Celebrating a WINEderful July 4th

Here’s to an intimate July 4th celebration filled with a few family members and possibly a few friends, coupled with great food and great wine!

Starting with Great Food

I recently discovered Steven’s Wine and Food Blog that features an amazing recipe for smoked trout dip that they recommend serving with Sparkling Wine. YUM!!!

Here is the recipe.

• 1 cup mayonnaise, preferably organic
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 lb. boneless smoked trout fillets, broken up into large flakes (2-1/2 cups)
• Freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons minced sweet onion
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon capers—rinsed, drained and minced
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Thick-cut potato chips, for serving

Instructions

1. In a food processor, combine the mayonnaise with the vinegar, water, mustard, garlic and ½ cup of the flaked trout and puree until smooth. Scrape the puree into a medium bowl and fold in the remaining 2 cups of trout. Lightly season the dip with black pepper. Recipe makes approx. 3-1/2 cups of dip; if that’s more than you need, the recipe can easily be cut in half.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients except the pepper and potato chips. Season the vinaigrette with pepper.

1. Mound the dip in a bowl. Create a cavity in the center of the mound, and spoon some of the vinaigrette into the cavity. Serve with thick-cut or wavy potato chips, periodically adding some of the remaining vinaigrette to the bowl as needed.

1. The dip and vinaigrette can be refrigerated separately overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Adding Great Sparkling to Your Great Food

Let’s start with our le Cadeau Semi-Seco Sparkling Wine. This beautiful Blanc de Blanc has aromas of green apple, pear and flowers, with hints of orange and lemon zest. The flavors are lightly fruity and very pleasant. With a good, strong acidity, this off -dry medium-bodied wine provides substance on the palate.

Adding Whites to the Mix

I can’t get enough of our Dusk Firefly, which is a delightful blend of 45% Malvasia, 25% Chenin Blanc, 25% French Colombard and 5% Chardonnay. The wine displays a rich citrus nose with notes of orange, mandarin, lychee and guava. The attack is crisp yet smooth with more citrus characters coming forward. Firefly has medium intensity in the mid-palate and a very juicy finish.

If you’re a sweet wine lover, you need to try our Cloud Number Nine blend of 40% French Colombard, 35% Symphony and 25% Chenin Blanc grapes from Lodi and Monterey. This wine’s nose is seductive and aromatic, with aromas of apple, pear and grape jelly. There is a candy-like quality and some spicy notes toward the end. The attack has a good kick of sweetness and acidity combined. This is a sweet wine with a long finish, balanced with some minerality.

Adding Reds to Top off Your July 4th Celebration

Our Sun Fish Petite Sirah is so good that it was awarded 90 points by Wine Enthusiast. This is a young, powerful wine offering a very dark color in the glass, signaling its richness. In the nose, there is an abundance of fresh, intense dark fruit, like blackberry, black cherry or black currant. Later, smoky and balsamic characters present themselves. There is a good amount of intensity in the attack from this dry, red wine. In the mid-palate, some smoky, almost meaty tones develop. Oak tannins anchor the structure all the way to the finish.

For a red wine that’s a little lighter and a bit sweeter, please check out our Royal Mama California Queenie’s Blend, which is a beautiful blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah and 5% Petit Verdot that offers raspberry, strawberry and blackberry aromas in the attack.

If you’d like to place an order, clicking on one of the wine links above will get you started!

Cheers to a WINEderful July 4th!