Jan 26 – Gloria Ferrer winemaker Bob Iantosca

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Guy

Guy & Bob at AIWF dinner 2012

Many of you may have had the opportunity to enjoy the AIWF holiday dinner featuring the wines of Gloria Ferrer.  If you did, you had the pleasure of meeting Bob Iantosca, long time winemaker at Gloria Ferrer.  Either way, before Bob left town I had the chance to sit down and chat with him about his interesting journey in wine and to learn about his passion for winemaking…Join us this Saturday and learn about one of California’s finest producers of sparkling wine and pinot noir.

www.gloriaferrer.com

BOB IANTOSCA – Executive Winemaker

Bob Iantosca has created more award-winning California sparkling wines than any other single winemaker. His vision and desire for challenge were revealed to the Ferrer family in the 1980s, when searching for available Pinot Noir clones led him initially to clonal trails on the estate vineyard with VP Production Mike Crumly, and eventually to visits to Champagne for greater research. Twenty years later, he is an undisputed expert in heritage vine selections. With the support of the Ferrer family and their Old World approach to winemaking, complemented by his close collaboration with Mike Crumly, Bob has cultivated Gloria Ferrer’s estate vineyards from 20 to 335 acres, experimented with some 20 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir selections, and led the winery to expand its repertoire to include intensely flavorful cool-climate estate varietal wines.

Bob Iantosca’s wife, Julia, is also a winemaker. They live in Santa Rosa, where their professions extend into their personal lives with the cultivation of more than six acres of Pinot Noir. When not making wine, Iantosca enjoys spending time with their daughters, Catherine and Elizabeth, mountain biking, steelhead fishing, and outdoor cooking.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
NV Gloria Ferrer Brut

TASTING NOTES – Delicate pear and floral notes backed by toasty almond. On the palate, one finds lively citrus, toast and apple flavors overlaid with persistent effervescence, a creamy mid-palate and toasty finish.

WINEMAKING NOTES – The Sonoma Brut has been carefully crafted entirely from hand-harvested Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Over forty different selections of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are planted on our 340-acre estate in the Sonoma Carneros district. It is this viticultural diversity that allows us to consistently produce cuvées with complexity and clear fruit expression. The Brut is dominated by Pinot Noir, a stylistic decision enabling the complex aromatic and palate profile that this red-skinned grape contributes to Brut cuvées.

90 POINTS “A wonderfully drinkable sparkling wine that appeals immediately for its balanced texture and rich flavors.” – Wine Enthusiast

 Any time is the right time for great bubbly – Get a bottle of this wine at Jacob Liquor today!

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Jan 19 – Uncle Al Capone & “The Good Stuff”

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Guy

This show is sure to be interesting!

Up first is Deirdre Marie Capone, grandniece of Al Capone with her new book; “Uncle Al Capone – The Untold Story from Inside His Family.”

Get a copy of the book now!

 

Dramatic, unyielding, and provocative, Uncle Al Capone by Deirdre Marie Capone, Al Capone’s grandniece, is a fascinating memoir and engaging biography. This moving, highly readable portrait of the Capone family and its mob trade examines what it has meant to survive the storied legacy of the family’s forbearers. As Capone traces the arc of regret and what fuels the Capone myth, she finds redemption and a way to coexist with her legacy. In seventeen chapters with titles like “The Making of the Mafioso,” “Trading the Chicago Outfit for the Chicago Cubs,” and “The Saint Valentine’s Day Truth,” Capone outlines organized crime in Chicago and offers vignettes of American history during the early and mid-twentieth century. Using years of research and exhaustive interviews with her aunts, uncles, and cousins, she weaves an engaging anecdotal narrative of what it meant to be a Capone, what it meant to lose her father to suicide, and what it meant to have a mother who lived in constant fear. She offers compelling evidence that Al Capone was specifically targeted for prosecution by law enforcement agencies assisted by the media, which made gross exaggerations of her uncle’s exploits and fueled a phenomenon of half-truths and utter falsehoods. From the family’s roots in Angri, Italy to the author’s ongoing investigations today, this debut offers a comprehensive and moving portrait of an iconic American family and one woman’s efforts to make peace with the past.

