Drinking Well, Doing Good: Tahoe League for Charity Annual Event

The day was warm, the appetizers delicious, and the wines spectacular – hard to beat the Tahoe League for Charity 2010 event held at the home of Linda Davis on Dollar Point. With a string quartet to begin and jazz later in the afternoon, 150 members and guest attended this charitable organization’s annual fundraiser.

Tahoe League for Charity turned to Kali Kopley, owner of the wine bar Uncorked at 1750 Village East Road in The Village at Squaw Valley to help them select some wonderful summer wines for the occasion. The result was interesting and reasonably priced wines. You might consider stocking up on some of these wines for your own summer lawn parties.

It’s almost impossible to beat a nice Riesling for a summer wine, and the KUNG FU GIRL RIESLING, COLUMBIA VALLEY, Washington, is aromatic, smooth, vibrant & tasty. Think tangerine, apricot, wet stone, key lime, clove & nectarine. 12.5% alcohol. This Riesling is only $13/bottle.

PRAXIS DRY SRYAH ROSE, ALEXANDER VALLEY, California. A wonderful summer rose’! It’s a beautiful burnt salmon color with a floral, strawberry nose. Flavors of watermelon & guava are accented by a little spice & vanilla. The wine is dry & has bright acidity with a medium body. 14.2% alcohol. $12/bottle.

MANIFESTO SAUVIGNON BLANC, NORTH COAST, California. Gardenias & a rush of grapefruit. Lemon zest fill the nose, pineapple & mouthwatering sweet citrus comprise a lingering finish. The fruit comes from three vineyards in Suisun Valley, just east of Napa Valley. The winery donates a portion of bottling line proceeds to charity for worker housing, Latino education and to clean drinking water in the Napa Valley. 14.1% alcohol. $14/bottle.
Looking for some nice red wines for your dinner parties? Tahoe League for Charity members loved these, and it’s likely that you will too.

SEAN MINOR PINOT NOIR, CARNEROS, California. This pinot noir is medium-bodied with blueberry, cherry, plum & light toast flavors. On first taste, the wine displays these blue fruit tones that are balanced with the lingering spicy/earthy notes. The vanilla & toast nuances integrate well with the silky round tannins, which evolve into a lengthy finish. Sean Minor is A LONG TIME supporter of Autism and Autism research. The 14.5% alcohol is typical for a pinot noir. $18/bottle.


FLYING WINEMAKER ZINFANDEL, LODI, California. Cameron Hughes, a negotiant with a record of presenting fine, fine wines, said this so eloquently: “Lodi is to Zinfandel what Napa is to Cabernet. Lodi zins are big, powerful wines with great depth & complexity.” I agree. Fruit from old vines, some 100 years old, leads to a beautiful, intense dark berry flavor on the palate. This wine has good depth and complexity. 14.5% alcohol. $12/bottle.

Tempranillo should be on your “I must try this varietal” list. The TRUCHARD TEMPRANILLO from NAPA VALLEY is a good starter choice, not the best I’ve ever had, but good. Rich aromas of cassis, wild blueberry, & plum, with hints of black tea, tobacco, & cedar. On the palate- earth& anise with an under-layer of mocha. 13.9% alcohol, $16/bottle.

Last but not least, a Sierra Foothill wine, the EASTON CABERNET BLEND. Composed of predominately Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a great everyday wine, for picnics, boating, lunch, apre-ski. Anytime you want a delicious glass of wine. 13.5 % alcohol, $14/bottle.

The primary focus of Tahoe League for Charity to benefit the communities of North Lake Tahoe, Incline and Truckee areas by providing scholarships to local students and grants to local nonprofit organizations. They meet monthly in Tahoe City. For more info, go to http://www.tahoeleagueforcharity.org/

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in July 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: "Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.

>> Send an email to Barbara (at) winebizpr.com

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Annual Soroptimist Wine Tasting at Tahoe-Donner: Calendar this for Next Year!

