This month the Wine Pairing Weekend group is turning their eyes to pairings with wines from Livermore with David from Cooking Chat hosting. This is a sponsored (bonus) post as wine samples were provided and this page may contain affiliate links. Thank you to the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association. My post for the event is still coming, but I am excited to share this bottle and pairing with you now.
I received three bottles of wine from the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association for the upcoming #WinePW event. And I already poured the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from McGrail Vineyards for last month's Local Food, Local Wine event when I posted Localish: Some Bay Area Love for Pizza from Oakland and a Wine from Livermore.
Murrieta's Well Estate Vineyard
I was introduced to Murrieta's Well Estate Vineyard back in 2018 when I participated in a Mid-Week Pairing with Snooth.
For that event, I poured and paired Murrieta's Sauvignon Blanc 2017, The Whip 2016, Dry Rosé 2017, The Spur 2015, and Cabernet Sauvignon 2015.
Murrieta’s Well is one of California’s original wine estates. In 1884 Louis Mel bought the estate and built a gravity-flow winery into the hillside and planted cuttings from the famed Château d’Yquem and Château Margaux vineyards in France. In 1940 Mel sold the property to Ernest Wente and it has been part of the Wente Family estates ever since. In 2990 Philip Wente and Sergio Traverso partnered to reinvigorate the winery, naming it after the history of the property.
Flash forward almost a century and a half. They are still growing descendants of those original vines and the tasting room is housed in the original gravity-flow winery. And all Murrieta's Well wines are California Certified Sustainable.
A Sauvignon Blanc Blend
Made of a majority Sauvignon Blanc, this wine is a blend that also includes 9% Viognier, 8% Orange Muscat, 5% Malvasia Bianca in addition to the 78% Sauvignon Blanc. Deceptively pale in color, this wine had gorgeous aromas of tropical fruit such as mango, rambutan, and passion fruit. On the palate, all of those aromas are mirrored along with warmer flavors of vanilla and roasted almonds. A medium-bodied wine, this finishes with a refreshing crispness.
Ramen and Rolls
On the day I poured this, we were just returning from a week in the mountains. After six hours on the road - and looking at another five to get them back to schools the following day - I opted to pick up ramen and rolls from a newly opened local spot. I've been there three times in a month...and I don't eat out regularly.
Even though I didn't make the bowl with which I served the wine, I will share my secret to delicious ramen. What makes amazing ramen, in my estimation: delicious broth.
A Long Simmered Broth: Trotters and Paws
I am not a stranger to making homemade broths and stocks, especially during the Fall and Winter. But one of my favorites is a Tonkotsu broth, usually made with just pork and water. But my version includes pig trotters, chicken claws, and pork bones. Don't forget that the secret behind a delicious broth is a long cooking time and quality ingredients.
Ingredients
makes 2 large pots full of broth
2 pounds pig trotters
4 pounds pork bones
1 pound chicken claws (or feet)
2 onions, peeled and quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 ounces brown mushrooms, quartered
2" knob fresh ginger, halved
6 to 8 green onions, cut to 4" lengths
water
Procedure
Place trotters and bones in a large pot or divide them into two pots, depending on what sizes you have. Cover them to water and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, drain the liquid out and rinse out your pot.
Place the boiled trotters and bones back into the pot with the chicken paws and other ingredients. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that forms after it has started to boil. The broth should boil steadily to release all of the collagen and fat. If the liquid is evaporating too much, add more water in, as needed.
Boil for, at least, 18 hours. Strain and save the broth. Season with salt before using.
One thing I love about the rolls from this local spot: They use purple rice. It's nuttier and feels more healthy than plain white rice. I don't know if that's true, but it feels more healthy. And it's so pretty!