Castello di Amorosa

Bringing Wine Country Home: How to Throw a Wine Tasting Party

A great perk of living/ working in wine country is the opportunity to be exposed to a wide variety of wines and winemaking styles. One of the obvious ways to expand one’s palate in this area is going out and exploring the myriad of tasting rooms and wineries available (and with over 375 in Sonoma County and 400+ in Napa Valley, there are many important decisions to make!). Basically, we in the wine world lead a rough life of roaming around beautiful rolling hillsides and valleys covered in leafy green and gold beauty searching for whatever our taste buds desire.

Just another day at the office...

Like I said, life’s hard sometimes.

But what about experiencing wine after hours? Or what if you don’t have the ability to drive 20 mins to an hour to get to the nearest winery? Well there are plenty of opportunities to explore new vintages and varieties from the comfort of your own home. Why not try hosting a wine tasting party?

A group of us at the Castello get together on a regular basis for wine tastings, and it always ends up to be an enlightening, delicious, and fun way to try new wines and hear impressions from everyone. We’ve had evenings dedicated to a specific varietal (such as Pinot Noir), winemaking styles (Old World vs New) and wine regions around the globe. Our most recent tasting focused on the wines of Spain. We sampled Riojas, Priorats, and Tempranillos with Spanish cheeses and Tortilla de Patata, a classic Spanish egg and potato appetizer made by our very own resident Spaniard, Maria!

Spanish wine tasting night with the Castello crew (and friends!)

Throwing a wine tasting party can be fun and easy, and is a great way to connect with friends over a few bottles of delicious vino! Here are a few tips for planning your own wine tasting night:

What you need:

♦ Wines (obviously) – Make sure to have enough wines for your party to taste! It’s generally a good idea to keep these get-togethers between 6-12 people so everyone has a chance to sit around the table and share their thoughts and stories about the wines being poured, and it’s a good plan to allot about a half bottle’s worth of wine per person at the tasting, though having an extra bottle or two on hand never hurts “just in case”! Keep the pours around 2 ounces for each wine, especially if you have a wider selection to taste through.
♦ Glasses – Always make sure to have enough glasses for all guests present. It’s usually nice to have at least 2 glasses per guest, especially if you want to evaluate your wines side-by-side. It’s fine to reuse the glass for multiple wines, as long as you’re not going from a red to a white or sweet (you don’t want to make your own “rose”)
♦ Dump Bucket – Have a vase or pitcher off to the side for people to dump any wine they don’t want to finish (remember, the more wines you consume, the less you’ll be able to taste!)
♦ Water – Place a water pitcher on the table with glasses for guests to sip from between tastings. Sparkling water is even more helpful in warding off the dreaded "palate fatigue"
♦ Snacks – Small bites make a delicious centerpiece at the table. Try to find foods that pair with the wines you’ll be trying; cheeses and charcuteries with a fresh baguette are always a good idea, and you can even ask your guests to bring an appetizer they think would complement the wines. 
♦ Wine charms/ glass markers – These are helpful to keep track of which wine is in which glass. If you’re on the third round of tastings and trying a California Cabernet next to a French Bordeaux, it definitely doesn’t hurt to have a little reminder to keep you focused on what’s in front of you. If you don’t have wine charms, dry erase markers or even stickers work well (as long as they peel off easily)
♦ Notepads/ pens – These are especially useful for guests who want to remember which wines were tasted and which were their favorites. Great to hang on to for the next time you’re trying to remember a delicious wine you had to pair with dinner!

You can even segment notes to help guide your guests through their tasting with categories like Color, Nose, Taste, and Finish

 

Things to avoid:

♦ Perfume/ cologne – Remind your guests to refrain from wearing any strong scents, as this can detract from the overall tasting experience (as nice as your Chanel No 5 may smell, nobody wants to be drinking it)
♦ Scented candles/ flowers – Same reasons as above (nobody wants to be picking up "essence of Pumpkin Spice" in their Pinot Bianco)

Who needs candles when you can make your own centerpiece from corks and Champagne cages?

