Wine Sisterhood

Valentine’s Sampler for Your Sweetie

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! Toast your special valentine with Monogamy (and save the PromisQous for later!). To help you celebrate with your sweetie, we’ve put together a romantic and racy sampler of our popular California bottlings.

The Valentine’s Sampler includes:

• One bottle of Monogamy Chardonnay (California; Sonoma/Napa)
• One bottle of Monogamy Cabernet Sauvignon (North Coast California)
• One bottle of PromisQous White (California; a light and sassy mingling of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Gewurztraminer)
• One bottle of PromisQous Red (California; a dark, dashing blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah)

Treat yourself! Our Monogamy Chardonnay just won the gold medal at the San Francisco Wine Competition, and our Monogamy Cabernet and both the PromisQous white and red all won silver medals at the event.

Click here to purchase, and and put a smile on the face of your Special Valentine.

Four bottles total. Special price of $44.95 (plus shipping).

Tell us what you – or your sweetie – thinks if you try this!

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Wine Sisterhood Rocks Social Media for Women

You may have noticed that in addition to this blog, we’re also on Ning as well as Facebook and Twitter. So what are we doing in social networks?

Well, I’m sure you’d agree that picking out wines and drinking wines are social activities. And with the advent of blogs, Facebook and Twitter, we can all tell the world what we’re drinking and what we think of the wine we drink. Add in all those wine apps on our mobile devices, and we can have wine information, recommendations and communities literally at our fingertips.

So it follows that Wine Sisterhood would want to be where the action is and where we can form a unique community of women who not only talk about wine and share wine articles, reviews and recommendations, but who can also provide input on the creation of new wine brands. Yes, you heard us right. As a member of Wine Sisterhood, you can provide your opinions on everything from new wine names to wine label designs and hopefully soon to the wine itself. And the best thing? Membership to Wine Sisterhood is totally free.

The key to participating is to sign up to our Ning community because that is where the official surveys are posted. With women like you, we’ve picked the name and label design for our next wine: Red Haute. And starting today, we’re looking for your opinions on the name of a new Middle Sister for Middle Sister Wines. And starting today, we’re looking for your opinions on the name of a new Middle Sister for Middle Sister Wines.

When was the last time you really had a say in how a product was made? Think about it: Before the end of this year, you will see several wines on the shelves of your favorite wine sellers that YOU had a hand in developing. We hope you’ll invite your girlfriends to join us!

How is social media changing the way you think about the products you buy?

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New survey is live!

Help us select a name for the newest Middle Sister wine…to be introduced later this spring.   Join the Wine Sisterhood community and follow the link to the survey and cast your vote!  We’ll pick one lucky sister from the voters to receive a fabulous Wine Sisterhood basket of wine-y treats.

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We have brownies

To our friends who visited our table at the SF ZAP…here’s the recipe for our zinfandelicious brownies.

 http://deeppurplewines.com/

Deep Purple Zinfandel, Cinnamon Brownie Bites

6 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Deep Purple Zinfandel
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa
6 ounces Good quality Semi-Sweet chocolate
1/4 Cup Hershey’s Syrup
3/4 Cup Unbleached Flour
1/4 Teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
3 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1.  Preheat oven to 340 degrees.  Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper and spray with non stick spray.

2.  Bring wine and butter to a low simmer over medium heat.  Remove from direct heat and add the semi sweet chocolate and cocoa powder.  Stir until mixture is melted.  Let cool slightly.

3.  Put sugar, eggs and vanilla in the bowl of electric mixer and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes.  Add chocolate mixture.  Add flour, baking powder and cinnamon.  Beat, scraping sides of bowl until well incorporated – don’t over mix.  Fold in with a spatula the Hershey’s syrup.

4.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 25 minutes.  Let cool completely.  Yields about 9 large or 16 small brownies. 

We cut them into tiny mini bites…. Great for nibbling with a glass of Deep Purple Zinfandel!

Optional:  Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on the top before baking!

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Our friends at Wrangler turn their logo purple for a very good reason

We’ve been pouring all day at the Boston Wine Expo and want to say thanks to all the great wine lovers who came by our table and tasted our wines.  But now our thoughts turn toward football and the big game tomorrow between New Orleans and Minnesota.  We’re not taking sides, you understand. But we did kind of like what our friends at Wrangler did to support our favorite old guy, Brett Favre.  (Sure he loves that).  Anyway, they turned their logo purple in honor of the Minnesota Vikings.  Click on the link to read all about it.

