Wining through the holidays...Christmas...

Christmas is always a bit problematic for me. For one thing, I'm Jewish, so the whole religious aspect is kind of lost on me. On the other hand, JD is not Jewish, so every year I ask him if he wants to decorate the house for the holidays, and every year, I get the 'look', so it's never necessary to do anything but display the holiday cards.

However, December 25th is my sister's birthday, and she LOVES everything about Christmas. Every year she decorates the whole house - multiple beautifully decorated trees, every David Winter cottage ever made, plus other cute cottage and village collections, plus, plus, plus. It's an ocean of cuteness.

Oh, and the Christmas/Birthday party. It used to be huge; my sis would invite every person she knew - family, friends, business associates. Most of Los Angeles, I think. As the years have gone by, the party has gotten smaller; now it's mainly family. And the family has gotten smaller, too.

Wining through the holidays – Hanukkah…

Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the menorah.

Let's have a party, we'll all dance the horah.

Gather 'round the table, we'll give you a treat.

Dreidels to play with and latkes to eat.

And while we are playing, the candles are burning low.

One for each night, they shed a sweet light, to remind us of days long ago.

One for each night, they shed a sweet light, to remind us of days long ago.

-      Traditional lyrics

When I was growing up, celebrating Hanukkah, the Festival of the Lights, was fairly traditional. The family gathered for dinner – beef brisket accompanied by white potatoes and carrots, green beans, sesame seed rolls, lukshen (noodle) kugel, and, of course, latkes – potato pancakes – grated, oniony, fried pieces of heavenly goodness with a dollop of sour cream. It was a feast to celebrate the miracle of the oil; the small amount of lamp oil that lasted for eight nights after the Maccabees defeated the Seleucid Greeks. It wasn’t fancy or gourmet; it was comfort food.

Before dinner, the adults would sip cocktails and nosh on chopped chicken or beef liver and crackers. At the dinner table, we mostly drank water or soda, because my folks weren’t big drinkers, and they weren’t wine drinkers. If wine was needed for a barucha (blessing), there was Manischewitz Concord Grape. Insert shudder here.

Wining through the holidays…

It’s that time of year again. The “holidays”. You throw a party, or you go to a party. For a huge meal. It could be a traditional roast turkey, accompanied by stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Or it could be roast goose or duck, or a Honeybaked ham. Or (shudder) a turducken.

Regardless of what you, your friends and family choose to share, it’s going to be a big meal with a lot of different elements, so you’ll want to choose wines that will enhance and not conflict with the flavors found in your meal. You can play it safe and offer Chardonnay or Pinot Noir with your turkey, but how about trying something different to spice up your feast?

The Goddess of Wine tends to favor wines with good acidity to counter the fatty content of many of the tasty accompaniments to a hopefully moist and well-seasoned turkey. Oh, and I tend to lean more towards red wines, so here are some suggestions, all of which are locally available.

Key to Wine Country Returns to Santa Barbara

Exclusive wine and food weekend in Santa Barbara County December 5 - 7

BUELLTON, CA – The Santa Barbara Vintners is pleased to announce the dates and schedule of experiences for its winter Key to Wine Country experience weekend December 5 - 7, 2014.  Three days of unlocking exclusive events and offerings at nearly forty wineries and vineyards throughout Santa Barbara’s scenic wine country makes for the perfect wine and food lover’s weekend.  Keys to unlock Santa Barbara’s wine country are valid for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and can be purchased online for $100 per person at www.sbkeytowinecountry.com.

Wining with Pere Ventura...

The Goddess of Wine was invited to lunch at Il Grano Ristorante Italiano for a special tasting of Pere Ventura Cava. Fourth-generation winemaker and proprietor Pere Ventura Vendrell charmed us as he told us his family history and led this intimate group of wine writers and retailers through the wine tasting.

Pere's family wine heritage dates back to the late 19th century when his great-grandfather, Manuel Montserrat Font, helped produce the first bottles of Spanish Cava made in the traditional French method. In the early 1900's, his grandfather, Pere Ventura Peracaula, was a distinguished enologist, acquiring knowledge and experience in Dijon and working in the most prestigious Champagne houses, including Moet, in order to bring modern production techniques to Penedes and establishing benchmark quality for Cava.

