Category Archives: Drink

Drink, magazine, Napa Valley, Travel, Wineries

Musically Delicious

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By Igor Sill

Yes, exceptional vineyard soils, meticulous farming, ideal weather, a master winemaker and superb terroir make for extraordinary wines, but, what if classical music was that last remaining secret element to crafting incredibly full-bodied out-of-this-world wines?

Though there are a few Italian wineries that believe blaring loud speaker music onto their vineyards improves their vines’ growing cycle.  Science, however, points to the fermentation stages of a wine’s development as the better target where music can impact the beauty, finesse, smoothness and quality of the finished wine.

The role of yeast in the winemaking fermentation process is certainly the most critical element which distinguishes a grape’s transformation, or as the French call it, “élevage” (the progression of wine between fermentation and bottling known as a wine’s adolescence or breeding). Fermentation is a complex biochemical reaction in which yeast consumes sugar in the grape juice (must) and releases alcohol and carbon dioxide. It determines the future quality of wine and occurs shortly after harvest.  Fermentation can take anywhere from four to eight days for red Bordeaux style wines, and as long as several months for Burgundian style white wines.

When classical music is introduced during the yeast’s élevage period, it interacts with the microorganisms and enlightens their magical elements, truly bringing them to life.  Music is channeled in through a Pioneer Elite surround sound system with THX throughout the Winery. The increased yeast activity translates into fuller-bodied wines with deeper complexity of flavors. “I can sense and taste Chopin, Borodin, Mozart, and Ravel’s Bolero effects on the wine’s development.” Says Winemaker, Igor Sill.  The systematic arrangement of these rhythms exhibit perfection of elegant construction, exquisite detail, and harmonious finish which propels the yeasts’ passion for their tasks, converting sugar into alcohol.  “Serenading the yeast’s activities encourages far better microscopic single-cell conversion involvement in our fermentation tanks.  The rhythm and harmonious sounds seem to maintain a much more constant fermentation temperature allowing our wines to ‘open up’ fully.”  Music is played for 4 hours per day, each and every day, then restful peace fulfills the remaining hours.

“I have come to realize that wondrous music during the winemaking process provides both, our wines and myself, with an undeniably profound sense of serenity, calm and tranquility while allowing the wine to exhibit its unique expression of personality.” Says Sill.

As in music, wine, art and life, the simplest of details can bear extraordinarily exceptional results.

About the author:
The author Igor Sill farms a 24-acre mountain vineyard in Atlas Peak and a terraced cabernet sauvignon vineyard in St Helena, Napa, California.  He’s a passionate winemaker; vintner; wine lover; writer; Court of Master Sommeliers; attended UC Davis’ winemaking program; Member, Napa Valley Wine Technical Group; Judge, International Wine Challenge, London UK and holds his Masters from Oxford University. See more at: www.sillfamilyvineyards.com

Chefs, Chicago, Culinary Events, Drink, Las Vegas, Lifestyle, magazine, Napa Valley, New York City, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma County, Southern California, Travel, Wine Country Bay Area, Wineries

Countdown to Flavor! Napa Valley March 22-26, 2017

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Countdown to Flavor! Napa Valley March 22-26, 2017 Five Days, plenty of  amazing events and one legendary festival – The countdown to Flavor! Napa Valley, March 22-26, 2017, has begun! The five-day food and wine festival support programs and scholarships at The Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone Campus in St. Helena, CA. Flavor! During Flavor! Napa Valley, you’ll soak up inspiration from iconic chefs and winemakers while experiencing the best that Napa Valley has to offer. As you discover new flavors, you’ll also be supporting programs and scholarships of emerging talent from The Culinary Institute of America.

Flavor! Napa showcases the finest in farm-to-table cuisine and world class wines with a series of local and celebrity chef demonstrations, intimate winemaker workshops, as well as grand tastings and exclusive experiences to bring out the best flavors of Napa Valley.  Tickets for Flavor! Napa Valley are available at FlavorNapaValley.com.