There are plenty of great themes you can have with a tasting party. Here are a few to start you off with:

♦ Varietal tasting – Pick a grape and see how the results differ based on where it’s produced and who is making it. Examples: Try Pinot Noirs from Burgundy, Sonoma, Carneros, and Oregon to see how terroir affects the outcome
♦ Old World vs New World – Choose wines from a specific “Old World” region (think Europe) and compare them with their “New World” counterparts. Examples: Italian varietals (Sangiovese, Barbera, Pinot Grigio)  vs. their California counterparts
♦ Vintages – Pick a specific wine from your favorite winery and see how that wine changes with each year. Examples: A vertical tasting of Castello di Amorosa Cabernet Sauvignon from 2008 – 2010
♦ Blind Tasting – Break out the brown paper bags and test your senses! See if you can spot the difference between a Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, or a Riesling vs Moscato. The sky’s the limit!

And finally, the most important part of a wine tasting party: Have fun!! Whichever wines you choose, you'll be sipping, swirling, and savoring a great evening with good friends! 

Salute!

So many glasses, so little time…

Roll Into Spring

Ah, spring-- Vernal Equinox! Vernal refers to spring and equinox is derived from Latin meaning “equal night” as days and nights are approximately equal everywhere. Increased daylight and the promise of warming temperatures brings the reawakening of flora and fauna. Spring refers not only to the time of year, but also to a season of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection, and regrowth; literally to ‘spring’ forth.

In Wine country, the dry winter grass has greened; the yellow –orange mustard is almost blindingly brilliant. Birds are chirping as they ready nests for soon to be hatched chicks. The low croak of frogs around the pond echoes and the rhythmic chirp of the night’s crickets are a sure sign of mild evenings.

 In the vineyard, young fragile buds break through as grapevines begin their annual growth cycle.

                                                                                          

The extra winter blanket is folded and tucked away and the windows are now opened to welcome a fresh breeze each morning. A big glass of iced tea in the afternoon is suddenly more appealing than a hot mug of Earl Grey and a day at the coast requires umbrellas intended for shade instead of showers.

Spring also holds the possibility of picnics, baseball games, back yard barbecues and dining al fresco. Days off spent indoors seems sacrilegious when the warm sun demands our presence. For dinner; thoughts of salads and grilled kebabs are edging out from the shadow of winter’s hearty soups and casseroles and a perfectly chilled white wine seems like a great way to end a day as we linger a little longer each night before twilight.

As you ease into Spring, relax a bit later each day, stop and smell the green—and if there is snow on the ground outside your door, hang on! You’ll be rolling into spring before you know it.

A beautiful Spring day in the Carneros region of Napa Valley!

First, a stop by Domaine Carneros for sparkling and then a cheese pairing at Artesa Winery. This is what I call a ’market research' day!

 

After a long day of tough research (ahem), dinner has to be qucik and easy. This Asian cabbage slaw is flavorful, easy to make, and packed with healthy veggies. The 2012 Castello di Amorosa Pinot Bianco is an elegant juicy fruit- laden white; light, zippy and refreshing. Perfect with this Rainbow Sushi Roll and exotic Asian flavors.

Asian Cabbage Slaw 

Ingredients:

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup mirin (or white wine vinegar)

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon grape seed oil

½ large white cabbage, shredded

1 cup thinly sliced scallions       

¼ cup toasted almond slivers or cashew pieces

2 ounces broken ramen noodles

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Mix soy sauce, mirin, water, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and brown sugar in a small pot over low heat. Heat, stirring, just until the sugar has fully dissolved. Whisk in the grape seed oil and set aside to cool.

Place the cabbage, scallions, almond slivers, and uncooked noodles in a salad bowl. Pour half of the dressing over and toss until every piece of vegetable is coated. Add more dressing until the salad is well coated. The remaining dressing will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for at least 1 week.

Garnish with sesame seeds or mandarin orange slices.

