Harvest Running Late; Reviews on Sonoma Syrah

Most wineries still
waiting for red grapes
to ripen
W. Blake Gray, SF Chronicle
Friday, September 15, 2006

Normally, Wine Country is bustling in mid-September, as truckloads of ripe grapes race into waiting wineries.

But this year, "there's not too much we can do right now," says vintner Adam Lee.

For growers in the premium wine grape-growing parts of California, this year's grape harvest is as much as three weeks behind schedule. Full Article



Sonoma County Syrahs

Lynne Char Bennett, SF Chronicle
Friday, September 15, 2006

Sonoma County is long on Syrahs. Several cool climate areas, like Los Carneros, Bennett Valley and Sonoma Coast, are turning out wines with bright acidity and ripe but restrained fruit.

On Aug. 31 we recommended 13 Syrahs from Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley in Sonoma County (see the tasting notes at SFGate.com). These are our panel's recommendations for Syrahs from the large Sonoma County appellation and Sonoma County's other subappellations. Full Review



Hold the meat
& pass the
portobellos

Lynne Char Bennett, SF Chronicle
Friday, September 15, 2006

Portobello mushrooms are fleshy, meaty grown-up cremini, which are also called brown mushrooms. Cremini are the workhorses of the mushroom world, used in everything from sautes to soups. As cremini mature, the caps grow bigger, the gills open and they become portobellos.

The thick denseness of a portobello makes it seem meaty. It needs to be cooked, whether sliced and sauteed with butter and garlic or brushed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper then roasted or grilled. Cooking makes it more digestible and palatable, and concentrates flavor by driving off the mushroom's natural moisture.
Full Article<