Yes, I was the one with the hand in the air bidding on 29 bottles of wonderful wines and a small refrigerator to put them in. That was just part of the fun at the annual Soroptomist International fundraiser, held at the Coyote Moon clubhouse in Truckee in early June. Attendees came from near and far to contribute to a worthy cause, all the while sipping interesting Sierra wines, paired with small plates from nearby restaurants.

(Photo: Phil and Jill Maddux of Lone Buffalo Vineyards, Auburn CA)

For this 36th annual event, wineries participating were Bantam Cellars, Brutacao Cellers, Busby Cellars, Karly Wines, Long Buffalo Vineyards, Nevada City Winery, Renaissance Vineyard & Winery, Secret Ravine, Sierra Vista Winery, Steele Wines and Truckee River Winery. Many of these wineries sell from their tasting rooms, and you’ll also find many at nearby restaurants and wine shops.

Bantam Cellars, an Amador County winery located in the Shenandoah Valley near Plymouth, CA, specializes in both Mediterranean varieties as well as Zinfandels. I enjoyed their 2008 Vermentino which is a nice wine for both casual sipping and also will pair well with lighter foods. It has an aroma with some minerality, but offers almond, pear and peach notes too. 12.5% alcohol. $14.00 a bottle at the tasting room, located at 10851 Shenandoah Road in Plymouth. http://www.bantamcellars.com/

Since I was enjoying the wines, I tasted Bantam’s 2007 Garth Cobb Select Primitivo, named for the winemaker. I agree with Jonna Cobb’s assessment that this is a “special bottle of wine, worthy of birthday and anniversary celebrations.” Yes, it has gooseberries, cherries and a nice soft middle to the mouth feel. 15.0% alcohol. $24.00 a bottle. By the way, their “Big Sister Winery” is Karly Winery. http://www.karlywines.com/

Lone Buffalo Vineyards, located in Placer County, presented their 2008 Where the Buffalo Roam, a Rhone-style blend produced this year from Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache & Cinsault grapes The fruit for this wine is 1/3 estate, and the remainder is sourced from other Foothill grape growers. This is a very food-friendly wine. Winemaker’s notes are spot-on: “Concentrated but lively fruit, silky tannins, depth with a hint of spice, elegant and easy to drink!” 15.2% alcohol. $21 a bottle. The good news is that in the last 4 years, Lone Buffalo has grown from 100 case production to more than 1000 cases. You can visit them at 2682 Burgard Lane, Auburn. Many local Lake Tahoe restaurants carry their fine wines. http://www.lonebuffalovineyards.com/

Busby Cellars is a family owned vineyard and winery specializing in small lots of estate-grown varietals. It is the northern-most winery in the Fair Play viticultural region. Their 2008 Eldorado Chardonnay was slightly sweet, and very fresh tasting; I violated my own rule and had three tastes as it paired with many foods. 13.7% alcohol. $15 a bottle. http://www.busbycellars.com/

Renaissance Winery’s 2004 Mediterranean Red is a blend of 54% Grenache,26% Mourvedre, 20% Syrah. This classic Rhone blend tastes like a Chateauneuf, but of course grapes are sourced from North Yuba County. Winemaker’s notes: “Aromatically, very intense, complex brambly fruit with blackberry and raspberry notes. Bright, vibrant, and vigorous on the palate with a very long spicy, refreshing finish”. Enjoy it now or cellar it for several years. The winery and tasting room are located in Oregon House, (Yuba County) CA. 13.9% alcohol, $30 a bottle. http://www.renaissancewinery.com/

Soroptimist International began in 1921 in Oakland with 80 professional women. Today it is the world’s largest service organization for professional and executive businesswomen, with programs in the areas of economic and social development, education, environment, health, human rights & status of women, and international goodwill and understanding. Want to get involved? Call Truckee-Donner club president Lorna Leyton at 530 587 0826.

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in June 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: "Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.

Wine Programs Ahoy at Tahoe Yacht Club!

It’s such a welcoming place, filled with Tahoe nautical memorabilia, photos of beautiful boats, sailors, and so very conducive to enjoying a nice glass of wine. This is the Tahoe Yacht Club located in Tahoe City, and Commodore Andy Wagner encourages prospective members to tour and, by the way, he’d love to talk about wine. Andy is the mover behind the Club’s wonderful series of wine tastings and programs.

