NEW Virginia Wine Travel Journal

Virginia Wine Country fans will love the new Virginia Wine Travel Journal! Buy it online now and get free shipping with promo code: VAWINETIME

The book includes 25 new wineries and cideries, Wine Getaway Weekend itineraries, peeks behind the scenes of Wine Country, and Winery VIP Experiences.

Also:
• Where to sleep and eat at Virginia Wineries
• Maps & checkoff lits
• 50 Wineries where dogs are welcome inside!
• Wineries to bring kids to (and where not to!)
• Much more!

Order now at Virginia Wine In My Pocket

Pinot and Pasta and Parties Oh My!

Renaissance man Paul Sorvino known for his role in Goodfellas but also a noted operatic tenor, sculptor and cook teams up with wife Dee Dee, herself an accomplished award winning television personality to produce Pinot, Pasta and Parties; this is a cookbook which presents Italian recipes with Paul’s personal flare. I am always on the lookout for well-organized cookbook that present easy-to-follow directions and suggested menus. This one certainly fits the bill, and I thought that I would share my thoughts for readers who want to consider this cookbook.

The book’s thematic organization is its best feature. Chapters entitled “Made in America”, “La La Land”, and “Patriotism at Play” allow the cook to find a go-to menu for the right occasion. The menus themselves are complete from starters to desert and are very easy to follow. Is there something on the menu that doesn’t appeal to your particular palate or looking for an alternative to something on the set menu? No problem. The Sorvinos offer an alternative dish for each menu. For example, the La La Land themed menu that features such dishes as figs in a blanket, California veggie pizza, swordfish with olives and pasta primavera offers eggs in purgatory and stuffed peppers as alternatives.

Dee Dee Sorvino offers her skills as mixologist to present a special cocktail for each themed menu. Appalachia Magic, a mix of moonshine, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, cinnamon bitters and star anise, complements the Made in America menu which features such delights as spaghetti western mac and cheese, meatball slider, and Paul’s special chili. Hosting a Goodfellas Feast? Dee Dee recommends The Goodfella, a blend of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, Scotch, Cognac, land limoncello.

The Sorvinos also add a personal touch to the cook book. In addition to an introduction of themselves, each chapter includes a story about themselves, their relationship, and their passion for food, art and entertainment. Photos of themselves throughout the book enhance the personal element and the cook gets to know them both as individuals and as a couple.

I must, however, comment on the lack of suggested wine pairings with the menus. The title of the cookbook begins with the word Pinot; however, Pinot or any other varietal is never mentioned as a recommended pairing with the food. And we are all about wine and food here at Virginia Wine Time! There is an appendix at the end which provides description of Italian wine grapes, and that is it. I also don’t know that I would venture into the political theme suggested in the Patriotism at Play menu. In these times, a respite from political discussions (which usually lead to arguments) during a dinner party might be a good idea; I would adapt that chapter to suggest a July 4th gathering in which everyone can agree that celebrating American independence is always a good idea!

If you are in search of a cookbook that presents Italian dishes from starter to desert, then Pinot, Pasta, and Parties might be worth seeking out. You may also enjoy getting to know more about Paul and Dee Dee Sorvino. Remember, though, Virginia Wine Time recommended it!

The ArT of Preserving Wine

We got an email from Co-Founder and General Manager Ryan Frederickson of The ArT of Preserving Wine, a company that produces cans of natural argon gas to help preserve wine. He shared the history of his company and offered to send us a can of the argon gas to try for ourselves. Of course we accepted!

Many people enjoy a glass of wine in the evening. The ArT of Preserving Wine makes it possible to open a favorite bottle, enjoy a glass or two, and save the rest for a later date. For us though, that usually isn’t a problem. For two people sharing a bottle of wine isn’t a wasteful event. Two glasses each and the bottle is empty.

However, we decided to accept the challenge and see exactly how this system works. We decided to open a bottle of the 2014 Cabernet Franc Reserve from Pollak vineyards. We love this wine already and would hate to see it go to waste. We each had a glass from the bottle. We then followed the directions on the can. We put the nozzle in the bottle and held the handle for two seconds. The argon gas displaced the oxygen and covered the wine surface with a layer of natural argon gas. This kept the wine from oxidizing and ruining the wonderful flavors of the wine. We quickly re-corked the bottle and stored it standing up in a cool, dark closet. We enjoyed our glass and took notes on the characteristics of the wine. While we wanted to have another glass, we decided we should keep it corked for the experiment.

Five days later, an amount of time that would ruin any uncorked red wine, we pulled out the safely stored bottle and popped the cork. AMAZING results! The wine exhibited the same characteristics it had previously! We noted the same blackberry, currents, dark cherry, and tobacco that we noted *5* days earlier! We were a bit astonished at the results. We couldn’t imagine how this could actually work. But it did! Science is amazing!

We don’t often have wine left in a bottle but we are convinced that The ArT of Preserving Wine is the way to go if we do find ourselves with wine left in a bottle. While we did our experiment with a red wine, we are sure this would work with white wine as well. However, store the white wine in the fridge instead of a cool, dark closet.

If you are interested in finding out more about The ArT of Preserving Wine, check out their The ArT of Preserving Wine. You can find out more details about the process and order a can or two!