Pere's father, Jaume Ventura Montserrat, continued the family tradition, and encouraged his son to become part of the family business instead of following his vocation to the priesthood. Pere brings his deep spirituality and a strong sense of identity to his wines. Each bottle is sealed with a rendering of his handprint, symbolizing his personal guarantee. Salut!

Wining Miscellany...

The Goddess & JD

The Goddess of Wine hasn't been doing much writing lately. There's been so much going on, it's been overwhelming. So, here's a quick recap:

First, I left the earth job. Yep, retired several years earlier than originally planned. It's all Goddess of Wine now! A bit daunting, but wine gigs are coming in, so I know I can make it happen.

Second, because I now have time during the day, I've gone to wine events that I would have previously covered by proxy via JD. He's been at some of them, too, but he's been busy consulting at various places, so it's lucky I've been available.

Wining with Wines of Naoussa at Faith and Flower...

Back in June, the Goddess of Wine and JD were invited to attend an intimate tasting of the Wines of Naoussa at the lovely Faith and Flower restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. From the invitation: Wines of Naoussa presents 13 wineries pouring their Xinomavro wines. Xinomavro is the main and noblest indigenous red grape varietal of northern Greece. Its name reveals its basic features: high in acidity (Xino - sour), and deep almost black in color (mavro - black) with powerful tannins. This combination of high acidity and phenolic richness results in wines with the possibility of aging for many years. Wines made from Xinomavro have a complex and unique aromatic character, composed of fruity and vegetal aromas of tomato and olive.

Domaine Porto Carras will present their portfolio of ancient and indigenous varietals including Malagouzia, Assyrtiko, and Limnio as well as their varietal blends including Melesanthi, Magnus Baccata, and Chateau Porto Carras.

Santa Barbara Vintners 24rd annual Celebration of Harvest Festival!

The Santa Barbara Vintners is pleased to announce the dates and schedule of events for the 24th Annual Celebration of Harvest Weekend October 10-13, 2014 in Santa Barbara Wine Country. The popular fall weekend celebrates the grape harvest when the nearly one hundred and fifty members of the association come together to share harvest tales and pour wine at the Festival Grand Tasting, participate in collaborative events like the new Friday night kick-off La Paulée dinner, and host individual tasting room open houses and vineyard walks. Tickets for the Festival and related events are on sale now at www.celebrationofharvest.com.

Wining by Proxy...Lunch with Aurelio Montes, Jr. of Montes & Kaiken Wines...

Occasionally, the Goddess of Wine can't make it to a wine event. Luckily, First Acolyte to the Goddess, JD, takes up the slack. Here's his latest report from the field:

Wine-tasting lunch with Aurelio Montes, Jr. of Montes and Kaiken Wines at Primitivo Wine Bistro, presented by Swords PR.

Primitivo is a quaint little restaurant in the laid-back beach town of Venice, CA. It is an assemblage, some of which may have been homes at one time. In spite of my long trudge across town, I was the first to arrive and could check out the place quietly while waiting.

The event began on their patio in back with a welcome wine of refreshing Sparkling Brut of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made in traditional method accompanied by an assortment of delicious passed appetizers, including: croquetas with romesco sauce and a cheese, grape and more combination on crostini.

Wineaux of the Goddess - August Meeting - Rioja...

It was getting down to the wire and the Goddess of Wine had still not decided on a wine region to taste, so she thought, "Well, we haven't visited Spain in a while..." and chose Rioja. The group of tasters included First Acolyte JD (new Twitter handle @gowacolyteone), hostess-with-the-mostest Xochitl Maiman, Michelle McCue, Debra Bizek, and lovely-person-we-hadn't-seen-in-way-too-long, Amelia Yokel.

Rioja is a wine region, with Denominación de Origen Calificada (D.O.Ca. Qualified Designation of Origin) named after La Rioja, in Spain. Located south of the Cantabrian Mountains along the river Ebro, La Rioja has a continental climate enhanced by the mountains that help to isolate the region and create a moderating effect by protecting the vineyards from the intense winds that are typical of northern Spain. The region is also home to the Oja river (Rio Oja), for which the region was probably named. Most of the region is situated on a plateau, at about 1,500 feet above sea level. The area is subdivided into three regions - Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja. Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta, located closer to the mountains, are at slightly higher elevations and have a cooler climate. Rioja Baja to the southeast is drier and warmer.