Al Capone’s drink of choice, affectionately known as “The Good Stuff” – was Templeton Rye, a prohibition era recipe small batch whiskey made in Templeton Iowa.

In the second half, Scott Bush from Templeton Rye joins us to talk about the history, flavor and style of this Iconic Whiskey.

When Prohibition outlawed the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in 1920, many enterprising residents of a small town in Iowa chose to become outlaws – producing a high caliber and much sought-after whiskey known as Templeton Rye, or “The Good Stuff” to those in the know. Based on the original Prohibition era recipe and aged in charred new oak barrels, Templeton Rye provides a smooth finish and a clean getaway.

Click here to learn more about Templeton Rye Whiskey history

Or visit www.templetonrye.com

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Jan 12 – Bengali Five Spice – Poets Leap Riesling

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Guy

I love the aromas and flavors of Indian cuisine!  Always on the hunt for new books that offer insight and recipes for the tantalizing world of flavors that Indian food offers.

My guest this week is Rinku Bhattacharya with her new book The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles – Exploring the Cuisine of eastern India.
Bengalis have been compared to the French in terms of food-obsessed peoples, as dining and entertaining are such an integral part of the culture. The book begins with a thorough introduction to Bengali culture and cooking, including sections on spices, ingredients, and equipment. Following are recipe chapters (incorporating a balance of traditional and contemporary recipes) on Rice & Breads, Lentils, Fried Vegetables and Fritters, Vegetarian First Courses, Vegetarian Entrees, Eggs, Fish, Chicken & Poultry, Meat Dishes, Chutneys & Relishes, Drinks & Snacks, and Desserts. Includes 180 easy-to-follow recipes, plus sections on spice pastes, spice blends, and essential tools, and sidebars with family anecdotes and historical and cultural information.

Rinku Bhattacharya is a daytime financial professional, who spends the rest of her time immersed in food. Rinku is the author of the blog, Cooking in Westchester, where she shares her life experiences, original recipes that combine Indian flavors with produce from her backyard and local farmers markets. Rinku is blessed with a gardener husband, who always surprises her with a prolific and fresh supply of produce to keep her creative instincts flowing. Rinku has been teaching recreational cooking classes for the past six years, and has found her classes a great way to teach and learn. Her cookbook the Bengali Five Spice Chronicles, shares over 180 recipes made simple. Rinku can be found on facebook, twitter and pinterest.

Check out Rinku’s Blog    Get a copy of the book today!

Then Allen Schoup one of the founding fathers of the Washington wine business and the founder of Long Shadows Vintners joins us in the second half.  Long Shadows brings World Renowned winemakers to the Columbia Valley to make distinctive wine using the best of Washington grapes.  This week’s featured wine is one of those distinctive wines.  Inspired by the great wines of Germany and crafted by Armin Diel, proprietor of the renowned Schlossgut Diel.

Long Shadows is a collection of ultra-premium wines created by internationally acclaimed winemakers from the major wine regions of the world. Each winemaker is a part owner in this unique winery dedicated to producing individual wines that showcase the viticultural excellence of Washington State’s Columbia Valley.

www.longshadows.com

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2011 Poet’s Leap Columbia Valley Riesling
Expressive aromatics of white peach, sweet jasmine flowers and a hint of flint introduce this vibrant, fresh wine. With its bright acidity, the 2011 Poet’s Leap Riesling dances on the palate and continues across a long, lively finish, enhanced by a persistent undercurrent of minerality.
Wine & Spirits 93 – Wine Enthusiast – 92


Something FUN and a perfect match for the aromatic flavors of Bengali Cooking!  

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Jan 5 – Menus & Memoirs of a Yacht Chef

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Guy

My guest this week, coming to us LIVE from a Yacht in South Florida, is Marianne Gardner author of Menus and Memoirs of a Yacht Chef.  The book is a combination of gourmet recipes, yacht stories and glossy photos of exotic locations and luxury yachts, creating a unique coffee table book and cook book all in one.

Thai prawn coconut soup served in a coconut shell, followed by steaming, aromatic osso buco on creamy potato celeriac and French beans almondine, with Belgian flourless chocolate torte on crème sabayon for dessert. This is just one of many menus I created for a yacht during my adventures at sea.

