The Wining Woman

This is going to be a fun, tasty and enlightening event for all wine lovers! On Saturday March 20th from 1-3PM the NJ Chapter of Women for Winesense is hosting this special wine tasting event at Joe Canal’s in Iselin, NJ. There will be about 10 different wines that will be tasted in a guided classroom style setting. And, there will be light refreshments as well. There is limited space for this event and registration is required. Go to the Women for Winesense website at www.womenforwinesense.org .. see the event on the calendar.. Mar 20th.. and click there to register. Price is $15 for members and $25 for non-members. Women for Winesense is open to men as well as women so join today.

Cheers,

The Wining Woman

Please vote for our blog daily

Zita Keeley’s Wine School now in sesssion

Returning from a holiday is always tough but having wine events to attend     right away definitely eases the pain. First, our NJ Chapter of  Women for Winesense hosted an event in honor of Presidents Week. There was a tasting of some of the wines served at the White House or at Presidential events. It was a fun tasting and I will post about this in greater detail another time.
This time I want to write about the excellent wine lunch I attended at Marea restaurant in NYC.
Hosted by Pasternak Wine Imports, this lunch featured the wines of Guy Saget, premier wine maker of the Loire Valley. Wine maker, Phillipe Reculet and producer, Arnaud Saget provided some beautiful wines and good stories. The Sagets have been wine growers in the Pouilly region for 9 generations. They have been purchasing property in other areas of the Loire and now have 4 wine makers with properties in Pouilly, Sancerre, Touraine and Anjou.
We were first presented with a brand new offering the La Petite Perriere Sauvignon Blanc 2008. This is a much more fruity and fresh Sauvignon Blanc closer in style to a New World wine. I enjoyed how refreshing it was with good acidity and no overpowering elements. This is a wine for today’s market at a price of $9.99!!
We then sat down for our meal. I was told that the Chef chose the dishes to pair with the wines that were being presented. He did a fantastic job. Here is the menu:

PRIMI

TARTARE -yellowfin tuna, grilled endive, candied olives, sorrel
or:
GRANCHIO – blue crab, granny smith apple, fennel agrodolce
Wine: Les Clissages d’Or Muscadet 2008

SECONDI

BRANZINO- seared striped bass, walnut agrodulce, cauliflower, pickled grapes, treviso
or:
POLLETTO – roasted baby chicken, brown butter cabbage, black trumpet mushroom
Wine: Domaine de La Perriere Sancerre 2008

DOLCE

TORTA DI FORMAGGIO – coconut cheesecake, passion fruit sherbert, coconut foam
or:
PANNA COTTA – meyer lemon panna cotta, huckleberry sorbet, citrus granola
Wine: Le Domaine Saget Pouilly Fume 2008

I chose the blue crab for my first course excited to see how the Muscadet would pair with it. This Muscadet was a clear, straw color with some light fruity characteristics. We were told that after fermentation this wine stays on its lees until its bottling time and so gives it its slight effervescence. This makes the wine very refreshing. It held up well with the crab dish with its good acidity and minerality. I was able to try this with the tuna dish as well and it also was a good match. Price $15.99.
For my entree I chose the fish – I love Branzino and thought this would be a wonderful pairing with the Sancerre. The wine was bright with fruity aromas. Again, good acidity that makes this wine refreshing on its own but a perfect accompaniment to food. This is one of the producers signature wines and we were told the 2002 vintage is still developing and a wine to hold. If you have a chance to try this wine I highly recommend it. Price $24.99.
My final course was the panna cotta and that was divine on its own. Incredible textures between the granola and the pudding.  I still had some Pouilly Fume to drink. (it’s a tough life!) This wine also was refreshing and well-balanced with some intense flowery notes as well. Price $29.00
While I know that French wine has had a bad reputation over here in the USA with pricing being one of the main issues,  these wines are definitely worth seeking out. They will all be available nationwide in the next month.
Cheers,

The Wining Woman
PLEASE VOTE FOR OUR BLOG

Zita Keeley’s Wine School starting March 1st, 2010

I love Tawny Port! It’s probably because I love nuts and the more aged the Tawny, the more those nutty flavors. For my birthday, I received a bottle of Borges Roncao 20 year Tawny. That was 1 month ago and the Port.. well, it’s GONE!  Light in color, this wine was definitely not light in flavor. There was intense dried fruit characteristics with nice honey like overtones and that nuttiness I mentioned. The sweetness was balanced and the wine had a full and smooth finish that lingered for quite some time. I realize now that the age does matter on a Tawny and while a 20 year old costs more than the younger Tawnys, they are worth it. Seek out this wine and see what you think. Cost approx: $55
Cheers,
The Wining Woman

Please continue to vote for our blog

Zita Keeley’s Wine School – March 1, 2010 – REGISTER NOW

I am looking for volunteers for my upcoming television pilot ..yes.. about  wine! Filming will be for one day the last week of January or first week of February (in New Jersey!) If you are interested or know someone who is.. please email me at info@allidoiswine.com.

Thank you,

Cheers.

