Posts Tagged: Union Wine Company

Tips For The Season: Pinot Pomegranate Punch

November 8, 2019

Once again the season to entertain is upon us. From Halloween straight through the New Year, it’s just a part of life that you will have more guests, throw more parties and have more responsibilities to entertain. But, there is no need to get stressed! One thing we all know about entertaining is that the more you can do ahead of time, the easier—and more fun—it all becomes.

One way to do that is to prep as much food as possible, but another way is to make sure you have plenty of delicious drinks on hand for your guests. And, one of the best ways to check this box is to create a punch or batch cocktail that can be done a few days in advance and stored in the fridge. So, we decided to help out and suggest an Autumnal Sangria style Pinot Noir Punch that has a little bit of a kick but still stays on the fruity side. It can be made up days in advance, and in fact, doing so will only improve the flavors.

Pinot Pomegranate Punch

2 bottles Underwood Pinot Noir
2 C Pomegranate Juice
1/2 C Unsweetened Cranberry Juice
1/2 C Cointreau
1 C Spiced Rum (such as Flor de Cana)
22oz bottle (2 3/4 C) of Hard Cider

Garnish:
Pomegranate seeds
Cranberries
Orange slices
Cinnamon Sticks

Combine all ingredients. It’s that simple!

Feel free to add or subtract any amounts to best suit your palate. Refrigerate ahead of time and serve cold, over ice or room temperature. Since the orange and cranberries float, place those in the punch as a garnish. The pomegranate seeds, however, will sink, so we recommend putting them in a small bowl and having your guests help themselves.

(Looking for a funky punchbowl and cup set on the cheap? I highly recommend checking your local Goodwill or Salvation Army!)

Never dealt with a fresh pomegranate? Well here is a nifty technique to help get the most from your fruit.

***********

Kitchen tip:
How to deal with a Pomegranate.

Step one:

Gently run a serrated knife around the equator of the pomegranate. The skin is very tough but not very thick, so its best to just barely break the skin to preserve the most amount of seeds.

Step 2:

Gently tear the fruit into two halves. You can then go on to tear the halves into smaller segments.

Step 3:

In a shallow bowl of room temperature water, gently break apart each section. All of the seeds will sink to the bottom and all the white pith will float to the surface, assuring easy separation without mashing any of the seeds. Simply dispose of the rind and all pith and strain the seeds through a mesh colander. Keep covered in the fridge until party time.

Cheers!

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

Oregon Surf Adventure: Cold Water & Canned Wine

November 1, 2019

At Union Wine Co. we try to play just as hard as we work. Maybe a little harder. With the winery located just south of Portland, OR, we have the advantage of being able to leave work, point in any direction and set a course for adventure. We’re incredibly grateful to be able to call this beautiful part of the state our home. Today’s journey will take us just 75 miles away from the winery. However, the setting is entirely otherworldly, the Oregon Coast.

Meet Marcus Mejia. Marcus is one of our Marketing Associates here at UWCo. When not in the office with the rest of the team, you can find Marcus on the road, trailering our beloved 1972 Citroën van (Celeste) to and from events. Outside of work, Marcus enjoys escaping to surf the crisp waters of the Oregon coast. We followed Marcus and a few friends to Cape Kiwanda for a day of off-roading, some small wave surf and a lesson in “tailgate gourmet” etiquette.

All great surf sessions usually involve a bit of a hunt. If you’re lucky enough for the weather to cooperate and the swell to be in your favor, you still have to find the right spot. Here in the Pacific Northwest that can be a little tricky. There are soft sands to get stuck in, river and creek crossings that “don’t look that deep?” to drive through. However, the chase is half the fun. We did a bit of off-roading and beach cruising to get to just the right location. Heavy emphasis on the fun.

After hunting a few spots up and down the coast we settled into a nice spot to suit up and get in the water. With small waves and water temperatures lingering around 54 degrees Fahrenheit, an enjoyable surf session in Oregon may be better described as self-inflicted punishment. But when the fun happens it is well earned. And for those that wish to search it out, it is absolutely out there.

With wetsuits full of sandy cold saltwater and smiles on our faces, we decided it was time to find a place to set up the kitchen for the evening. We packed the truck back up with a board, dogs, and gear and headed to spot we had scouted earlier to enjoy a well-deserved post-surf meal.

Once we regained the feeling in our hands, we set up our “tailgate kitchenette.” One thing to keep in mind, when your kitchen is also the back panel of your vehicle, be sure and find level ground. No one likes working hard at slicing that avocado in half only to watch it roll off the bed to become the dog’s next snack. Also, a level tailgate provides the best home for a delicious can of Underwood Pinot Noir. With the rig nice and balanced we decided that the first, main, and only course of the evening was going to be “Surfers Paradise Tacos”. Now, there are many iterations of this decadent menu item. However, normally the dish involves some ingenuity in regard to whatever is in the cooler at the time. If you’d like to try our post-surf meal first hand here’s a quick recipe.

