A decadent pairing: Moussaka and 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel

One of my favorite cookbooks is the classic (and sadly now out of print) Mediterranean Cooking by Paula Wolfert. There are probably a dozen recipes in it that we’ve made multiple times, and one of them has become a family favorite that we return to at least a few times each year. The original page is marked up with a half-dozen annotations and additions, and the book, binding long gone, opens to it as soon as you set it down on the counter. That recipe is the Greek classic moussaka. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's the ultimate in comfort food. There's a layer of sautéed potatoes at the bottom. On top of that is a rich lamb-based meat sauce with warm spices. Above that is slices of broiled eggplant. And on top is a layer of creamy béchamel sauce. There are, of course, many variations of this ancient dish. In fact, Wolfert herself suggests a variation where the top layer is a yogurt sauce rather than béchamel. But as with any recipe that you make enough, we feel like it's become, over the years, ours.

With Eli, our 19-year-old, home from college for the summer, we've been cycling through some of our favorite family recipes, and last week made moussaka. It was glorious, as it always is, and we decided to up the ante on the unapologetically luxurious dish by pairing it with perhaps the most hedonistic wine we've ever made at Tablas Creek, the 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel. From a warm, low-yielding year, it's always been a wine built to impress. There's a sweetness to the fruit (though it's a dry wine) that's both a reflection of that year and of that era of our winemaking, when we were leaning a little more into lushness. It received some of the highest scores we've ever gotten, including a 95-97 point rating from Robert Parker that resulted in us selling out about six months before we expected, and our highest-ever placement (#33) in the Wine Spectator's year-end Top 100.

The wine has aged beautifully, adding lovely meaty, leathery, truffly notes to the currant and sweet spice flavors that it carried from the beginning. The sweeter elements to the wine suggested it might be a good pairing for the moussaka, which includes cinnamon and allspice, as well as the sweetness from three cups of sautéed onions and a cup of tomato puree. And it was glorious:

There are times where you stumble unexpectedly on the perfect wine for a given meal. Those experiences are wonderful. But there are also times where you think a wine will be great for a particular dish, and it is. Those experiences are in some ways even more satisfying. This was one of those cases. I'll share the recipe, as we've evolved to make it, below. It's a fair amount of work, though it can be done in advance and so can be great for a gathering. But there's nothing technically difficult about it, and the rewards are amazing. If you make it and can try it with a bottle of Esprit from the late 2000s, I can promise you it will be mind-bendingly good. But even if you don't have that exact pairing, go ahead and try it. There's a reason why lamb and Mourvedre is such a classic pairing. They're just magical together.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants (about 2 lbs)
• Salt
• Olive oil
• 3 cups minced onions
• 2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 2 lbs. ground lamb
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 5 medium potatoes, about 2 lbs. Red-skinned are ideal, but it's not fussy.
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) butter
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 6 tbsp. flour
• ground nutmeg

Note that all four of the layers can be prepared simultaneously, though if this is your first time, my recommendation is that you not try to do anything else while making the béchamel.

For the eggplant layer:

• Peel eggplants and slice into half-inch rounds
• Soak those eggplant slices in salted water for a half-hour
• Preheat a broiler
• Squeeze extra water out of the eggplants, then pat dry with paper towels 
• Lightly oil a large baking sheet, lay out the eggplant rounds on the sheet in a single layer, and brush with more olive oil
• Broil until lightly brown, then flip and broil the other side until lightly browned
• Allow to cool

For the meat layer:

• In a large Dutch oven or other enameled pot, heat 6 tbsp. of olive oil on low heat
• Add the onions and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, about 10 minutes
• Turn heat to medium and add the lamb and cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until browned
• Stir in the spices, tomato puree, water, parsley, and salt to taste, and bring to a simmer
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until you get a thick sauce, about 30 minutes.

For the potato layer:

• Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/8-inch rounds
• Heat 3 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and add the potato slices
• Cook, turning and separating so that the slices brown evenly but nothing burns, about 10 minutes
• Sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool 

For the béchamel layer:

• Heat milk either on the stove or in a large microwave-safe measuring cup until hot
• In a medium Dutch oven or cast iron pot over low heat, melt 6 tbsp. butter 
• Whisk in flour and cook, whisking continuously 2-3 minutes until it just starts to turn golden and smells nutty
• Whisk in heated milk and cook, whisking very regularly, for about 10 minutes or until it achieves the consistency of a thick cream soup
• Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of nutmeg

To assemble the moussaka:

• Butter the bottom and sides of a 10" x 14" x 2" Pyrex or ceramic baking dish
• Cover the bottom of the baking dish with an overlapping later of potatoes
• Pour the meat sauce over the potato layer and spread evenly
• Top the meat layer with a layer of eggplant
• Pour the béchamel over the eggplant and smooth with a spatula
• Dot the top of the béchamel with the remaining tbsp. of butter

At this point, you can cover the dish with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or you can cook it. When you're ready to cook:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F
• Bake until the béchamel is golden brown and the whole thing is bubbling, about 40 minutes if assembled warm or 50 minutes if refrigerated
• Remove from the oven, let settle 5 minutes, then slice into squares and serve