A highlight of Flavor! Napa Valley 2017 events include:

Thursday, March 23, 2017

“From Vineyard to Bottle – Exploring Napa Valley with Iconic Winemaker Heidi Barrett” at the CIA at Copia 2:30 – 4 p.m.; $95 per person

Moderated by wine, food and television star Leslie Hartley­Sbrocco of KQED’s “Check, Please!” this exclusive seminar and tasting is focused on Heidi’s secrets behind how she captures the deep and complex flavors of the fruit in the wines she makes for her La Sirena and Barrett & Barrett labels, as well as other special selections from the highly­touted Napa Valley brands Paradigm, Fantesca, Kenzo Estate and Lamborn Family Vineyards.

“Napa Valley Icons Dinner” presented by the Silverado Resort and Spa at Silverado Resort and Spa 6 – 10 p.m.; $295 per person

Guests will celebrate the food and wine icons of the Napa Valley at the Silverado Resort and Spa while honoring legendary winemaker Heidi Barrett, who is responsible for some of California’s most notable cult wines. From multiple 100­point rated wines to setting a world record when a 6­liter bottle of her Screaming Eagle 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon sold for $500,000 at the Napa Valley Wine Auction in 2000. Participating chefs include Host Chef Jeffrey Jake from Silverado Resort and Spa; Matthew Accarrino from SPQR; Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski from State Bird Provisions and The Progress; Ken Frank from La Toque; Michael Schulson from Schulson Collective; and esteemed CIA graduate Waldy Malouf.

Chef Demo “Tyler Malek and Lisa Vega at the CIA at Copia 10 – 11:30 a.m.; $75 per person

Indulge your sweet tooth with Chefs Tyler Malek, co­owner and chef of Salt & Straw Ice Cream, and Lisa Vega, executive pastry chef at Dandelion Chocolate.  Guests will experience what happens when great minds collide with their unique use of ingredients, techniques, and secret tricks of the trade, and reap the delicious benefits of this culinary match with Salt & Straw’s innovative, seasonally­driven ice cream, and Dandelion’s small batch bean to bar chocolate.

Friday, March 24, 2017

 Terroir to Table – “The Blend Experience at Paraduxx” at Paraduxx Winery 10 – 11:30 a.m.; $95 per person

During this lively, hands­on experience, guests will be guided through a component tasting of the three core varietals that make up Paraduxx and learn the techniques of winemaking. Wines will be seasonally paired with bites from local chefs, Natalie and Jonathan Niksa, of La Saison, Napa Valley.

Terroir to Table – “The Spirited Side of Napa Valley” at 2:30 – 4 p.m.; $95 per person

The class is designed to showcase the spirited side of Napa Valley. Guests will start with a welcome beverage and short distillery tour, followed by a whiskey barrel tasting with the Napa Distillery owner and distiller. After the tour, guests will enjoy a multi­course small plate and cocktail/spirits pairing experience in the grand tasting salon. Each course will be prepared exclusively for each cocktail/spirit, made with spirits crafted at the distillery.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Terroir to Table – “Exercise Your Senses with St. Supery Estate Vineyards and Winery at St. Supery Estate Vineyards 10 – 11:30 a.m.; $95 per person

This class explores wine aromas suggestive of fruit character, barrel aging and terroir while tasting four estate grown St. Supéry wines. Guests will exercise their sense of smell through a series of aroma identifications designed to discover how personal sensory memory impacts how aromas are recognized. This interactive sommelier­led experience includes a mystery wine game to ultimately guide guests to identify more aromas in their glass to heighten the enjoyment of wine.

“Legendary Napa Valley, The Grand Tasting” at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone VIP admission is 6 – 7 p.m. and tickets are $225 per person; general admission is at 7 p.m. and tickets are $175 per person.

The sixth annual Grand Tasting at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena allows guests to taste their way through the Napa Valley with a selection of sweet and savory bites from more than 25 Napa Valley restaurants, paired with wine from more than 80 Napa Valley wineries. Participating restaurants include Angele Restaurant; Brasswood; Harvest Table; Lucy Restaurant & Bar; Nuri; PRESS Restaurant; Sam’s Social Club; Silverado Resort & Spa; Tarla Mediterranean Bar & Grill; The Farm at Carneros; and The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil. 2 Flavor! Napa Valley includes additional Napa Valley Wine Tours; Terroir to Table events, Chef Demonstrations, and Wine Classes.

