have to be difficult. Follow the instructions, measure out the ingredients, take your time-we have a lot of it these days. Planning ahead-there’s another tip. Pre-COVID119 I would go to the store almost daily after work to get a quick weeknight dinner together. Secretly I love grocery shopping but let’s keep that between us. Now I plan ahead to go to the store twice a week so I am following our shelter in place order.

Now, besides the tips I received about ways to use up wine, like turning leftover wine into ice cubes and later on using them in sauces or drinking the same wine you used in the recipe at dinner, I also received a question about the bank of recipes I have stored on our website-I have been adding to the different categories for many years. I am a recipe hound and have collected quite a few from many sources including family, staff, newspapers, local chefs, authors and recipe sites. Here are some of my favorites and I hope they become yours!

You know the can of chickpeas taking up a spot in the cupboard? Dress it up by roasting them-use as a snack or in a salad for lots of flavor: Spice Roasted Chickpeas

This soup is a staple in our household-spicy, tummy filling and healthy: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Alternately this soup uses up lots of veggies, the kitchen sink approach: Minestrone

Here is a simple, tasty and easy dinner idea: Chicken and Rice Pilaf

My mom Phyllis has been making a version of this for many years-both Mom and I find we do it a bit differently each time: Chicken Scallopini a la Phyllis

Here is a family favorite from our pre-empty nest days-I found this in Adrienne’s cookbook for kids. Easy, flavorful and filling-the trifecta of the perfect family recipe-use beef and make it Sloppy Joes: Sloppy Toms

Each month I send out an enewsletter and part of it includes 2-3 recipes I find that are wine friendly. If you’d like to be on the email list let me know and send to julie@pedroncelli.com I'll sign off here like I do in the column: don’t forget the vino!

Tags: Pedroncelli, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Recipes, Homecooking, Pandemic, COVID19
Categories: pedroncelli
A Note From Home: Hanging in There

March 27, 2020 15:13

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Are you hanging in there? What are some surprises you’ve found (and I don’t mean the dust bunny under the sofa)? Have you discovered the next million-dollar idea? Have you found more or less time to get those projects done or have you developed your Zoom family and see you need to clean up the clutter behind you? Zoom has become the way people are reaching out these days whether via a Virtual Cocktail Party or playing a game with family members who are physically distanced. I visited with Joe Glunz Jr the other day. He is the President of our Illinois based distributor Louis Glunz Inc. talked about his family gathering virtually this Sunday. They will all make the same dish at the same time for dinner. Not a big deal? He has 9 siblings and his parents spread from the west to east coast. What a fun thing to do!

Thanks to all who responded after checking in with you last week. I heard from at least 16 states, multiples from each, as far away as Vermont and as close to home as one of our growers and neighbor Larry Giovannoni. I can see Larry’s house from my office window by the way. I learned what some of you do for a living (a book editor, a nurse & fellow introvert, a first responder and one of our longtime retailers to mention just a few) and you all are hanging in there with an abundance of stories to tell once this is over.

I was trying to come up with some wine tips to offer during this time as we are all hanging out. While wine isn’t the best hand sanitizer (maybe a little Chardonnay but no Zinfandel-those telltale stains would give it away) it certainly can be used in cooking. I have used wine since I began experimenting in the kitchen. In the beginning I didn’t ‘cook off’ the alcohol in the wine and it gave dishes a ‘raw’ taste. One of my first experiments was mushrooms sauteed in red wine '#kitchenfail', they were inedible. I have learned to take time. When adding wine to a pan sauce and cooked for a few minutes it will do the trick, or if making a ragu the hour or more on the stove-mission accomplished. Wine does add a different level of flavor, different than herbs and spices. If you have a few ounces left in a bottle keep it around-you never know what recipe will inspire you and adding a bit of white or red wine will make the flavors fuller. Ed added a splash of Sauvignon Blanc to his Turkey Stroganoff the other night-that little something extra enhanced this dish.

So, hang in there. There is a light at the end of this tunnel, most likely in a few more weeks. Right now summer is looking pretty good. Warmer days, gardens beginning to give up their first fruits, family get togethers and the biggest St. Patrick’s Day/Easter/Mother’s Day/Memorial Day celebration ever.

