Archive for May, 2009

Willamette Valley 2007 Whole Cluster Pinot Noir

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

winebottleI’m never disappointed with this wine! I came across it last summer and it’s quickly become one of my favorites. From Willamette Valley in Oregon, this Whole Cluster Pinot Noir has amazing cherry, wild strawberry & warm spice aromas.

The 2007 varietal was harvested between September 27, 2007 and October 9, 2007 and fermented in stainless steel barrels. 18,000 cases were bottled between December 2007 and January 2008, and released that same month.

Average Price:
$20

Peak Drinkability:
2008-2010

Pairing / General Information:
Turkey, grilled fish, lighter wild foul, pasta dishes, hamburgers and pizza (brick oven pizza especially!). Serve at a slightly lower-than-room temperature or moderately chilled on warmer days.

Winemaking Notes:
“The fruit is gently conveyed into the top manway of stainless steel fermenters which have been sparged with CO2 gas. The whole clusters of fruit are sprayed with yeast, then dropped gently into the tank. The tanks are heated to 85 degrees F and sealed tightly to contain the carbonic atmosphere. The fermentation is allowed to go 14-21 days and pressing takes place when the fruit character is ideal and tannin levels from the stems are not yet expressed. After pressing, fermentation is completed over a 7-10 day period in stainless steel tanks. PH is monitored closely as malolactic fermentation commences until the desired balance is achieved.”

Siggi's Icelandic Skyr Yogurt

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

SiggiYogurtAt Whole Foods today I decided to branch out and try a new yogurt.

While browsing through dozens of organic, non-fat, low-fat, low-sugar, low-carb, low-you-name-it varieties, Siggi’s caught my eye. I started to read the front: “Icelandic-style skyr strained non-fat yogrt. Grade A. 0% Milkfat”. I wasn’t sure what that meant — Icelandic/Skyr yogurt? It sounded interesting. ::Turns Container:: “All natural. Milk from grass fed cows. No aspartame. No sucralose. No gelatin. No artificial colorings. No preservatives. No high fructose corn syrup”.

Next up were the nutrition facts. I compared them against the yogurt I usually get (Stonyfield’s Organic YoCalcium). Siggi’s had less sodium (65 vs 135), less carbs (13 vs 22), less sugar (10 vs 21) & more than twice the protein (7 vs 16)! Though it’s lacking in the potassium and calcium department, I eat enough dairy and fruit each day where it doesn’t really matter too much.

If you can get past Siggi’s being thick (which is what I found out Icelandic-style sky is) you might just be loving this very healthy strain of yogurt. Oh, you’ll also have to get past it costing 2x as much. You win some, you lose some….