Monday, December 28, 2009

Oh Dottie and John - please come back!

Hope everyone has been having a safe and fun holiday season. The folks of Purple Teeth Cellars are still recovering from the holiday festivities, last minute orders of wine, etc., but we still found some time to catch up on some reading over the weekend as we watched both of our football teams die a slow death in terms of viability for the NFL playoffs.

While the Broncos are still technically alive for Mr. PurpleTeeth, the Giants put on a pathetic performance yesterday that just outraged Mrs. PurpleTeeth. We can only hope that the pathetic 2nd half for the Giants will lead to more strategic coaching and player changes for the 2010 football season. But we're digressing here as that is not the point of today's entry.

Today's entry is about finding that the WSJ has decided to end the much-loved "Tastings" column written by the husband and wife team of John Brecher and Dorothy Gaiter. This column has been regular reading for a long time and was instrumental in educating me on wine in a non-judgmental way.

Their biggest contribution was the creation of "Open That Bottle Night", which is now celebrated in countless households around the world, including ours. We invite some friends over for a potluck, tell stories about why we selected that wine to open and most importantly, have a lot of laughs.

While we don't know the circumstances around the cessation of the "Tastings" column, all I can say is that I hope that this means that Dottie and John have found a better forum in which to share their wisdom and enthusiasm about wine and enjoying it in the larger context of life.

In the meantime, OTBN will continue to be a tradition in the Purple Teeth Cellars household. Speaking of which, I need to get those invites ready to go out on the 1st...

Labels: Food and Wine Pairing

posted by Jill @ 10:18 AM        1 Comments

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Our inaugural vegetarian food pairing!

Labels: 2006 Vintage, 2007 Vintage, Food and Wine Pairing

posted by Jill @ 3:58 PM        0 Comments

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

NEW states that we can ship to - woo woo!

Just a quick update that we received confirmation that Purple Teeth Cellars can now legally ship to the following states:

• Arizona
• Connecticut
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• Ohio

And we should be receiving confirmation in the next couple of weeks that we can ship to Georgia as well! We are still waiting to hear what the latest is with the legal wrangling in Maryland with respect to wine shipping. Stay tuned for more on that front.

Our 2006 Purple Teeth Cellars Petite Sirah from Mendocino County is tasting really excellent. If you haven't bought some yet, it is worth a try - especially with some of the recipes that we have previously posted on the blog.

Please don't forget you can also find us on Facebook by typing in 'Purple Teeth Cellars' in the search bar or by clicking here. We have some videos and pictures posted there as well so please feel free to check it out when you have some time. And if you have feedback - good or bad, we like hearing that too.

Keep on flashing those PURPLE TEETH!

Labels: 2006 Vintage, Food and Wine Pairing, Shipping

posted by Jill @ 5:15 PM        0 Comments

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

2007 Syrahs – Almost in the Bottle

It has been almost a year since we publicly talked about our 2007 vintage Syrah offerings, although we did briefly update everyone in August with a mini-progress report. Both Syrahs are only weeks from being bottled so we tasted them both with a few new meals recently (links to recipes) to give you an idea of what to expect.

Alder Springs Syrah (Mendocino County)

This wine has stronger aromatics: we sense the black fruits particularly blackberry and black currant. As we taste this wine, there is confirmation of black fruit and prunes with some underlying oak support. Our conclusion is that the wine is more 'classic' than the White Hawk Syrah with subtle fruit, a great finish, and will pair with many dishes.

In the first pairing of Roast Chicken with Pancetta, the wine was a mellow companion that showed its fruit while it let the red pepper and garlic from the food really shine. With the Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Herbs, the black fruit came out to the forefront. There is some vanilla, cinnamon and possibly thyme but still no pepper. Our conclusion is that this Syrah is a versatile pairing for many meals although it probably paired slightly better with the lamb shanks. Jill really likes this one because it is more subtle, more nuanced, and less in your face.