A Guide to Making One-Minute Social Media-Friendly Cooking Videos for Wineries

By Nadia Nouri

I’ve always been passionate about demystifying the world of wine, especially for my fellow Gen Z friends who aren’t exactly sure where to start. One of the most commonly asked questions in our tasting room (especially for some of our more obscure varieties) is, “What food would you recommend pairing with this wine?” With cooking videos having taken over the internet, it seemed like a no-brainer to film and post the recipes we already have on our website so we can share how our wines can easily be paired with familiar dishes. While filming and cutting down a 20- to 40-minute recipe into a 1-minute video isn’t an easy feat, it’s well worth being able to share different ways of enjoying our wine – and we think more wineries should do the same. The benefits of creating cooking videos include:

Reach. Our average reach on Instagram is roughly doubled for recipe reels, compared to the average reach of our other reels. That reach allows us to connect with those who may not have otherwise discovered our wines. And this makes sense; short-form video has taken over the social media space, boosted by Instagram's algorithm and the natural appeal of video. Because, let’s be real, a photo of a bowl of soup can only have so much appeal — it’s got to be able to stop you mid-scroll. 

Durability. Not only do more people see our videos the first time they appear in their feeds, but our recipe videos get 8x more saves on average than our other videos, meaning people will come back to those particular videos, and may use them as jumping off points for more of our content. Plus, a one-minute video with actual process of how simple it can be to achieve a delicious wine pairing is shareable content for Tablas Creek fans and foodies alike. 

Approachability. These videos allow us to showcase our wines in a more approachable and accessible way. By pairing each wine with a recipe that customers can easily make at home, we can break down the perception that wine pairing is out of reach unless you're already a sophisticated wine drinker. Easy-to-follow recipes that have been bundled up into a short video are also a fantastic introduction to wine. Our goal is to create videos that are both informative and entertaining, making it easy for anyone to feel comfortable experimenting with wine and food pairings. 

If you haven't seen them on our feed, here's a recent video, pairing our Dianthus Rosé with a Spanish omelette:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tablas Creek Vineyard (@tablascreek)

A step-by-step guide to making cooking videos:

What You Need:

1. Phone: videos on social media do not necessarily need to be high production, so any camera works!
2. Tripod: having a steady picture will make a difference in the final product. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but it is definitely worth investing in a tripod to have your hands free while cooking.
3. Good lighting: Whether you’re using artificial lighting or natural light, it’s important that the videos are bright.
4. Editing software: I use CapCut for editing all my videos, but use whatever platform you like and feel comfortable with.

How To Film And Edit A Cooking Video:

1. Plan out your shots: The less you have to move your tripod around the better. Be prepared for every step in the recipe; think about transitions, close ups, what parts of the recipe are going to be the most appetizing or satisfying to watch.
2. Film each part of the cooking process: If you have to chop up 4 carrots, you don’t need to film chopping every single one, but capture at least one of them. This will give you more choices of clips to choose from when editing. While it might seem daunting to film every single step, it will make the recipe easier to follow if each step is shown, even if for just 1 second.
3. Film the finished product: Plate it, add garnishes, pour wine, and really set the scene.
4. Take pictures: Having photos for a cover shot helps keep your feed looking consistent and clean.
5. Import all clips into your editor: From here you can begin trimming down clips to find the best content to use for the final video.
6. Add background music: Find sounds that are trending on Instagram or TikTok to add to the background of the video to give some interest. I like to import the sound into the editor so I can sync the clips to go along with the rhythm of the music. CapCut’s editor allows you to directly link your TikTok account to find trending sounds or saved sounds.
7. Export and Share: Export the video at a quality that your chosen platform suggests. Then it is finally time to share your recipe with the world!

 

After making a dozen or so cooking videos, here are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way:

1. Source recipes you know will pair well with your wine: We have a variety of recipes - some from renowned chefs, and others from the Tablas Creek cru. With the recipes that are on our website, we already know they’re tried and true, but we have tried new recipes with some of our wines before that didn’t work out. So be sure to test them!
2. Ensure you have enough storage on your phone: While this might seem like a no-brainer, when your phone is full of Tablas Creek sheep content like mine, you might have to take a moment to clear out your camera roll before being able to film. 
3. Take your time: Not only does the recipe have to taste good, but it has to look good for the camera. The recipe should be visually appealing, so be sure to keep that in mind during filming.
4. Tell a story: The video should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. By the end of the video it should feel complete, not like something is missing.
5. Keep it short and sweet: I like to keep our videos fast-paced and under a minute, which can be time-consuming in the editing process, but is well worth it.

Happy cooking! 

Petit Manseng and Pavlova: A Perfect Pairing

[Editor’s Note: We would like to introduce Nadia Nouri to the Tablas Creek blog audience. Nadia joined the Tablas Creek team fresh off her graduation from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this May as our first-ever Marketing Intern. Her natural understanding of marketing's importance to a business, love of wine, and creative abilities convinced our team to create a position for her at the end of her internship. You can expect to see more of her contributions in the coming months.]

By Nadia Nouri

As soon as October hits, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas can’t come any sooner, and I am ready to get into the holiday spirit. What comes to mind when I think of the holidays is good food, good wine, and good company. I’m always looking for inspiration for food and wine pairings.

I come from a multicultural family where my father was born and raised in Tunisia, and my mother grew up in New Zealand. Both of their cultures heavily influenced many of the dishes I grew up eating. So when I tried the newly released 2019 Petit Manseng, one of the dishes that my mother never fails to make around the holidays came to mind: pavlova. Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert, with the addition of cornstarch to give it a crisp, light texture on the outside, while being soft and fluffy on the inside. I have always been told by my Kiwi family that it is a dessert that originated in New Zealand, but the history of pavlova (or “pav”) is a muddled one. Australians claim that they invented it, while New Zealanders disagree. To put the debate to rest, Oxford English Dictionary ruled that it originated in New Zealand — I’ll take that as a win for the Kiwis!

