Bishop's Selection Cotes du Rhone Villages 2009

I've come across some fantastic Cotes du Rhones recently, all at affordable prices. Cotes du Rhones range in the full-body reds of Cote Rotie in the north to the prestigous Chateaneuf du Pape. Although most are acclaimed as "pizza wines" because they're typically juicy, affordable table wines. They are mostly Grenache blends or what we refer to as GSM's (grenache, syrah, mouvedre). The Rhone wine laws state that a Cotes du Rhone can be a blend of up to 23 different grapes grown in the Rhone AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controllee). *Shown below in green*


This particular Rhone is a Syrah/Grenache blend (60/40) and labelled Villages, second the Cru distinction. This appellation is only one tenth of the total Cotes du Rhone AOC.  These villages have been identified as having superior vineyards and are only allowed to grow 9 different grapes instead of 23 like the rest of the Rhone Valley. One great aspect of this wine is that it is labelled Villages and retails at only $10.99!


It's a drier style with a lot of juicy fruit on the pallate including red cherry and blackberry. It's a fairly simple table wine but can easily be drank on it's own or with rustic dishes such as pizza or grilled meats. This wine isn't meant to be the star of the show but more to compliment the food. It's not a special occasion wine but one to enjoy with a friend over light appetizers.

Chateau des Leotins Bordeaux 2007

While working as the Store Manager of a wine shop, I come across some great deals.  We have tastings on Fridays which allows me to open up a few bottles which I may not have had a chance to try yet. This past Friday, we opened Chateau des Leotins Bordeaux 2007.

Retailing at only $12.99, customers were surprised to see such a great bargain for this fabulous table wine. It has a deep ruby color and slightly fruity with no overpowering notes. There are hints of tobacco and leather but not unpleasant.  It is 3 years old already but it's maturing well. I continued to pour this wine on Saturday for customers and was suprised how well it held up even after being open for 24 hours.

A staple in our store, this Bordeaux has a great following. Stop by to pick up a bottle!

Cheers :)

What to do with that leftover turkey?!

Make a healthy chili! Perfect for the colder weather, spicy chili is an easy way to use up leftovers.  However, spicy peppers can be hard to pair with wine.  They usually make wines taste bitter and tannic.  To offset the heat, an off-dry wine would be an easy solution but off-dry wines tend to be white. This hearty dish calls for a hearty red wine. When trying to pair a spicy dish, think low tannins with rich fruit. The perfect combination of this is a California Rhone-style blend which is Grenache/Syrah/Mouvedre mostly.

My pick for a spicy turkey chili is Cline Small Berry Mouvedre from Contra Costa County in California. This wine has low tannins and hints of plum, tobacco and eucalyptus-mint. This bottle retails for around $35.

If you are looking for something at a lower price point, Smoking Loon Syrah is a good bet. Retailing for only $9, this syrah has hints of strawberry and blueberry with touches of rosemary and sage.

Borsao red blend from Spain - New Find

One of the luxuries of this career is getting to taste great, quality wines. This one however is great quality along with a great price!

Borsao Grenacha/Tempranillo 2009 Borja, Spain
A blend of 75% Grenacha and 25% Tempranillo, this red wine is full bodied and finely textured. Words that come to mind are bright, juicy, earthy with a nice round finish. Borsao compliments a broad range of foods or can be enjoyed simply on its own.

Retailing for only $8.99, it's a no brainer that this is one awesome new find!

Walking for a Cure!

Diabetes...It's a disease that affects so many people I know. Including my grandparents, friends and most of all, Bryan. Bryan has had Type 1 diabetes since the age of 11 months. It's a disease that affects our daily lives and he's such a trooper about it. Currently, there is no cure for diabetes and a pancreatic transplant is not even in the works.



We're doing our part by walking in this years Step Out walk in DC October 23, 2010. So far we have raised over $1,400 and continue to raise money every month. We also have family joining us in the walk in October.

