I spent 4 busy days in Hong Kong last week with Altruistic Wines, our Hong Kong importer. They put on an amazing wine festival to showcase the U.S. boutique wines they are bringing into Hong Kong. It was the first annual festival with many more expected to come. The festival started on Thursday night with a dinner at BLT Steak at the Ocean Terminal of the Kowloon neighborhood of Hong Kong and officially ended with a black tie gala dinner on Saturday night in the ballroom at the JW Marriott Hong Kong. In between on Friday was the big Grand Festival tasting for
the trade and general public held at the Marriott. Sunday was a more low key day with an informal brunch and dinner with a little time for site seeing before flying home at night. The dinner on Thursday night at BLT Steak was actually prepared by three celebrity chefs from the US (Ken Frank of La Toque in Napa, CA, Josiah Citrin of Melisse in Santa Monica, CA, and Hosea Rosenberg of Jax Fish House in Boulder, CO) and so we did not get to eat off the famous BLT steak menu but had a fabulous meal paired with select Altruistic imported wines nonetheless. Saturday night featured the entertainment of Michael Wong, a US native who moved to Hong Kong and has become a huge movie and singing star there. Our 2007 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was served at Saturday night's Gala dinner paired with one of the courses (again artfully prepared by Ken Toque, Josiah Citrin, and Hosea Rosenberg). Our 2007 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was also included in one of the many auctions of the night to raise money for the Cancer Fund. We donated a 1.5L (magnum) and it was included in a trio of magnums that raised about $500 US for the fund! It was a truly memorable trip as I met many interesting people (including a woman who owns a vineyard in China that produces 120,000 cases of wine each year and it is all consumed in China!). It was my first trip to Asia and not my last, I hope. I posted some pictures from my trip on our Facebook Fan Page if you want to see some of what I experienced. -- by John
Marsanne in the United States is rare. This is a very special varietal. In California, Marsanne is almost unheard of with just 69 planted acres compared to 2200 Viognier and 180 for Roussanne. Marsanne has been grown since the late 1860’s in the Rhone region of France and has been called “the red wine drinker’s white wine” due to its inherent richness and weight on the palate. Heritage aside, Marsanne remains under the radar. It's like a secret, privy only to wine enthusiasts. It is also very delicious – which is how I describe it. We hope you will try it and let us know what you think!
-- By Margaret
A good friend from my days in technology is an amateur chef. Amateur in that he does not cook for a living but nothing amateur about his abilities in the kitchen. I have enjoyed his preparations over the years several times, each time marveling at his creations and secretly wishing I had the imagination to come up with something similar. Several years ago I was fortunate enough to try pork spare ribs with his BBQ rub. I asked for and got the recipe so I could make them at home which I have done many times. I made them again this past week and really hit the mark this time. It is hard to say what made them so good this time but here are my thoughts....starting with high quality tender, meaty ribs; cooking it long enough at a low enough temperature (sometimes I am in a rush I am told); and pairing it with the right wine. Turns out the "right wine" was the 2006 Olson Ogden Unti Vineyard Syrah. It was the perfect match. It's bright acidity, firm tannins and full mouthfeel were a good counterbalance to the sweet and spicy rub of the ribs. The combination really sung! Below is the recipe (reprinted with Chef Randy Dean's permission, I might add!) if you would like to give it a try. Let me know how it works for you. Do you have a favorite recipe you like to pair with an Olson Ogden wine? Please share it. - by John
Randy’s BBQ Rub
Makes enough rub for two racks of babyback ribs.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Quantity |
Measure |
Ingredient |
Preparation |
6 |
TBL |
Light brown sugar |
Firmly packed |
1 |
TBL |
Crushed red pepper flakes |
(add more for spicy) |
1 |
TBL |
Paprika |
|
1 |
TBL |
Garlic powder |
|
1 |
TBL |
Fennel seeds |
|
1 |
TBL |
Powdered ginger |
|
2 |
TSP |
Onion powder |
|
2 |
TSP |
Coarse salt (e.g. kosher) |
|
2 |
TSP |
Ground cumin |
|
1 |
TSP |
Ground cinnamon |
|
1 |
TSP |
Black pepper |
Freshly cracked |
1 |
TSP |
Dry mustard |
|
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Rub mixture lightly over bone side of both racks. Place racks bone side down on a baking sheet. Rub remaining mixture heavily over meat side of ribs. Press rub into meat trying to get as much of the rub to stay on top of the meat as possible. Bake at 275 degrees for approximately 3 – 3.5 hours (don’t rush them). Remove from oven. Cover ribs with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Cut and serve.
Notes:
Last fall we tapped our passionate Facebook community of fans to come up with a name for a new wine in our portfolio. They (you!) met the challenge with 150 names - exceptional names, it was hard to choose a winner. Our contest judge Guy Kawasaki of Alltop.com picked five finalists - and the winner is Persuasion.
Persuasion. The brash, carefree offspring of artisan winery Olson Ogden Wines. Born to be indulged - a blend of reckless abandon and practical accessibility. We hope you find it as persuasive as it is enjoyable.
Thanks to our winner Paula Warren for coming up with the name. Coincidentally, Paula and I were high school classmates. Go DJO! Paula's name is on Persuasion's wine label. Special thanks to Susan Bond, Les Tsoporific, George Roletter - who submitted the names that made the final cut.
Persuasion is a special occasion red table wine at an everyday price point. Be sure to sign up for our mailing list to hear more about the wine and where to buy it.
-- posted by Margaret Ryan
A behind the scenes look at what goes into making Olson Ogden Wines in Sonoma County by Tim Olson and John Ogden. Visit Olson Ogden Wines website
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