Happy Belated Albarino Day and more from Twisted Oak Winery!
I get “twisted” when my journey in wine from the greater Sacramento delta region and Sierra foothills continues at Twisted Oak after a 54 day backpack in the high Sierra! Read why you should get twisted too!
the Twisted Oak frikken enjoys Albarino
How did I miss Albarino Day–and the accompanying festivities which stretched for a week?
Because as much as I love Albarino, the food friendly white originally from Galicia Spain, I had a good reason–I was backpacking in a remote area of Yosemite National Park and had no cell or internet access!
But I made up for it! On my way from Yosemite to the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference in Lodi, I parked my van first at Twisted Oak Winery, located in the Sierra foothills near Murphys and specializing in Iberian wines like Albarino!
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As the summer draws to a close, before I head back to teaching, I’m attending two bloggers conferences, one on food and one on wine, where I will have the opportunity to share some ideas about wine, food, and writing! I’ll mostly be blogging about these on Wine Predator, with the occasional reblog here. I’m also hitting the trail — The Pacific Crest Trail is the plan to re-hike a Sierra section that I hiked 30 years ago! Now to finish packing and hit the road! This blog posts includes a few tips on how to pair wine and food as well as some tasting notes about two very wonderful Lodi area wines from Cantara Cellars.
This has been a wonderful summer to learn about wine– and food! This summer I’ve experienced
- Cusumano wine from Sicily with Sicilian food at Sotto in LA
- Justin wine and food at the winery’s restaurant where they only offer a five course tasting menu with pairings
- Rhone food and wine at their event and the meal that Sue prepared at home to pair with Rhone wines
- Italian food and wine CHEESE vegetarian dinner dinner that Sue prepared
- South African wine and food that Sue researched and prepared for August’s Wine Pairing Weekend post
and more!And now I’m headed to the International Food Bloggers Conference in Sacramento with great food of course and wine too. Then I attend the Wine Bloggers Conference in Lodi which, believe it or not, has even better food and lots more wine!
I have always been fascinated and amazed by what happens when you pair wine with…
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Cheers with Italian wine to National Wine and Cheese Day! Check out the 6 wines we paired with an Italian meal: cheese plate, salad, lasagne, pizza, and dessert!
When Que Syrah Sue and I heard that Monday, July 25 is National Wine and Cheese Day, we immediately thought of Italian food!
What goes better with a cheesy pizza or lasagna than a nice red wine like a Chianti or Nero d’Avola? Or a Grillo or Grechetto with a green salad spiced up with cheese? And what about dessert? Tiramisu and cannoli with a Muscato, anyone? And we can’t forget Prosecco!
Learn more about Italian wine Tuesdays in August from 6-7pm PST on Twitter with #WineStudio! Details below.
As we talked and Sue, who is half Italian, developed the menu for an Italian wine dinner focused on cheese, we then decided to go vegetarian. Who needs meat when you’re having this much cheese?
Our Italian cheeses for National Wine and Cheese Day Mon. July 25, 2016:
creamy Toscana with black pepper, formaggio lagorai, Italian truffle cheese, pecorino Romano, fresh…
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National Tequila Day: Try This Super Summer Sipper
Happy National Tequila Day! What’s YOUR favorite tequila? Cheers
While this blog is called “WINE PREDATOR,” I am definitely ALSO on the prowl for spirits! And one of my favorites is TEQUILA.
And while I bet you thought that May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) was National Tequila Day…
because Cinco De Mayo is a day where a lot if us, myself included, take a moment to enjoy tequila, the truth is that July 24, for some inexplicable reason, is National Tequila Day.
And in case you were wondering, National Margarita Day is Feb. 22.
So today I have for you a bit of tequila history, a few fine tequila, and one of my favorite tequila cocktails to make at home.
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Summer is such a fun time for free and low-cost outdoor concerts!
And this coming week is exceptional!
Here are a few highlights for Art Predator: Baabal Maal at the Annenberg in Century City (LA) Saturday July 16, Surf Rodeo on the beach in Ventura Saturday and Sunday July 16 and 17, and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down at the Skirball Center, LA on Thursday July 21. Read on to find out why!
I’m very excited to announce that my proposal to speak at the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference in Lodi has been accepted! Check out my wine blog, Wine Predator.
Ten bloggers will speak for five minutes each in a session called “Wine Blogger Reports” about a different aspect of blogging with the intention of inspiring our fellow bloggers.
“If you want to feed your family healthy food,” says Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, “you’ve gotta ask a lotta questions.”
Helping to answer these questions and aiming to change our relationship with the land and oceans is a new 25 minute film by Chris Malloy, Unbroken Ground coming soon to a Patagonia store near you. Read more…
Think Pink June 23 on Nat’l Pink Day
Happy National Pink Day! Cheers!
While National Rose Day is the second Saturday of the month of June, National Pink Day is June 23. It’s also Pink Flamingo Day!
Seriously though, National Pink Day is a day set aside to celebrate all things pink:
to wear pink, to enjoy foods and beverages that are pink, and to give a donation to any of the charities that use the color pink. Use #NationalPinkDay in social media. You even listen to “Pretty in Pink”!
In particular, the color pink and the pink ribbon is associated with breast cancer; when you wear pink today, who do you wear it for? Who are you remembering or honoring?
As Wine Predators, we should toast those who have battled breast cancer too.
With ROSE of course!
But which one?
How about one made by women? One that’s estate grown and sustainably farmed?
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Here’s a Sun Salute to United Nation’s International Yoga Day!
Today is the United Nation’s International Yoga Day! Have you seen this video of how to drink wine while doing yoga? It’s a fun one!
I started doing yoga when I was in college at UC Santa Cruz, but I didn’t get into it until I had a serious rock climbing accident where I fell 15′ onto my back and my chiropractor was my yoga teacher. Later, when I moved back to Ventura, my teachers kept asking me to sub; one of the first classes i subbed was a Patagonia where I had two students: Yvon and Malinda Chouinard! When I learned one of my favorite Yoga Journal writers, Erich Schiffmann, was doing a 40 hour teacher training in Santa Barbara, I figured it was time to take the plunge. A few years later, I followed that up with Iyengar teacher training with Bryan Legere who I studied with for…
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What I knew a week ago about Muhammad Ali I could write on the palm of my hand. I knew the song. I saw a few of the fights. I knew about rope a dope.
Art Predator’s garage door by gauvin as displayed at the “doors” art show at Art City October 2014
And I had a portrait of Muhammad Ali on my garage door with the inscription “mess with the butterflies …mess with me” painted by gauvin for $200 for gas money to get to the Taos Poetry Circus.
And honestly, I had no idea I was going to have Muhammad Ali painted on the garage door.
But when it was done? I loved it. It totally made sense as I had planted a guerrilla garden on a vacant lot to provide food and shelter to birds and bees.
Following his death on Friday, I have been learning so much about Ali, and learning to respect what a great man he was.
Ali applied for conscientious objector status: “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong,” Ali told a reporter. “They ain’t never called me nigger.”
And now I have even more respect for the man on my garage door. Here’s some of what I’ve learned along with a tribute and a memory from Ron Wells. Read more…
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