Wine Events at Flavor! Napa Valley with Christopher Sawyer of SawyerSomm.com – WINE MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAMMING – Christopher Sawyer is an internationally-renowned sommelier,  wine educator, journalist, consultant, critic and public speaker: He travels the world following trends in wine and participating as a VIP judge in the world’s top wine competitions, and has been featured in a wide range of national media, including USAToday, MSN, NBC, ABC, CBS, Redbook, The Hollywood Reporter, Maxim, National Geographic Traveler, CNN and Esquire.

Visit Napa Valley is proud to announce the event sponsors for Flavor! Napa Valley 2017:

● Founding Sponsor: Silverado Resort and Spa
● Presenting Sponsor: Downtown Napa Association
●Jeroboam Sponsor: Bright Event Rentals
● Double Magnum Sponsors: Celebrity Cruises, Mr. Espresso, TriMark, Napa Valley Marriott.

by Manda Bear:  Instagram and Twitter.

 

Chefs, Drink, magazine, Restaurant, Southern California, Southern California, Travel

EAT SHOW, The New Standard For Tasting Events, To Launch This October 1st, 2016 In Los Angeles.

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EAT SHOW, The New Standard For Tasting Events, To Launch This October 1st, 2016 In Los Angeles, CA
eatshow4
This October 1st, the EAT Show will launch at The REEF in Los Angeles. Hosted by the event organizers behind popular food festivals “KTOWN Night Market,” “OC Block Party,” and “Crave Expo.” The EAT Show differs from the teams larger scaled festivals that have brought over 100,000 of Southern California’s foodies. It’s a more intimate showcase that is industry focused, a celebration of the culinary industry and the restaurants and chefs who are doing their part in making Los Angeles one of the food capitals of the world.
Follow them here for more details, this an event you foodies don’t want to miss and it’s going to be epic. Don’t forget to use hashtags  #The EatShow #EatShow and #DepLifestyleMagazine to be re-gram on Instagram @DepLifestyleMag.
Website: http://theeatshow.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeatshow/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theeatshow

eatshow2
The event will showcase over 50 vendors from the LA and OC area, including Fogo De Chao, Seoul
Sausage, The Halal Guys, Roscoes Chicken and Waffles, Street Churros, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream,
Raindrop Cakes, Dino’s Chicken, and more.
There will be a ticket cap of 2,000 guests which will be spread out between two sessions, lunch and
eatshowdinner. This voids the problem that thousands of attendees face while attending other tasting events –
crazy, unorganized lines, which usually lead to overwhelmed vendors and unhappy attendees. The limited ticketing distribution was implemented to make food the headliner of the show, not the crowds.
eatshow1Tickets for the event are $50 for general admission, and $90 for VIP, which allows for early, priority
entry along with a gift bag from participating sponsors. For more information visit
www.TheEatShow.com
DATE: October 1st, 2016
Session I: 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Session II: 5:00pm – 8:00pm
VENUE: The Reef LA
1933 S Broadway Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90005

$50 for 3 hours of exclusive tasting from all 50+ food vendors! That’s less than $1 per vendor!

eatshow3They offer limited to 1,000 tickets per session to avoid the crazy lines!21+ Open Bar! **