If you would like to contribute, either monetary or join us in the walk, please visit our team website:
http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/StepOut/DistrictofColumbiaMetroArea?team_id=468019&pg=team&fr_id=7239

COMPLETE Career Change

Scary, I know! I've worked the standard 9-5 business jobs ranging from banking, insurance, and accounting ever since high school. Even while in high school, I worked part time for a CPA. So needless to say, these dead end office jobs have taken a toll on me.  My first and foremost passion in life is food and wine. I got started back in 07 working part time for Barrel Thief as a sales associate and server.  I had little to no wine knowledge other than Franzia and I was NOT the red wine drinker I am today. Ever since that job, I've gravitated back to wine as a passion and possible career one day.

Sadly, I never took the leap because accounting was a good paying job and there are plenty of jobs to go around. Now 3 years later, I have my shot! I just took an opportunity to run my own store!  I will be the Operations/Store Manager for two wine shops. One is in Reston Town Center and the other in Great Falls. My main focus is the Reston shop, Market Cellars. I will do everything from accounting/finance to marketing to event planning to retail sales.  My dream job is to own my own shop one day and this is perfect experience to see if I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur.


So far, I've already set up some social media sites for Market Cellars. We are on Twitter and Facebook. where I will be posting upcoming events and tastings. Please feel free to stop by the store(s) and check it out. I also appreciate all the support I am receiving from my friends and family. It's going to be a fun ride!

Steakhouse Dinner In the Comfort of Home

I spent this past lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon watching hours of Food Network which resulted in 1) me being veryy hungry and 2) motivated to cook a lavish dinner.  Since the freezer is packed with steaks/meat from Omaha Steaks, I decided to plan a steak dinner worthy of the best steakhouses around. Yeah, you Bourbon and BLT ;)

I marinated beef tenderloins and let set for most of the day, covered and in the fridge. Also on the menu was shrimp scampi, garlic roasted potatoes, corn on the cob with herb butter, popovers using BLT Steak's recipe and a hot fudge brownie sundae. Below are helpful recipes for the perfect dinner for two.

Shrimp Scampi:
6 frozen shrimp, deviened and tail off
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil and butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted, saute the garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the shrimp and saute until curled and pink. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make sure to not overcook the shrimp. Top with fresh parsley.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes:
2 large russet potatoes, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Place potatoes on a non-stick baking sheet in single layer. Roast for 45-50 minutes.

Corn on the Cob with Herb Butter:
2 ears of corn
4 tbsp butter, softened, separated
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Bring large pot of water to a rolling boil. Place cobs in the water with 2 tbsp of butter and liberally add salt.  Mix the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and parsley in a small bowl and place in the fridge to harden up a bit. Boil corn for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with herb butter.

Popovers: (BLT Steak's recipe)
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 cup of flour
1 tsp of salt
1/4 c of gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place popover/muffin pan in oven while it heats.  Warm milk gently in small saucepan. Meanwhile, beat eggs until frothy. Slowly stir in the milk, be careful not to add to quickly which will scramble the eggs. Add the flour and salt and mix until well blended. Take the pan out of the oven and spray with non-stick spray.  Fill each cup 3/4 full and top with grated gruyere cheese. Bake 15 minutes then turn the pan a quarter of a turn. Bake another 35 minutes until each have puffed up and turned golden brown. Serve immediately.

Beef Tenderloins:
2 6 oz beef tenderloins
1/4 c of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c of Asiago and Parmesan dressing (Kraft)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine marinade and steaks. Let sit, covered in the fridge for 3-5 hours. Preheat grill. Place each steak on grill and cook 5 minutes per side for the perfect medium rare steak. Baste each side with leftover marinade after each turn and also before plating. Once cooked, place steaks in an aluminum tent to rest for another few minutes. This helps to redistribute the juices inside.

Brownies with Hot Fudge Sauce and Ice Cream:
1 package of brownie mix
1/4 c of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c of heavy cream
Vanilla bean ice cream

Prepare brownies according to package.  Make a double boiler with saucepan and glass bowl. Boil water in saucepan. Make sure when the bowl is placed on the saucepan, the bottom does not touch the water. This will cause the chocolate to burn.  Add the chocolate chips and cream. Stir until melted. Serve with brownie, scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and drizzle the fudge on top.

This menu was the perfect steakhouse dinner that can be done at home! I also paired this meal with a great Virginia Merlot from Prince Michel. It was a great hit and allowed for a more intimate experience. Although, we will still have dinners out, this was a good alternative especially on a not so pretty Sunday.