A recent event featured Rod Santos, owner of Wine Thieves, two retail stores in the East Bay. Their motto is “we find wine steals so you don’t have to”. Rod’s presentation, “A Coup for Consumers: Higher-end Wines at Bargain Prices,” verified that wine lovers can find good wines without breaking the budget.

It’s both good news and bad news that Wine Thieves has an extensive list of great finds. Good news for wine drinkers, and bad news for winemakers who ended up not being able to move recent vintages due to the recession.

Notes on The Wine Institute of California website outlined the situation: “During the recessionary 2009 economy, California vintners shipped 467.7 million gallons of California wine to the U.S. wine market, up a modest 0.2% compared to the 2008. The estimated retail value of these sales was $17.9 billion, down 3% from 2008 as consumers traded down to lower-priced wines. Wineries that were reliant on restaurant sales found that on-premise sales were off 6-9% as consumers dined more at home and business travel was curbed. Some wineries diverted inventory to off-premise retail accounts and many placed new emphasis on direct-to-consumer sales…”

Summary: there’s been a lot of pain in the winery, but a lot of pleasure in wine lovers’ wallets.

Tahoe Yacht Club members and guests tasted interesting examples of Wine Thieves finds.

The 2009 Robert Hall “Rose de Robles” is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre (Paso Robles). Perhaps you think of Rose as a blush wine that can be almost sticky-sweet; this rose, far from that, is dry, juicy and sophisticated. Aromas of fresh raspberries, hint of tangerine. 13% alcohol. $8 per bottle WineThieves.com, list $14.

2009 Pinot Gris “Acrobat” from one of Oregon’s largest wineries, King Estate, is dry with nice citrus and apple tones. “Crisp entry with nice balance between acidity and residual sugar, round and full mid-palate, clean refreshing finish,” noted the winemaker. 12.5% alcohol $11 per bottle.

The Montepulciano “San Lorenzo”, 2003 from Umani Ronchi (Rosso Conero DOC, Italy) is a single vineyard, full bodied red wine made from 100% Montepulciano grapes grown in Mount Conero overlooking the Adriatic Sea, and aged 14 months in oak to provide a distinctive, subtle aroma and flavor. Finely structured, it pairs with roasts, game, aged cheese. At $10 the bottle, stock up, because it will age well in your cellar. Originally sold at $18 the bottle. 13.5% alcohol.

A great everyday wine is the 2007 “Rock Star” California red from Rock Wall winery. There’s a fascinating story behind this winery, which was started in 2008 by a daughter of the well-known Rosenblum wine family, and is housed in an old airplane hanger in Alameda, CA. This red blend is 45% Napa Syrah, 34% Tempranillo, 21% Cinsault. Aged in oak, flavors of dark berry fruit, violets and anise, with a hint of peppery spice, and 14.5% alcohol. $10 at WineThieves.com, $14 list.

The 2002 Melanson Cabernet Sauvignon “Matthew’s Block”, is from an 8 acre parcel on Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley. Only 73 cases were produced, and Wine Thieves has most of what’s left at $20 the bottle (originally $55 … pre-recession…). Harvested in 2002, aged in French Oak, and bottled in 2005, a classic California cab, nicely tannic. 14.2% alcohol.

Interested in a tour or membership in the Tahoe Yacht Club? Contact general manager Marianna Dye at (530) 581-4700 or stop by at 700 North Lake Blvd. 2nd Floor in Tahoe City.

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in August 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: "Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.

The Essentials of Food, Wine Pairing as Taught by Chef Saad

Photo:Cuvee Corner Wine Blog

“If the pairing works, you’ll be in taste heaven.”

Who would like a glass of milk with their pizza? Blecch. Now you get the essence of food and wine pairing. This is the summer for you to experiment with opening your palate.

A few weeks ago, a keynote address given at the Wine Bloggers Conference featured Chef Jeffrey Saad. Chef Saad was the 2009 runner-up on season five of the TV show, “The Next Food Network Star.” He had a few tips about wine and food pairings, and then 300 bloggers converged on tables holding an assortment of new and old world style wines, each with a perfect pairing.

