- Pot Roast and Earthy Reds - January 12, 2012
One of my absolute favorite things to sup upon in the cold months is a good ol’ pot roast. I do mine in a crock pot with a lot of liquid so that the final product is really almost like beef stew. It’s a comfort food, hot and hearty and perfect for January!Start with your favorite cut of roast like chuck, top round, or bottom round. Season the meat with kosher salt, black pepper, paprika and rosemary. Place it in a hot skillet with a little oil and brown it on all sides. Remove it to your crock pot or dutch oven. Add a cup of red wine to the hot skillet and with a wooden spoon scrape all the yummy stuff from the bottom and pour it over the roast.
Now add enough beef broth to cover the roast and drop in about four cloves of garlic, two chopped stalks of celery and a tiny pinch each of cinnamon and allspice. Cover and cook on high several hours until falling apart tender. I like to add my onions and carrots after a couple of hours and quartered potatoes about an hour before it is done. When roast is done add salt to taste and stir it in.
This pot roast is hearty but with a delicate, aromatic broth and lots of it. I eat it in a bowl with a fork and spoon and a glass or two of a Spanish or Rhone-styled red wine. Delicious!
Recommended Wines:
Perrin Rouge Reserve, Cote-du-Rhone $12.79
Guigal, Cote-du-Rhone $16.99
Borsao Garnacha/Tempranillo, Calatayud $10.99
Monte Vicor Garnacha, Calatayud $11.99
Goats do Roam, South Africa $11.79
Cono Sur Carmenere, Chile $10.79
- Sparkling Rosé with Holiday Food! - December 20, 2011
The most under-appreciated wines on the planet are rosé sparkling wines and they are the perfect wines for this time of year! Yes, these wines are pink. No, they are not sweet, usually.
How are they different from white sparkling wines? Well, they are made with red grapes. So instead of white grape flavors of green apple, pear, and lemon, we taste red fruit flavors of strawberry, cherry, cranberry or pomegranate. And because they are crisp and dry, yet bright with red fruit, they pair perfectly with all the rich and varied foods we eat this time year.
We have several available in the shop right now in all price ranges from California, Argentina, Italy, Burgundy and Champagne!
More Recommended Wine & Food Pairings
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