Score!

American Idol, Miss USA, The Olympics, elections, books, dancing, movies, food, wine. From singing competitions to the food we eat and the wine we drink, it is compared and calibrated by a score. What are the parameters used to grant a number or a rating and how reliable are ratings when so much of what we find pleasing, appealing or excellent is purely subjective. For instance, can we look to a score on a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to gauge a wine’s potential for enjoyment when individual tastes vary so widely? Wine is scrutinized, gauged and rated not by peers or consumers but, by 'professionals' who ascribe these ratings as a score intended for submission to the public via magazines, websites, social media etc.

Let’s dissect and analyze a wine score.  What goes into a wine rating?

A wine rating is a score assigned by one or more wine critics for a wine tasted as a summary of that critic's evaluation of that wine. A wine rating is therefore a subjective quality score, typically numerical. Over the last couple of decades, the 50-100 scale introduced by Robert M Parker Jr. has become the standard. This scale is now used by ‘the big 3’, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, and Wine Advocate.

95-100 Classic: a great wine
90-94 Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style
85-89 Very good: a wine with special qualities
80-84 Good: a solid, well-made wine
75-79 Mediocre: a drinkable wine that may have minor flaws
50-74 Not recommended

In addition to a simple numerical score most wine ratings are meant to be a supplement to the wine tasting notes, which are brief descriptions of the critic's impression of the wine, including aromatics, flavor qualities, and ageing potential or drinking window. However, the emphasis is more often on the score applied by a critic rather than on the actual tasting notes.

Castello di Amorosa wines have been well received by ‘The Big 3’. Parker’s accolades for Il Barone and La Castellana were a huge boon for Castello di Amorosa as one of our first published big ratings. Wine Enthusiast’s critical acclaim for Castello's wines is a source of great pride and most recently, Wine Spectator has granted some very big numbers indeed.

2010 La Castellana: James Laube, Wine Spectator (92 Points) – Intense, with firm, ripe, vibrant cedar, red and dark berry, anise and loamy earth flavors, framed by chewy tannins and ending with a long finish laced with notes of black licorice. Drink now through 2024.

2010 Don Thomas: James Laube, Wine Spectator (94 Points) – Amazingly complex and refined, tuned to a mix of red and dark berry that’s elegant and graceful without sacrificing Cabernet’s power and torque. Ends with classic Bourdeaux-like cedar and cigar box touches, gliding along with fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2028.

In an effort to remain unbiased, educated and in-touch with the amazing wines of Napa Valley we conduct blind tastings throughout the year for our Castello staff to participate in.

A great tasting needs a great room!

We tasted 27 different Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in the Great Hall of Castello di Amorosa--

Here is the line-up....

The bottles were placed in a brown bag and numbered by a non-tasting non-voting participant....

 

                                                ....which guarantees an unbiased result.                                                                     

            

Castello Pres Georg Salzner and Vice President Jim Sullivan enter the results.

The room cheered when the winner was revealed!

Check out more great scores for Castello di Amorosa's wines-

Castello di Amorosa Wine Accolades

 

Opening Ceremonies and Gold Medals

As the western United States wades through another year of drought and record- breaking almost non-existent rainfall totals (so far!), old man winter has tackled the mid-west and sucker-punched much of the nation with record-breaking cold temps. Another event is approaching to further benchmark winter 2014. On February 06 the 22nd Winter Olympic Games begin in Sochi Russia—and the opening ceremonies televised on February 07 are sure-to-be epic.

The first celebration of the Winter Olympic Games was held in Chamonix, France in 1924 and have now been hosted on three continents. Twelve countries have attended every Winter Olympic games and six of those (Austria, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United States) have earned medals at every Winter Olympic Games. However, only one - the United States - has earned gold at each Olympic Games.

