Jan 5 – NakedWines.com

This week I’m talking to Alexandra Farber, head of planning at NakedWines.com and one of the winemakers at Naked Wines.

I am a Naked Wines “Angel”, which means I joined the program several months ago and contribute $40 monthly to the program.  That monthly investment builds and I can use it anytime to purchase wine at essentially wholesale prices from up and coming winemakers supported by Naked Wine.  Shipping is Free for purchases over $100 or very inexpensive for less and it usually arrives within a couple of days.   Use this link to SAVE $100 on your first order, don’t have to join and money back guarantee, you can’t go wrong.

Company founder Rowan Gormley, is a South African born entrepreneur who started NakedWines.com in the U.K. and has brought it to the U.S. and Australia. The company has several thousand angels around the world and is growing rapidly every year since it was founded in 2007. A large percentage of these angels are in the U.S. and growing. Rowan’s vision is to give talented winemakers a chance to create great wines with their angel backing and use the Internet as a vehicle to market and sell their wines.

Alex Farber is a startling young talent that Angels discovered working at a big fancy winery in Napa Valley.  Every winery wishes it had an Alex Farber because she’s diligent, passionate and knows her stuff… but most wineries hide their junior talent and shine a spotlight on some old fuddy-duddy consulting oenologist who drops by the winery a few times a year.  Angels give credit where credit is due, and Alex now gets to make her own stunning wines (and gets all the applause!)  Follow Alex on Face Book.

During this show, Alex and I will not only explain how the program works and how you can get involved but we’ll also be talking about her journey in wine, what lead her to Naked Wines and more importantly the wines she has made in the program.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2017 Miriam Alexandra Chenin Blanc – produced at Naked Wines by Alexandra Farber
Fresh and fruit filled aromatics with a hing of tropical sweetness, this wine begs you to take a sip!  Light body but with mouth filling fruit the hint of sweetness is balanced with great acidity.  Balance is the key word, soft and plush with a lingering finish this wine is a perfect aperitif or great with lighter seafood, chicken and grilled veggies.  From Naked Wine and unfortunately out of stock 🙁

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Dec 29 – Tailgating FUN

It’s all about tail gate fun as the football season comes to an end.  You may be at the stadium or maybe in front of your Big Screen TV, but the fun is still the same.  Simple or complex, what ever you fix will make the game even better.

My first guest is BBQ PitMaster Andy Groneman with some tips on making your tail gating party a hit.  From complex slow cook preparation to something simple on the grill finished just in time for kickoff. Learn more about Andy at www.smokeonwheels.com

Andy & Guy at ATBBQ

Smoke on Wheels Competition BBQ Andy Groneman has been part of the Competition BBQ world for 20 years. A second generation pitmaster, Andy started his BBQ journey with the HoDeDo’s BBQ team, to spend time with his dad, George; backing his Uncle, Tom Groneman and Bob Eickhoff in the pits. By 1996, Andy wanted to cook more than the HoDeDo’s could schedule, so Smoke on Wheels was born with his brother in law, Matt Winterscheid. Since then Smoke on Wheels has earned hundreds of BBQ awards, including the Empire State championship, 20 Grand Championships, and 2 ‘Chest to Chest’ Brisket Invitational awards – including 2012. In 2009, Smoke on Wheels closed the season raAndy’s Tailgating Recipesnked 5th in the nation out of 4700+ teams.

For 2010, Andy decided to dip his toe into the BBQ products arena with the launch of his two marinades. Smoke on Wheels BBQ Marinade, and Smoke on Wheels Pork injection and marinade.  Andy’s Tailgating Recipes

In the second half I’ll be talking to Daina Falk about her web site www.HungryFan.com and a cool product to transport your hot or cold items to the stadium.

The Bowl Games are set and the NFL Season is inching towards the playoffs. We know that excitement is building for more football, fun and food! What better to go with football season than the Hungry Fan Three-in-One Thermal bag.

Hungry Fan creator Daina Falk’s Low & Slow Chili  is the perfect dish for a fangate or homegate this season. With the Hungry Fan Thermal Bag, you can start cooking your dish at home, throw it in a dish in the Three-in-One Thermal Bag and head to the stadium or friend’s house spill-free and with the dish ready to go.

You can buy the bag online at HungryFan.com or Amazon.com.

 

 

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
NV Graham Beck Brut Rosé

Pale silver-pink. Aromas of raspberries, cherries and a few secondary whiffs of minerality. A lively mousse but fine in themouth, with subtle red berry flavors enlivened by bright acids.Brisk on the palate, showing hints of oyster shell and fresh lavender. Flirtatious and fun, yet elegant and structured, it’s perfect for all seasons and settings
————-
Decanter Magazine 90
This méthode cap classique (South African fizz made in the same way as Champagne) from SA stalwart Graham Beck has a lovely creamy red fruit and apple character, with a rich mousse and brioche finish. It has a vibrant raspberry acidity and a long finish. Great value.
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Dec 22 – Basque Country with Kerri Lesh

My guest this week is Kerri Lesh. This studious young lady has some great experience in the far North of Spain in the Basque County along the Spanish/French border.  I’m looking forward to sharing her story about her journey in wine, travels in Spain and her enthusiasm for the wine, food, culture and language of this often overlooked part of Northern Spain.

Kerri Lesh is a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and Ph.D. candidate in the doctoral program at the Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno. Her research interests lie in cultural and linguistic anthropology as she studies the Basque language, Euskara, and gastronomy.

