Wine Trivia du Jour
Here’s a crazy one for you:
True or false: The substance that makes microwave popcorn buttery is the same as the one that makes Chardonnay buttery.
What do you think? Too strange to be true? So strange that it has to be true?
Find out in our Wine Trivia Challenge! Cheers!
Wine Trivia du Jour
Here’s a fun one for you.
Which answer is the closest? In the USA, over 95% of the wine is consumed within ______ of the sale?
a) 24 hours
b) A week
c) Two weeks
d) Three months
Hint: Americans aren’t renowned for their patience 
Find out in our Wine Trivia Challenge!
Valentine’s Day Gifts
You’ve spent the year together, and now it’s time to plan a special day celebrating your love, so what do you get for a Valentine’s Day present? Here are great suggestions for creative Valentine’s Day gifts that are sure to impress and surprise. We’ll provide the wine, you provide the romance…
Pairing Wine with Music – Why Not?
It’s so hard to stay ahead of the curve on this stuff. Yes, pairing wine with music has been buzzing so loud on the blogosphere and on Twitter that it’s bound to become passé any minute now. Heck you can even get a free app called “Wine DJ“, believe it or not!
But, that doesn’t mean it can’t still be fun! I did a little poll among all 15 staff members, here at Goosecross. Some kinda said, “Yeah, I’ll think about it… NOT”, but others really went for it!
Remarkable coincidence: Two co-workers, answering completely independently, came up with exactly the same recommendation for our Sauvignon Blanc, so this definitely needs a mention: Lady Gaga, Poker Face Better try it, stat! Of course, any other Sauvignon and your head blows up so don’t risk it
I loved the fact that some of us oldsters went with performers like Lady Gaga and the Millennials came up with the Beach Boys (Kokomo – with Viognier – perfect – tropical!) and Bobby Vinton???? Yes! Blue Velvet with Chenin Blanc – “soft and sweet” were the comments.
Another take on Viognier? Sia, Breathe Me - remarks: “exotic, different, lush” Oooooh…
ÆROS, our proprietary blend: Frank Sinatra, I Did it My Way – kinda clever 
Sparkling wine: Colbie Callait, Bubbly – “sparkly, happy, celebratory” Stuffed shirts, elsewhere, have insisted on Vivaldi for sparkling wine. In fact many seem to want to perpetuate the snooty image that seems to surround wine by insisting on classical music only. But, what’s wrong with listening to Metallica while you pound down a monster Zin that’s upwards of 15%?
So, readers, we’ve got the ball rolling. Take it and run with it! Report back, ASAP!
For The Love of Chardonnay
For our Chardonnay lovers out there, we have a special promotion just in time for Valentine’s Day. Purchase a little or a lot of our Chardonnay and enjoy a discount – 10% off for customers, or 20% off for Goosecross wine club members. Order a case (12 bottles) at the discounted price, and the shipping is included!
Open a bottle of Goosecross Chardonnay, make a great dinner, and let the romance begin…Happy Valentine’s Day!
Wine Trivia du Jour
We hardly ever ask you about food and wine pairing because it’s so subjective, but here’s a question that’s fairly clear cut:
Generally speaking, when pairing sweet foods with wine, compared to the food the wine should be:
a) Not quite as sweet
b) At least as sweet
c) Dry (dry is the opposite of sweet)
d) Fortified
There’s actually a lot of common sense to this if you think about it 
So, what do you think??
Find out in our Wine Trivia Challenge!
Estate Cabernet and Short Ribs With Coffee Cocoa Sauce
January 8, 2010 by Nancy
Filed under Blog, Wine & Recipe of The Month
Happy New Year! All of us at Goosecross wish you a happy and healthy 2010!
On these cold winter days we always turn to
comfort food – the kind that warms us from the inside. Colleen developed the recipe for these slow-cooked short ribs to warm your kitchen and your heart. The fork-tender short ribs with their deep, smoky flavors, ancho chiles and rich cocoa sauce paired with a glass of our rich, fruity Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon are all you need to chase away the winter chill.
Ingredients:
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded
1-1/2 cup boiling water
1 small onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, quartered
1 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3-1/2 pounds beef short ribs
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup brewed dark roast coffee
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Soak the ancho chiles in the hot water until softened, about 20 minutes, then drain in a colander set over a bowl. Reserve the soaking liquid for braising.
In a food processor, chop the ancho chiles, onion, garlic, chipotle chiles with sauce, syrup, cocoa, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Pat the ribs dry and sprinkle with the pepper and the remaining salt. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the ribs on all sides then remove to a plate.
Turn the heat down to medium-low, then carefully add the chile puree to the skillet and cook stirring, 5 minutes. Add the reserved chile soaking liquid and coffee and bring to a boil.
Return ribs to skillet, the liquid should come about half way up the sides of the meat. Cover tightly and braise in oven until very tender, 3 hours. Serve ribs over polenta.
Basic Polenta
4 cups water
1 cup polenta
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Directions: In a medium saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil. Gradually add polenta, stirring constantly until thickened, about 20 minutes. Blend in the butter. Serve with short ribs.
Serves 4
Discover more great recipes in Colleen’s Kitchen
Purchase the 2006 Goosecross Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in our online store.
Aging the Wine “Sur Lie”
In this 2-minute video winemaker Geoff Gorsuch of Goosecross Cellars of the Napa Valley does a show and tell on why we age our Chardonnay “sur lie” and stir the lees weekly. Enjoy!
