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Estate Cabernet and Short Ribs With Coffee Cocoa Sauce
January 6, 2011 by Colleen
Filed under Blog, Wine & Recipe of The Month
Happy New Year! All of us at Goosecross wish you a happy and healthy 2011!
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 2007 Goosecross Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in our online store.
How to Pair Cheese with Wine
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fun Fact by Nancy Hawks Miller, Goosecross: Cheese Pairings
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Goosecross Cellars.
Viognier and Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Pear-Ginger Salsa
May 1, 2010 by David
Filed under Blog, Wine & Recipe of The Month
How about something just slightly exotic for Mother’s Day this year? That’s our Napa Valley Viognier with its heady stone fruit, floral and spice aroma. And, this oh so easy to prepare entrée, with a slight Asian accent, offers a beautiful yin and yan of sweet and savory flavors as the perfect complement. Toss together a crisp, green salad with citrus vinaigrette, fire up the grill and a delicious lunch or dinner for Mom is ready in a matter of minutes.
Ingredients
2 pounds Mahi Mahi
1 tablespoon stir fry oil
Salt & white pepper to taste
2 firm Bartlett pears, diced
1 firm peach, diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled & grated
2 teaspoons red onion, minced
2 teaspoons mint, chopped
Directions
Prepare BBQ to medium-high heat. Wash fish, pat dry, and gently rub with oil. Sprinkle with
salt and white pepper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine pears, peach, lime juice, ginger, onion, and mint. Season to
taste with salt. Set aside.
Grill fish until just cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer fish to
plates. Spoon salsa over fish and serve immediately.
Serves 4
Discover more great recipes in Colleen’s Kitchen
Purchase the 2008 Goosecross Viognier in our online shop
2007 Yountville Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
March 22, 2010 by David
Filed under Blog, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
New release: What a vintage! As Geoff, our Winemaker, says “On a year like this, the best thing for me to do is try to stay out of the way and let the fruit do the talking.”
A spring, summer and fall of warm, sunny days and cool, foggy nights adds up to ripe, luscious fruit flavors, impeccable balance and unmistakable Cabernet character spilling out of the glass. Our staff tasting yielded this consensus: “Very berry!” Our 2007 Estate Cabernet is loaded with boysenberry, raspberry and black cherry with a nice touch of cocoa, toasty oak and spice.
Cabernet Sauvignon and food: The deep flavors of slow-cooked dishes like osso-buco or short ribs are wonderful partners for the complexity of the Cabernet. Or, try it with juicy, grilled lamb or Portobello mushrooms. Of course, there’s nothing like the Cab with a good steak. From our recipe collection we recommend the easy to make and delicious Colleen’s Flank Steak With Cabernet.
Estate Chardonnay and Chicken with Meyer Lemon, Fennel & Olives with Gremolata
March 15, 2010 by David
Filed under Blog, Wine & Recipe of The Month
As the days get warmer and longer it makes a nice change to enjoy some lighter fare. Colleen’s new recipe brings together a delicious melange of your favorite flavors – the zesty lemon makes a great counterpoint to the rich, buttery olives. Add in some garlic, licorice-like fennel and woodsy rosemary and you have a real treat! It makes a beautiful presentation when company’s coming, but it’s low-impact enough for a Tuesday night, too. Just a quick marinade and sauté and the oven does the rest. With a glass of our crisp, fruit-driven Estate Chardonnay, any day becomes an occasion. Cheers!
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
3 Meyer lemons, seeded, cut into wedges
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large fennel bulb, 2 T. fronds reserved
1/4 cup parsley, minced
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup green olives
1 cup Goosecross Chardonnay
1/2 cup chicken broth
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash the chicken and pat dry. In a bowl, toss the lemon wedges, salt, garlic, rosemary, and pepper, then add the chicken and toss again. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, trim the fennel bulb and reserve 2 tablespoons fronds. Cut the fennel into 1” wedges and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in an oval skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade, and sauté until nicely browned. Add the fennel wedges, lemons with their juices, olives, wine, and broth.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest up to 10 minutes.
Make the gremolata: Mince the fennel fronds and toss them with the minced parsley and lemon zest. Garnish with chicken with the gremolata and serve immediately.
Serves 4
Discover more great recipes in Colleen’s Kitchen
Purchase the 2007 Goosecross Estate Chardonnay in our online store.
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!
Pairing Wine With Sweets
They’re everywhere, aren’t they? Christmas cookies, plates of fudge, so many temptations…
How do you pair wine with those goodies? Enjoy this 2-minute Fun Fact!
And hide your scale until after New Year’s 
Happy Holidays from all of us at Goosecross!
2006 ÆROS® Napa Valley Meritage
October 20, 2009 by David
Filed under AEROS, Blog, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
For those who demand the very best – that’s ÆROS. This vintage marks the 11th ÆROS® release in our 24th 
year history, so you know we’ve reached to the sky when those wings go on the bottle.
ÆROS isn’t a single wine, but a series of limited-production wines made only in the exceptional vintages that yeild the elusive ÆROS quality, character and style.
The 2006 vintage is a remarkably hedonistic blend of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It’s a mouthfilling symphony of black cherry, wild strawberry, ripe plum, dusty mocha with a hint of tobacco and supple, polished tannins. Just delicious. Only 284 cases produced.
ÆROS Meritage and food: Opening the bottle creates an occasion in itself, but the ÆROS also makes the perfect centerpiece for a celebratory meal of rack of lamb or filet mignon. It’s a decadent partner for chocolate torte or dark chocolate souffle cake. Try it with this special recipe Colleen has created especially for the 2006 ÆROS: Duck Breast with Black Mission Fig Sauce.
Just Released! 2008 Goosecross Viognier
Viognier may be shy bearing and difficult to press but the payoff is gorgeous stone fruit and flowers! We’re talking fresh peach, nectarine, honeysuckle, grapefruit and something slightly tropical like pineapple – absolutely delicious!
Viognier and food: Bone dry, with all the body and weight of a Chardonnay, it makes an exotic alternative to it. It’s our first choice as a match for sushi night here at the winery! It’s something different to serve at your next wine and cheese party. Or, think about pairing it with sweet proteins like scallops or ham, especially if you use fruit in the preparation. Colleen loves to serve the Viognier with her recipe for Butternut Squash Ravioli with Browned Sage Butter. Yum!
New Recipe: Coq au Vin!
Mmmm… with smoked applewood bacon, mushrooms, shallots, fresh herbs, lots of wine… Just thinking about the Coq au Vin makes me ravenous!
Yes, it’s comfort-food time as the days get shorter and shorter and the nights colder and colder. And, Colleen has come up with her own special take on a classic – the perfect hunker-down, satisfying dish to warm you from the inside. And it’s an incredible match for our newly released 2006 Cabernet Franc (sorry – only 575 cases, so it’s for Wine Club only). I’m going to go out on a limb, here, and suggest that it’s probably going to be pretty-darned tasty with the earthy flavors of our Syrah or Merlot, too!
In any case, any time you want something truly delectable and a recipe that’s been tested and re-tested go to Colleen’s Kitchen. Of course, they’re all paired with wine! Bon appetit!
