Posts Tagged: pinot noir

From Simple to Simply Amazing: Turning a Calimocho into a Cali-Macho

These days, with the advent of the mixologist, cocktails seem to get more and more esoteric with each season. Smoked this, homemade bitters that…we respect creativity, but sometimes simplicity speaks the loudest.
Enter the classic Spanish cocktail, the Calimocho (or Kalimotxo in its native Basque.) Simple enough, it is equal parts red wine and Coca-Cola. This drink has an unusual and varied backstory that we’ll let you research on your own, but suffice to say, it is generally served and enjoyed by Spanish youths during traditional ‘botellón’ parties, or what American youths might call ‘pre-gaming’: gathering together for a few light drinks before heading out for the evening.
Never been to Spain? Well, once air travel is safe again, we highly recommend it. From its wondrous narrow streets,

to its amazing architecture,

to its picturesque parks and plazas,

and finally, to its cheeky restaurant murals, Spain is like nowhere else on Earth.

So, in the iconoclastic spirit of the Spanish lifestyle, we decided to jazz things up with a shot of Branca Menta (the Fratelli Branca’s mint flavored liqueur.) I recommend trying the classic combination first, and then adding a little something more. If the herbaceous tones of Fernet are not your style, you can also try an orange flavored liqueur such as Cointreau, Combier or Triple Sec, which will also work well.

The Cali-Macho
 
3 oz. (preferably Mexican) Coca-Cola
Start with 2 cups full of ice. Add the red wine. There is an old adage in professional kitchens: Never cook with wine that you wouldn’t want to drink. Well the same goes for wine cocktails. That’s why the Underwood is perfect for the Cali-Macho.

Next add the Coca-Cola. For the uninitiated, you can get Mexican Coke at most Taquerias around town. Besides from having just a bit more spice and depth than American Coke, it is actually still made with pure cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. And it comes in a vintage thick-bottomed glass bottle with an old school pop top!

Mix this well and then add an ounce of Branca Menta or your choice of flavored liqueur.

And there you have it. A delicious and refreshingly light cocktail to enjoy throughout the Fall.

From everyone in the Union Family, please stay safe out there and as always, keep those
#pinkiesdown.

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Photography, Recipes & Text by David L. Reamer. (@dlreamer)
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Perfect Pairings

At Union Wine Company we love to support and collaborate with other fellow artisans in our community.

Our favorite cheesemonger, Steve Jones of Cheese Bar and Chizu, has been honing his skills for 15 years and just released his very first book: CHEESE BEER WINE CIDER: A Field Guide to 75 Perfect Pairings. Co-written by Steve Jones and Adam Lindsley (and photographed by your humble narrator, David L. Reamer) you can order a copy of CHEESE BEER WINE CIDER at Powells Online or keep an eye out for copies at your local bookstore or wine shop.

It is, as the title says, a guide to pairing specific cheese with their appropriate ‘adult beverage’ counterparts. We thought this would be a great opportunity to have Steve formally taste three of our Underwood wines—Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Rosé—and choose a cheese that he thinks would go well with each. If you are going to be doing some entertaining in the next few weeks, or if you just want to have an indulgent late spring picnic, this will help you to know the best cheese to accompany your favorite cans. So, without further ado…

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UNDERWOOD PINOT NOIR paired with SUMMER COMTÉ.

Comté is a cow’s milk cheese from France’s Massif du Jura region. It has a very earthy taste (think mushrooms cooked in brown butter) but also has a slight sweetness which pairs quite well with our Underwood Pinot Noir. There are various styles of Comté, but this one gets its name from the season it is produced, when the cows are dining on the lush and verdant summer grasses.

Underwood Cheese Pairings

UNDERWOOD ROSÉ paired with 1605 MANCHEGO

This very popular aged Spanish sheep’s milk cheese comes from the windmill-dotted La Mancha plateau immortalized in Don Quixote. (The producing farm, 1605, actually takes its’ name from the year the book was first published!) Much like the terroir of its origin, Manchego is dry, pale and very sheepy. As it ages, the cheese’s nuttiness and buttery qualities increase, making it absolutely delicious, and a perfect pairing to our Rosé.

Underwood Cheese Pairings

UNDERWOOD PINOT GRIS paired with JACQUIN BUCHERON.

Bucheron is from what is called the Bloomy-Rind Family. A French goat’s milk cheese, it has its origins in the Loire Valley which is accepted as the home of chèvre. The Jacquin Family has been making cheese in the Loire Valley for four generations. Bucheron, from the French word for “log”, has two distinct parts: a gooey section that has started to break down just below the rind, and, a more traditional, dryer, white chèvre filling the center. The contrast between the salty cream of the buttery ring and the lemony, goaty center make for a complex flavor, as well as a great pairing for our Pinot Gris.

Underwood Cheese Pairings

Big thanks again to Steve Jones for taking the time to share his knowledge and palette for this little culinary experience. A good time was had by all!

Underwood and Cheese Bar

Photography and Text by David L. Reamer. (@dlreamer)

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Wine Cocktail: Northwestern Comfort

underwood wine

On a dreary, rainy day in Portland we met up with bartender Jon Davidson to craft a cocktail that is anything but grey. Incorporating some of the best of the Pacific Northwest, and a pop of protein, we like to call this drink, “healthy”.

Northwestern Comfort

1 egg white
.75 oz lemon juice
Dash allspice
Dash cinnamon

Combine all ingredients except for the Pinot Noir in a shaker. Shake and strain into a glass. Layer Pinot Noir on top. Garnish with a pear slice.

  

 

About The Bartender

Jon Davidson, Bite of Oregon Iron Mixologist Champion, hosts a biweekly mixology segment on Portland’s KATU, Channel 2, featuring cocktails he has created during the course of his fourteen-year bartending career. He currently tends bar at Stanford’s in Portland, and on the side he designs cocktail menus for a variety of regional establishments.  Jon favors bold and multifaceted flavors when designing cocktails, and loves to incorporate unexpected ingredients (cumin, anyone?).
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Photography by David L. Reamer

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Underwood Pinot Cranberry Sauce

pinot sauce

Here in Portland, colored leaves are taking over every street, evening walks are starting to require a puffy, and after almost two months, harvest is almost complete.

You know what that means? Pinot Noir season is officially here!

(Editor’s Note: even though we drink Pinot Noir year-round, our Oregon staple just feels right during the colder months).

So when you’re pouring that glass for yourself tonight, consider saving some for this delicious cranberry sauce. It is easy enough for a weeknight hors d’oeuvre, yet delicious enough to serve alongside at Thanksgiving dinner. Warning: may cause double dipping.

Underwood Pinot Cranberry Sauce

12 oz fresh or frozen Cranberries
¾ Cup Underwood Pinot Noir
¾ Cup Brown Sugar
½ Cinnamon Stick (1 – 1½ inches)
1 tsp grated Ginger
Zest of one Orange
1/8 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground Allspice
1/4 tsp of kosher salt

Combine cranberries, Underwood Pinot Noir, and sugar into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add remaining ingredients, stirring occasionally until cranberries begin to pop. After about 5 minutes, reduce heat to low and break up berries with a wooden spoon. The consistency should become a thick jam-like sauce. Stir a couple more times, remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes. Serve immediately or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Can be served cold or reheated.

Tip from our crew:  When we made this sauce for a winery happy hour, we paired it with Chèvre atop crackers and it was as gone in seconds.

adding wine

Photography by Emily Triggs

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