Opening Wine

• Cut the foil away from the top of the bottle so the wine will not touch it when you pour the wine
• Open the wine with a corkscrew or any wine opener, making sure to center the screw in the cork and pull directly up as to not break the cork and allow cork into the wine.
• The wine cork - is it moist? It is most important that the cork is moist; this means it was stored on its side. The cork should not have a rotten or funny smell. It may smell of alcohol, this is not a problem. 

Opening Champagne

• Open the foil and the cap. Place a towel over the cork as you open (the bubbles sometimes overflow. Twist the BOTTLE, not the cork- it is easier!

Determine How Much Wine You Need

Having a party and need to know how much wine to buy?  Follow this simple guide to ensure you have enough wine.  A 750 ml bottle of wine holds approximately five, 5 ounce servings. Based on the guest count and duration of the party you'll need:

Just Right Wine Temperature

Now that you know how much wine you need, make sure to serve it just right. To get the best taste from your wine, refer to the chart below.

Roasting, rather than sautéing, gives mushrooms a lightly caramelized crust and keeps the inside juicy.

Ingredients

1 pound mushrooms (such as cremini, shiitake, or Portobello)

 3 sprigs fresh thyme

 3 Tablespoons Raimondo Winery Garlic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

 2 cloves garlic , thinly sliced

 Salt and freshly ground pepper

Makes 2 cups

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Trim mushrooms (if using shiitakes, remove stems) and chop so they are all about the same size.

In a medium bowl, toss mushrooms with thyme, oil, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Spread mushrooms onto baking sheet in one layer.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30  – 35 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

Serve hot.

 

Ingredients

4-6 fresh apples, quartered and cored (anything but Granny Smith)
3 onions, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 head garlic, broken into cloves, peeled
8 sprigs fresh rosemary 

4 lemons quartered (reserve one for garnish)
(You don't need to remove the skin of the lemon, apples, garlic or onions)

1/2 cup Raimondo Sicilian Lemon Balsamic Vinegar
Seasoning - make a rub with the following - garlic powder, salt, pepper and thyme.

2 roasting chickens

1 can of stock (chicken or veggie)

serves 6-8

Instruction

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.  Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out.

Place apples, rosemary, 3 lemons, onions, and garlic in a single layer in shallow roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well and pour in the vinegar. Season the chicken well with the rub and place breast-side-up on top of the veggies and fruits. Put the rest of the veggies and fruit in the cavity of the chicken.

Roast for 30 minutes, until the breast is firm and just beginning to brown in spots. Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-down and roast for 20 minutes longer, until the skin is lightly browned and the thermometer registers 175° to 180°.

Tilt the chicken to drain the cavity juices into the pan and remove the goodies from the inside and bottom of pan.  Now transfer the bird to a cutting board. Remove the rack from the pan and spoon off the fat. Set the pan over high heat. Add the stock and cook, scraping up any browned bits and leftover pieces of goodies. Squeeze the last lemon to release the juices. Carve the chicken and pass the chunky jus at the table.

By Margie Roelands, Vintner for Raimondo Winery

It’s that time of the year when families and friends gather together at the table to give thanks and share a meal of great food and wine.  This holiday season you can show off your wine and food pairing skills simply by following a few principals. The great thing about pairing wine and food is the wine not only enhances the food, but the food enhances the wine. Take the dominant flavor of the food and match a wine that complements or contrasts with that flavor and pair the richness of the dish with the weight of the wine. Wine is ONE of the ingredients in a recipe. For example, if you are using a sauce on a fish, poultry or meat, pair the wine with the sauce rather than the protein since it becomes the dominant flavor of the dish. You can either complement or contrast as you pair your wine.

Complementary pairings – delicate dish with delicate wines. Contrasting flavors –sweet wine to make a salty dish stronger.

The four elements of complementing or contrasting pairings: weight, flavor intensity, taste, and smell.

•What is the body/weight of the wine? heavy, medium, or light-body

•What is the flavor intensity of the wine?    subtle, strong, complex

•How intense if the smell and aroma in the wine?    earthy, fruity, smoky, herbaceous 

•Most important - What does the wine taste like?  sweet, spicy, acidic, sour, bitter - do you taste apples, leather, molasses, etc.?

