Travel,Wine and Cuisine by Christopher J Davies

Beef Short Ribs seasoned and marinating Once a month we conduct a panel tasting of wines for Vinotasting.com There are lots of partially opened wine bottles opened that we keep giving away to neighbors and friends. I decided to explore recipes and techniques for using this left over wine. If you are like most folks, you probably don't have a lot over unfinished wine bottles. So if you choose to make this dish, you will need to sacrifice a few bottles (3) of decent red to make the recipe. The following recipe is inspired by recipes that are published one of my favorite chefs Daniel Boulud. I added the overnight marinating of the meat before braising. After several attempts and tweaks I served this dish to our family on Christmas. Everyone is still raving about the meal! BEEF SHORT RIBS IN RED WINE Feeds 4-6 guests Step 1- Marinating the meat in wine 4lbs of Beef Short Ribs 5 cups of red wine 5 crushed garlic cloves 1 tbs salt 1 tsp pepper 1 tbs of Herbs de ...

Harvest America 2009 By Christopher J Davies Harvest is a vintner's celebration of the culmination of a year's hard work. It marks the transition period in the winemaking cycle from vineyard to cellar. In physical terms, it is the process of picking ripe grapes from the vine. This past week, Darcy and I had the pleasure of visiting the Napa Valley where Harvest is already in full swing. We were honored to attend the 43rd Blessing of The Grapes at The Robert Mondavi Winery. Margrit Mondavi and Director of Wine Making, Genevieve Janssens hosted the event for friends, employees and a handful of press. Monsignor John Brenkle of The St. Helena Catholic Church presided. Afterward we all enjoyed a delicious lunch overlooking the vines! Margrit Mondavi with grapes We stayed at the lovely Wine Country Inn , located in St.Helena. This place is awesome! We stayed in a private cottage overlooking a lush vineyard. Every afternoon they host a delicious wine tasting with tons of snacks. The s...

The Capital Grille's Exceptional Tuscan Wine and Food Feast By Christopher J. Davies Photos (C) The Capital Grille Darcy and I just had the pleasure of visiting the Capital Grille Restaurant in Denver's historic and trendy LoDo neighborhood. The restaurant is located in the heart of Larimer Square. While the Capital Grille has been on my short list for amazing steaks, seafood and service, this meal was a very special occasion as we were set to try the Capital Grille's five course, Italian-fare dinner, a promotion that goes on at all of the 35 Capital Grille's restaurants across the US, until April 5, 2009. The five-course dinner is offered at the recession buster price of $49 per person, which is definitely well-worth the cost! George Miliotes Best of all, the dinner offers an exclusive opportunity for diners at The Capital Grille to preview the premier vintage of Banfi Vintners 2005 BelnerO Sangiovese di Montalcino, a delicious Sangiovese made from unfiltered cuvée of...

Touring & Tasting Tips 1. PLAN BEFORE YOU GO . Many of the world's famed wine regions contain dozens of wineries, from vast multi-national conglomerates to virtual garage operations. Most are clustered as tightly as old vine Zinfandel grapes along the main artery, though several sprout on scenic, corkscrewing country roads. Traffic, especially during harvest (autumn, or spring in the Southern Hemisphere) and summer, can be heavy. To maximize your time, avoid mid- and late-afternoon visits, especially on weekends. Winery staffers are usually more attentive weekdays, and you might even luck into meeting the winemaker at smaller operations. Allot at least one hour for a full-scale tour and tasting and factor in travel time between wineries. Complex ordinances require some establishments to open by appointment only (a few, such as Bordea...

OK. If you passed Wine 101 and know the basics of wine tasting, holding your glass by the stem, swishing, swirling and spitting occasionally...it's now time to get the best taste out of every glass of wine. You simply need to serve your wine at the proper temperature. If you serve Chardonnay straight out of the frig, it is way to cold. If you live in Phoenix and serve your Cabernet Sauvignon at room temperature your wine is too warm. If you have a basement, that may be the coolest place to store your wines. If your budget permits, you should look into purchasing a wine refrigerator. We purchased a Haier 42 Bottle unit at Lowes for $249. It has really done wonders for our wines. The unit has two basic temperature settings Red or White. I suggest that you set yours to Red. You can still obtain great control for your white wines if you store them on the bottom shelves.(Remember heat rises!) If a wine refrigerator is not in your current budget, you may consider purchasing a wine therm...