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November 30, 2015

Making the Perfect Cheese Platter paired with Cultivar Wine Courtesy of Kelly of “A Side of Sweet”

We are thrilled to share with you a post by one of our Cultivar Wine Bloggers, Kelly of A Side of Sweet. This is a sneak peak of the post. Please visit A Side of Sweet for the entire recipe (Cheese, crackers, greenery and other yummyness featured below). Kudos Kelly on such a fabulous casual cheese & wine spread.  We love it and are thrilled to share it with our readers.

Beautiful cheese tray and wine

“Putting Together a Fancy Wine & Cheese Spread”

Cheese :: “I figured this was my chance to go crazy and get a whole bunch of cheese! I definitely went overboard, which was fine by me because it meant I got to eat my favorite meal of cheese and crackers for dinner the next few nights.”

Charcuterie board

“My first stop was Trader Joe’s where you can get some delicious options that are great for a budget. The I hit up Whole Foods. Although it’s a bit more expensive, the nice thing about Whole Foods is that the staff is super knowledgable and will go out of their way to help you pick the perfect cheese for your occasion. They also had a better selection of local cheeses. Here are the cheeses I got.”

Trader Joe’s

Creamy Toscano soaked in Syrah
Parmesan Reggiano
Italian Truffle Cheese
Le Delice de Bourgogne Triple Cream Soft Ripened Cheese
Assortment of Chèvre

Whole Food’s

Cave-Aged Gruyere
Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam cheese
Point Reyes Original Blue cheese

Costco

Spanish Tapa’s Assortment
Goat’s Milk Feta

Wine :: “I wanted to go with local wine, so I served Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc from Cultivar Wines. Cultivar is a family-run winery in Napa Valley, California. They make their wines from some of the best grapes in Napa and it shows – when we opened our first bottle I almost fell over! This wine is some of the best I’ve had in California, even with all the trips to wine country that we’ve made since we moved here! I think it was one of the highlights of the night – our guests kept commenting on how good it was!”

Cultivar Wine Monthly Shipment

To read more about the Charcuterie, Crackers and other tips for this amazing dish visit A Side Of Sweet. 

March 18, 2015

Choosing a Wine for a Surf and Turf Dinner

Pairing-Seared-Tuna-Piperade-Stew-with-Cabernet-Sauvignon

Seafood and steak is a classic match. But when it comes to a wine that works for both you might find yourself scratching your head. Here’s the secret for ensuring wine connoisseurs as well as both beef and seafood lovers are satisfied:

Choose a wine that pairs with one of the proteins and a sauce for the other protein.

Braised Short Ribs

In February, Chef Jeffrey Jake of Silverado Resort and Spa paired two entrees with three of our Cabernet Sauvignons: 2011 Cultivar Leaky Lake Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon,  and 2010 Caspar Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. 

  • For those wanting beef, he offered a braised shortrib with porcini mushroom polenta and red wine reduction.
  • For those wanting fish, he served a seared tuna, au povre with piperade stew.

Seared Ahi Tuna

Why the Pairings Work

With these entrees you’re not matching the wine to both of the proteins. The Braised Shortribs are a strong, classic pairing for Cabernet Sauvignon. So, the secret to the pairing for the seared tuna must lie with the sauce. Cabernet Sauvignon does pair with Tuna seasoned with black pepper, but not as strongly as the sauce: a Piperade stew.

Remember when pairing at home to focus on your main aromas and flavors. With the Tuna, the piperade stew, which is made with bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions, is a stronger flavor than the Tuna.

Want to serve Piperade in your house? Try Martha Stewart’s Piperade recipe. If using a different Piperade recipe, take care not to let the heat of the chilis dominate, as the spice accentuates the tannins. The recipe from Martha Stewart is made without chili peppers.

February 4, 2015

Pairing Chocolate and Wine for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and you’re being barraged with reminders. Reminders to buy jewelry. Get flowers. Pair chocolate with wine.

Before you rush out and grab your favorite bottle of Cultivar and box of local artisan chocolates or truffles, stop. Not all chocolate and wine is a match made in heaven. (If you’re unsure, finish your wine before sampling your chocolate.)

Cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Rosé

Basic Guidelines for Pairing Wine with Chocolates

Between the wine and the chocolate you are looking for a balance of sweetness, fruit, and acidity. To help you achieve this balance, there are a couple of general guidelines to keep in mind.

  1. Your wine should be sweeter than the chocolate. When the chocolate is sweeter, you run the risk of an astringent finish where your mouth ends in a pucker.
  2. The wine you’re pouring determines the type of chocolate you want to consider first. I tend to prefer white or milk chocolates with Roses and Chardonnays and darker chocolates with higher Cacao percentages with more full-bodied wines higher in alcohol content.

Truly successful matches go beyond these guidelines.

What are the exact characteristics of a successful match? It depends; it’s a matter of personal taste. Some feel chocolate never pairs with wine. I believe it’s not that straightforward, and matches can only be found through experimentation. When pairing wine with chocolates, I look first to the aromas I’m inhaling when I first raise my glass. Then I think about the nuanced flavors I’m tasting.