Pavlova is traditionally topped with fresh seasonal fruit, making it the perfect pairing with sweeter wines. Petit Manseng, a rare non-Rhone variety grown on our estate at Tablas Creek, has a tendency to produce sufficient sugar content while maintaining acidity to produce a naturally sweet and balanced wine that pairs well with all kinds of desserts. I decided to make pavlova and top it with fruit to balance the sweetness and acidity of the 2019 Petit Manseng. The toppings I chose for mine were Golden Kiwi fruit (a traditional pav topping), mango, and passionfruit pulp. You can top it with whatever you like (even chocolate!) and switch it up to pair with different wines.

The recipe is actually quite simple — so simple that it fits on a little sign that my mother keeps in her kitchen — but the result is impressive, not to mention delicious! 

Servings: 8 

Ingredients: 

For the meringue:

6 egg whites

1 ½ cups super fine baking sugar (can blend/whiz granulated white sugar to make it more fine, but not to the point of becoming powdered sugar)

2 tsp. heaped cornstarch

2 tsp. white vinegar

For the topping:

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

3 tbsp. powdered sugar (to taste)

Splash of vanilla extract

Golden kiwi fruit

Mango 

Passionfruit pulp 

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 212°F (100°C). Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, and trace an 8 or 9 inch circle using a cake pan as a guide. Be sure to flip the parchment over so the pencil mark is facing down.

Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks (4-5 minutes). Gradually add the sugar, cornstarch, and white vinegar, while continuing to whisk, until firm and glossy (another 4-5 minutes). The mixture should be completely smooth, with no grains of sugar coming through.

Mound the mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheet in a circle, keeping in mind that it will spread slightly in the oven. Be sure to keep it nice and tall, for maximum marshmallow-like fluff. 

Bake on the center rack for 90 minutes until crisp, but not colored. Do not open the door to check on it. If you must check for color, turn on the oven light. 

Turn off heat, and cool the pavlova completely in the oven with the door closed for at least 6 hours (or overnight). This allows for no dramatic change in temperature that could cause it to collapse. 

To assemble, transfer the pavlova to a serving plate. Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread the whipped cream on top of the pavlova and decorate with fresh fruit. Feel free to be as artistic or abstract as you like.

Serve with a chilled glass of Petit Manseng and enjoy! 

A Maine Summer Dinner and Pairing: Fresh Cod and Esprit Blanc

Earlier this summer, we took an extended vacation to New England. I'm from Vermont, and long-time readers of the blog will know that my parents would always go back for the summer and fall to the 1806-era farmhouse that I grew up in. My mom still does. My sister and her husband converted the barn of that farmhouse (which was in one iteration the office for the importing company my dad founded, Vineyard Brands) into a home for their family to live in. So, this summer trip back is a chance to bask in family, give our boys the chance to spend time with their cousins, and soak up some welcome moisture and green mountainsides in the middle of what always feels like a long, hot, dry summer here. After not being able to travel back last summer, we extended this year's trip to a full month, and created a mini-vacation within that Vermont trip by renting a house on the water in Maine for a week. It was lovely.

To someone from California, the difference between Vermont and Maine may seem minimal, but it's not. If Vermont is the New England equivalent of Lake Tahoe, Maine is its Mendocino. And nowhere is that distinction so clear as in the food, where Vermont focuses on fresh produce and local cheeses while Maine's specialty is seafood. We did the requisite oceanside lobster rolls, but Maine seafood is more than just lobster. The rocky coasts and cold, clean water make an amazing source for everything from oysters to crab to the New England staple, cod. And it was in searching for a great cod recipe that we stumbled upon one of our trip's culinary highlights: a simple but delicious recipe we found in the New York Times Cooking app for One-Pan Roasted Fish with Cherry Tomatoes. 

We made a few alterations to the recipe. We found good local slicing tomatoes, which we chopped roughly instead of using cherries. We didn't have any fresh mint to hand, so we used fresh basil. And the starch that we had was some local new potatoes. But the result was delicious. Note the nautical chart placemats, which I think are a required purchase for any guest house on the Atlantic Ocean:

The recipe calls for a teaspoon of honey, which got me thinking about Roussanne for a pairing. What I had to hand was the 2019 Esprit de Tablas Blanc that we'll be releasing this fall. [For my detailed tasting notes on it, check out my blog from last week about the upcoming Fall 2021 VINsider Wine Club shipments.] I was a little worried that the sweetness of the honey and that of the ripe tomatoes was going to be too much for the wine. I couldn't have been happier to be wrong. The creaminess of the fish, still moist but flaking apart easily, combined with the lightly roasted tomatoes to make an amazing pairing for the rich, textural character of the wine. The saline notes on its finish seemed to speak to both where we were and where the fish had been just a few days before. The honey wasn't noticeable in the food, but it emphasized the honeyed Roussanne character of the wine. We cleaned our plates, finished the bottle, and dredged the potatoes through the sauce it made, wanting more.

There are times where you stumble on the perfect wine, for the perfect meal, in the perfect place. This was one of those dinners. But the recipe was so easy, and would be so adaptable to different fish, different tomatoes, different starches, that it's going to be a regular in our arsenal going forward. If you make it, try it with a bottle of Esprit Blanc. It was magical.

