Oak Alternatives
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Fun Fact by Nancy Hawks Miller, Goosecross: Oak Alternatives
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Goosecross Cellars.
Wine may help women keep weight in check
So, I’m tweeting and Facebooking away, posting what I think are fascinating tibits of wine information linking to the videos of our winemaker at work, Fun Facts about food and wine teaser questions on our wine-trivia game. And, we get a nice response to those and some re-tweets which is great! But what sends the re-tweets into overdrive or gets, by far, the most “likes”? This little tidbit of information:
Wine may help women keep weight in check!
And, on a list of the “most common questions about wine”, which one rises to the top? How many calories in a glass of wine?
So, here goes with the most sought after information: Just click here to learn about how wine may help women keep their weight in check.
And the calories in a glass of wine? Between 75 and 100 in a 4-oz. glass of dry wine, depending upon the alcohol (the higher the alcohol, the more calories).
Sauvignon Blanc and Grilled Swordfish with Cantaloupe-Lime Salsa
August 1, 2010 by Nancy
Filed under Blog, Wine & Recipe of The Month
What could be better on a hot, August day than a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc and grilled swordfish? Pairing our crisp, zesty Sauvignon Blanc with seafood is as natural as squeezing a little lemon juice on it! The lime juice and cilantro in the salsa do a great job of bringing out the grapefruit and lemongrass character in the wine. And, as always, Colleen’s recipe is not only delicious – it’s easy and quick as can be!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/2 cup honeydew melon, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
11/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
Salt to taste
2 (8 oz) swordfish fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Directions:
Prepare barbecue to medium-high heat. Mix first 6 ingredients in a non-aluminum bowl. Season to taste with salt. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes or refrigerate up to 2 hours.
Brush fish with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill fish until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer fish to plates. Spoon salsa over and serve immediately.
Serve with rice pilaf and sautéed sugar snap peas.
Serves 2
Blushing Beauties
Oh – they’re starting to blush. Just as lovely as can be! And, this is such a significant event in the vineyard that there’s a name for it: veraison.
They’re still awfully sour, but this beginning blush tells us that the sugar is on its way up and the acid is on its way down. Before you know it Geoff , our Winemaker, will be gathering samples for tasting and analysis and that first load of grapes will be knocking on our door! Here’s to the 2010 harvest!
More about the annual vineyard cycle
Wine Trivia du Jour
How many bottles of good quality wine can and acre produce (We’ll use the Napa Valley average as the standard)?
a) 600
b) 3,000
c) 12,000
d) 50,000
Does it help to know that we average four tons of grapes per acre? Or that we can expect about 150 – 160 gallons per ton?
Find out in our Wine Trivia Challenge!
2009 Goosecross Napa Valley “Oak Knoll” Viognier
July 8, 2010 by Nancy
Filed under Blog, Featured Content, Winemaker Notes
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New release ~ Not so familiar with Viognier? Well, given that as recently as 1980 there were only 85 acres planted on the entire planet, it’s not too surprising. But, one whiff of our 2009 Vio and you’ll know why there’s been a small explosion in acreage devoted to this “hedonist’s white grape variety” (thank you, Jancis Robinson). The heady fragrance of fresh peach, apricot, honeysuckle, citrus and spice will bring you back again and again. And, there’s also something rather exotic about the wine, even if you can’t quite put you finger on it… Who doesn’t enjoy a little mystery?
Another great thing about our Viognier? While the tremendous perfume may lead you to expect a sweet wine, it’s bone dry. Plus, it has all the weight of a Chardonnay – sometimes more – which makes it a nice alternative when you feel like a change of pace.
Viognier and Food: Don’t ask us why, but this wine just loves to be paired with Asian flavors. It’s our first choice on sushi night and whenever you’ve added some fresh ginger or some Chinese 5-spice to your creation, this is your wine! It complements the sweetness of pork, duck and other sweet proteins beautifully. It’s delicious with fruity preparations, too – for the perfect, light summertime supper sip a glass of chilled Viognier with Colleen’s recipe for Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Pear-Ginger Salsa!