Interested in learning more about the art of chocolate and wine pairing? Check out the three-part series on The Nibble: Part 1 – Introduction; Part II – Pairing Chart; and Hosting a Chocolate Tasting Party.

Wine and chocolates

A Trio of Cultivar Wine Paired with Chocolate

If you want a memorable bite, try one or all of these three pairings.

Cultivar Napa Valley Rose with Peanut Butter and Strawberry Chocolate

Rose is the perfect Spring wine. For Valentine’s Day, our 2014 Cultivar Napa Valley Rose is a great way to start your evening, light and crisp with just the right balance of tart cranberry and hint of strawberry.

Why this pairing works: The interplay between cranberry and strawberry notes is why our 2014 Cultivar Napa Valley Rose pairs with a Peanut Butter and Strawberry chocolate. The fresh strawberry jam in the chocolate brings the strawberry notes of the wine to center stage while the creamy peanut butter softens the sweetness of the milk chocolate with its saltiness for a soft finish.

Our 2013 Cultivar Napa Valley Rose (currently only available in keg), on the other hand, which is sweeter than our 2014 vintage, paired with a Candy Cane chocolate. This unusual pairing worked because organic candy canes were crushed into Strauss cream, organic butter, and white chocolate. The peppermint accented the strawberry notes while the cream coated the mouth and balanced the wine’s crisp finish.

Cultivar Oak Knoll District Chardonnay with Old Fashioned Chocolate

A wine for scotch drinkers is how our 2013 Cultivar Oak Knoll District Chardonnay has been described. This characteristic is why when chilled you can enjoy with an Old Fashioned Chocolate which is a combination of single barrel bourbon, Fee Brothers bitters, a twist of orange all blended into Solstice Madagascar chocolate.

Why this pairing works: Our 2013 Cultivar Oak Knoll District Chardonnay, fermented in neutral oak barrels, delivers fruit on the nose and hints of baking spices that finishes with caramel and brown butter. These apple, pear, and melon notes in the wine balance the bitters and hint of orange in the chocolate for a richer experience. Where alone the wine has a delicate finish, the single barrel bourbon in the chocolate intensifies the wine’s caramel finish and adds a touch of oakiness.

Cultivar Leaky Lake Cabernet Sauvignon with Passion Fruit Caramel

At first glance, our last pairing looks as if the caramel might be sweeter than the wine. It’s not. Passion fruit is a tad bit sweet and yet also slightly sour. It is this contradiction that makes this match complementing the structure of our 2011 Cultivar Leaky Lake Cabernet Sauvignon.

Two glasses of Cultivar red wine with chocolates

Why this pairing works: On your inhale, nutmeg and cinnamon tantalize with a hint of mocha and cedar. These aromas scream for caramel and passion fruit.  The Passion Fruit caramel combines these flavors into a creamy decadent bite that’s slightly bittersweet. Because the chocolate isn’t overly sweet and the flavors are those present in the 2011 Cultivar Leaky Lake Cabernet Sauvignon you have a match made in heaven.

Which ever way you enjoy your chocolate and your wine–together or separately, have fun this Valentine’s! Jot down notes about what you like as well as what you dislike. Then, the next time you’re standing in front of a chocolate counter pick up a few more to try.

Want to be daring while reducing the likelihood of a mismatch? Check out The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Simply find the wine you’re trying to match, for example Cabernet Sauvignon, and see what fruit flavors or dessert ingredients work with it, for example strawberries. (If there’s no fruit or dessert ingredient such as butter or cream, start with one of the aromas or one of the flavors on your palette that you experience with the wine.) Then look up strawberries (or the other fruit).

What chocolates do you enjoy with your Cultivar Wine?

November 3, 2014

Pairing Sauvignon Blanc: The Perfect Accompaniment to Cheese, Salami, and Apples

Wine bottle with cheese board

The secret to a perfect pairing is balance, not just of flavors, but of texture and acid as well. For a perfect cheese and salami platter to serve with your Cultivar Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, you’re looking for some creaminess and just a hint of sweetness or spice. You want to select foods that will complement or amplify the notes in your wine and not overpower it.

Because Sauvignon Blanc has grassy notes, it’s a great wine to pair with goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses. Cow’s milk cheeses are trickier to pair with Sauvignon Blanc as they are fairly acidic. You want to select a mix of unaged cheeses with light flavor, such as Idiazabal Raw Sheep Milk Cheese, Petite Basque Sheep’s Milk Cheese, and Goat Milk Cheddar Cheese.

Sauvignon Blanc wine with a cheese platter

For that hint of sweetness, choose in season apples that are a little more tart and have a bit of crunch, like Fuji or Gold Rush. Chili-dusted candied pecans are also delicious, delivering both sweetness and spice.

Similar to cow’s milk cheeses, salami can be challenging to pair with Sauvignon Blanc. Look for meats that are lower in salt and milder in flavor, such as Olli Organic Norcino Salami or have a little kick, such as Fra Mani Salametto Piccante.

Bon Appetit!