Obscure Pairings: Terret Noir and Lebanese Meatballs

[Editor’s Note: We would like to introduce Troy Tucker to the Tablas Creek blog audience. Troy has worked in our tasting room for the past year while operating multiple wine endeavors of his own. One of those is as the proprietor of Terroir to You, a wine and pairing service that brings the restaurant pairing experience to your home. He’s always thinking of pairings to share, and we are grateful that these often include Tablas Creek. This is his first contribution in a planned series highlighting food pairings for the varietal bottlings of some of our obscure grapes.]

By Troy Tucker

A couple of weeks ago, I gathered anyone that would listen into the staff kitchen at Tablas Creek for a recipe experiment. I had been pondering a pairing between our 100% Terret Noir and Lebanese lamb meatballs and wanted to test it out on our team. The pairing, and the experience, worked out even better than I had imagined.

A room full of wine people sharing their thoughts on a wine and food pairing is, quite literally, my happy place. I wanted that moment to continue, so I thought I would share how this moment came to be.

It all began during a phone conversation, when a fellow advocate of wine asked me if I needed anything from Whole Foods. He was picking up ingredients to make lamb meatballs. At the time, I happened to be studying Northern Italian wines while drinking a 2018 Nebbiolo from the Langhe – and BOOM! It hit me! The wine nerd/foodie in me took over and I answered my friend, yes please, pick me up an extra pound of ground lamb also.

I began thinking about the structure of Nebbiolo and why it pairs so well with lamb: the wine has acidity that cuts through meat’s richness, tannins that the protein in the meat can attach to, and subtle notes of spice that often plays well with those used in lamb preparations. All I needed now was a way to bridge the fruit. Since Nebbiolo is known for its red-fruited profile, I rummaged through my cabinets for something, anything appropriate. Cranberry sauce was the winner.

I Googled a few lamb meatball recipes, finding this Lebanese style lamb meatballs recipe with cinnamon and allspice (there’s my spice bridge) that sounded delicious. (Author’s note: the recipe calls for 1 whole medium onion, this felt like too much, and in future renditions I stuck to ½ onion). After all was said and done, the pairing turned out to be absolutely incredible!

A few days later, I tasted one of the more obscure varieties from Tablas, the 2019 Tablas Creek Terret Noir. As soon as that wine touched my palate, comparisons to the Nebbiolo and lamb meatballs it paired so perfectly with started flashing through my mind. Like Nebbiolo, Terret Noir is red fruited, high-acid, and floral, with subtle spice and integrated tannin.

I took a bottle home to share and pair with another batch of Lebanese lamb meatballs. It turned out to be a trial with no error. A perfect match! My taste buds were in paradise and before I knew it, I was making another batch in the Tablas Creek kitchen. 😊

Bringing Sustainable Eating and Drinking Full Circle; Grilled Spareribs and Full Circle Pinot Noir

By Suphada Rom

What is the best thing about summer? Some may say it's basking in the heat of the sun's glow. Another may say it's about exploring nature in it's prime, with trees and flowers in full bloom. Here at the winery, summer's are some of the best times for us and it's not hard to see why. Clusters of grapes are thriving on the vine, the tasting room is packed with visitors on holiday, and our vineyard crew is prepping the property for what is most assuredly going to be another busy harvest. But what about the weekends and times when we're not at work? Chances are you'll find us outside and if it's around dinnertime, we'll most likely be grilling and cooking outside because that, to some, is the best thing about summer.

When you're going to a summer barbecue or cookout, chances are there'll be some sort of grilled meat. This spring, we unveiled a project that put the spotlight on our collaboration with Larder Meat Co., introducing sustainably harvested lamb (available now through 7/12) off our organic property to the local community (We wrote a blog piece on this back in February, titled Tablas Creek Lambs and Tablas Creek Lamb). This gives you all the opportunity to enjoy some delicious lamb, and hey, if you decide to have a bottle of Tablas Creek wine alongside, even better! And although the lamb program is fairly new, an event we have been hosting for the past 13 years is our annual pig roast. Something that our wine club members come back for year after year is a favorite among not only our members, but our staff as well! A fair amount of the meat is served at the event, however, we do hold onto a small amount for our staff to enjoy, and with the busy week coming to a close, I thought what better way to end the work week than with an Eat Drink Tablas pairing of grilled pork ribs! Here are the results from today's efforts:

Cherry glazed pork ribs, proper barbecue accoutremant, and a glass of our 2014 Full Circle Pinot Noir

Barbecue isn't complete without delicious crumbly cornbread!

A close up of the ribs (not shown, the aftermath- for lack of clean hands and faces!)

If you know a little bit about Tablas Creek, then you know that we're known for our Rhône wines, primarily blends but showcasing single varietal bottlings, like Mourvédre and Roussanne. You may also know that foundation of Tablas Creek started with the shared vision between Robert (Bob) Haas and the Perrin family of Château Beaucastel. What you may not know much about is the Pinot Noir we produce. If you're thinking Pinot Noir isn't from Rhône and more specifically, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, you'd be correct- it's a grape found most famously in Burgundy. Burgundy, for Bob was the gateway for loving French wine. He fell in love with Burgundy and one of his many career highlights was introducing the American palate to the austere wines of the region. It was only fitting, since he started his career in Burgundy and with Pinot Noir that he would bring his love for the grape full circle by growing a small parcel at his home in maritime affected Templeton. 