“Think of wine as an additional condiment,” said Chef Saad. French fries with ketchup – the condiment concept – helps you get the sense of what he means. “The whole idea of pairings is the balance of those tastes coming together.”

The ritual Chef Saad recommends to truly appreciate a wine and food pairing are: 1) sip the wine, 2) take a bite of the food, and 3) while the food is still on your tongue, take another sip of the wine. If the pairing works, you’ll be in taste heaven.

A few no-brainer pairing tips are these:

• The protein and fat in meats mean that the tannin in red wines always complement those foods.
• Pairing sweet with sweet always works, such as dessert with dessert wines.

• Aged cheeses go well with red wines, or try a soft creamy cheese with a Beaujolais.

• Red wines and chocolate, particularly dark chocolate. Try pairings with a Zinfandel, a wine from the southern Rhone area or a Grenache, syrah and mourvèdre blend.

• A brilliant pairing is an oloroso style of sherry with marcona almonds. You can find these almonds at Whole Foods. They are a bit pricy, but worth every penny.

• Artichokes and Grüner Veltliner.

• Roasted bell peppers with Cabernet.

• Whole roast pig, served perhaps with a tomatillo salsa? Try a Sangiovese or a Tempranillo.

If in doubt, go with geography. If you are in an Italian restaurant and uncertain, then order an Italian wine. “There’s a reason they grow up together,” Chef Saad says.

What wines can you look to for a palate-opening experience this summer?

Chef Saad gives this list below as an “all time safe no-brainer” list:

• Viognier. Wonderful with practically everything. But not steak.

• Dry Rosé . It has just enough acid, just enough fruit and a bit of a tannic nature.

• Champagne. Particularly off-dry champagne. Try a Prosecco with caviar. It’s a low alcohol wine, so it doesn’t get in the way of salt. And, it has a bit of sweetness.

• Barbera. This is one wine that is off the beaten track and surprising.

• Grüner Veltliner. It can pair with practically anything, so long as it is not a heavy food.

For more on Chef Saad’s food and wine pairings, visit http://jeffreysaad.com/.

What do you serve to a discerning group like wine bloggers? Chef Bear of the Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla, Wash., prepared some wonderful bites, matched with interesting wines suppliled by Winebow. The list:

Kris Pinot Grigio 2009, Tre Venezie, Italy, served with spot prawn salsa with white peach and peppercorn caramel.

Cousino Macul Sauvignon Grist 2009, Maipo Valley, Chile, paired with a chicken skewer with white balsamic vanilla marinade, on chayote slaw with micro cilantro.

Tilia Torrontes 2009, Mendoza, Argentina, paired with Phyllo bouchee with monteillet chevre, pistachio and chestnut honey.

Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand, served with gravlox on endive, garnished with crème fraiche, ikura and fried capers.

Clean Slate Riesling 2009, Mosel, Germany, paired with Ahi Poke, and white soy on an apricot namusu.

Rioja Vega Reserva 2004, La Rioja, Spain, served with pork belly and pea vines with saffron scented stock.

There were more. I could go on, but I’m still on the treadmill trying to work off the calories...

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in July 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: "Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.

Why you should make your alcohol % easy to find

It's a pet peeve of mine. I write a weekly column on wine for the Tahoe Weekly, which might not have the clout of The Pour in the New York Times, but still, lots of people (people with money) read my column and buy wine. I am limited to 600 words, and today I just hit "delete" for reviews of two wines where I couldn't find the alcohol content easily on an internet search. I had plenty of other options for those 600 words; who could be bothered search-search-searching for information that should be readily accessible on a wine?

I always include alcohol percentages in my wine reviews; that's my own personal policy and my way of encouraging responsible wine drinking. So, perhaps I should have paid more attention and taken more thorough notes while I was tasting those 12 wines at the charity event. But it was a warm summer day, the appetizers appealed, the string quartet was sweet and the sailboats were gliding on the lake. I took some notes, yes, but I figured I could use the internet to fill in the technical info gaps.

Surprise!