Throughout my years working as a chef on private yachts, I have often been asked, “What kinds of meals are served on these luxurious yachts?” This cookbook answers that question, providing many of the recipes and menus that I have used on board yachts. Each of the ten chapters describes a yacht and its worldwide cruising destination-and the full-course menus and individual recipes that were created on the journey. The ingredients, dishes, and wines reflect the specialties that are enjoyed in each region of the world.

Whether you prepare an entire meal or design your own menu using one of the many recipes in this book, you’ll find the recipes clear and easy to follow. They are written in simple terms, using measurements, equipment, and ingredients that can be found in most kitchens.  All of the courses have been wine-paired by a professional wine connoisseur from Total Wine and More®. Suggestions for wine options cover a variety of price ranges, so you can have a great wine for a modest price or be decadent for a special meal.

You don’t have to leave your home to enjoy a travel-inspired gourmet meal. Cruise with me on the Mexican Sea of Cortez and enjoy grilled mahi mahi with cilantro and pumpkin seed pesto, experience green-lipped mussels in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, and savor the sweet tangy taste of an award-winning key lime pie in the Bahamas.

Bon appétit! – Experience the adventure of worldwide travel by creating delicious, gourmet meals in your own kitchen or galley.

www.menusandmemoirs.com

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2011 Conundrum White Wine
A unique blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion with a touch of Muscat Canelli and Viognier.  This wine,  always consistent in quality varies a bit year to year with the 2011 being similar to earlier years.  This unique, non-traditional white wine blend was created to offer full-flavored fruit and enough complexity to match the creative dishes being offered by today’s generation of chefs.
Something perfect for sipping on the water! 

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Dec 29 – The Joy of Foraging with Gary Lincoff

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Guy

My guest this week is Gary Lincoff with his latest book; The Joy of Foraging.

Discover the edible riches your backyard, local parks, woods, and even roadside! In The Joy of Foraging, Gary Lincoff shows you how to find fiddlehead ferns, rose hips, beach plums, bee balm, and more, whether you are foraging in the urban jungle or the wild, wild woods. You will also learn about fellow foragers—experts, folk healers, hobbyists, or novices like you—who collect wild things and are learning new things to do with them every day. Along with a world of edible wild plants—wherever you live, any season, any climate—you’ll find essential tips on where to look for native plants, and how to know without a doubt the difference between edibles and toxic look-alikes. There are even ideas and recipes for preparing and preserving the wild harvest year-round—all with full-color photography. Let Gary take you on the ultimate tour of our edible wild kingdom! Get a copy NOW

Gary Lincoff is the author of The Complete Mushroom Hunter (Quarry Books, 2010), and the author, co-author, or editor of several books and articles on mushrooms, including The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. He teaches courses on mushroom and plant identification and use at the New York Botanical Garden and has led wild mushroom and edible wild plant study trips and forays to 30 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, and South, Central, and North America. Lincoff chaired the Telluride Mushroom Festival for 25 years (1980–2004), and still participates as its principal speaker. He is also a featured “myco visionary” in the award-winning documentary, Know Your Mushrooms, by Ron Mann. Lincoff also founded and led the New York City Edible Wild Plant Workshop, which featured a once-a-week wild edibles dinner plus a weekend hunt for edible wild plants and mushrooms in city parks. Patricia Wells published his edible wild plant recipes in an article in the New York Times, and he has been profiled in the Village Voice and New York magazine. He lives in New York City. www.garylincoff.com

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
The three FUN blended wines from Ménage à Trois

“Given the choice, would you rather be a party of one…or a Ménage à Trois? In a blended wine, the different varietals each bring something to the table, making for a more complex, delicious wine. As a master chef uses different ingredients to achieve the perfect recipe, a winemaker skillfully selects and blends different grape varieties to create harmonious and intriguing wines. With each of our playful blends of three, there’s no doubt that the whole is greater (and more fun) than the sum of its parts.”

   www.menageatroiswines.com

Red Blend: Zin, Cabernet & Merlot
White Blend: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc & Moscato
Rosé Blend: Merlot, Syrah & Gewürztraminer

The three blends above are now part of a portfolio that also includes a Chardonnay, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and Cabernet

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