Update on the tasting room and curbside pick-up: Are you a local? We can fulfill online and telephone orders with curbside pick-up. We’ll be open for limited days and hours for now. Visit here for more information.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, cooking with wine, note from home
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Budbreak & Bottling Go On

March 25, 2020 11:46

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We are all living in unusual times. The Shelter in Place order is active and most of the staff in the office is working from home-all except Jim who checks in every day. It is fitting since this is his childhood home. Our vineyards and winery come under the Food and Agriculture Sector critical infrastructure plan. Agriculture is considered essential, so the vineyard and cellar crews are kept busy at this time by finishing up pruning in the vineyards and bottling up the red wines scheduled for production.

Winter turned officially to spring on March 19 and the vineyards are beginning to shake off dormancy and head into budbreak-the moment when the buds on the vine begin to soften. So, what does this mean? Let’s start with the importance of pruning and what it means to budbreak: when the vines are pruned in late fall and winter each cane produced is trimmed back to typically two buds-which are the production for the next vintage. There are several canes stemming (pardon the pun) from the vine. Those two buds begin to soften and develop as warmer weather comes along and here in Dry Creek Valley that usually happens by mid-March.

Looking back at the beginning of vintage 2020, which begins with the rainy season, we had several inches of rain between November and January. February brought spring-like weather and not a drop of rain. As we see this month ending there is more rain on the way but likely totaling just about 2 inches. Mitch Blakeley, Vineyard Assistant (among other things-he’s family) told me we could use another 5-7 inches of rain so the vineyards, having had a dry spell, would get the necessary push to begin the growth cycle and invigorate the vines. It remains to be seen what we will receive in April or even May.

Budbreak has begun in the younger vineyards-go figure, a growth spurt from the teenagers. Mitch also reported, “The venerable Mother Clone blocks, which are in their late 30s, are taking their time to begin the season. For instance, in the younger vines they are seeing 1-3 inches of growth-first leaf, shoots but very minimal changes in the established vines. Larger and deeper root zones for these allow them to access water and nutrients in a larger area which means the vines don’t have to push until later when groundwater depletes.”

In the cellar the 2018 red wines like our Mother Clone Zinfandel, Sangiovese, and friends.red are among the first of that vintage to be bottled up. Winemaker Montse Reece is very happy with the quality of the wines and recalls the vintage in her fact sheet notes: The winter brought plenty of rain to the vineyards. Perfect growing conditions followed during summer with even heat and a great environment providing extended ripening. Once harvested, the vintage brought medium tannins as well as higher levels of aromatics and flavors. We all look forward to sharing them upon release later this year.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, budbreak, COVID19, Mother Clone, Sangiovese, friends.red, vineyard
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A Note From Home: How Are You Doing?

March 21, 2020 09:25

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A Note from Home

So how are you doing? I hope this finds you coping with the new restrictions in our lives-! I know many, many things have been cancelled or rescheduled for another time. Are you catching up on personal correspondence? Tackling those household projects you’ve put off like painting the bathrooms or adding a she shed? Homeschooling your kids? I personally will be reading more, walking more with #JasperWineDog-who by the way loves us working from home-he thinks we are on vacation and totally ignores the virus thing. I’ll do more home cooking while also supporting our local restaurants for take-out and of course enjoy a glass of wine or two while kicking back in the evenings.

How are you? This simple phrase seems so much more important now as we are physically distanced from each other and our daily lives. I typically write this note from my office, my former bedroom in my childhood home, which overlooks our Mother Clone zinfandel vineyard. Today I am writing from my own home in Healdsburg with a view of spring burgeoning in the new leaves on the oak trees and birds singing just outside.

For me yesterday was a wonderful day because two things happened: I have a new grandson and my niece Sarah (Lisa & Lance’s daughter) was married-in Brazil of all places-they watched the ceremony at 6am that morning from their home. Galen Kurt Edwin Rule was born a few hours later. 3/20/20 will be remembered with joy amidst such a time and I look forward to hugging him once this is over-I am thankful for our ease of communication so I can see all the fingers and toes and make sure mom Adrienne is okay and dad Jason is holding the baby correctly.

While we hunker down with loved ones I know there are many challenges ahead. Those parents with kids home for the long term-I received an email yesterday from a mom who had our wine at their wedding and now, 9 years later, has kids home and needed a case of wine to smooth the rough edges! (pretty sure my own parents would have gone crazy with the four of us girls bouncing off the walls). Work and the interruption of regular life is a challenge and a change. If you are at home alone reach out to neighbors who might also feel alone-keeping your distance of course! You know Wilson had it right by visiting over the back fence. If we keep socially connected in our age of technology we’ll know we are not alone.