Search search search, snooth, wines.com, wine-searcher, KL etc.... I could find no notes of alcohol content for two of the ten wines. So, bye bye. Tough luck.

I don't mean to cheat my readers out of information on a good wine. However, I write under deadline and I have lots of other stuff going on in my life (like research for my book on Moutain Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills, publ date April 2011 by the way). I am not going to chase this information for more than five minutes. When in doubt, as the old English professor said, leave it out.

If you are a winery, winemaker or wine sales rep, and your internet search on your wine does not easily yield information on its alcohol level, you are missing the mark. More and more consumers are concerned about what they drink and what they serve to guests.

California Highway Patrol gives a lot of citations for DUI's on Lake Tahoe's meandering roads every winter. Summer too. So help me, the time-pressed writer, out. But beyond that ... it's important information for consumers. Make it readily available. Just do it.

Thanks.

Wine Blog 101 for Old Media Readers

Dear Newspaper Reader: If you’ve had enough time to read to the bottom of my weekly wine columns in the past, you’ve noticed that I always mention my wine blog. So in late June 2010, I found myself at the Wine Bloggers Conference with 300 other folks who do “postings” on wine blogs, living and blogging from their homes in Spain, Argentina, South Africa, the United States, Canada, France, China -- you name it – there’s a wine blogger in every nook and cranny of the world. And pay attention: Vlogs are about to explode on the internet: short videos posted on blogs.

Blogging is a part of the internet-age communications genre referred to as “social media”. A blog is a short-hand term for “web log”, and it is a type of on-line journaling. (Remember journaling, or keeping a diary?) Blogs cost nothing but time to create and they are easy to maintain. This year’s Wine Bloggers Conference, the third annual, was held in Walla Walla, WA, which is an up and coming wine grape growing and winery area. Not long ago, there were only a few hundred wineries in the state of Washington; now there are almost 650.

An observer at the conference was Dr. Alex Ramirez, who teaches in the Information Systems program at the Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Alex is involved in the analysis of why bloggers blog, a study which has implications for communications trends of the future, for the sociology of community organization, and for marketing on the internet. In an age where your teenage and twenty-somethings spend more time in front of a computer or smartphone or digital-game screen than in-person visits with friends and family, blogging plays a huge role. It’s how this generation builds their knowledge base via trusted information outlets.

You might not be as computer-oriented as the youngsters in your life, but we’ve all come to the point that we turn to the internet for instant information. In my columns, I’ll often give the URL (that’s the www…. address) so you can get more detail on a wine or a product or an industry issue. Huh? URL? Oh that’s a Uniform Record Locator. It’s kind of like a library card, but for the internet.

So what wine blogs, in addition to http://www.winebiznews.blogspot.com/ of course, should you follow if you want to delve into the wine world more thoroughly. That is to say: which of the 13,000 wine blogs are worth your time? The list below is highly subjective and cut-to-the-bone for this column. I follow 50-60 wine blogs, and it is a rotating and constantly changing list. Even bloggers burn out!

The Pour. (Eric Asimov, New York Times)
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/author/eric-asimov/

Vinography
http://www.vinography.com/

Dr. Vino
http://www.drvino.com/

Steve Heimhoff’s Blog
http://www.steveheimoff.com/

Fermentation
http://fermentation.typepad.com/fermentation/

Alice Feiring’s Blog
http://www.alicefeiring.com/

Enobytes
http://enobytes.org/wine_blog/

Jamie Goode’s Wine Blog
http://wineanorak.com/blog/

Reign of Terroir
http://reignofterroir.com/

1 Wine Dude
http://www.1winedude.com/

Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz
http://www.wine-blog.org/

Good Grape
http://goodgrape.com/

That’s a start for you. Blogs are repositories of wine reviews, information about winemaking techniques, the ‘buzz’ in the industry which often indicates what winery will succeed or not with a new vintage or new facility or under a new owner, what regions are emerging as significant wine regions, which star winemakers are working with what winery, deals, details and divas.