Wine Trivia du Jour
Which U.S. President brought wine grapes over from Europe to start a wine business in the U.S. (and failed – phylloxera got the better of the poor vines)?
a) FDR
b) George Washington
c) Thomas Jefferson
d) Andrew Jackson
Clue: Phylloxera eliminates one possibility
What do you think? Find out in our Wine Trivia Challenge!
Grapes in Bloom
Please enjoy this gorgeous close up of the grape flower, courtesy of Terry Stigall of terryjphotograpy.com
This was taken at our State Lane vineyard.
The larger, yellow-green ovals are the buds, with petals about to open up. The thread-like, white protrusions are the pollen-bearing stamen that emerge when the petals open. Lucky for us, the flowers also contain the ovaries, so they’re self pollinating! The small, lime-green orbs are actual grapes! How amazing!!
What is Library Wine?
June 2, 2010 by Nancy
Filed under Blog, Featured Content
Is a wine library the same as library wine? Not quite.
If you’ve been collecting books by your favorite wine writers, you’re building up a valuable wine library and the answers to your wine-related questions are right at your fingertips. And, if you have a nice collection of old bottles, you might also refer to it as your wine library.
But, what about library wine? These are the actual bottles in your cellar – the ones you’ve been carefully aging for later enjoyment. When you pop one of those open for your friends, you’re treating them to a library wine.
Why bother building a collection? Because well-aged wine is a rare commodity. If you go looking for the 1987 vintage of your favorite Napa Valley Cabernet, today, your only option is to shop online. And, once you track it down it will, likely, put a good dent in your credit card. If you like to drink old wine, the most practical and economical thing to do is to buy young wine and age it yourself.
Of course, you need to store the wine properly or it will spoil. What a shame to age the wine for years and years only to find that it tastes like bad sherry or has gone sour.
If you buy an older vintage from another collector or at public auction, some offer guarantees regarding the cellaring history, some don’t.
So, what are you to do if you love the character of well-aged wine, but don’t have any on hand?
Some wineries put a little wine aside, to age, as library wine. If you call with a specific request, they may shake a bottle or two loose for you. They may even offer these older wines for sale from time to time. These, too, may be expensive but at least the winery can guarantee that the wine has been stored properly. Also, most vintners taste through their library wines from time to time so they can tell you what kind of condition the wine is in.
But, what if the winery decides to hold an online auction of limited availability, perfectly cellared library wines? That would be Goosecross – this week! There may be some bargains available, depending upon how the bidding goes…
Today, June 2nd, and for 48 hours, we’ll open the bidding to our Wine Club Members only. Friday, the 4th of June, the auction opens up to the general public for another 48 hours. This is the first time we’ve offered library wines for sale in an auction format (our first auction earlier this year, which proved to be a lot of fun and provided some great prices to some lucky bidders, featured our Valentine’s Day gifts). It should be a lot of fun and you may find yourself bidding on some rare old bottles at a favorable price! So, here’s to good (library) wine and good fun. Cheers!
2005 Goosecross Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
May 21, 2010 by Nancy
Filed under Blog, Winemaker Notes
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New release! When you’re in the mood for intensity, pull the cork on this one! Deep, dark flavors are a natural for mountain fruit. The water and nutrient-stressed vines at our Howell Mountain site yield tiny grapes that almost look like purple peas! The increased skin to juice ratio pumps up the volume when it comes to 
color, flavor, texture and tannin.
This is full-on 100% Cabernet, rich with black cherry, cocoa, tobacco, cedar and a bit of smoke and spice.
Howell Mountain Cabernet and food: Substantial wine calls for substantial food, so enjoy this with a good steak or slow-cooked dishes like osso-buco, short ribs and other hearty fare. From Colleen’s recipe collection, we recommend Traditional Style Beef Shanks.