How are we doing at the winery? The Governor of California has put the whole state from tip to top in a Stay at Home order. Our trade group Wine Institute just confirmed that, while our tasting room remains closed, the new order allows winery and vineyard operations to continue under the Food and Agriculture Sector critical infrastructure plan. We can keep things going in the vineyard and cellar! Probably more important to you is that we are still processing and shipping orders. While we can’t offer tastings, we are working on how to do “take-out” at the winery. Stay tuned for developments. Meanwhile we wouldn’t want our friends and neighbors to run out of wine. If you’d like us to ship you some wine click here.

Until the next time, keep healthy, stay inside and reach out even if just an email or call! julie@pedroncelli.com or 707-857-3531.

Stay well and don’t forget the vino. Julie

Tags: COVID19, Pedroncelli, Dry Creek Valley, Courage Zinfandel, Wisdom Cabernet Sauvignon, note from home, Sonoma County, Pandemic
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The People Tell the Story: Jim

February 25, 2020 14:34

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The People Tell The Story for Pedroncelli-they always have whether it is my dad Jim out on the road giving away his tie to an admirer or people writing to me about their experience with our wine on the table last night. All these stories have a common theme-we like to know more about the people behind the wine.

Jim is the sales and marketing half of the second generation duo with John as the vineyard manager and winemaker. Together, after purchasing the winery from their parents in 1963, they took the next steps in developing the vineyards, expanding the winery, crafting the line of wines and creating both a wholesale as well as an export network. Born at the winery in 1932, Jim remembers Pedroncelli’s earliest wine sales. “We sold in bulk to other wineries, but also sold barrels to stores and individuals until around 1947. It wasn’t unusual for a family to purchase a barrel and keep it in their cellar. We also had customers drop by the winery to fill their jugs from our barrels.”

Jim grew up at the winery as the youngest of the second generation-his brother John and sisters Margaret and Marianne were all part of the family business in those days. He helped out in both the cellar and the vineyards until he left for college. He attended St Mary’s College near San Francisco, where he studied economics and business. After graduating in 1954, he spent two years in the Army before returning to the family winery.

He soon took over marketing and sales responsibilities. “The winery began selling wine in gallon and half gallon bottles in the mid-1950s; mostly blends, but also Zinfandel Rosé and Zinfandel. Demand for premium varietals in fifths (now 750ml) began to grow in the 1960s, so we made our first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1965. By 1970, we were offering a full line of premium wines, including Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.”

On Jim’s recommendation, Pedroncelli was among the first wineries to use Sonoma County as an appellation on its label in the 1950s. “Sonoma County wasn’t well known then, so having the appellation on our labels distinguished our wines.”

He has kept Pedroncelli sales moving forward in recent years with new packaging and new wines such as Sonoma Classico and friends.red and friends.white. His take on the wine market and vision for the winery comes from over 60 years of sales and marketing experience. Jim’s marketing philosophy remains simple. “I want customers to appreciate our wines for their quality and their value. Ours are wines that are easy to enjoy in more ways than one.”

Not only did he grow up at the winery he also raised his family there as well. He and wife Phyllis just celebrated their 61st anniversary. Their four daughters include me, my sisters Cathy, Lisa and Joanna. You'll often find him in the warehouse these days or at his computer keeping an eye on things. Like I have said before we are the 'quiet Italians' and Jim, a man of few words, continues to shepherd the winery toward the next generations.

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Varietal of the Year: The Wines

February 25, 2020 14:26

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We make three Cabernet Sauvignons: Three Vineyards, Block 007 and Wisdom. All are estate grown, one is a Bordeaux blend, one is our longest planted Cabernet vineyard and one is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. These define our Varietal of the Year.

The wines as expressed through the vineyards they are grown in or the composition: Three Vineyards, our Bordeux blend, is styled as a ‘ready to drink’ Cabernet. Always with a significant layer of Cabernet (80%) we also include Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec in differing amounts depending on the vintage and what it brings. We look for the blend as a way to introduce a softer version of a normally tannic wine. The other varietals contribute and allow the balance to be achieved. The area is located on a bench just above the valley floor with gravelly to rocky soil, well suited in producing excellent fruit.

Block 007 is a single vineyard, single block, Cabernet. As a 100% varietal it truly expresses this grape as a Dry Creek Valley grown and influenced wine. Winemaker Montse Reece likes the challenge of this vineyard as it shows the ‘greenier’ elements-her word-and finds sage and oregano as the herbal notes in this wine along with the red plum fruit. Note: pyrazine in Cabernet Sauvignon expresses itself in a range from dried green herbs to bell pepper notes. Planted in 1992 the vines continue to produce excellent fruit in the gravelly loam soil.