You see, Wrangler and Brett have a long-time relationship, with Brett acting as spokesperson for Wrangler Jeans.  Wrangler and our own Purple Cowboy work together to raise funds for breast cancer awareness through the Tough Enough To Wear Pink? organization.  And the Favre family, especially Deanna, who is herself a breast cancer survivor, have done incredible work to fight this disease.  So maybe we do feel just a little bit of love toward the QB who’s wearing purple tomorrow.  Wrangler has asked their fans to post this logo to their walls during the playoffs (The Wrangler logo is usually red,)

So until we make a Purple Viking wine, Purple Cowboy and a posted logo will have to do.  So go out and have a great game!

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Purple Cowboy Rides into Boston!

http://bit.ly/4MuLH2 Our Thirsty Girl Friend Leslie Sbrocco praises Purple Cowboy in a segment this morning about the Boston Wine Expo and food and wine pairing.  Check out the link to Fox Channel 25.  Our wine looks fab and so does Leslie–especially considering she got into Boston at 2am and had to be at the studio by 6.  She’s a rock star!  If you’re coming to the tasting, be sure to stop by the Thirsty Girl booth and say howdy.  We’ll be pouring the Cowboy Tenacious Red as well as Middle Sister Rebel Red and Middle Sister Drama Queen Pinot Grigio, PromisQuous Red and Monogamy Cab.  We have a treat for you if you’re a Wine Sister or want to be one…just ask.

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Leslie Sbrocco: Guiding Women in Buying, Pairing, and Sharing Wine

Leslie Sbrocco
Wine for Women: A Guide to Buying, Pairing, and Sharing Wine
http://www.lesliesbrocco.com/
http://twitter.com/lesliesb

Meet wine enthusiast and accomplished wine writer Leslie Sbrocco. An award-winning author, writer, speaker, wine consultant, and television host, Leslie’s entertaining approach makes learning about wine and food fun. Her first book, Wine for Women: A Guide to Buying, Pairing and Sharing Wine, won the coveted Georges Duboeuf Best Wine Book of the Year award. Her second book, The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide, was released in October 2006. Her work has been published in outlets such as O, the Oprah magazine; Coastal Living; Woman’s Day; Good Housekeeping; Glamour; and Santé. Prior to completing Wine for Women, Leslie was a columnist for The New York Times online and Cooking with the Times and General Manager/Co-founder of WineToday.com, the wine site of The New York Times Company. Here’s our interview with Leslie…

Wine Sisterhood: Tell us about “Wine for Women” and what inspired you to write it.
“Wine for Women” is a guide to learning about wine in a fun and entertaining, yet functional way. I geared it towards women because we do the majority of wine buying and tend to focus on how to integrate wine into our lifestyle and buy on recommendations from friends as opposed to buying wine on ratings. Being a wine educator and communicator for more than a decade, I noticed that women tend to approach wine from a unique perspective and I wanted to address that.

WS: Why a book specifically for women and how does it differ from one for men or both sexes? How do men and women treat wine differently?
I don’t recommend different wine for men or women. As I say in the book, it’s not about what’s in the bottle but how we approach the bottle. Women want to know what the wine tastes like, what it goes with and how to enjoy it in the context of everyday life. The subtitle of the book is “A Guide to Buying, Pairing, and Sharing” and that’s how the book is structured. Each chapter looks at a particular wine type or variety and I build what I call the essential wine wardrobe. For example, Merlot, due to its characteristic suppleness, is my cashmere of the wine world. I highlight great places where the wine comes from, top producers, and give recipes for each wine category. By the way, it won the Georges Duboeuf Best Wine Book of the Year Award because men can read it too.

WS: What is your favorite “Wine Moment?”
I’ve had so many favorite moments. A great one was when I got to bungee jump in New Zealand after tasting Pinot Noir in Central Otago. That morning I actually swallowed instead of spitting all the wine at the tasting in preparation for jumping off a bridge! I survived, and it was an amazing experience.

WS: What is your best advice to wine newbies about pairing wines with foods? What are some common myths about wine you can clear up for us?
My best advice is not to worry about pairing food and wine. Drink what you like and eat what you like. But there are guidelines for making magic when pairing. Things like matching the textures of the food and wine and complementing aromas and flavors. In my second book,”The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide,” I have a whole chapter on how to pair wines. I even talk about wines with take-out food. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio and Thai noodles are fabulous.