In wine country, January ushers in one more iconic winter event, The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. This competition began in 1983 as the Cloverdale Citrus Fair Wine Competition.  Today, it is known as the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and holds the title of the largest competition of American Wines in the World….a wine Olympics.  On the subject of olympics and medals and earning gold (in wine competitions there is a double gold and the coveted Best of Class!), I could turn this into an all-around high-five big kudos to Castello di Amorosa’s amazing wine making team with the recent Gold Medal performances but instead, I am getting ready for a sure-to-be-epic opening ceremony of my own, time for a glass of gold medal winning Cabernet Sauvignon.

Beyond Double Gold—Best of Class

2012 Pinot Bianco, 2012 Gewurztraminer and 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Best of Class and tonight, best in the glass

2009 Castello di Amorosa Cabernet Sauvignon is one of my favorite Cabernets. It exhibits depth and strength but exudes finesse and elegance. Exactly what every gold medalist needs—power and grace!

 

 

Opening Ceremony Night Dinner --Because timing is important too!

Salisbury Steak with Fingerling Potato Hash 

                                                                                  

Make this revised classic in 30 minutes!

For the Salisbury Steaks combine:

1.5 pound lean ground beef

1 tsp. coarse ground pepper

½ sweet onion finely chopped

½ package onion soup mix

1 tsp. mustard

1 tsp. ketchup

1 egg

2 tsps. Worcestershire

Form into 4-6 oval patties and brown in large sauté pan, approximately 2-3 minutes each side. Remove and place in shallow backing dish and finish in 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

Potato Hash:

Dice potatoes, mushrooms, and remaining ½ sweet onion. Brown onion in 3 Tbsp. butter. Add mushrooms and potatoes after onions have begun to sweat. Add beef stock/broth, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a slow simmer adding broth as needed approx.15 minutes.

Remove Salisbury Steaks from oven and serve with hash

Enjoy!

Castello wines win big at SF Chronicle Wine Competition!

Results are in from the 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, and once again Castello di Amorosa’s wines shone brightly among the competition!

This year’s competition included a record number of 5,825 wines entered from over 1,500 wineries from over 25 states, making this the largest competition of wines in America.

We are proud to announce that this year three of our wines received the Best of Class distinction, and we received one Double Gold Medal, six Gold Medals, four Silver Medals, and one Bronze Medal! Here are our winning wines:

2012 Pinot Bianco – BEST OF CLASS

2012 Dry Gewurztraminer – BEST OF CLASS

2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – BEST OF CLASS

2010 Napa Valley Merlot – DOUBLE GOLD MEDAL

2010 “Il Barone” Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – GOLD MEDAL

2009 “La Castellana” Reserve Super Tuscan – GOLD MEDAL

2012 Bien Nacido Vineyards Reserve Chardonnay – GOLD MEDAL

2012 Napa Valley Chardonnay – GOLD MEDAL

2011 “Zingaro” Zinfandel – GOLD MEDAL

2010 Napa Valley Sangiovese – GOLD MEDAL

2012 Anderson Valley Reserve Pinot Noir – SILVER MEDAL

2011 King Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir – SILVER MEDAL

2012 Los Carneros Pinot Noir – SILVER MEDAL

2009 “Il Brigante” Red Blend – SILVER MEDAL

2012 Late Harvest Gewurztraminer – BRONZE MEDAL

You can attend the public tasting event taking place in San Francisco at Fort Mason on Saturday, February 15th, where over 800 wineries will be pouring from 1:30 – 5:00pm. Be sure to find us among the crowd to taste our award winners!

You can check out ticket information and view the full list of winners at www.winejudging.com

Experience Taste

While enjoying a 'Royal Pairing' at the Castello, it happened. Once again, the stage was perfectly set. The winter wind was blowing and the unending sunshine had temporarily given way to much-needed rainfall. Through looming clouds the late afternoon sun peeked out just enough to splash a bright ray of light dazzling the Vaca Mountains. During this tasting experience….it happened…we fully experienced the tasting and the afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Is a wine tasting experience simply a contemplation of taste? To savor or enjoy on our palate? Or, is how we taste influenced by all of our senses and emotions subject to and affected by our surroundings? Wine tasting is defined as the “palate’s examination and evaluation of taste”. I can’t find fault with this scientific and clinical definition, but, it does seem sterile. When tasting wine our sensations of taste and smell are fundamental, however, by setting the stage we can taste not just what is in the glass, but, we can savor the entire experience; experience taste.