Body/weight of the wine -  Select a wine that will work with a broader range of foods. For example, a medium-bodied, moderately oaked Chardonnay pairs with most dishes better than a super oaky, buttery, high alcohol Chardonnay would. Pairing a big, powerful, high-alcohol or high-tannin wine with a light, delicate dish (and vice versa) is rarely a good idea.  Nor do you want to put a red wine on a white fish and most chicken dishes because the red wine structure is too heavy will turn the dish red or pink.

Flavor intensity -  The five basic tastes are sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami (savory). If you have an amazing bottle of wine you want to show off, don’t serve a wildly complex dish with it because you'll lose the flavor of the wine. A simple dish will allow the wine to be the center of attention. Likewise, it you are cooking a complex dish like lamb stew, you need to pick a wine that can stand up to the bold flavors of the lamb and seasonings.  Tannins pair well with fat because the astringency of the tannins cuts through the viscosity of the fat.

Smell and aroma - Back to our lamb stew, a big earthy wine can really enhance that dish. But if you were to serve a big earthy wine with creamy sweet dish like lobster bisque, it would overpower the dish.  If you need to add an element of fruit to a recipe, pick the wine that is fruity.   The wine is one of the ingredients in your recipe so think about what your dish needs: apple goes well with pork and turkey, smoke is great for grilled foods, and earthy needs a wild or red meat, mushrooms, a dish that uses herbs, etc.  Pick a wine that adds those flavors.

Taste is key!!!  - This is where you use the contrast and complement  - Sweetness in a dish will increase the awareness of bitterness and astringency in wine, making it appear drier, stronger and less fruity. High amounts of acidity in food will decrease awareness of sourness in wine and making it taste richer and mellower, sweet wine will taste sweeter. Starting with acid, there’s no better quality in a wine for matching rich, creamy or cheesy sauces, deep-fried foods or fish dishes.  Tart wines go better with tart foods, such as a vinaigrette on a salad. Some fish—cod, haddock, mackerel, shellfish are high in iodine so you would use a white wine rather than a red, because the iodine reacts with the tannins in red wine and makes both the fish and the wine taste metallic. Lightly sweet white varieties work well with spicy foods because the sweetness cuts the heat of the spice, and the firm acidity helps balance the richness of the oil. 
  

Here is a list of wines that you can pair with turkey, ham beef and other holiday cuisine.

                    • Albarino:  This Spanish grape is perfect with  appetizers and  and seafood.   It is light and fresh with a slight fruity mid-palette.

• Beaujolais: This light-bodied red wine is easy to drink; even white wine lovers enjoy it. It has a fruity aroma and pairs perfectly with holiday turkey or pasta dishes. It also works well on a buffet that includes a variety of foods.

• Chardonnay:  It can stand up to richer foods such as the salty, earthy flavors of turkey, sausage and dressing, and complements the sweetness of side dishes like corn pudding and winter squash.

• Pinot Noir: Another red wine that’s quite flexible and goes with the multiple layers of flavors presented at a holiday table. It is smooth and bright and pairs beautifully with turkey recipes.

• Red blended table wine: Select a red blend that uses Sangiovese, Barbera, Tempranillo and light-bodies red grapes.  These grapes produce a lighter, smoother red wine that won't overpower a turkey or ham.

• Syrah: If you like a heart red wine hearty, full of flavor and spice, a Syrah/Shiraz can balance even the most flavorful and spicy holiday dish.  Try it with beef, lamb, and even ham.

• Verdelho: This Portuguese white wine is easy to drink, even during the cocktail hour when you may or may not be nibbling. It is fresh, crisp and slightly fruity and pairs well with many holiday foods including creamy cheeses and seafood.

• Viognier: This dry white wine is best suited to the holiday’s full-flavored dishes. Light to medium body, it’s a good basic white to offer throughout the season.

• Zinfandel: This red wine is a medium-bodied wine with full flavor. It works with turkey, ham, roast beef, and any spicy foods you might be serving

• Dessert wines and sparkling wines:   Most people think about port as the only choice for dessert wines.   Actually there are many good choices including late-harvest wines, which provide sweet and rich flavors.  Riesling and Zinfandel are popular   late harvest dessert wines. Sparkling wines make a good dessert wine and can also be served with appetizers and light, creamy main dishes.   Don't forget to grab a Zinfandel or Cab. with a chocolate cake.