MJA Vineyards

How to Pair Wine and Food?

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 09:00:12 +0000

Q. How do you pair wine with food?

A. That’s a huge topic. Let’s narrow it down to 3 steps:

1. Mirror the body and weight (intensity) of the wine and food;
2. Connect the “bridge” ingredients in the food with the flavors in the wine; and
3. Compare or contrast the taste components.

What is Wine Finish?

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 09:00:19 +0000

Q: When someone swirls and tastes wine and says it has a good “finish” what are they talking about?

A: The lingering sensation after you taste a wine. Once you’ve tasted your wine and swallowed it, is there anything left? Does the flavor last a while? If so… that’s the finish!

Smelling the Wine Cork?

admin — Sun, 16 May 2010 09:00:20 +0000

Q. Do you need to smell the cork after opening a bottle of wine?

A. No! You only need to LOOK at the cork. The cork needs to be wet on one end and dry on the other. The wet end tells you it was stored on its side (or upside down) which keeps the wine touching the cork and keeps oxygen out. The dry side tells you that the wine was stored in a cool, dry place and not overheated. If the bottle gets too hot, the cork could dry out, shrink, and allow oxygen in. So don’t make the rookie move and sniff the cork. You should however, sniff, swirl, and sip the wine.

May 22 – Wine and Food Pairing, Santa Cruz

admin — Sat, 15 May 2010 07:22:28 +0000

Surf City Vintners & Cabrillo Culinary Academy join forces on Saturday, May 22nd. Tickets are available at www.pinoaltorestaurant.org – click on “Dare to Pair.” Or you can buy them at our Tasting Rooms. (328-A Ingalls Street, Santa Cruz, CA) Tickets are $50 and include wine and food pairing at each of the 12 wineries at the Surf City Vintners’ Tasting Rooms.

Hurry – we expect to sell out soon. Need more info? Call or email.

May 19 – Wine and Music, Santa Cruz

admin — Sat, 15 May 2010 07:20:00 +0000

We’re hosting a Capitola-Soquel Chamber mixer on Weds, May 19th, from 5-7pm. Come try our wines and listen to some ukulele music from All Shook Up.

The Difference Between Champagne and Sparkling Wine

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 07:57:44 +0000

Q. Do you know the difference between a Champagne and a Sparkling Wine?

A. All wines with bubbles are called Sparkling Wine. The most famous of these is Champagne, which comes from France. This is the only true Champagne. The three (3) grapes used in Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Chardonnay is white, while the other two are red grapes. A Blanc de Blancs is made with only Chardonnay, while a Blanc de Noir will include the reds.

Other types of sparkling wine include Cava (from Spain), Sekt (from Germany), and Spumante (from Italy).