Tag: Wine

Farmers' Market to Williams Dining Table

Last week the Montgomery Friends Farmers' Market returns to its spot in the parking lot of the Village Shopping Centre on Route 206 in Skillman. I dropped my son off at Kickside Martial Arts (he's a student instructor Tae Kwon Do) and took my camera out. After documenting the opening day event, I put my camera away and returned to get some of the goodies I saw. I picked up some organic grass fed burgers from Mallery's Grazin' Meats, white wine sausages from Griggstown Farm, a bottle of white wine ( Delicado ) from Villa Milagro Vineyards, some fresh organic mozzarella from Fulper Farms, and a loaf of rosemary olive oil bread from Terra Momo Bread Company.

When I bought these items, I had no thoughts about dinner. I just wanted to get a bit from each vendor. When dinner time came, Bhavna suggested that I grill some sausages for myself and the kids, but I wanted burgers. So we decided to cook both.

It was a hot day, and I knew I would be sweaty outside with the grill, so I put the bottle of wine in the freezer to chill. While the grill warmed up, I cut a few slices of tomatoes and some slices of the rosemary olive oil bread. After grilling my meats to the correct temperature, I let them sit for a bit. I ate the burger between two slices of the bread and tomato and dill pickles with the sausage. I quenched my thirst with a glass of chilled Delicado.

Delicious! Maybe today I'll pick up some lettuce and some onions and another bottle of wine. The summer's here, and the Montgomery Friends Farmers' Market is the place to grocery shop.

September 25th, 2011 - Unionville Vineyards

It was supposed to be a rainy, dreary day, but it turned out quite different. We picked up our produce from the farm stand at the Honey Brook Organic Farm in Pennington and drove north on Route 31 through the beautiful little back roads of Ringoes. We were to meet up with a small group of food lovers for a wine tasting at Unionville Vineyards.

Unionville Vineyards | Sunday 25 September, 2011 | Nikon D40 | AF-S Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8

We were the first to arrive so used the time to look over the tasting "menu". Bhavana and I decided to share the first tasting and after the tasting purchased a bottle to take home. We were joined by Deboleena Dutta and here husband Ravi and their two kids. Deboleena gave us a sneak peek tasting of two new delicious condiments she has created for HerbNZest. I think these can be paired with the wines from Unionville. After tasting eight different white and red wines — and one Riesling and dessert wine — we were taken on a tour of the winery by assistant winemaker Steve "Zeke" Johnson.

Unionville Vineyards | Sunday 25 September, 2011 | Nikon D40 | AF-S Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8

Zeke gave us an overview of the differences production methods for white and red wines, about something called "the muck", and the difference between new oak and French oak. Unionville prefers old oak which they buy from various wineries in California. I never knew winemaking was so involved and detailed.

Steve "Zeke" Johnson | Sunday 25 September, 2011 | Nikon D40 | AF-S Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8

After the tour, we returned to the wine tasting room and tried another tasting with five different wines. "Zeke" was upstairs drinking his favourite and so we had a chance to talk to him some more about the wines and the vineyard.

Steve "Zeke" Johnson | Sunday 25 September, 2011 | Nikon D40 | AF-S Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8

Wine tasting is new for us but I could definitely do again. We took home two bottles of wines; a red called "Cam Jam" and a rose called "Fields of Fire".

Cool Vines — Princeton

Instead of arranging their wines by country of origin or grape varietal, Cool Vines arranges wines by taste — simplifying the complexity of selecting the right wine for any occasion.

Matching the wine to the preference of the wine drinkers, the occasion or event, the accompanying food, etc. - all serve to enhance the pleasure from the pour. Instead of demanding that our customers know the vagaries of every wine-producing region’s labeling conventions or the subtle differences of the each grape variety when grown in different parts of the world, using the myriad methods that are available to the winemaker, we provide a standardized taxonomy, represented in clear, simple and visual form that communicates the character of the wine with regard to its taste and its affiliation with food.

My wife and I went in — just to take a look. Five minutes later, the knowledgeable staff were helping my wife pick the perfect wine for dinner while I found a few new Belgian ales to try — Schneider & Sohn Organic Weisen Edel-Weisse.  I also picked up an unusual — at least to me — Belgian style ale called Hitachino Nest White Ale from Kiuchi Brewery in Japan.  Delicious and a fantastic thirst quencher.  I also picked up another Kiuchi Brewery ale, Red Rice Ale, a mixture of Sake, malt and strawberries.  What!