WS: What is an example of a “wine-friendly”meal that is easy to prepare?
Try pairing this Eggplant and Mushroom Sandwich with a Merlot or Bordeaux:

Saute several portobello mushrooms in olive oil and slice into wide strips. Cut 1 eggplant into rounds about ¾ inch thick and sprinkle salt on each round. Fry each piece in a generous amount of olive oil for 5 to 6 minutes, until brown on both sides and soft in the middle. Place them on paper towels to drain. Toast crusty bread cut in half lengthwise and spread with Dijon mustard. Layer on the cooked vegetables and fresh spinach leaves. Cut into portions and serve warm.

Leslie will be at the Boston Wine Expo January 23-24 promoting her new book “The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide.” She will be pouring Canopy wines at her table, so drop by for a sip!

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Purple Cowboy featured on The Today Show!

http://bit.ly/4yoG8u  We’re so excited here at the WS clubhouse in beautiful dowtown Napa.  Purple Cowboy received a major shout-out from Hoda and Kathie Lee on The Today Show this morning.  Wine expert Leslie Sbrocco featured wines that taste good and do good.  Our own Purple Cowboy was cited for its support of Tough Enough To Wear Pink?, the grassroots organization dedicated to raising awareness, finding a cure and supporting families facing breast cancer.  Leslie tasted the ladies on Purple Cowboy Tenacious Red, a blend of Cab and Syrah from the California’s cowboy wine countrey–Paso Robles.  (There’s also a Purple Cowboy Merlot called Midnight Rider).

  Wine Sister Terry Wheatley is the woman behind Tough Enough To Wear Pink?–and the creator of Purple Cowboy wines.  If you want to read more about Purple Cowboy and the story of Tough Enough To Wear Pink?, visit www.purplecowboy.com.  Note:  Kathie Lee gets a little racy with her cowboy metaphors–it’s pretty hilarious–but PC was her fave out of all.  The woman has great taste is all we can say! 

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Food Rules to Live By

http://bit.ly/4DYBIf  Noted food author Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemna) has published a slim new guide called “Food Rules:  An Eater’s Manual”.  In the course of his research, he observed that the modern dialogue about food is becoming ever confusing and complicated.  One study states one thing, then another one comes out and says the opposite.  Words like “antioxidant”, “saturated fat”, “omega-3 fatty acids”, ”gluten” and ”probiotics” are now part of our vocabulary. But maybe what people need are less syllables and just a few simple guidelines to eating well and enjoying it more.

Food Rules is a collection of what you might call common food wisdom gathered from Pollan’s conversations with folklorists and anthropologists, health care professionals, nutritionists and dieticians, and of course, mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers.   Some of them sound quite familar, others have a more modern twist.  Pollan set up a Web site to collect suggestions; one request put out on the New York Times’ Well Blog garnered 25oo responses.  Underneath each rule is a brief explanation and rationale.  The result is entertaining and thought-provoking.   The Wine Sisters like this approach and picked out some of our favorite “rules” to share:

#57  “Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does”.

#36  “Don’t eat breakfast cereals the change the color of the milk”

#39  “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself”  (Ever made your own french fries?!)

#47  “Eat when you are hungry, not when you are bored.”

#63  “Cook”

And of course, our personal favorite:

#43  “Have a glass of wine with dinner.”

In the little paragraph below this rule, Pollan ponders the “magic bullet” of French and Mediterranean cuisine and notes that increasingly, scientific research is backing up the traditional notions about the health benefits of wine.  He says, “Someday science may figure out the complex sunergies at work in a traditional diet that includes wine, but  until then we can marvel at its accumulated wisdom–and raise a glass to paradox.  The Wine Sisterhood certainly votes thumbs up on that. 

We think we should work on a “Wine Rules: a Drinker’s Manual”.  We’re going to start thinking about it, and if you have your own suggestions, let us know.

mav

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Where wine is going in the next 10 years

http://bit.ly/5DpdTf  Here’s a great prediction piece from Jon Bonne, editor of the SF Chronicle’s award-winning wine page.  There’s a lot here to agree with…go wines under $20!  Some interesting comments about wine labels, too.  What kind of label attracts you to buy a wine?

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