Graced with some American and French oak character, the Full Circle Pinot Noir is rich on the nose with vibrant aromatics. Whenever I'm tasting the Pinot Noir, I am reminded of a talk led by Bob, out amongst the vines in his backyard. Describing the wine perfectly and giving a very interesting talking point that, through most of the wines at Tablas Creek, there is a certain fluidity and consistency that you can count on. The Pinot Noir still has the Tablas Creek stamp of elegance, but with slightly different character. The wine ages in year-old Marcel Cadet 60 gallon barrels, which is quite different than the 1200 gallon neutral oak Foudres we employ on a day-to-day basis. That being said, I love pouring this wine for people who know our wines, love our wines, and are curious to try something different. Combated with the fantastic story of Bob's importing career, this wine resonates on both the heart and palate. In the glass, it's gorgeous, deep, and just one whiff lets you know it's rich. Aromas of cherry and figs are fully present with nice spice notes, making me crave one of my grandmother's homemade pies. I also get this smell that reminds me of raspberry liqueur, rich and concentrated. On the palate, I get a lot of that cherry, but in the form of cherry cola. There's a lot of this creamy chocolate character that brings out the chocolate enthusiast in me. Drink this wine now, or don't. I think 2014 has to be one of the most lush and approachable vintages, allowing for youthful consumption.

If you do drink this wine now, drink it with a side of grilled spareribs. The recipe I pulled for this pairing (via Bon Appetit) called for reducing some cans of cherry cola with cherry preserves and Dijon mustard for what feels like hours, until you're left with this sticky, thick glaze. The glaze plays up the fruit notes in the wine and with the added vinegar and soy sauce, there's some tanginess that plays well with the mouthwatering quality of the wine. We loved this pairing for many reasons, one of them being that we brought our "work" outdoors for a delicious lunch at the top of the hill in the vineyard! A satisfying meal with friends, I'm not sure there's a better way to end the day.

If you recreate this dish (or create a TCV wine and food pairing of your own!), be sure to let us know on any of our social media handles - Facebook or Twitter or Instagram - or just leave us a comment here! When you do, tag @tablascreek and use #EatDrinkTablas

A few resources:

• The recipe for Grilled Spareribs can be found here.
• Want Tablas Creek lamb delivered to your door? Tablas Creek lamb box here.
• Our 2014 Full Circle is available for purchase in the tasting room, through our online shop.

Fresh Herbs in the Glass and on the Plate: Vietnamese Spring Rolls & Vermentino

By Suphada Rom

At Tablas Creek we make wines primarily from varieties known from France's Rhône Valley. I love pairing traditional French fare with our wines- that to me is elementary, in the sense that, well, it just makes sense to pair the two. However, the food scene is diverse and ever growing, and as much as I love French food, it's not something I eat everyday. Right now, I can't get enough Vietnamese food. There is just something so vibrant and fresh about all the ingredients used, whether it's freshly chopped basil atop a tart salad or leaves of mint tucked inside a rice paper wrapper. The fresh ingredients of this style of cuisine inspired me to produce a spring pairing - Spring rolls and Vermentino.

I've been mildly obsessed with the craft of rolling the perfect spring roll. Luckily it's not that hard to make, I just tend to sweat the details, like is there just the right amount of noodles or is it equally balanced on either end with both shrimp and pork? That said, don't be intimidated by the wrapping portion and do have friends over to help you roll- it's not a spring roll party without them! For my spring roll recipe, I love my mom's recipe, but I swear, every time I ask for the recipe, it's slightly different (I think she's keeping some cooking secrets to herself!). I've outsourced a recipe from one of my favorite restaurants- The Slanted Door in San Francisco, California. Chef Charles Phan has an incredible cookbook (entitled The Slanted Door) from which I pull many recipes to share. I love his recipe for spring rolls, as it is simple and all about getting the freshest ingredients. Delicious and satisfying, I decided to have a couple friends over for a spring time spring roll party. 

Spring cuisine is all about fresh vibrant herbs, lighter fare, and mouthwatering white wine. And nothing we make is more mouthwatering than Vermentino. The 2016 vintage marks the fifteenth bottling of this mouthwatering Sardinian variety on the Tablas Creek property. We have about 3.25 acres dedicated to Vermentino plantings, and bottle (in generous vintages) a little over 1000 cases. It's one of my favorite varieties, simply because it's so clean and bright: citrus, bright acidity, and salty minerality. On the nose, the 2016 Vermentino is herby and chalky, with notes of key lime. On the palate it's delightful, with notes of nectarine and lemon. My mouth is left watering because the of the wine's acidity. The herbs in the wine's aromas tie in beautifully with the mint in the spring rolls. The surprising factor was the peanut sauce, which worked really well texturally with the wine. I love having something really bright and acidic paired with something rich and creamy.

 

If you recreate this dish (or create a TCV wine and food pairing of your own!), be sure to let us know on any of our social media handles - Facebook or Twitter or Instagram - or just leave us a comment here! When you do, tag @tablascreek and use #EatDrinkTablas

A few other resources:

• Recipe for Spring Rolls is published in The Slanted Door by Charles Phan. Recently, he was featured on KCRW out of Santa Monica and divulged his spring roll recipe through their blog, found here.
• Looking for another way to enjoy Vermentino? Check out a post I wrote for last year's vintage of Vermentino: A Nostalgic Ligurian Pairing: Clams in White Wine and Strozzapreti al Pesto with Vermentino
• Our 2016 Vermentino was a wine in both our classic shipment and whites-only shipment this spring! (Re-)order here.
• Not a Member? Good News!- you can purchase the 2016 Vermentino by clicking here or by visiting us in the tasting room.

