The Village Wine Walk

November 10....Sewickley Village Wine Walk .....sponsored by Sewickleychamber.org
this was the kick off to the shopping season ahead. On Wednesday evenings Village Shops will remain open from 5-8pm each week through the holiday's.To cover the entire Wine Walk was not an easy task. Hat's off to those who did! We did accomplish tasting 18 of the 35 different wines on the list.Gaynor & I will be compiling a list of our "10 Favorites" very soon and posting. But to tell you a bit about our journey through town I will get started blogging.
Beautiful weather could not keep us away from The Village Wine Walk on Wednesday evening. It was a spur of the moment idea to attend. On Tuesday I had been at Vita Hair for Life
My hairdresser Connie, also the owner, suggested I stop by the next evening for the wine walk. Just recovering from surgery I was unsure if I would be up to this adventure. So even though Chrissy was also at the shop at this time I did not think I would be going so I did not encourage Chrissy to meet me in Sewickley. Speaking with Gaynor briefly the next morning we decided we would meet downtown to see what was happening. I now wish I would have encouraged all the members of our wine study group to attend. We did end up meeting Jackie on the street a bit later in the evening.
So to begin on our adventure we started at Vita Hair for Life since that is where we got our invite. We were there at 5PM sharp and Carissa from Vita greeted us and lead us to the back of the shop where they had prepared a nice table complete with table cloth and wine glasses with their offering for tasting. It was a Vassilliou Ambelones 2007 Koropi from Greece. So Gaynor and I sat in the antique chairs by the fireplace in the salon and enjoyed our taste. It was a tasty dry white wine which was very pleasing to drink. I am partial to reds, but I would again drink this wine. We then moved up to Village Candy
where we had one of the best wines of the evening Domaine de l'Espigouette Vacqueyras 2007 . As I said prior I am partial to reds. 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and 5% Mourvedre is what I have learned it contained Anything with Syrah in it I naturally love. It was deep ruby to purple in color and carried scents of peppery, blackberry, and spicy notes. It was a full bodied red as I have been known to enjoy and I likened it to the Turley Vineyards wines I have tasted. Definitely this will be a wine I will remember. We also were graciously greeted and welcomed into this shop. I must say it was very nice to meet the shop owners and have the time to chat briefly with them.I still have several more stops to blog about but will be back tomorrow. Till then....enjoy your Friday evening!

Cooking with wine.....

It used to be 37 years ago when I was first married that I would want to cook with wine. So off to the supermarket I would go looking for cooking wine. I was naive enough to think that you wouldn't dare add the real thing to your dish. Then one day about 14 years ago while cooking some pasta and shrimp for my dinner and drinking a glass of Cabernet I thought "I'll just add a splash of this".....To think I had never ever thought to try "real" wine in cooking prior! That moment was the beginning of a new journey for me when in the kitchen. I wanted to add a splash to everything. One of my best findings was on the day I was drinking White Zin. I had some left a few days after opening the bottle....It was not pleasing to drink anymore but so not to waste it I added it to some extra virgin olive oil, a bit of balsamic vinegar, put some herbs for added flavor and viola! Zinfindel dressing which has become one of my favorites to use on greens and pasta. So don't dump out that bit of wine or the wine that is just not pleasing to you....save it on your counter and use it in your cooking. My son has taught me to use leftover red wine to dye unfinished wooden picture frames. Now I do this quite often. (That's a tip for crafters) Today I leave you with the thought to be creative in your cooking. Just do not over do it. You really don't need as much as you think...more is not better all the time. One of my best findings is wine added to burgers! I think a bit of wine pulls out the natural flavors a bit more....and if you have a favorite recipe that you add wine to and would like to share it, please do so in the comment box.

Ricotta Pasta & Spinach
1 box pasta
1 C ricotta cheese
1/3 C romano cheese
2 T butter
1 package FRESH spinach...cleaned and stems removed
white or red wine to taste (I like to use between 1/4-1/2 C)

Cook pasta, drain (save 1/2 C cooking water for sauce) rinse
Toss with butter
Combine reserved water with ricotta in mixing bowl
Add your wine
Stir till blended
Mix in the Romano
Toss in fresh spinach...it will wilt

Serve with alone or with a side of chicken or shrimp. Or even chop up and place in your pasta. Make a nice field greens salad
Pour your self a glass of wine & enjoy!