Simple Secrets to Eating Naturally & Joyfully

The Local Vintner Getting Much Deserved Recognition

If you can recall, I recently talked about Sharrott Winery in Winslow, NJ, (http://www.puresimpleyou.com/simple-secrets-to-eating-naturally-joyfully/2010/01/and-dont-forget-the-small-local-vintner.html) my favorite local winery.  Well, imagine my delight when I came across an article yesterday by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Restaurant Critic, Craig LaBan, titled:  Wines of S. Jersey Draw Fans (http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20100128_Wines_of_S__Jersey_draw_fans.html?cmpid=41144277). 

I was ecstatic to hear that Sharrott's 2008 Cabernet Franc recently was awarded a gold medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.  Apparently, Sharrott’s wine was among thousands of American wines being judged in a blind tasting by professional judges. 

As I said on my previous posting, if you’re looking for a wonderful afternoon outing on the weekend, please visit Sharrott at 370 South Egg Harbor Road, Winslow, NJ 609-567-WINE.  This local vintner deserves recognition!

And Don’t Forget the Small Local Vintner!

Following up on my posting yesterday about organic wines, I thought that it would be very neglectful of me to not mention my favorite local winery, Sharrott Winery in Winslow, NJ, on my blog!  They have a wonderful Double Gold Unoaked Chardonnay.

While the wines aren’t certified organic, Sharrott does use sustainable practices in its wine growing.  If you visit the website at: www.sharrottwinery.com, you’ll easily find pictures showing the owners flame weeding the vineyard, which is a sustainable agricultural technique that controls weeds without the use of chemicals.  What we forget is that many small vintners have applied sustainable practices in their operations, but may not have necessarily followed the route of getting certification.  Plus, many are resource-constrained.  

So, if you’re looking for a wonderful afternoon outing on the weekend, please visit Sharrott at 370 South Egg Harbor Road, Winslow, NJ 609-567-WINE.  This family-owned operation deserves a tasting.  They offer 14 varieties of wine priced from $10.99 to $23 per bottle.  A santé!

Testing the Organic Wines… Are They Truly the Juice of Goddesses?

My friend Lynn knows how fanatic I can be about my organic and sustainable foods.  For a recent dinner at our house, she and her husband brought over 4 different organic wines for us to try.  (According to Wikipedia, organic wines are made from grapes that have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.)  And all I can say is that they sure went down smoothly.  Yes, I know that this isn’t wine expert terminology, but, hey, they were just as delicious as the food! 

 

For starters, we enjoyed two whites with our appetizers (grilled tomatoes with local goat cheese; aged Gouda from Holland; local Lester cheese; local raw milk cheddar; with Ak-mak crackers and sourdough bread).  1) Terramore Pinot Grigio, Veneto from Italy – nice subtle taste, slightly dry.  2) Kunde Estate 2006 Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley, CA – not sweet like some Chardonnays, which I absolutely loved!  Very flavorful and aromatic – it was my favorite.

 

On to dinner – we had a beef roast in a tomato/cheese sauce with eggplant, zucchini and onions; spaghetti squash with chickpeas and diced tomatoes; roasted purple potatoes; and a tossed salad.  To accompany this, we had a 3) 2008 Sarbon Estate Amador County (CA) Sangiovese.  Great red – dry/fruity, the spices in the wine went really well with the tomato-based dishes. 

 

So, now you’re thinking that we had the 4^th bottle of wine for dessert, right?  Dessert was awesome – vanilla ice cream with roasted apples in a butter and wine sauce.  However, after 3 we had our fill…  The last remaining bottle was enjoyed separately.  4) A Cab/Merlot/Shiraz, Releaf from South Africa.  Since I love my dry reds, I again enjoyed this one.  If you asked me though, which one was the winner for me from all 4 – it clearly was the Kunde Estate 2006 Chardonnay.  I don’t think I’ve ever been as surprised with a Chardonnay as this one!  To answer my above question, yes, the organic wines I tested were truly the Juice of Goddesses!