Flatbread (and Roussanne) Two Ways: Potatoes/Fennel/Rosemary/Onion and Leeks/Mushrooms/Corn

By Suphada Rom

How many times have you decided to have a casual get together with a couple of friends and then, all of a sudden, you're throwing some sort of backyard shindig for the neighborhood? We've all been there and trust me, I know the feeling of panic. The sensation rushes through your body as you try to figure out what you're going to make to keep the party going and keep the hungry well-fed. My go-to has always been pizzas (or in modern California parlance, flatbreads). Diverse in their nature, they serve as a blank canvas, ready for you to throw on a multitude of toppings. With that in mind, you can craft different flatbreads to appease all palates, not only making everyone happy but making you look like the most well planned host ever! We decided to have a little flatbread party of our own here at the winery, and went non-traditional. The result: two recipes for flatbreads that pair beautifully with Roussanne. Both are vegetarian, though if you're the type who that makes nervous, both would do beautifully with a sprinkling of crisped pancetta cubes too.

 
Rosemary, Fennel, and Potato Flatbread with Comte Cheese to the left, and Leek, Mushroom and Corn Flatbread with Gruyere Cheese on the right. And Roussanne.

Garlic and herb dough, ready to rise!

After just an hour in the sun, the dough was so big and pillowy! 

The flatbreads were delicious and versatile with multiple vintages of Roussanne, including the 2013!

More Roussanne than I can (almost) handle!

For the flatbreads, I didn't follow a recipe, per se, but to say I created the recipe is certainly an overstatement. I picked elements I knew would play up the features of our Roussanne. Tender cooked leeks, sweet fennel, and rich potatoes were just a few of the ingredients I knew would marry well. All of those ingredients atop a light garlic and herb crust? Delicious. Also, whenever I cook with Roussanne in mind, I love caramelizing any and everything. Doing this step in cooking not only softens the ingredient for texture, but it tends to bring out this sweetness, and not the cloying kind, but the kind that is rich with mellow sweetness. Caramelized onion tart? How about oven roasted fennel? Yes to both- and yes to a fantastic pairing with our Roussanne.

Why Roussanne? Well, with the release of a new vintage along with some exciting news and press, I knew I wanted to pair these flatbreads with the pure varietal bottling. In any vintage, Roussanne reels in richness on the nose and persistence on the palate. Incredibly versatile, but not in the same way that, say, rosé is. You may have read my last post about tacos and rosé and how I love rosé's versatility. This is considering that most rosés should be consumed relatively youthfully. Roussanne is versatile in the sense that you could enjoy it now, in fact, we gladly did! However, if you stumble across a bottle that has a few years of age on it (maybe it's even a decade old), you'll be in for a real treat. Roussanne ages gracefully and through years in bottle, increases its depth and complexity ten fold. Youthful Roussanne evokes fresh honey and fresh floral notes while an older bottling may lean towards being a bit more towards notes of caramel- you may even detect a little saltiness. Drink now... or not. The choice is yours!

If you recreate this dish (or create a TCV wine and food pairing of your own!), be sure to let us know on any of our social media handles - Facebook or Twitter or Instagram - or just leave us a comment here! When you do, tag @tablascreek and use #EatDrinkTablas. As for us, well I'm advocating for more days with flatbreads... Flatbread Fridays, anyone??

A few resources:

• Our Roussanne is making headlines! Recently given 93 points and described as "fragrant, ebullient, ripe and refreshing" in Wine Spectator  
• Everything Roussanne:
   - 2013 Roussanne is almost sold out! Call the wine club office at (805)-237-1231 to reserve your bottle(s)
   - 2014 Roussanne is available in the tasting room or through our online shop
   - 2015 Roussanne is part of our spring wine club shipment. Members of our VINsider club get access to this exclusive        bottling and a 20% discount. Not a member yet? Find out more information here.
• Curious about how Roussanne ages? Check out our Vintage Chart- we update every season to give you a better idea of how the wine is drinking!

Ingredients and recipe for flatbreads are as follows:

Flatbread No. 1:

- mini gold potatoes (skin on, and thinly sliced)
- fennel (thinly sliced and lightly sauteéd)
- yellow onion (thinly sliced)
- rosemary
- comte cheese

Flatbread No. 2:
- leeks (cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced and sautéed until soft)
- mushrooms (any kind will do, I used crimini- sliced)
- corn (oven roasted)
- gruyere cheese

Instructions:
1. Make dough according to recipe. You can use any you like, I chose one from the Minimalist Baker for a Garlic Herb Flatbread. Instead of frying it in a pan, I chose to bake them in the oven (with the toppings) at 375 degrees.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. While the dough is rising, you can prepare the toppings. The leeks should be sautéed in a splash of olive oil over medium-low heat, until translucent and tender. After the leeks are done, remove them from the pan, spoon into a bowl, and use the same pan to quick sauté the fennel. I stirred them around the hot pan for just a minute or two, just until they'd softened slightly. 
4. On a cookie sheet, spread out the corn kernels and coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, or until tender and golden in color. 
5. Following the flatbread recipe, divide the dough up and roll each dough out. Coat the top surface of the dough with olive oil before adding toppings. Finish with salt and pepper.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until edges of crust start to golden slightly.