White Hawk Syrah (Santa Barbara County)

This is still slightly deeper purple in color. We get some pepper, raspberry, blackberry, currant and allspice aromas. Although not as powerful on the nose as the Alder Springs Syrah, the diversity of aromas on this wine was striking. This is a jammy Syrah that tastes of black pepper, thyme, blackberry, cloves. Before we dove into any food, we concluded that there is a lot of flavor going on particularly when it comes to pepper and spice; we love the long finish.

In the first pairing of Roast Chicken with Pancetta, the peppers and jam are still there along with some blueberry and a wonderful smokiness really comes out. The finish just goes on and on. In the second pairing of Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Herbs, more of the herbs and spices in the wine are detectable and there are definitely blueberry notes. The smokiness is less noticeable than with the chicken. The chicken seems like the better pairing but either dish works well here. Marc really likes this one because it is more in your face.

Labels: 2007 Vintage, Food and Wine Pairing

posted by Marc (Purple Teeth) @ 8:57 PM        0 Comments

Monday, February 9, 2009

'07 Syrahs, Mexican Professional Wrestling - Goes Together, Right?

Last week, I was very excited for Friday because I knew it meant that we were going to be tasting the latest barrel samples from our ’07 Syrahs from Alder Springs (Mendocino County) and from White Hawk (Santa Barbara County). I even knew what I was going cook to test out some food pairing ideas to share with the Purple Teeth Cellars community.

First I had some business to attend to in my other job on Friday morning, and it involved getting approval to move forward on something a few of us had been working together on for awhile. The meeting goes pretty well and the team gets some marching orders, so we can continue heading in the right direction. All is good leading into the weekend and my lab experiments in the kitchen.

At the end of the meeting, one of my colleagues gives my boss and I each a small bag with some tissue paper on top (think ‘gift’). I’m a bit puzzled, but ok. I open the bag and much to my surprise, I find a mask in it. A mask from one of the most famous Mexican professional wrestlers - at least that is what I was told. Now understand that I really didn’t know there was a Mexican wrestling league. My expression must have been priceless to those in the room who witnessed this.

But out of respect to the person who thought of this gift and gave it to me, I needed to come up with something that would show the mask in use. After some deliberation, I had an idea. I knew over the weekend I would be making a Roast Chicken with Pancetta as well as Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Herbs (scroll down on link) to go with our ’07 Purple Teeth Cellars barrel samples. I knew I needed to brown the meat in each of the recipes before slow roasting/braising and that task can be messy with olive oil splattering etc. Hmmmm…

So instead of using the splatter screen that I would normally have on hand for this kind of task. I wore the mask, although my nose was still exposed (see picture). I figured that maybe I would be able to intimidate the meat into being perfect for our wine tasting. I have to say that both dishes came out really well. Stay tuned for more on the tasting notes and how the wines paired with the braised lamb shanks and roasted chicken dishes.

And don't forget to keep on flashing those PURPLE TEETH!

P.S. -- No word on when my boss, also a mask recipient, will be seen donning his new wardrobe addition.

Labels: 2007 Vintage, Food and Wine Pairing, Humor

posted by Jill @ 9:40 AM        0 Comments

Monday, December 15, 2008

New video posted - Petite Sirah vs. Syrah

Purple Teeth Cellars is happy to report that we have posted another video on our website and on Facebook that talks about the difference between Syrah and Petite Sirah. And yep, they are both spelled correctly.

We encourage you to please check the video out and give us feedback on if you thought the content was helpful as well as any other questions you would like answered.

Purple Teeth Cellars also reached a big milestone recently - our 1st repeat customer. And today, we had ANOTHER repeat customer. We realize that this may seem trivial to many of you, but to a small business - THIS IS HUGE!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we were really happy to hear from people who uncorked their Purple Teeth Cellars '06 Eaglepoint Ranch Petite Sirah!

And if you opened your bottle and have some pics of you with your purple teeth, send them on to us! You can also check out some recipes that we posted on the Purple Teeth Cellars 'Food & Fun' page.

Purple Teeth Cellars wishes all of you a happy, healthy and safe holiday season!