My personal website focuses on the education of culture, language, food, and wine. I am a Ph.D. candidate and Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) studying the Basque language and culture with an emphasis on the anthropology of food and wine. Though proud of my Kansas roots, my love for travel and learning languages has inspired me to live in various parts of the world. I am currently focusing on how gastronomy and language intersect, and what role they both play in language and cultural maintenance. My work is supported by the various positions I’ve held in the food and wine industry, as well as in academia.   Visit Kerri Lesh’s website

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2014 Bodegas LAN Rioja Crianza
95% Tempranillo, 5% Mazuelo selected from 10 to 20 year-old vines from our long-standing suppliers in the Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa subzones.  Aged for 14 months in hybrid barrels (American oak staves and French oak heads) followed by 9 months of rounding in the bottle prior to release.  Intense red cherry color. Aromas of red fruits, strawberry, raspberry and cranberry framed by fine nuances of vanilla and toffee. Silky and structured on the palate, it has a long lasting and satisfying finish.

 

 

 

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Dec 15 – This Week’s Show

My guest this week is Eugenia Bone who partnered with Julia della Croce to put together a splendid new book “Tasting Italy” with Recipes by America’s Test Kitchen.

The experts at America’s Test Kitchen and National Geographic bring Italy’s magnificent cuisine, culture, and landscapes–and 100 authentic regional recipes–right to your kitchen.

Featuring 100 innovative, kitchen-tested recipes, 300 gorgeous color photographs, and 30 maps, this illustrated guide takes you on a captivating journey through the rich history of Italian cuisine, region by region. Rich excerpts feature the origins of celebrated cheeses, the nuances of different wine growing regions, the best farmer’s markets in Venice, and more. Intriguing prose illuminates key ingredients, from olive oil and how it’s made to the various pasta shapes of Northern Italy. In every region, the food experts at America’s Test Kitchen bring it all home, with foolproof recipes for standout dishes as well as hidden gems: Piedmontese braised beef in lustrous red wine sauce, crispy-custardy chickpea flour farinata pancakes from Genoa (achieved without the specialty pan and wood-burning oven), and hand-formed rustic malloreddus pasta of Sardinia that is a breeze to make.  Get your copy NOW!

Eugenia Bone is a nationally known food and nature journalist and author. Her work has appeared in may publications, including Saveur, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living and the New York Times.  She is the author of six books and has been nominated for numerous awards, including a James Beard Award. She lives in New York City.
Learn more about Eugenia at www.eugeniabone.com
Follow Eugenia on Facebook & Twitter

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2015 Pian Di Nova “IL BORRO” Toscana
The grapes are harvested, de-stemmed and sorted by hand and then pressed and gravity-fed into vinification tanks. Each variety is vinified separately.  Maceration, the process by which whole grapes are fermented in a carbon dioxide rich environment prior to crushing, takes about 20 days in the stainless-steel tanks at a temperature controlled 26°C.

The last stage is alcoholic fermentation which takes around 10 days on average after which the wine is decanted in to barrels.  After racking, the wine is placed in Allier oak barrels, one third new, another 2 years old and the final third 3 years old. After Malolactic fermentation around the end of November, the grape varieties are blended and put in to barrels.  Maturation in casks lasts 6 months, after which the wine returns to the stainless-steel vats for approximately one month, before being gently filtered, bottled and matured for a final 6 months in the bottle.

……
95 Points – James Suckling:
Very perfumed and bright with flowers, light cloves, pepper, licorice and cherries. Full-bodied, with very fine tannins and a juicy, dark-fruit finish that adds hints of black pepper and sweet tobacco. Beautiful wine. First year from organically grown grapes. 65% Syrah and 35%  Sangiovese. Drink now.” (Sep 2018)
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Dec 8 – Cooking with Scraps

My guest this week is Lindsay-Jean Hard with her new book “Cooking with Scraps.”

“A whole new way to celebrate ingredients that have long been wasted. Lindsay-Jean is a master of efficiency and we’re inspired to follow her lead!”
—Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, cofounders of Food52 

In 85 innovative recipes, Lindsay-Jean Hard—who writes the “Cooking with Scraps” column for Food52—shows just how delicious and surprising the all-too-often-discarded parts of food can be, transforming what might be considered trash into culinary treasure.
Here’s how to put those seeds, stems, tops, rinds to good use for more delicious (and more frugal) cooking: Carrot greens—bright, fresh, and packed with flavor—make a zesty pesto. Water from canned beans behaves just like egg whites, perfect for vegan mayonnaise that even non-vegans will love. And serve broccoli stems olive-oil poached on lemony ricotta toast. It’s pure food genius, all the while critically reducing waste one dish at a time.  Get a copy NOW!

About the Author:
Lindsay-Jean Hard received her Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan. Her education and passion for sustainability went on to inform and inspire her work in the garden, home, and community. The seeds of this book were planted in her Food52 column of the same name. Today she works to share her passion for great food and great communities as a marketer at Zingerman’s Bakehouse. She lives, writes, loves, and creates in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Follow Lindsay-Jean on Facebook & Twitter.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2017 Torchbearer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark and full of character! Gorgeous colors of ruby red and purple draw you in to aromas of bramble berries, black cherries, currant. Warm baked red fruits evolve into vanilla bean, anise with hints of leather and touches of cigar box. The oak is so well balanced with structured tannins and savory spices. The finish last for days and leaves cherry pie and dark chocolate! I would pair this with dry aged ribeye with grilled vegetables! Or even pair with a flour-less chocolate cake!

One of the first high quality 2017 Napa Cabernet’s to hit the shelves, stop by Jacob on North Rock Road and grab some!

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