Surfers Paradise tacos:

1 pack Olympia Provisions Smoked Chorizo
Tillamook sharp white cheddar
Arugula
1 Avocado
1 tomato
Large tortillas
1 can Underwood Pinot Noir
Mixed spices

Slice sausage and cook until slightly browned. Pour Pinot Noir over sausages to make light demi-glace. Add spices to taste. Prepare tortillas with arugula, cheese, tomato, and avocado. When the wine has reduced add sausage over top of prepped tortillas. Wrap it up and find a nice spot to enjoy the sunset and your taco.

After consuming a healthy portion of tacos, wine, and tortilla chips we decided to hike up the hill to catch the sun setting over the water. By the end of the day, we had played in the sand, rode some small (very cold) waves and enjoyed each other’s company over wine and food. As far as adventures go, there’s not much more you can really ask for. Oregon is an incredibly special place, and we are very lucky to call it home. Until next time, keep those pinkies down.

Cheers.

Photography by Brandon Haley. @bhaleyimage www.bhaleyimage.com

Text and recipe by Marcus Mejia.

Homemade Soup: Silky Smooth Seven Veggie Soup

October 11, 2019

With the arrival of autumn, it is true that we begin to lose all those delicious colorful vegetables that seemed so plentiful just a few weeks ago. But the following months give us the opportunity to really explore some fresh new realms in the kitchen, i.e. amazing soups and stews. Once you get the general techniques down, there are literally endless variations that will keep you and your family happy, warm and well-fed through the winter.

If you are new to the world of homemade soups, it’s best to start simply, with a delicious blended soup. We wanted to jazz things up a little bit, so we decided to start with a soup that is both simple and complex at the same time. By incorporating seven different vegetables into this blended soup, the technique is still relatively easy but the taste is much more nuanced.

So without further ado, let’s first head out to the local supermarket to collect everything you will need.

Seven Vegetable Blended Soup
Makes 2 Quarts

2 medium sweet onions
2 large cloves of garlic
2 large carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 large stalk of broccoli, stem removed
2 medium white or golden sweet potatoes
1 large Delicata squash, peeled and seeded

5-6 cups organic vegetable or chicken broth
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 small lemon

For garnish:
toasted pumpkin seeds
ground cayenne pepper

STEP ONE:

Peel and chop all 7 vegetables into a uniform size. This doesn’t have to be perfect, as you will be blending everything, but keeping all the pieces a similar size assures equal cooking time for everything.

STEP TWO:

Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large high walled pot or rondeau. Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery and season with salt and pepper. Keep stirring so veggies don’t develop any color.

After 5-10 minutes, add celery, broccoli, sweet potato and squash. Re-season slightly and keep moving all vegetables around in the pot to soften but not brown.

After another 5-10 minutes, add the broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until all vegetables are fully soft. Turn off heat and let the pot rest on the stovetop for 10 minutes to cool down slightly.

Now you are ready to blend…

Sidebar:
To Vitamix or not to Vitamix

Many people swear by their Vitamix. And I won’t lie, its a lean mean blendin’ machine. If you own one, I highly recommend you use it. But if you happen to still own an old school blender, fear not. You can still make a delicious smooth soup, you just have to pay a little closer attention.

STEP THREE:

If using the Vitamix, blend in 2 batches, trying to get roughly the same amount of vegetable and broth in each batch. Add just enough liquid to cover the vegetables. You can always add more liquid if need be, but if you add too much, your soup will be too thin.

If using a smaller blender, patience is the virtue! Blend in 5 or 6 batches—the most important thing is to not overcrowd the vegetables so that they can blend smoothly. Pulse vegetables at first to break them down more evenly. A little extra broth or water may be necessary when doing it this way.

STEP FOUR:

As you blend the soup, return each finished batch to a new, clean pot on the stove. Once you have blended all the soup, readjust seasoning with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Reheat soup if necessary and ladle carefully into bowls.

Garnish with the toasted sunflower seeds and a small amount of cayenne pepper (a lot goes a long way!) This soup pairs beautifully with a nice cold glass of Underwood Pinot Gris.

Bon Appétit!

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

The Hood River Fruit Loop Apple Picking in the Gorge

October 4, 2019

If the idea of a Fruit Loop conjures up sugary Saturday morning cereal, you wouldn’t be alone. But out here in the Pacific Northwest, we Portlanders know it as something very different. In fact, an incredibly healthy alternative, the Hood River Fruit Loop is a series of U-pick farms and orchards specializing in Autumnal produce.

