Bad traffic through Sonoma County pushed back the time of our canoe trip down the Russian River on Saturday, and subsequently delayed our visit to wine country. With the 5 p.m. tasting room closing time looming, there was only time to visit one place, so we couldn’t make a mistake. It’s why Sbragia Family Vineyards was the easy choice.
Nestled on top of a hill on the way to beautiful Lake Sonoma in Geyserville, Calif., Sbragia is, as its name suggests, a family-run winery that produces some of the best reds and whites in the Dry Creek Valley. The patriarch, Ed Sbragia, has a top-notch pedigree as the former winemaker at Beringer, where he won Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year for a 1986 Private Reserve Cabernet and a 1994 Private Reserve Chardonnay. Not surprisingly, the Sbragia Chardonnay shares many characteristics with the one from Beringer.
Sbragia’s white wines, and its Zinfandels, are the draw. The Home Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is perhaps our favorite wine from the winery, in part because it delivers the most bang for the buck and comes in comfortably below our $20 comfort zone for white wines. Sbragia also participates in the Sonoma County Vintners Visa Signature program that gives users a free tasting and 10% off all purchases.
The Home Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect warm summer day wine. It’s bright and crisp with a definite citrus flavor. It never disappoints. The other interesting thing about the Home Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is the reusable glass stopper they use in place of the cork.
The Gamble Ranch Chardonnay most resembles the wines Sbragia produced at Beringer, most likely because the grapes are sourced from Yountville in Napa Valley, but the wine lies just outside of our price range at $40. It’s creamy and rich, but doesn’t taste overly oaked. It’s always a treat to taste it at the winery.
All under $30, the three Zinfandels at Sbragia also provide good value. On this visit, the $28 2005 Gino’s Vineyard Zinfandel stood out. The extra year in the bottle than the 2006 Italo’s Vineyard Zinfandel brought out more of the wine’s character and gave it a little extra zip during the tasting.
The wines are reason enough to visit Sbragia, but an added bonus is its fantastic deck that sits high above the valley and provides a gorgeous location to hang out, drink wine and have a picnic. Many people believe that the enjoyment of wine comes not just from the wine itself, but also from where you are, who you are with, the setting, the food you’re eating – virtually everything that you’re experiencing at that moment.
Sbragia’s wines are good with or without an experience. Visiting the winery only enhances it.
Jill and David Shabelman
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You think you know spicy? Chances are those hot wings you get from your local pub won’t stand up to these dishes, which have been called the spiciest foods in the world. Check them out:
Phaal (Phall) Curry, Southern India - features at least 10 different peppers, one of which has been confirmed by the Guinness Book of World records as the most potent pepper on earth.
Pork Vindaloo, Goa, India - Also features the world’s most potent peppers, along with other chilies and peppers from the area.
Hot Suicide Wings, Chicago, Ill. - People wishing to attempt to eat these wings are asked to sign a disclaimer. The sauce is made from the Red Savina habanero, also known as the Dominican Devil’s Tongue pepper and the Ball of Fire pepper.
Caribbean Jerk Chicken, Jamaica - The spicy red Scotch bonnet features prominently in many Caribbean dishes, and doesn’t disappoint in the hot department of this dish.
Devil Pork Curry, Malacca, Malaysia - The area from which this dish hails was a major stop along spice trading routes in the 16th century. The most potent ingredient here is the birds-eye (or Thai) chili pepper.
Neua Pad Prik (Thai Pepper Steak), Thailand - Also features the birds-eye chili pepper, which is found in many dishes in the region.
Hot Pot, Sichuan Province, China - The Sichuan “flower” pepper produces a numbing sensation when eaten.
Frango Piri-Piri (Chicken Peri-Peri), Angola, Mozambique, and South Africa - The African devil, a.k.a. the red piri-piri – a type of bird-eye pepper – provides the kick in this recipe, and is found in various recipes throughout Africa.
Papas a la Huancaína, Peru - This recipe features the hottest chili pepper in the region, the Ají amarillo pepper.
Kimchi Jjigae, South Korea - Dried red chili peppers combined with the pickling process make this dish near lethal.
With the Red Wings beating up on our Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs it may be time to take a break from red and taste a little pink. Rosé that is.
Rosé’s have grown in popularity the past couple of years and they’ve become kind of trendy. But there’s a good reason. The easy-to-drink pink is very refreshing, among the most food-friendly wines out there and have become popular enough that you can find a wide variety at your local wine shop. Best of all, it’s not your mother’s White Zinfandel.
The 2008 Toulouse Vineyards Rosé of Pinot Noir from California’s Anderson Valley is an excellent example of everything that’s good about rosé. The first thing that lets you know you’re not drinking White Zinfandel is that it’s very dry – no sweetness here. The wine is crisp and has a lovely berry flavor, strawberry in particular.
Anderson Valley is one of the best places in California to grow Pinot Noir, which no doubt also makes for a great Rosé. The area is also famous for other varietals that thrive in cooler climates like Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. The most famous region for Rosé in the world is the Tavel region in southern France. Tavel Rosés also can be found at many wine shops.
This all leads to something we will harp on in future blog posts. For those who become intimidated by a wine list or a wine shop, you should spend some time finding wines that you enjoy and learning where they are grown. When you’re struggling with a wine decision, you’ll know what wines and regions you can fall back on. We also recommend knowing your price point. The Toulouse Rosé is $24, which hits our sweet spot of good wines for under $30.
We were lucky to get friendly pour of the Toulouse Rosé at the winery during a recent trip to Mendocino County. The tasting was in a barn and winemaker Vern Boltz was actually pouring and educating visitors about his wines when we were there. It made for a great experience. Look for a review of the Toulouse Pinot Noir in a future post.
David and Jill Shabelman
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