Labels: 2006 Vintage, Food and Wine Pairing, Videos

posted by Jill @ 9:43 PM        0 Comments

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Another pairing recommendation for the Purple Teeth Cellars 2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Petite Sirah

Pan-Seared Duck with Plum Sauce and Creamy Mascarpone Polenta

The richness and juiciness of the duck, combined with the creaminess of the polenta, call for a wine with lots of intensity and character. As luck would have it, Purple Teeth Cellars has a wine that fits the bill since it has plenty of dark fruits and spices both in terms of aroma and on the palette. Try it out in your kitchen, pop open your bottle of 2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Petite Sirah, and let us know what you think! And don't forget to flash those PURPLE TEETH!

Serves 4

Duck

• 4 boneless duck breasts
• 5 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 sweet onion, sliced quarter-length
• Bunch of fresh Thai basil leaves, for garnish

Plum Sauce

• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• ¼ cup of fresh Thai basil leaves
• 1 ½ teaspoons butter, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ½ cup plum preserves

Creamy Mascarpone Polenta

• Non-stick canola spray
• 5 cups milk
• 1 cup of polenta (medium-grain yellow cornmeal – not instant)
• 8 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese (4 oz.)
• ½ cup of fresh Thai basil leaves, chopped
• 8 tablespoons of herbed cheese curds (4 oz.)
• ½ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
• ¼ cup of pine nuts, lightly toasted

Preparation

For duck breast:

1. Thaw the duck breast, if frozen (either place in refrigerator a full day before you want to cook the duck or use the defrost setting on your microwave).
2. Slice onion into quarter-length and chop garlic into thin slices.
3. Put the duck breast skin-side down in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until the skin starts to crackle and give off its fat; then turn heat to medium low and continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes, turning the breast once or twice. There may be some splattering outside of the plan so be careful.
4. When the skin side of the duck breast is brown and crispy and the meat heated through, remove it to a plate and set aside until it's cool enough to handle. Don't worry if it's still rare at the center, it will cook a little more later on.
5. Pour off most of the rendered duck fat into a container (see NOTE below), leaving about 1 tablespoon in the skillet. Use it to brown the onions and garlic over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it's caramelized and dark golden-brown.

NOTE: Duck fat is great to store and use for sautéing vegetables. Just keep in a container in your refrigerator and use a little bit the next time you want to sauté something another day. You get a big bang for the buck in terms of how much you need and the flavor it adds to a dish. OK, this is not the low-calorie option, but it is a delicious one!

For sauce:

1. Bring wine, chicken stock, thyme sprigs, and Thai basil leaves to boil in heavy large saucepan. Boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 15 minutes.
2. Mix butter and flour in small bowl to blend. Whisk butter-flour mixture into broth. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Stir in plum preserves; simmer 1 minute. Remove thyme sprigs and Thai basil leaves.
   
   NOTE: Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Re-warm prior to serving.

For polenta:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees, unless you are making this dish in advance.
2. In a 2-quart saucepan, slowly bring the milk to a boil, stirring every few minutes with a wooden spoon to prevent the milk from getting scorched.
3. In order to have the polenta smooth (as opposed to lumpy), so slowly pour the polenta into the milk with a sprinkling motion and use a whisk constantly to ensure that the polenta is all absorbed.
4. Turn the heat to very low on your stove. Grab the wooden spoon and continue to stir the polenta every 10 minutes for a ½ hour. Basically you want a consistency of creamy mashed potatoes. Stir in mascarpone, chopped up Thai basil and cheese curds. Again, stir until you have that desired consistency.
5. Spray 8x11 heat-resistant cooking dish with canola oil. Transfer polenta to cooking dish, spreading it evenly across.
6. Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano over the polenta.
7. Place the dish into the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.

NOTE: Polenta can be made 1 day ahead. After step 5, place dish in refrigerator and cover. When ready to serve, pre-heat oven to 325 degrees and resume with step 6.

Bringing it all together:

To serve with pan-seared duck and plum sauce, place serving of polenta on each dish. Then place duck breast over polenta and garnish with fresh Thai basil leaves. Drizzle with plum sauce and serve with 2006 Purple Teeth Cellars Eaglepoint Ranch Petite Sirah!