The Wining Woman

PLEASE VOTE FOR OUR BLOG DAILY

Zita Keeley’s Wine School now at the Melting Pot – Hoboken

Not sure if that’s actually a word but the Sebeka 2007 Shiraz-Pinotage that my husband and I shared last night with our Christmas eve meal was full of deliciousness! A ton of dark fruit and chocolate on the nose with an almost tingly, peppery quality on the tongue and a full and satisfying finish. We actually drank this wine with the entire meal and after.. that consisted of cauliflower soup with shrimp followed by roast beef with sauteed kale and smashed garlic potatoes. The wine didn’t fade or overpower with any of the dishes and continued to be enjoyed after the food was gone. We have decided to return to the store where we bought this wine and stock up. For those of you not familiar with Pinotage, it is a grape that is particular to South Africa and generally has a very intense smokiness. Blended with the Shiraz was a real treat.
Cheers,
The Wining Woman

PLEASE VOTE FOR OUR BLOG DAILY

Zita Keeley’s Wine School

I am not a big Zinfandel lover but lastnight wanted to have a big wine to share with my husband who was devouring a big T-bone steak! Being in a restaurant, I didn’t want to spend a lot either so decided on the seemingly reasonably priced Zin 91 Old Vine Zinfandel 2006- California.

Old Vines are known for creating big and fruity wines and this was no exception. The color is dark and plum like with an intense nose of plum that carried through to the palate. Good spice and pepper on the palate too with surprisingly good balance.
There’s a great story behind this wine that is represented by the bottle’s label. Showing a man with a lightbulb above his head it seems this represents the original winemaker, Hubert Opici, who on his 91st birthday was remembering how great the Zinfandels were when  he started making wine way back when and the best were from these old Zinfandel vines that were planted in 1891. That was his “aha” moment, when the light bulb went off and he decided to make those wonderful wines again.
For me, this is a terrific and economical Zinfandel choice. While we paid $29 at the restaurant it is available in shops for around $14.00. Enjoy.

Cheers,
The Wining Woman

PLEASE VOTE FOR OUR BLOG DAILY

Zita Keeley’s Wine School – March 2010 classes

Tomorrow is the day.. Families get together after a long time apart.. alot of food and wine is shared.. and usually, there are some great stories that take place. I am in Florida doing the cooking and choosing the wine for just a small group of 4! That’s a nice number although I would be happier if my son would be with me.
I have the menu planned and the wines chosen and look forward to a really relaxing day followed by a day on the beach after that. That’s my idea of a holiday.
Now if you are still unsure about the wine to serve with your Thanksgiving meal you really can’t go wrong with a Dry Riesling for the white wine lovers and a good Red Burgundy or other Pinot Noir for all others! Whatever you choose, relax and enjoy … and be safe.
Cheers,
The Wining Woman

PLEASE CONTINUE TO VOTE DAILY FOR OUR BLOG!

Watch Time to Wine with Zita Keeley

The 3rd Thursday of November is the release date of Beaujolais Nouveau, the fresh and fruity wine made from the Gamay grape. It is never a wine that is around for long but always arrives with a big bang All around the world there are release parties, tastings, dinners and anything to celebrate  this easy drinking wine. My favorite celebratory story this year took place in Japan. There they are not only drinking it but bathing in it! A few bottles are poured into the open air hot springs at the Hakone Kowakein Yonnesun spa resort in Hakone, Japan while the bathers sip a glass or two. Sounds like a good time to me. I wonder what it does for their skin.
Cheers,
The Wining Woman
PLEASE CONTINUE TO VOTE FOR OUR BLOG DAILY

Watch Time to Wine with Zita Keeley

Sparrow Wine is Hoboken’s main wine retailer and I have yet to attend one of their annual grand tastings. Well, tonight is it. Our New Jersey Chapter of Women for Winesense will have a table there. Our intention is to get more members!! We have a great organization. It’s a national non-profit group that was started to help promote the positive aspects of wine. I founded the NJ Chapter in October 2005 and we have had some fantastic and interesting wine events over these past few years.
If you have already bought your ticket to the event.. please make sure to stop by and visit. If you can’t make the event have a look at www.womenforwinesense.org and see what we’re all about.
Cheers,
The Wining Woman
PLEASE CONTINUE TO VOTE FOR OUR BLOG DAILY.. THANKS

Watch Time to Wine with Zita Keeley

We had a small dinner party lastnight.. 2 couples over for some home made Lasagna and other nibbles. Being an Italian night.. we started with our usual favorite aperetif prosecco, this time, the Riondo. Nice, light and peachy it’s a real crowd pleaser. We had a bottle of De Forville Langhe 2007 Nebbiolo that my husband decanted waiting for us at the table. But, our friend’s boyfriend brought a bottle of his favorite Pinot Noir from California that shared his name “Ryan” that we decided to have first.  We drank and he was disappointed. Something about this wine was just not complete. While the nose screamed Pinot the taste on the palate was actually sharp and just faded away. Never mind, we had the Nebbiolo to look forward to. And, so we sat down and poured that for everyone. Hmmm.. we wondered what was going on with that wine. It smelled a bit funky and manure like (not wonderful smells for a wine in my book) but, interestingly, none of those aromas came through on the palate. Instead, the wine seemed thin and grass like. Again, a wine that missed its mark but we carried on drinking. My husband quickly gave our guests one of our latest and favorite Pinot Noirs from the Anderson Valley – the Londer 2006. A quick remedy to the off wine situation we were having. Well, once that was finished we returned to our Italian theme with the Masut da Rive 2004 Merlot. Big and bold this wine needed the food. I actually loved it with the meatiness of the lasagna. Without it, again, the wine seemed unbalanced and rough. We finished off with a truly nice Masselino Moscato d’Asti, a wine I knew our guests would enjoy and they did.

In the end, we finished with some limoncello.. always a nice ending to an Italian feast.
Cheers,
The Wining Woman
PLEASE CONTINUE TO VOTE FOR OUR BLOG DAILY

Watch Time to Wine with Zita Keeley