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September, 2019
Chips and Salsa Dancer
Magic Maker: With spicy, smoky Mexican dishes, Zinfandel is a nimble partner. It doesn’t stumble with chipotle chilies or flame-roasted tomatoes, the flavor base for many Mexican soups and stews. It elevates casual recipes from south of the border that you might never have envisioned with wine. Even chips and salsa appreciate the flourish when you open a bottle of Zinfandel. (Choose a lighter-style Zin and give it a quick chill.)
Chilaquiles, meet Zinfandel. What resourceful cook first thought to salvage days-old tortillas by simmering them in a brothy tomato sauce? Brilliant. The tortillas soak up all that goodness and soften like noodles. Bountiful garnishes—avocado, chopped cilantro, shaved radishes, crumbled cheese—add color and crunch.
With California’s plum tomato harvest wrapping up—sigh—it’s Last Call for dishes like chilaquiles where ripe plum tomatoes make a difference. Not canned plum tomatoes. Not pale winter tomatoes. Fresh, fleshy, red-all-over tomatoes matured on the vine. Some call them “paste” tomatoes because they’re the ones processors cook down for concentrate. With their dense, meaty pulp, they’re a must for chilaquiles. Toss a salad, open the Zinfandel, and ring the dinner bell.
HAPPIER WORKERS, BETTER WINE
A lot is happening in California’s vineyards this month while you are sleeping. Just about the time you’re drifting off, harvest crews are showing up for their shifts. Grapes prefer to be clipped in the cool of the night, arriving at wineries before dawn with their firmness and acidity intact. Vineyard workers prefer it, too. They are far more comfortable working the vine rows in the fresh air that prevails after dark. Another plus: no bees. Mobile floodlights follow the crews to illuminate their work zone; even so, night harvesting saves energy. Grapes picked in the heat of the day have to be chilled, requiring energy, before they’re crushed and fermented. Night-harvested grapes are easier to de-stem, too, because they’re crisp, not limp from heat.
The Pour
California Wine Month
Every month is California wine month, for sure, but September makes it official. California Wine Month. Capital W. Capital M. With 30 days of special tastings, boot camps, cave tours, concerts, vineyard hikes, lobster feeds and more. From one end of the state to the other, wineries are rolling out the red carpet for visitors. It’s a great excuse to schedule a getaway and experience wine country in harvest mode, the moment that wineries work toward all year.
What a good time to raise a glass to a product that contributes hugely to the nation’s economy, cuisine, culture and quality of life. Peruse all the California Wine Month events and grab some fun stats about your favorite beverage.
Wine Institute is an association of nearly 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses from the beautiful and diverse wine regions throughout the state. Wine Institute works to create an environment where the wine community can flourish and contribute in a positive fashion to our nation, state and local communities. For information please contact communications@wineinstitute.org.