Looking to Lodi for Wine Values

Lodi has a reputation problem. (I'm not going to quote Credence Clearwater Revival, I'm not going to quote Credence Clearwater Revival.) Think of it as the breadbasket of the California wine industry. It leads among the state's winegrowing districts in the production of zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite sirah, syrah, chradonnay, pinot grigio, and sauvignon blanc. But the bulk of those grapes historically have gone to make bulk wine, California wine, supermarket wine, wine sold before its time, and wines that fed the white zinfandel boom.

Want to read the rest then do so at KCET's Food Blog.

Sip This: Trinity Hill Pinot Noir

Trinity Hill Pinot Noir 2013: While New Zealand is still best known for sauvignon blanc, and Trinity Hill makes that, too, this winery in Hawkes Bay is hoping to make a case for NZ pinot noir.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Sip This: Michael David Cinsault

Michael David Winery Ancient Vine Cinsault 2013: In 1885, the Statue of Liberty just arrived in America, and Joseph Spenker planted the Bechtold Vineyard in Lodi. Turns out both are still going. That 25-acre vineyard is divvied up to stars like Turley and Scholium Project, but most of it goes to owners The Phillips Family, aka Michael and David.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

A Sensational Six Pack of Summer Beers

Sure, come summer you can drink up beers with blonde or light or even worse lite in their names, or you can pour yourself something with some flavor that still won't weigh you down or heat you up. It really is a blessed time of beer plenty right now, so enjoy, even while sweating in the sun. Here are six California brews that will please in very distinct and delicious ways, from German classic styles to wheat-based beers to saisons - a variation adapted from the farmhouse style of Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium - to, yes, even an IPA that with its higher alcohol level and heady does of hops still seems perfect for the backyard, or even a dark bar watching the Dodgers (as if they were on TV) or Angels.

Want to read the rest then do so at KCET's Food Blog.

Sip This: Tablas Creek Vermentino

Tablas Creek Vermentino 2014: While it’s hard to beat sipping a rosé on a fine summer’s day, this unusual white is a fine alternative. There are about a 100 acres of it planted in the U.S., but this grape is well-established in Corsica, Sardinia, and Italy.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Should the Local Food Movement Include Wine? The Restaurants Weigh In

Last week we looked at the titular question from the viewpoint of three fine wineries in Santa Barbara County (Brander Vineyards, Kunin Wines, Tercero Wines). There was a mixed response to the issue raised by Matt Kramer of the Wine Spectator, who wrote a recent column asking, "Do wine directors and sommeliers have any obligation to champion nearby wineries?" Since he focused on Northern California and Oregon, I thought it might be illuminating to examine the issue in Southern California.

This week we turn to three L.A. restaurants -- AKASHA, Faith & Flower, and Valentino -- all not only esteemed for their cuisine, but adored for their wine lists. How do they feel about the "local" wine issue? It should be noted that the first two establishments have held wine dinners with Larry Schaffer's Tercero, so that might be a hint.

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Santa Barbara Passport to Drinking Pleasure

Discounts are a dime a dozen these days, often just to get a nickel back. To rise above that pack, the Santa Barbara Passport is making their deal book about community and opportunity as much as saving cash. “We do lots of giveaways and launch parties with alcohol distributors or breweries,” explained Passport rep Jane Pimcomrie. So for $20, you get discounts at 28 bars — from Alcazar to Whiskey Richards, Goleta to Carpinteria — but will also join a group of like-minded fun seekers.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Sip This: Angel's Envy Bourbon

Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon: Very few whiskeys can claim to be GMO-free, given the altered state of corn in the United States. And even fewer can claim to be finished in ruby port barrels. But Angel’s Envy, the new liquor from Lincoln Henderson, former head distiller at Brown-Forman, lives up to both those claims.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Should the Local Food Movement Include Wine?

Finding the word "local" on a menu is practically cliché; there may be a day when vegetables grown in a restaurant's own garden won't be enough anymore. We might wind up at "micro-local" soon: "We grew the greens for your salad in a pot at your table."

Given that focus on food, it seems strange that restaurants might not feel the need to serve local wines, too. Matt Kramer of the Wine Spectator wrote a recent column asking, "Do wine directors and sommeliers have any obligation to champion nearby wineries?" Since he focused on Northern California and Oregon, I thought it might be illuminating to examine the issue in Southern California.

Want to read the rest then do so at KCET's Food Blog.

Sip This: Cutler's Stagecoach Whiskey

Cutler’s Artisan Spirits Stagecoach True American Whiskey: When Santa Barbara’s Ian Cutler decided that his 33 Bourbon Whiskey needed a lighter, summer-sippable cousin, he crafted Stagecoach.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Great Grills of Fire

(photo: Paul Wellman)

There’s something about the smell of oak smoke that draws us in, holds us to dreams of summers past and delicious repasts of the future. It’s intimate by nature, a good BBQ, since somebody spent the better part of his or her day making special somethings just for you.

So while our 6th Annual Sizzling Summer BBQ Contest, held at Oak Park on June 18, featured a shorter-than-usual list of competitors vying for the charcoal, beef-focused crown, it wasn’t any less wonderful or impassioned. And that’s what makes BBQ best.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Drinking Red, White, and Blue

This most patriotic of weekends tends to leave me in a tough spot, as it seems to me there's nothing better to drink while picnicking than rosés. But you can't be a commie pinko on the 4th now, can you? Plus I just wrote about rosés, so you need some new suggestions to fuel your Fourth. I figure, why not be a true American and go simple? Here are ways to drink red, white, and blue for this weekend.

Want to read the rest then do so at KCET's Food Blog.