The internet has tremendous storage capacity. Blog entries are archived and “tagged” by many bloggers so you can find content quickly. And most have a search capability. Go to http://www.winebiznews.blogspot.com/ and search for Tahoe Weekly. You’ll find every column I’ve ever written, and a few postings that are blog-worthy but perhaps not everyday reading.

Enjoy! All Hail to Social Media!


(This primer appeared in my weekly wine column "It's Grape" in The Tahoe Weekly Newspaper, July 7, 2010)


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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly.

Watch for my forthcoming book: "Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.

Summer Barbeque Wine Recommendations from Lake Tahoe Wine Shop Experts

Thinking about that summer barbeque and wondering what wines to bring to the neighborhood soiree or serve in your own backyard? Here are some ideas from the experts, some savvy wine shop owners.

Will Clark, owner of 49WINES in Downieville had these thoughts while looking over his wine selections. He thinks that Pinot Noir could jump to the front of everyone’s shopping list. Pinot, a very versatile and food friendly wine, will work with whatever is on the grill, from hamburgers to salmon.

He recommends two wines: “Bogle Vineyards 2008 California Pinot Noir at $11 is an excellent value. This is a delicate, aromatic wine with clean cherry and berry fruitiness. Fresh and smooth. Another outstanding choice is Drytown Cellars "RED ON RED" blend. At $10, this blend of Zinfandel, Cab Franc and Syrah is perfect for barbeque meats of any kind. Alan Kreutzer, the winemaker, is well known for his blending skills which this wine shows off admirably.”

Will also cheers for the All-American hot dog, grilled not boiled. “It’s a summer barbeque must. Enjoy it with a glass of chilled Pacific Rim Riesling. At $10 a bottle, these are solid, very well crafted wines everyone will enjoy.”

Kali Kopley, owner of Uncorked, the wonderful wine shop & wine bar in the Village at Squaw, has recommendations for wines that are light, refreshing and perfect with BBQ. “That is how we like our summer wines, simple and delicious,” she says.

First is the Lioco 2009 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Sonoma. “A delicious slimmed-down Pinot Noir—one that you can leave in the ice bucket all afternoon. It was fermented in stainless steel using a native yeast. Aromas of sour red cherries, watermelon rind, and quince spin out of the glass. Tastes like wild strawberries and blood oranges. Enjoy with a bowl of summer Gazpacho and ample sunshine.” $15 a bottle.

Next, the Calera 2008 Chardonnay, Central Coast. “Josh Jensen's winemaker mentors in Burgundy were adamant that pinot noir and chardonnay must be grown in limestone rich soils to make great wines. Whatever his secret, we love Calera wines! This 2008 Central Coast Chardonnay offers generous aromas of ripe pineapple, honeysuckle, apple and succulent lime zest. At first, the taste is reminiscent of vanilla custard and lemon chiffon, at the same time possessing a soft, fun citrus zing. It continues on with a touch of toasty oak and a full, round texture. Delicious with grilled veggies and hawaiian style grilled chicken.” $20 a bottle.

Scott Willers, wine buyer for Obexer's General Store at 5300 West Lake Blvd, Homewood, recommends the Matchbook Cabernet Sauvignon. “It’s made from fruit grown in the Red Hills of Lake County,” he says. “This is a full bodied wine with a beautiful, ruby red color. Deep rich black fruit flavors with boysenberry, leather and herbal notes. Hints of cedar and cigar box add to the complexity. The full flavors stick around for a long and lingering finish. Great with barbequed filets or big juicy beef ribs.” 13.9% alcohol content. $16.99 a bottle.

Debby Bullentini, owner of the L'uva Bella Wine Gallery located in the Summit Sierra shopping center, Reno, recommends Elyse Howell Mountain Zinfandel to pair with a great steak or hamburger for the 4th of July. “ The Howell Mountain Zinfandel is dark ruby colored, with aromas of white pepper, blackberries, and cedar along with hints of bay, madrone and wild brush; true to the Howell Mountain terroir. The palate is elegant and restrained. Wild plums and blackberries mingle with cola and sassafras. This wine is seamless with great fruit purity, soft tannins and a complexity that draws you in for another taste.” $34.99 a bottle.

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in June 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: "Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.