Monthly Archives: February 2008

Clif Family Winery

  By admin | February 28, 2008 - 1:55 pm | Food & Wine
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  • One of the newest wineries to make a splash is the Clif Family Winery. If that name sounds familiar, you’re not alone. A lot of you are probably familiar with Clif Bars, which are wonderful energy bars that I highly recommend if you haven’t tried them before. Carrot Cake is my personal favorite. Or their other popular brand Luna Bars, which I love too. Their breakfast bars are great.

Well Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, the owners of Cliff Bar & Co. decided that their passion for “food, family, and adventure” also included wine! Currently they have five different wines:

  • The Climber White Wine Blend
  • The Climber North Coast Red Wine
  • Kit’s Killer Cab – Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Gary’s Improv – Napa Valley Meritage
  • Napa Valley Syrah

Clif Family Winery’s winemaker is Sarah Gott, who joined the team in early 2007. She has a fantastic resume, graduating from UC Davis with a degree in Viticulture and Enology, and interning at Joseph Phelps Vineyards where she eventually moved up the ranks to winemaker. She spends her time consulting for various wineries in the Napa Valley, as well as building Joel Gott Wines with her husband. The fruit for the wines is currently sourced from some of the best vineyards in the Napa Valley and North Coast appellations, and they actively seek out growers that have a commitment to sustainable farming and caring for the environment.

Take a look at their store, http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=clifbar&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=485607326&Count2=402747750. They also have olive oil that looks pretty great too. You can also find their wines at some Whole Foods Markets around the country.

Vino Italiano

  By admin | February 25, 2008 - 1:52 pm | Everything Else
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The first meeting of the Wine Book Club presented the assignment of reading and reviewing the book Vino Italiano by Joseph Bastianich & David Lynch. I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t get all the way through this massive 500+ page book. I never got drawn in to the book. While it has an incredible amount of information packed into it, it isn’t exactly an exciting read. It came off to me as more of a reference book than anything.

It does have a great layout. It starts out by giving the reader an overview of the history of Italian wines. Everything from regions, to grapes, to how to read an Italian wine label. The second part of the book goes over each region in depth. Each section includes “quick facts”, suggested wines from the area, where to taste when you’re there, and a recipe to pair with wine of the area from Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich.

The large amount of information in this book is actually kind of overwhelming. I learned loads about areas that I didn’t know a thing about before picking up the book, but with so much to take in I’m not sure everything will stay in my mind. I really would love to just have this book around the house as a reference though. For instance I would have liked to look up the Friuli-Venezia Guilia region prior to the recent Wine Blogging Wednesday where it was featured. Had I read that beforehand, I think I may have chosen my wines differently.

The “Wine Rack”

  By admin | February 22, 2008 - 1:50 pm | Everything Else, Food & Wine, Tech & Gadgets
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A friend of mine sent me this link tonight, and I couldn’t help but share it with you guys…..it’s just that great.The Wine Rack is a sports bra that contains a “hooter-enhancing” polyurethane bladder that can hold an entire bottle of wine! Not to mention increasing your cup size by two full cups! It comes with a drinking tube and an “easy to use” on/off valve.

Pine Creek Wine & Spirits Tasting

  By admin | February 13, 2008 - 1:46 pm | Reviews
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Last Friday I made it to the last half of a tasting put on by Pine Creek Wine & Spirits. It wasn’t a large tasting, but there were several bottles there that I hadn’t tried before, so definitely worthwhile. The even took place at the Hilton Garden Inn in northern Colorado Springs, and was free to attend.

Here is a list of the wines tasted, along with my notes on them (prices according to Pine Creek Wine & Spirits).

  • E All’Omo Vino IGT - 100% Sangiovese, $17.99 – okay, but not impressive
  • Innominato IGT -Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot $11.99 – rather weak overall
  • Seppelt Tawny Port – $10.49 – fantastic tawny port, rich and caramel flavored
  • Duo Cab Merlot Blend - $12.49 – smooth, but not very bold
  • Hayment & Hill Zin - $11.99 – I didn’t get to try this one, but the person I was with loved it
  • Red Guitar Rose - $10.99 – a very weak rose
  • Tangent Pinot Blanc - $14.99 – slightly too acidic for my tastes
  • Baileyana Pinot Noir - $27.99 – nice, bold
  • And I’ve tried these three before and always enjoy them Menage a Trois Red Blend, Menage a Trois White Blend, and Menage a Trois Rose