A Taste of Spring: Pairing Rosé With Carnitas Tacos

By Suphada Rom    

What a week it's been! We've been busy out here at the winery, pruning our vines and getting them ready for bud break, all while navigating our first bottling of the year. We typically order lunches for the crew working bottling. However, I took it upon myself to make lunch for everyone, all in service to researching a food and wine piece for the blog. Two birds, one stone or in this case, two rosés and one lunch. 

Our two rosés, ready for drinking!

Life is so much sweeter with rosé. I love that rosé represents spring, warmth, and the kickoff of the post winter thaw. It's a milestone and the beginning of the endless days of spring and summer sunshine here in California. In the tasting room, it's the most situational wine we have. It evokes memories of sitting by the pool, toes swaying back and forth in the cooling waters, and thoughts of summer parties where you are greeted with a warm hug and a cool glass. Rosé is exciting and with the release of ours, it felt fitting to have a bit of a celebratory lunch in the warm glow of what is still technically winter sun. And I know that groundhog said there would be six more weeks of winter but I don't mind one bit, especially if it's filled with days like this. 

Tacos are delicious, easy, and an across the board favorite among our staff. I love a good braise and slow simmering of meats (I'm sure you've gathered from past posts!), especially pork. Carnitas here in Central Coast are like lobster to the east coast- a staple and something I choose not to live without. A great and straightforward recipe for Tacos de Carnitas can be found on the New York Times website. The meat simmers for hours in a broth warmed by sweet spices like cinnamon and clove, and given citrusy freshness by orange zest. Incredibly fragrant and full of flavor, it was a recipe I'll definitely keep around. Nothing I would have done differently with this recipe except for making more: enough for leftovers!

Carnitas- so simple and so delicious!


Any and every topping known to the realm of tacos


Burying my nose in my glass- it smelled amazing!


Family lunch on the patio, Tablas Creek style!


Our shepherd, Nathan Stuart and National Sales Manager, Darren Delmore, having a moment over some wine. This photo was too good not to share! Today was an absolutely incredible day filled with amazing people, great wine, and a satisfying meal.

I absolutely love pairing food with rosé (coming in close second is food and Champagne pairings, which are just delicious!). They're so versatile. We were able to enjoy both our Dianthus and Patelin de Tablas Rosé. Both rosés show the 2016 vintage's vibrant acidity and teem with notes of bright fruit. The 2016 Dianthus is a blend of 49% Mourvedre, 37% Grenache, and 14% Syrah, combining rosé styles of both Tavel and Bandol. The color is a stunning bright pink with neon hues. The nose is fragrant and generous. I dive in and I can trace just about any red fruit under the sun. If it exists, it's in this glass. On the palate, it thoroughly coats each and every inch of your mouth. Close your eyes, you may even think you're drinking red wine, it's just got this amazing density and richness. Delicious notes of mint and lemongrass shine through. There's a little prickle of spice and some acidity makes your mouth water for the next sip. Drink this wine now and drink it with carnitas tacos! We loved the spiciness of the wine with the tacos, however be warned, with extra salsa roja, it can pack a punch and isn't for the faint of heart. Essentially, unless you're in the business of eating spicy food and you like a good pepper challenge, have a bite then take a sip- just don't say we didn't warn you! 

The Patelin de Tablas Rosé (73% Grenache, 17% Mourvedre, 6% Counoise, 4% Syrah) is modeled differently, and has more of the look and feel of a Provence rosé. The fruit is sourced from some of the top growers in Paso Robles. In the glass, it's inviting and in my mind, summer in liquid form, with its light peach and pink coloring. The smell is soft and delicate, with notes of fresh nectarines and a tinge of grapefruit. On the palate, it's balanced and generous. So bright and so fresh. Fresh peaches, raspberries, and tart strawberries. Incredibly mouthwatering, I found myself meeting the bottom of my glass quicker than I anticipated! Each sip after bite revealed some amazing nuances I didn't notice the first go around. Great bottling of this wine and already one of my favorite rosés of the year. 

So there you have it- it's officially spring, not just because of the weather but because the rosé is here, it's bottled, and ready for your enjoyment through the rest of the year (or until we run out!). If you recreate this dish (or create a TCV wine and food pairing of your own!), be sure to let us know on any of our social media handles - Facebook or Twitter or Instagram - or just leave us a comment here! When you do, tag @tablascreek and use #EatDrinkTablas

A few resources:

• The recipe for Tacos de Carnitas can be found here.
• Our 2016 Patelin Rosé is ready for your enjoyment! It is available for purchase in the tasting room, through our online shop.
• Not local? No worries, our Patelins can be found throughout the country! Check out the distributors we work with here.
• Good News! The 2016 Dianthus, allocated to our wine club, is part of the Spring Shipment, set to go out later this month. Members may purchase up to six extra bottles. Contact our wine club office at [email protected] or call (805)-237-1231 x236.
• Not a member yet? It's not too late- Find out more information here.

A Lesson in Thai Cooking and Pairing with a Flight of Tablas Creek Wines

By Suphada Rom

The Tablas Creek team, as you might suspect, includes a large number of foodies, each with a different background. Around the lunch hour, people congregate in the kitchen to cook or just reheat lunch and socialize.  John Morris, our Tasting Room Manager, always creates a buzz with his authentic Thai dishes brought from home. And these aren't leftovers from a local restaurant, either. His wife Christina is a very accomplished and well versed Thai cook. For years, we've all felt pangs of jealousy when he opens one of his Tupperware containers, revealing yellow-gold curries with floating shrimp and bamboo.