 

A wine tasting experience is visual- demonstrated by Castello president Georg Salzner and Dario Sattui

 

Not only by examining the content of the glass....

a beautiful environment impacts our enjoyment of an experience.  

The room was picture-perfect, warm and inviting. The glasses were glistening and the candles were glowing.

                                                       

Many chefs are fond of the saying, “we eat with our eyes first”, and there is research to support this. Studies have shown when we find food visually appealing, not only do we enjoy it more, we also absorb more nutrients from it.

  

 

What we hear also has impact. Music evokes emotions and feelings and can be far more powerful than spoken language. Andrea Bocelli gets me every time...

                                

The most important element is to surround yourself with friends and people you love. Create a tasting experience whenever you want and wherever you are and you will truly experience taste.

Castello team members Alison, Jason, Kylee and Melissa sharing laughs and great vino!

My husband and I sharing a moment....salud!

A Look Back on the 2013 Vintage

2013 has been an incredible year for the vineyards of the Napa Valley, with the Napa Valley Vintners calling this year's growing season "early, even, and excellent." The 31 acres we have planted around the Castello with Sangiovese, Merlot, Primitivo, and Cabernet Sauvignon developed beautifully over the course of the year, and we loved tracking the beauty each season brought to the vines. Now that another record year in the valley is coming to a close and the vineyards again lay dormant, we're looking back on the fruits of this year's labors. Here are a few of our favorite vinyeard photos from this past year:

January 

Sir Lancelot enjoyed playing beneath the dormant Primitivo vines in front of the Castello

February

The Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards above the Castello, pruned back to allow healthy new buds to begin forming

March

The vines began "weeping" in preparation for the arrival of new buds

April

Bud break arrived at the Castello in early April, and the vineyards quickly brightened with springtime colors

May

The warm, dry spring we had throughout the valley allowed for earlier bud break and perfect conditions for flowering

June

June saw the arrival of berries on the vines. 

The vines saw a bit of rain in a summer shower

July

The warm summer months allowed for an even ripening of the berries. Here a cool glass of Charonnday rests among the Primitivo vines.

August

The end of August saw verasion in the vineyards, as the berries began to ripen and change color.

September

Primitivo vines and berries in front of the Castello

The Merlot vineyards almost ready for harvest!

October

November

December

 

Cheers to the end of another fantastic year in the Napa Valley! We're looking forward to 2014!

A 'Season To Taste'

I am a cooking and food magazine junkie. It all started with my Mom and a ritual that took place during our visit to the ‘beauty parlor’ (not a salon, but the beauty parlor!) for Mom’s weekly scheduled shampoo and set. Here she regularly scoured through the latest edition of ‘Family Circle’, ‘Good Housekeeping’ and ‘Sunset’ magazines and recited recipes in a much too loud voice so I (and everyone in a 20 yard radius) could hear her over the constant noise generated by the mission control-like dryer chair. I would nod with dutiful approval dotted with an intermittent ‘yep, sounds good’ which were typically enough to satiate her. To add to her enjoyment and proof I really was listening, I even managed to insert a question or two; “what is braising?” or “why does it have to be sifted?” This launched her into an explanation that today seems worthy of ‘Food Network’. However, one particular phrase seemed to arise on nearly every recipe and always required definition and clarification — “season to taste”.