An industry tasting event featuring the best restaurants in LA


Each ticket gives you access to sample ALL of our amazing vendors. Purchase a VIP ticket to avoid the lines with one hour early access, along with special gifts from sponsors!
Confirmed Restaurants & Sponsors*
118 Degrees
Aqui Es Texcoco
Aroha New Zealand Cusine
Boxed Water*
The Brixton SM
Cacao Mexicatessen
Chibiscus Asian Cafe
Chocolate Chair
Choctal
Clearly Kombucha*
Cold Bruja Coffee Co.
Dahlicious*
Dino’s Chicken & Burgers
Dirt Dog LA
Enlightened*
El Tepeyac Mexican
Emporium Thai
Fala Bar
Family’s Beef Steakhouse
Fogo De Chao
Fruigees*
Glico*
Golden Owl
Haagen‐Dazs*
The Halal Guys
Hanaro Sushi
Hansen’s Cakes
Helados Pops
Jangsoo Makkoli*
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream
Krave Jerky*
Kona Red Hawaiian Coffee
Company*
Komodo
Lady M
LAVA Bloody Mary Mix*
Le Petit Paris
Lucky Boy Burgers*
Lucky Strike
Maggiano’s
Max City BBQ
Monster Energy Drinks*
Nitro‐Pop
Norigami Tacos
Nyotaimori Sushi Experience
Okamoto Kitchen
Organic Gemini*
Pig N Whistle
Pop Champagne Restaurant
& Bar
Raindrop Cake
Restauration Long Beach
Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles
Seoul Sausage Co
Sipp*
Smarty Pants Vitamins*
Stir It Up
Street Churros
Summer Buffalo
Swami’s Sandwiches
Temple Premium Protein Bar*
Tentenyu Ramen
Tito’s Handmade Vodka*
Tom’s Urban
Tsingtao Beer*
Vita Coco*
Woo Bamboo*
Yelp LA*

Yojie’s Japanese Fondue .. and more!

Company: Lights and Sounds Collective and Ganma Magazine.

 

Drink, Family and Friends, Lifestyle, Travel

Pasote Tequila by 3 Badge Mixology

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pasote-tequila-bottles

We got to try all Pasote Tequila Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo recently at the launch party in San Francisco. We got to try the cocktail version and the straight up shots. We enjoyed it very much. It’s perfect for this Summer season.

pasote tequila 1There’s 9 new tequila brands are launched each and every month, according to the data of Tequila Matchmaker NOM database. Isn’t that amazing? Some of them taste and smell quite similar, we are no tequila experts, but we have our fair shares of drinking them.

We dig up a little more about this new Tequila, it was made by Felipe Camarena in his distillery, El Pandillo, which is located in the Los Altos region of Jalisco. He touches every single one of them when they live the distillery. He’s a master distiller as people call him.

pasote tequila3 Badge Beverage Corporation has introduced Pasote, a line of Mexican tequilas made from 100 percent pure blue agave. The new Pasote tequilas will be sold in select markets throughout the U.S. by the company’s spirits division, 3 Badge Mixology.

Named for the fierce spirit of Aztec warriors and their uncompromising commitment, Pasote includes Blanco, Reposado and Anejo tequilas. Each is made from ripe blue agave that is evenly baked and then carefully distilled with pure rainwater and natural spring water in copper pot stills.
pasote tequila cocktailsPasote’s master tequilero grows blue agave in the Jalisco Highlands in Mexico and uses traditional production techniques to make the notably pure and distinctly herbal Pasote tequilas.

“Pasote represents the highest quality and craftsmanship in tequila,” noted August Sebastiani, president of 3 Badge Beverage Corporation. “We use the finest ingredients and time-honored tradition in production, and we named itPasote to capture the Aztec warrior tradition of celebrating victories by drinking the sacred agave. The pasote spirit lives on in these artfully crafted tequilas.”

Pasote Blanco ($49) shows the essence of roast agave with fragrant citrus aromas, a crisp, balanced palate and an uncommonly long, silky finish. Pasote Reposado ($59) was aged six months in American oak and has fruit-forward aromas, rich, soft flavors and a finish that is long, sweet and clean. Pasote Anejo ($69) was aged for 18 months in American oak, which mellows the character of the roasted agave and gives this premium tequila soft aromas, rich mouthfeel and a long, smooth finish.

pasote tequila 3The Pasote label features three bold, hand-screened graphics of distinct warriors. Each custom-madePasote glass bottle is madeby a family of glass artisans and has distinctive, slightly asymmetrical wave patterns visible in the glass.

Pasote Tequila is available from 3 Badge Mixology, the spirits division of 3 Badge Beverage Corporation.

Website: www.3badge.com/mixology/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/PasoteTequila
Instagram: www.instagram.com/3badgecorp
32 Patten Street
Sonoma, CA 95476.
Tel: (707) 996-8463

Pasote-Tequila

 

 

 

 

by Manda Bear