So, when Christina invited a group of us over for a lesson in Thai cooking, we brought willing and able hands to help, and a passel of Tablas Creek wines to enjoy with our feast.

The happy (and hospitable) couple!

Walking into John and Christina's kitchen, the smell of the different spices was heady in the best possible way. I was hungry for food, but we were all eager to learn. Christina was incredibly warm and lovely and her years of restaurant experience show with her calm demeanor, warm hospitality, and a happy willingness to answer any and all of our questions. I'm sure she would have been able to balance a stack of books on her head the whole time, while maneuvering about the kitchen. I adore her and can't thank her enough for hosting all of us because, as I'm sure most of us know and have experienced, entertaining ravenous folks with a line-up of several bottles of wine is most assuredly always a handful!

Christina starting the curry with some paste and coconut milk in the pan

We -- OK, I use "we" lightly when it comes to us cooking -- made a rich chicken and vegetable curry, fish cakes, tapioca dumplings, and papaya salad, all accompanied by a warm bowl of Jasmine rice. The chicken curry glimmered, a beautiful golden yellow color with vegetables poking through the surface. Fish cakes, seasoned with pungent curry paste and fried to perfection, quite literally rose to the occasion as they inflated in the pan while cooking. Tapioca coated dumplings were stuffed with a combination of fermented radish and ground pork, with dry roasted peanuts for texture. The papaya salad was done classically, with slivers of green papaya, mixed in with fresh cherry tomatoes and lime, tossed in crab paste and fish sauce. Christina taught us how to make it all, and like many good chefs, without a recipe. Tasting all these dishes was both familiar, yet intriguing. I tasted a lot of familiar flavors, but they appeared in different form. It's sort of like when you really start to smell all the different nuances in wine. It's surprising and intoxicating- I just couldn't stop smelling and tasting everything, and neither could anybody else. And in the spirit of togetherness, I really wanted to know what everyone else thought about our meal and what they thought the best pairing was:

The line-up of wines we tried (not pictured was a jug of Bristol's Cider, made of course by our Neil Collins!)

Lauren Phelps, Marketing Coordinator:
My favorite pairing was the Patelin rosé with the papaya salad!  The crisp refreshing qualities of the rosé balanced the spicy tangy flavors of the papaya salad.  With the lingering spice of the salad, taking a sip of the rosé was like enjoying a refreshing sip of cool water, but better.  I also enjoyed how the savory berry flavors of the rosé sustained through the bite of salad leaving me with a tart raspberry flavor lingering before the next bite (which wasn’t very long).

John Morris, Tasting Room Manager: 
Vermentino worked with everything for me, especially the 2015.  It’s counterintuitive to the old saw of sweet wines with spicy food, but I think the aromatic sweetness works here.  Also, the acidity helps mitigate the heat.  The cider (Bristol's Cider, locally made by Tablas Creek's winemaker, Neil Collins) was great too!  I didn’t taste the Grenache Blanc, but I’m sure it would have worked as well.  I wanted the Petit Manseng to work, but for me it was just too sweet to balance everything. 

Amanda Weaver, Tasting Room Lead:
In my humble opinion, the Vermentino was the perfect pairing with all the beautiful dishes. The only close rival was the Patelin rosé. Both had refreshing acidity which complimented and challenged the notes of kaffir lime and Thai chilies that made their presence in most of the dishes. For a novice in spicy foods, the cool crisp Vermentino kept me from running for the fire extinguisher and kept me at the table enjoying our delicious meal! I'll be honest, when I heard that the first course was going to be fish cakes, I was ready to just stick to a nice full glass of Vermentino. However, once I caught a whiff of the tangy yet earthy Kaffir lime I knew I had to give it a try with the cool liquid in my glass! From there I was hooked. From fish cakes, to the translucent tapioca balls, to papaya salad and curry, I could not have asked for a more complete meal to pair with our 2015 Vermentino!

Leslie Castillo, Tasting Room Lead:
Out of all the TCV wines there were I only tasted 2014, and 2015 Vermentino and the 2014 Patelin Rosé; from those 3 wines, to me 2015 Vermentino had the most vibrant acidity and citrus notes which paired great with the fish patties, it contrasted the fatty content in them and complemented the fragrant lime leaves; that was my favorite pairing with the curry too!

Me:
This was a tricky one for me, as I truly enjoyed most of the wines at different parts of the meal. I loved the Patelin Rosé's liveliness with the curry, and how it sort of brought out more the curry's aromatics. Vermentino was incredibly versatile, bringing out the heady fresh herbs in the papaya salad, making my mouth water for more. Petit Manseng served as a rich and textured conclusion to our meal.  

Curry with chicken and vegetables

Leslie, assembling fish cakes

Papaya salad

Life gets so busy sometimes, with kids, schedules, appointments, and outings, that it's often difficult to coordinate get-togethers. However, I've come to realize we need to continue to make the time and the efforts to do the the things we love with the people we care about. In my experience, time spent often has either food or wine weaved in. While both food and wine are great, without the right company, the experience isn't quite as sweet. How lucky are we that we get to call each other both coworkers and friends. 

 
Cheers from the Tablas Creek team!