Wisdom was established in 1965 and was the first planting of Cabernet Sauvignon not only in Dry Creek Valley but also for Pedroncelli as this varietal was growing in popularity. The 5 acre piece is located on West Dry Creek Road, considered the dryer side of the valley and sits on the valley floor where the gravelly soil is well drained. This vineyard was replanted 40 years later with the Mendoza or Clone 4 and became the source of this single vineyard beginning in 2012.

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Your Insider's Guide to Barrel Tasting

February 25, 2020 14:19

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Have you ever barrel tasted? What does it taste like? Notes of oaky wood mostly-unless of course you’re talking about the wine inside (insert smile emoji). So I asked some experts here at the winery for their tips about tasting from the barrel in Your Insider's Guide to Barrel Tasting.

Julie: Warm up your glass with your hands-barrel samples are pretty cold coming straight from a cellar that is usually 50 degrees or cooler in the winter. This way the aromas will be better released with a bit of warming up.

Jim: Since it is a barrel sample, the wine has not reached its full aged potential. It is interesting and fun to anticipate how the wine’s tannins will soften with additional time in barrel. Ed: Challenge yourself to notice the specific characteristics of a wine: which fruit, spice or herb.

Montse: Take your time, don’t rush, so you can taste the differences between the wines offered.

Gary: we get a lot of these questions asked about barrels from visitors: What are the differences between American Oak and French Oak? What are the effects of each on your wines? How does a winemaker decide whether to age in French or American or blend the two? What are the effects of the various barrel "toasts" and how does it influence the taste? (Answers: American oak is more straightforward in its’ influence with more vanilla overtones while French oak is more subtle with warm spice aspects. The winemaker decides to use a type based on the varietal-for us American oak and Zinfandel are perfect for each other while our Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon have an affinity for French oak. Barrel ‘toasts’ range from light to medium to dark kind of like coffee. We use exclusively medium toast as our style isn’t overly oaked and prefer to let the fruit aspect come forward in your glass. Advice during the Barrel Tasting weekend: Particularly with young barrel wines...use the dump bucket often. We are not offended with one sip and done. It's a long day.

Colin: I would encourage people to ask as many questions as they can. Things like how does the wine age, what is the process, how does it change, why age certain wines more than others, etc. Take advantage of the winery staff’s knowledge and treat the event as an educational event in addition to having a good time.

Lance: Type of oak wine is age in French / American; is the wine they are tasting 100% barrel fermented or part of a blend? How long it has been on oak and how long it will remain on oak. Relax there is no wrong questions to ask & ENJOY.

Gina: What are Tannins? How does this show up in the wine? What effect does the weather have year to year on the grapes? What is that “thing” used to get the wine out of the barrel? Water or wine rinse? Tannins are the structure or as I call it ‘backbone’ to the wine. They are softened over time in the barrel so it might be a bit sharp to taste a young unfinished wine out of the barrel. Vintages are like fingerprints-each one has its’ own story. The ‘thief’ is the glass tube to take a small sample of wine out of the barrel. I prefer a wine rinse because sometimes the water is sometimes chlorinated.

Richard advises: Swirl, Sniff, Sip & Swallow

Lizzy: How far along is the wine? The wine’s “growing” process? When do you know it's done? oung wine vs aged wine. All of these questions are answered at the barrel from the length of time (varies) to the background on each vineyard and the notes from the vintage. And you can taste the young wine along with the current release and compare differences-the barrel sample is typically a bit ‘raw’ as the tannins are still softening with barrel aging. Advice: Enjoy the barrel tasting because it only happens once a year!

And of course if you are in the neighborhood over the first two weekends in March it is a good time to invest in a ticket to over 80 wineries thieving samples, answering questions and encouraging your palate to a greater education on wine. Here's the link for tickets.

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The People Tell The Story (1)

January 27, 2020 12:14

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While I tell my grandparent’s story often I also tell the story of second gen members John and Jim. Both generations are deeply entwined in the story of Pedroncelli. John grew up in the vineyard and winery helping his parents (along with two sisters and a younger brother) make a go of it in our little corner of Dry Creek Valley.

John’s story begins when he was just 2 years old. His parents purchased the vineyard, shuttered winery and a home in 1927. He grew up working with his family in the vineyard and cellar. One of the stories he told often was the time when he was 7 years old and helping his father deliver grapes to Redding (quite a distance from home especially in those days) in the Model A truck. The axle broke, he stayed with the truck while his father went into town to get help-basically being left for a few hours, found safe and sound with the truck.

