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Cheers 2 Wine News - May 2007 Issue
May 29, 2007
Cheers from Steve and Kathy Howe


Wine Quote

"Wine speaks to all the senses: the eyes behold the color, tone and shade: the nose, the bouquet; the fingers and lips caress the cool crystal; the ears delight in the subtle swishing of the liquid; the tongue rejoices in the reward of a rich harvest."
Mary Lou Posch








Wine of the Month

Bonny Doon Vineyard
WINE OF THE MONTH

Our latest wine of the month is Bonny Doon Vineyard Framboise. This exceptional dessert wine has an intense raspberry flavor. Framboise is produced from three different types of raspberries grown in Mt. Vernon, Washington. The raspberries ferment and are then fortified with grape neutral spirits to 17% alcohol. This unique wine is delightful served chilled in a small glass or drizzled over vanilla ice cream, cheesecake, or chocolate. ($12 for a half-bottle size)

This Santa Cruz winery is known for its unique labels and world class wines. Bonny Doon Vineyard is located just north of Santa Cruz in a redwood grove along Mill Creek. The tasting room, located at 10 Pine Flat Rd, Santa Cruz, California, is open daily from 11 AM - 5 PM daily. Call (831)425-4518 for more information.

Be sure to check back each month for our wine of the month.



Wine Picks

Sticks 2004 Chardonnay
This is a delicious Chardonnay and an excellent buy from Australia! Enjoy flavors of tropical fruit with a crisp finish. ($14)

Ridge 2004 York Creek Zinfandel
Full bodied lush Zinfandel by Ridge from Sonoma County, California. Since 1999, this dry-farmed Spring Mountain vineyard has produced a series of opulent, late-picked wines. Enjoy this bold Zin from one of California's top Zinfandel producers. ($29)

Tour de France - Wine Collection Gift
Take a tour of France without leaving home with this collection of wine from 3 different regions in France. Enjoy 3 great bottles of French wine. ($40)

Tenuta Trerose 2003 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - Sangiovese Red Wine.
This Italian wine is the perfect wine to serve with pasta. This is a classic blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero, Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia Toscano, and Mammalo grapes. The wine is delightfully bold yet smooth at the same time. ($18)

Do your own wine search:

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Explore Southern California Wineries

Wine Tasting in Southern California

This is a great time for both locals and visitors to Southern California to explore the fantastic wineries located here. If you live in Southern California, explore the wineries nearby. Visitors to Southern California can enjoy wine tasting along with the other attractions in the area. Learn about the wineries of Temecula and San Diego.

The Temecula Wine Country is contained within one area with all the Temecula wineries being close by one another. The old town full of antique shops and wooden sidewalks is fun to explore. There are numerous golf courses and nearby lakes as well. Temecula is a beautiful setting for wine tasting. The wineries range from small, charming tasting rooms to large and elegant. Be sure to use your password to access and print your own wine tasting coupons for these wineries.



San Diego Wineries are spread throughout San Diego County. Many of the tasting rooms are located in the rural foothill towns of Ramona, Julian, and Warner Springs. Others are located not far off of Highway 15 in the towns of Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, and Fallbrook.




Wine Tasting Coupons As a subscriber to Cheers 2 Wine News you can access our pages of free wine tasting coupons. Some of these coupons allow you to taste for free while others let 2 people sample wine for the price of 1. clear="all">



Discover Nevada County

Wonderful Grass Valley Restaurant We stopped in for lunch at Kane's Fine Food Restaurant while on a wine tasting trip in Nevada County. Kane's Fine Food Restaurant is a new restaurant that was recommended to us by a hostess at one of the local winery�s tasting rooms. The restaurant is conveniently located in downtown Grass Valley and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Our meal was fabulous. The food was delicious and prepared using fresh ingredients. The ambiance was warm and relaxing. Our spacious booth was near a warm fireplace. . .perfect on a cool spring day. We will definitely return to this Grass Valley restaurant.