It’s Pruning Time in the Vineyard
A vineyard update from Goosecross, Napa Valley, Winemaker Geoff Gorsuch:
I always look forward to pruning season every year because it’s great quiet time out there, just me and the vines. We get a lot of questions this time of year because some vineyards in the valley are already completely pruned, others look quite wild and untamed and still others, like ours, are sort of half pruned. So, let’s talk about timing.
When: The big picture answer is any time from December through February – maybe even into early March. Once we’re sure the vines are dormant, we can start and it’s important to finish before the growing season begins again (bud-break), usually mid-March. Growers and wineries with lots of acreage will start as early as possible in order to get done on time. For the small grower, like Goosecross, there are a couple of reasons we like to prune at the last minute when we can.
One is to protect the vines from a fungus called eutypa die back (common name: “dead-arm disease”). During the rainy season, the spores are everywhere and will infect fresh pruning wounds. If we prune late, often the worst of the rain is behind us, plus the wounds develop resistance faster. But now, in the height of the rainy season our partially-pruned vines are still OK because eutypa moves so slowly. There’s no way it can travel all the way down these foot-long shoots to the cordon before March so the damaged plant material, if any, will be pruned off later.
The other reason to prune late is that it may delay the onset of bud-break, slightly, and spare us some of the lost sleep and expense of protecting the new growth from frost.
So, what about these half-pruned vines? In order to make quick work of our last-minute pruning, we get the worst of it done in advance. Last year’s shoots were a tangled mess, clinging to the trellis wires, so we got that cleaned up so we can finish the job quickly and easily later.
How: The vines need to be severely pruned, kind of like roses. From a wild tangle of shoots that are 3-5 feet long, I bring it down to what looks like almost nothing — just the vine skeleton.
Our vines are trained into what is called a bi-lateral cordon (two permanent arms) and we use what is called vertical shoot positioning (VSP), which means the shoots are trained up vertically, through the trellis wires. VSP maximizes light exposure to the leaves, which helps heighten fruitiness, and provides filtered light to the clusters.
I leave several small protrusions on the cordons, called spurs. The spurs contain the buds (growing points) for the next season’s shoots. The theory is that for each bud, I’ll get a new shoot in the spring. From each new shoot, I can expect about two clusters.
The problem is that the vines don’t read the textbook, and I’m bound to have some surprises. So, I’ll go through in April, to see what actually happened, and inevitably do some shoot thinning. If there are too many shoots and the canopy is dense, it blocks the light and increases mildew and mold problems. Plus the extra shoots produce excess clusters, which can compromise quality.
In late May, after flowering, I’ll make cluster counts to see if I need to do any thinning. There’s nothing I can do about too few, but if there are more clusters than I anticipated, the grapes may not ripen properly and could lack flavor intensity.
Every year is a new ballgame, but one thing we know for sure: Quantity and quality hardly ever go together, when it comes to wine, so careful winter pruning and thinning, later, during the growing season is critical to the quality of the vintage.
So, we’ve already done our “pre-pruning” and we’ll finish up in late February. Happy New Year!
The Mustard’s in Bloom!
Just look at the view from across the street 
Bellissimo, no?
So, what are those pretty yellow flowers in the vineyards all over Napa Valley? Why are they there?
Enjoy this two-minute Fun Fact!
What Puts the Sparkle in Sparkling Wine?
With New Year’s Eve rapidly approaching, you might wonder what puts 
the sparkle in sparkling wine? Enjoy this 2-minute Fun Fact!
Did you know that the pressure inside a bottle of Traditional Method sparkling wine has been compared to the tire pressure on a double-decker bus?? Typically about 5-6 atmospheres or 60-90 pounds per square inch. Open that bottle with care!
Dying to know more about sparkling wine? Check out Sparkling Wine 101! Read or Listen
All of us at Goosecross wish you a happy and healthy 2010!
Wine and Chocolate for The Holidays
Colleen Topper from Goosecross Cellars, Sherry Page from Culinary Getaways and Diane De Filipi from Let’s Go Cook Italian talk about chocolate-dipped wine which makes great Holiday and Valentine’s Day gifts.
Large Format Bottles
What’s a Jeroboam? Or a Methuselah? These crazy names seem to imply that you’re serving a wine of Biblical proportions! These big bottles are awfully festive this time of year. Once you pull the cork, you have to drink the whole thing, so better invite some friends when you pop one of these babies… Listen to our 2-minute Fun Fact on large format bottles. Cheers!
Delicious Pairings For The Holidays
Trying to decide what wines to serve for your holiday dinner? Colleen Topper, our proprietor here at Goosecross, Sherry Page of Culinary Getaways and Diane De Filipi of Let’s Go Cook Italian have some great ideas for you!
For recipes from Colleen, go to Colleen’s Kitchen at goosecross.com
For Sherry’s recipes, visit Culinary Getaways
For Diane’s recipes, just go to Let’s Go Cook Italian and send her an email request.
Bon appetit and happy holidays!
Wine Trivia du Jour
Well, at this time of year it seems appropriate to ask what the “angel’s share” refers to.
a) The dosage for sparkling wine
b) The topping wine
c) Wine spilled in transfer
d) Wine lost to evaporation
Hint: it makes the cellar smell great and accounts for up to 5% of loss per year. Lots of happy angels!
Whattaya think? Find out in our Wine Trivia Challenge! Go ahead, ACE it!
And, happiest of holidays to you!