Great for day trips with the whole family, the Loop is a very simple drive from Portland: about an hour out Hwy. 84 along the Columbia River and then just up Hwy. 35 through the town of Hood River. On a clear day, the views are beautiful and as much fun as the apple picking. There are many farms along the Fruit Loop to choose from. Each has a myriad of apple varieties available at different points during the Autumn season, as well as pears, grapes and other fruit. You can see what is available and when everything is available on the Official Fruit Loop Website.

For my recent trip out there, I chose to visit one of the farms that is the farthest away from Hwy. 84, but well worth the extra few miles drive: Kiyokawa Family Orchards. Located in the small town of Parkdale, this very accessible family-run orchard has one of the largest selections of apple varietals on the Fruit Loop. I was on the hunt for my favorite apple—Honey Crisp—and I was not disappointed. The Honey Crisps at Kiyokawa were the size of softballs; red, delicious and ready to be picked.

Kiyokawa Orchards has many different sections to pick from, so even on the busiest of Autumn weekend days, there is never an issue of overcrowding or a lack of fruit to be harvested.

To commemorate my trip out to the Fruit Loop, I created a cocktail using one of the many amazing hard ciders that are produced out in the Columbia River Gorge, Son of Man Sagardo. A Basque-style cider, possibly the only one produced in this region, it has a very dry flavor that I thought would pair really well with the off-dryness of the Underwood Pinot Gris.

I just needed a little bit of herbaceous flavor to round out the cocktail and found that Dolin’s Génépy des Alpes, with its rich Artemisia flavor, worked perfectly. A very simple cocktail served on the rocks, it really embodies the full flavors of Portland’s most glorious season.

(Note: Son of Man can be purchased at a few places around town, but I found it at Belmont Station.)

Basque in the Glory

2 oz. Son of Man Sagardo Basque Style Cider
1 oz. Underwood Pinot Gris
1/2 oz. Dolin Génépy des Alpes

Pour all ingredients over ice, stir vigorously and enjoy!

******************

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

Union Wine Co. Kitchen Skills: How to Truss a Chicken

September 26, 2019

There is something warm and inviting about roasting a whole chicken. It’s delicious, it’s easy, it feeds a whole family, and it’s literally a blank canvas to pair with any side dishes. Here at Union Wine Co., we especially love it because it goes great with white wine, red wine, rosé or bubbles. How many proteins can say that?

If you’re going through the effort, why not make it the most delicious chicken you can? One easy way to really step up your chicken game is to truss it, or secure it with butchers twine. The reason why this is important is because when you roast an untrussed chicken, the breast cavity remains wide open, allowing too much hot air to circulate inside, drying out the breast before the legs and thighs are properly cooked. Trussing holds the whole chicken together for a moist and evenly roasted finish.

For those of us who have spent time in professional kitchens, trussing is second nature. But for the home cook, this can be a little daunting. That’s why we’ve decided to give you a simple step-by-step process.

*********

Before you begin, rinse the bird in cool water and pat dry. Then measure out a good amount of butchers twine. Butchers twine can be purchased at most grocery stores but just about any butcher will give you some if you ask nicely. A good measure for length is the width of your arms outstretched. (It is always better to have a little extra twine than not enough.) Then, grab a sharp knife, pour yourself a nice cold glass of Underwood Rosé Bubbles, and let’s get to trussing.

STEP ONE:

Find the middle of your twine and slide in directly under the center of your bird.

STEP TWO:

Pull the string forward above the wings.

STEP THREE:

Cross the string in front of the bird and pull tight.

STEP FOUR:

Pull the twine back toward you, securing the wings to the side of the bird.

STEP FIVE:

Cross the twine again under the crown of the chicken (the tip of the breast bone) and pull tight.

STEP SIX:

Push the twine forward coming over the tops of the legs.

STEP SEVEN:

Bring the twine back under the drumsticks and pull tight.

STEP EIGHT:

While holding the twine as tight as you can flip the bird over and wrap the string three times and tie a tight double knot. It is VERY important to wrap the twine three times before knotting as this will keep the twine tight and allow for you to knot it without loosening the whole truss.

How to Truss a Chicken STEP NINE:

Trim the excess string and you are ready to roast!

Now, if you like, season the bird with olive oil, salt and pepper, place on a bed of chopped up mirepoix (carrots, onion, and celery) and roast in a 375-degree oven for about 1 hour. Cooking time may vary but your bird is done when the thick part of the leg reads 160 degrees.

Bon Appetit!

Thanks to Quincey Sanders (@quinceysanders) from Canard for his expert trussing skills!

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

Posts Tagged: Union Wine Company

Tips For The Season: Pinot Pomegranate Punch

Oregon Surf Adventure: Cold Water & Canned Wine

Homemade Soup: Silky Smooth Seven Veggie Soup

The Hood River Fruit Loop Apple Picking in the Gorge

Union Wine Co. Kitchen Skills: How to Truss a Chicken

Categories

Recent Posts

10 YEAR CANNIVERSARY

Women in Wine 2024

National Park Inspired Cocktails