He served in World War Two in the Coast Guard and once back home he took up his work at the winery becoming winemaker in 1948. He was in charge of the vineyard planting as the family bought up property to expand from the original 25 acres to 100 acres today. John quietly went about crafting the wines, the house style and finding which grape best suited each site. We had Pinot Noir and Chardonnay planted in those early days and they soon gave way to Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon as the better varietal candidates. John expressed himself through his wines.

Like his father he was very close to the earth, to the vines and vineyards he had laid out. Making the wines from these vineyards was his pride and joy. When I was growing up and hanging around the winery you would often hear him whistling as he went about his many tasks in the cellar. He loved to travel with wife Christine and in fact went on forays to learn more about wine including a famed trip to Portugal where he learned the finer points of port making. Our Four Grapes Port remains a testament to his willingness to experiment and go beyond the norm. From 1948 to 2014 he either made the wines or oversaw them with Montse Reece who is our current winemaker. He always called it a team effort and included cellarmaster Polo Cano and Vineyard Manager Lance Blakeley. When I say he took great pride in his wines he did, and enjoyed wine for nearly 90 years before passing away in 2015. He lived and worked where he loved-what better story than this.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon
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Varietal of the Year: Cabernet Sauvignon

January 27, 2020 12:13

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Zinfandel is our 'first' flagship and was featured last year. I’ll focus on our ‘other’ flagship for 2020—Varietal of the Year: Cabernet Sauvignon. Over 50 years ago we first planted Cabernet Sauvignon in Dry Creek Valley and continue to this day. Our Dry Creek Valley appellation is well suited to growing this grape and the climate gets the best out of the varietal.

The origin of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape via modern DNA tests indicate the parents are Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. It does bring the best of both to the forefront and has become one of the most popular wines on the planet. It is the most widely planted red wine grape in California with over 93,000 acres planted (want to guess which is the number one white wine grape?). The varietal is Sonoma County's second most planted wine grape with 12,478 acres and the most widely planted in Dry Creek Valley with just over 3000 acres. Pedroncelli has 32 acres planted (out of 100).

Of important note: John Pedroncelli was the first grower in the valley to plant Cabernet Sauvignon in the mid-1960s. That first five acres of Cab was replanted 40 years later and John chose the Mendoza clone (Clone 4). It was such a success they named it Wisdom in honor of the knowledge gained over 50 years farming the same varietal. The main part of theestate acreage is in the Three Vineyards location where John also planted Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Planted in 1992-1994, these vineyards are all situated in lower benches or valley floor where the soil, the trellising and careful vineyard management brings out the great qualities of this noble grape. Block 007, our 100% Cabernet offering, is located on this piece as well.

A few Cab stats: How much is that Cabernet Sauvignon per ton? $3114 is the top end market price from the 2018 Sonoma County Grape Crush report. Total crushed in tons was 60,000 county wide. The total crushed in CA equals 15.1% of all wine grapes crushed in the state with a whopping 680,000 tons. Now that is a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon! It is good to be the king.

Tags: Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Pedroncelli
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Bottling Up the Vintages

January 27, 2020 12:03

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The 2019 harvest seems like it just happened yesterday but here we are in February bottling up the Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé. The 2018 harvest is a bit more distant in memory but now the red wines have had their year in the barrel and are being bottled up. Join me in finding out more as we are Bottling Up the Vintages.

I asked winemaker Montse Reece to jot down some notes on each of the vintages. Well 2019 was a late start harvest. We started picking Sauvignon Blanc September 4th, about one week later than previous years. In 2019 everything matured slowly and that is good news for highly aromatic varieties like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and early pick Zinfandel for Rosé. This is a very aromatic and full favored vintage. The reason is because during this harvest, we didn’t have any major heat wave challenges and temperatures were cool at night. This kept acids on track and added extra freshness to the wines. Very nice vintage overall.

The 2018 vintage was a little warmer than the 2019, but without major heat spikes or other weather challenges from previous years. Here is the link to the blog post on the harvest wrap up. The 2018 wines coming out from their time in barrel are showing nicely, with high concentration of fruit flavors and spices in all reds while keeping the acids and alcohols in balance. Bottling up vintages and coming to you soon with the 2018 reds releasing later this year and the 2019 whites and rosé making their way in the next couple of months.

Note: The photo at the head of this post is of a temperature controlled stainless steel tank. One of the final stops on the way to bottling white wine is the chill down as seen here. Those bands are frozen for a reason-it drops tartaric acid out of white wine and Rosé so that you have a clear glass of wine in front of you, and no ‘wine diamonds’ get in the way of your first or last sip.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
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