Labels: 2006 Vintage, Food and Wine Pairing

posted by Jill @ 2:41 PM        0 Comments

Monday, November 10, 2008

PTC makes its debut at the JDRF dinner

We've mentioned in the past that a portion of the profits from Purple Teeth Cellars goes to JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). This is an organization that is near and dear to us because we have a number of family and friends who are directly impacted by Type 1 diabetes, so we go out of our way to do whatever we can to support their efforts.

This past weekend, we hosted a dinner that showcased the Purple Teeth Cellars 2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Petite Sirah (on sale now under the 'Wines' tab), along with some other wines procured for the occasion. It was really exciting for us to serve our wine to a bunch of people to see what they thought of the wine. Happy to report that there were lots of purple teeth on display.

We posted some pictures from the event on our Facebook page and should be posting them up to the main Purple Teeth Cellars site shortly under the 'Food & Fun' tab.

Please continue to give us feedback by either commenting on the blog or by contacting us on the website. We have received some great feedback so far and are looking forward to implementing your ideas in the future!

If you have received your wine and have questions about when to open it up, or what to serve it with, please contact us! We're happy to help and can share with you what we have learned from your fellow Purple Teeth fans!

Labels: 2006 Vintage, Food and Wine Pairing, JDRF

posted by Jill @ 8:17 PM        0 Comments

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Pairing Recommendation for our 2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Petite Sirah

Greetings from the kitchen of Purple Teeth Cellars!

We are happy to report that we have created our 1st recipe that specifically pairs with the Purple Teeth Cellars 2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Petite Sirah! This happens to be a red meat option, but we are working to come up with options for other courses, including a couple of vegan-friendly options.

You are probably asking why we like this pairing, right? The simple answer is that it tastes awesome. The longer answer has to do with the Petite Sirah being a big and bold wine. It needs something hearty to go with it, which begs for a main ingredient that has some real richness - in this case, some fat on the meat. This will not win any healthy food awards, but we think you will be happy anyway.

All of this leads to short ribs being our red meat choice to service with our Petite Sirah. We hope that you enjoy this pairing as much as we did when we served this earlier this week!

And of course if you have questions or feedback on this recipe or anything else, please use the 'Contact Us' link on the Purple Teeth Cellars homepage or find us on Facebook.

Braised Short Ribs with Cocoa Powder, Assorted Spices and Scallions

Yield: 4 servings
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours 15 minutes

4 pounds well-marbled beef short ribs, cut 2 inches thick and preferably with the bone
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup soy sauce
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 ½ teaspoons ketchup
3 ½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 ½ tablespoons dark-brown sugar
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 sweet onion, sliced quarter-length
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
½ teaspoon mint leaves, lightly chopped (chocolate mint leaves, if possible)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the short ribs in an ovenproof casserole just big enough to fit them snugly.

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the vegetable stock, soy sauce, orange zest, orange juice, ketchup, five-spice powder, brown sugar, cocoa powder, onion, scallions, mint leaves and thyme. Pour the mixture over the short ribs.

• Cover the baking container (make sure it’s a tight fitting lid or else, use foil) and transfer to the oven. Bake for 2 ½ to 3 hours (depending on the size of the ribs). The meat should be falling off the bone and give little resistance when pressed with a fork. It’s recommended that you check the pot at 2 hours to see how the braising is going as every oven is different. Uncover and return to the oven to allow the juices to thicken, about 15 minutes more.

• Transfer the ribs to a plate and carefully pour the braising liquid into a large glass measuring cup. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes so the fat will rise to the top. Using a small ladle or cup, skim off the fat.

• Serve the ribs with a few spoonfuls of sauce drizzled over the top. Note that this dish in its entirety can be made the day before, which will allow all of the fat to rise to the top and make it real easy to scoop out. If making ahead of time, pour the defatted sauce back over the ribs and cover the dish with foil. Reheat for 20 minutes before serving.

Labels: 2006 Vintage, Food and Wine Pairing

posted by Jill @ 2:08 PM        1 Comments