Mom explained the following:
Add salt until it you taste it. If it seems bland- it probably is. Increase by a ¼ tsp. and taste after each addition.
Add seasoning and spices (pepper, fresh herbs, dried seasoning) until the taste is in balance with the rest of the flavors. Make sure spices and seasonings cook along with the dish. However, additional fresh herbs added at the end can make a big difference.
Add acid (Tabasco, lemon juice, or vinegar) if it tastes flat or one-dimensional. Hot sauce works in creamy dishes because the acid from the vinegar and the heat from the peppers boost the flavors. Keep a light hand; if the dish isn't supposed to be "spicy hot" add just a splash of hot sauce then use vinegar or lemon juice.
Add sugar; the tried and true fix if you overdo it. Sugar balances both salty and bitter flavors. Adding a touch of sugar makes too salty taste less salty and too bitter or sour taste less bitter without actually decreasing the amount of salt or acid in the recipe.

The thing is, Mom’s beauty shop narrations were not idle or forgotten ideas of an affordable casserole or a quick and easy dessert, they  were her inspiration for future meals and goodies that made it to the family table and eventually led to my life-long pursuit of ‘tasting’.

Here is one of my cold-weather favorites. It is hearty, spicy, savory and comforting; ideal to keep in the fridge and warm up after a day of visiting with friends and family or after hours of wrapping followed by seconds of unwrapping. Remember always adjust the spices as you progress and as in all recipes—season to taste!
 
I wish you perfectly seasoned greetings--

Happy Holidays!

Mary Davidek

 

Deconstructed Albondigas
4 Cups Beef Broth
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 large cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. spicy sausage
2 heads of cabbage, cored and diced
1 small bag frozen white corn
4-6 carrots thinly sliced
4-6 stalks diced celery
4 large cloves minced garlic
1 bunch of chopped cilantro (set some aside for garnish)
1 large diced brown onion
Season to taste  =)

Brown ground meat and/or sausage. Add to a large pot with all other ingredients. Cook over medium low heat until vegetables are to desired softness. To accelerate the cooking process, give the veggies a quick sauté before adding to the pot. Stir and taste often and, as always, add seasoning as needed.

 

My current library. The Better Homes and Garden cook book was a wedding gift from who else; my Mom. Held together by a rubber band, for 24 years I have referred to this book filled with hand written notes and recipes.

 

 

‘Deconstructed’ is contemporary food lingo but Mom would have just said this was quicker and easier than making and cooking meatballs! This is tasty and easy to reheat during the upcoming week of merriment or freeze leftovers in containers for up to 6 months.

Dry, crisp and almost exotic; Castello di Amorosa’s Anderson Valley Gewurztraminer balances the spice and works with the richness of the ground meat and sausage. Perfect for a first course or as a hearty meal served with fresh bread or warm tortillas.

      

Create the Castle: A Photo Contest on Instagram

 

WEEK TWENTY-SIX WINNER

We've reached our final week of our "Create the Castle" Instagram contest, and we are thrilled with how many fantastic photos we have received from all of our fans! Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos of your times here at the Castello and enjoying our wines with your friends and family at home. Keep on sharing your great shots with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by tagging us with #castellodiamorosa; we love sharing them with our fans on social media! 

Our Week 26 winner is @jaymessong, who captured the beautiful fall colors around the Castello from our South Tower. Congratulations, and thank you for visiting and sharing such a great photo with us!

Check out our fantastic runners up from this past week! Thank you again for sharing your great photos with us, and cheers from all of us at the Castello! #castellodiamorosa

     

WEEK TWENTY-FIVE WINNER

We're in the home stretch of our "Create the Castle" Instagram contest! We've received over 8,000 photos tagged with #castellodiamorosa, and we've been loving the creative ways you show how much you love the Castello and our wines! This week's winning photo is from @jed_pilgrim128, who captured the gorgeous clouds above the Castello this past week. Congratulations, and thank you for sharing such a beautiful photo!

We may just have one week left in the contest, but we still can't get enough of your fantsatic photos! Thank you for tagging us at #castellodiamorosa and for sharing your photos on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Here are a few more favorites from this past week!

     

The Castello is profiled in The Sacramento Bee

Our thanks to writer Allen Pierleoni and photographer Manny Crisostomo from the Sacramento Bee for a vivid ‘portrait’ of the Castle.