We only recommend restaurants that we have eaten at ourselves. It must have top notch food, service, and surroundings or we will not recommend it to you. To read about the romantic restaurants we have found, click on the region of the California Wine Country you are interested in for your next romantic evening:



Wine Tasting in Nevada County
Nevada County is the perfect wine tasting destination for a California wine tour. The magnificent mountains, historic towns, and natural beauty will add to your enjoyment. Grass Valley and Truckee are the two largest towns in this area.

You are sure to enjoy tasting the mountain grown wines of Nevada County. You may want to stay an extra day or two to have time for activities such as gold panning, skiiing, whitewater rafting, fishing, boating, hiking, golfing, and horseback riding.

Mark Your Calendars!

June 2 & 3: 24th Annual Fairplay Wine Festival - Sierra Foothills
Spend a weekend with the winemakers from the 18 participating wineries. There are a variety of events featured including wine tasting, food, live entertainment, barrel tastings, and demonstrations. Cost is $35 for both days and includes a souvenir logo glass. Advanced ticket holders also receive a 6-bottle canvas wine tote. More Details

June 2: 3rd Annual North Country Grand Tasting Event - San Diego Sample wine from all over the world! Enjoy culinary treats, live entertainment, and a silent auction. Wineries participating include Silver Oak,Amber Knolls, Twomey Cellars, Caza, Layer Cake, Alouette, Joseph Carr, Pascal Imports and more. The cost is $75 in advance ($85 at the door) and the event is from 5:30 - 8:30 PM at Wine Street, 6986 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA. Call (760) 845-2170 for more information. More Details

June 7, 8, 9: - 31st Anniversary Monterey Wine & Fine Living Festival- Monterey
Featuring wines from more than 80 California wineries, seminars, cooking demonstrations, top chefs, live auction,fine food, and more. Price varies according to the event. Call (888) 814-9463 for information. More Details

June 9: 6th Annual Catalina Summer Wine Fest
Enjoy fine wine tasting, hors d'oevres, and live entertainment on the waterfront at Catalina Island. This event sells out; so, make your reservations soon. The cost of this event is $30 per person. It runs from noon until 4 PM to 4:30 and will benefit Avalon Rotary Club. For more information call (310) 510-4249. More Details

June 22: Wine Walk 2007 - San Mateo
Sample great California wines and hors d'oeuvres. Enjoy live music from 5:30 until 9 PM in downtown San Mateo. The cost of $25 includes a commemorative glass. For more information call (650) 342-5520. More Details

June 30: Zinfandel Madness! - Copia, Napa Valley Dozens of wineries will pour great Zins from Mendocino, Napa, Paso Robles, the Sierra Foothills, and Sonoma. Wines will be paired with various foods. Tickets are $45 if you are not a member of Copia and $35 if you are. Tickets include membership into Copia. For more information call (800) 512-6742. More Details

June 30 - July 1: Los Angeles Wine Fest 2007 - Queen Mary, Long Beach More than 110 wineries from all over the world will pour great wines for you to sample. Enjoy special speakers, exhibits, and food as well.. Tickets are $40 for a one day pass and $70 for both days. More Details




Easy Wine Recipes
Cooking With Wine

"I cook with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food."

W.C. Fields



Grilled Steaks


4 ribeye steaks
1 cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons garlic herb seasoning
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Place all of the ingredients in a large ziplock bag.
2. Marinate for 2 to 4 hours in the bag. Turn the bag over every once in awhile to keep the meat covered with the liquid.
3. Grill on barbecue until done as desired..

This will make 4 servings.






Peaches 'N Wine

12 ripe peaches
4 cups Asti Spumante wine
1 cup sugar

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

2. Gently drop 2 peaches at a time into the boiling water for 5 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon. Let cool, then peel off the skins.

3. Cut the peaches in half and discard the seeds.

4. Combine wine and sugar in a glass bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

5. Slice peaches and place in wine. Chill for one hour before serving.

This will serve 12


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