Drink Wine and Live Forever

Three glasses a day keeps the dementia away!

Okay, that might be a stretch, but it’s something I’ve always said after accidentally polishing off a whole bottle.

By myself.

You’ve done it too, don’t lie to yourself. Anyways apparently I wasn’t totally off-base.

Recent studies have proved that resveratrol, a naturally-occurring chemical found in red wine, can “prolong lifespan,” slow the aging process, and improve blood flow. More blood flow to your brain = better brain function = maybe you don’t get dementia, or at least you stave it off for a bit longer.

Of course, the benefits probably start to be diminished by the negative effects of too much alcohol after that second glass, so we at Hawk Haven would like to officially promote drinking in moderation. But we also don’t have much experience in the concept of “leftover wine.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers!
Lynsie

What’s In A Name?

How much do you know about Merlot?  Before you start quoting Sideways and say you’re not drinking any, let’s take a closer look at the third most grown wine in the world.

Our Hawk Haven Merlot Grapes

Merlot wine is a varietal made from the Merlot grape, which is also used in any number of blended wines.  The name Merlot is thought to come from the Old French word for “young blackbird.”  This was either because of the grapes gorgeous dark-blue color, or from the delight that blackbirds find in eating the grapes.

Merlot may be an offspring of the Cabernet Franc grape, and is a sibling of Carménère and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The grapes are identified by loose bunches of large berries with a thinner skin, fewer tannins and a higher sugar content than a Cabernet Sauvignon.  The softness of the Merlot grape, along with its earlier ripening, makes it a good choice for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon, which ripens later and tends to be higher in tannin.

There are three main styles of Merlot.  You can either have a soft, fruity, smooth wine with very little tannins, a fruity wine with a medium tannic structure, or a brawny highly tannic style made in the profile of a Cabernet Sauvignon.  Some of the fruit notes commonly associated with Merlot include cassis, black and red cherries, blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, mulberry and plum. Vegetable and earthy notes include black and green olives, cola nut, bell pepper, fennel, humus, leather, mushrooms, rhubarb and tobacco. Floral and herbal notes commonly associated with Merlot include green and black tea, eucalyptus, laurel, mint, oregano, pine, rosemary, sage, sarsaparilla and thyme.  When Merlot has spent significant time in oak, the wine may show notes of caramel, chocolate, coconut, coffee bean, dill weed, mocha, molasses, smoke, vanilla and walnut.

Hawk Haven Estate Merlot

Our own Hawk Haven Merlot was such a hit that we completely sold out!  Our 2007 Estate Merlot was an exceptionally balanced wine, with a delicate harmony of soft, rounded tannins and rich concentrations of fruit.  The lush plum flavors and notes of blackberry and cherry lent themselves to a smooth and velvety finish.

So what are we doing telling you about a wine that’s sold out?  Besides starting some deep cravings for a delicious Merlot, we want to get you all geared up for the release of our 2008 Merlot!  On August 13^th we will be releasing our new Merlot, and every indication is that it is going to be just as good as last year.  Visit our website and sign up for our email newsletter for more information on this and other events at Hawk Haven.

Talks with Todd: The Booze and the Bees

Last wednesday we harvested the Pinot Grigio.  I decided to to try my hand at harvest, but I think I was more harm than help.

My Grandpa also helped, so we were both in the parking lot by 6:30 a.m. 

 The first step of harvest is to unload the grape lugs from the barn. 

Then we harvest!

Little known fact: if there is even a small puncture in the grape, it can start to ferment on the vine, especially if harvest is late in the season and the sugar content is high.  Todd decided to pull the Pinot Grigio at a fairly high brick count, which means there was a lot of sugar to ferment in the grapes. 

 

So, when the bees buzz around and feast on grapes, they actually get drunk!  Of course, Todd told me this like it was no big deal.  I thought it was hilarious!  Until one of them stung me, which I promptly used as an excuse to get out of the  grass and the bugs and stop harvesting.

 

Pinot and Chardonnay are my favorite grapes to look at; the pinot has such a beautiful maroon color.  Below is a picture of the offending bee…

Signing off from Hawk Haven Vineyard and Winery in Cape May County, NJ – Cape May Wine Country ~ Cate Hylas

Wine and Dine: Rye Breaded Pork Roast with Hawk Haven Red Table Wine Marinade

I concocted a delicious pork marinade using Hawk Haven’s Red Table Wine last night.  The Red Table wine is dynamic – good for cooking AND complimenting with many types of food.  It’s a 75% Cabernet and 25% Chambourcin blend.  The Chambourcin really mixes things up.  It’s a very vivacious grape (and temperamental too).  The 2008 vintage Chambourcin we used is full of two seemingly contradictory flavors: fruit and spice.  This flavor combination makes it perfect for pairing with a simple dinner dish like pasta; it almost seasons the food for you.  And it’s also great for cooking because it’s bursting with spiciness AND fruitiness.

Pork is often prepared with both spicy/salty and sweet foods like a spicy sauerkraut and fruity applesauce.  I tried to mirror the flavor combination above when I came up with my recipe.

Rye Breaded Pork Roast with Hawk Haven Red Table Wine Marinade

1 glass (5oz) of Hawk Haven Red Table Wine

1 3/4 lb pork loin

Chervil and rosemary to taste

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tsp whole grain mustard

2 tsp olive oil

one whole onion chopped

one whole lemon squeezed

three pieces of toasted rye bread

Pierce pork all over with skewer and pound with mallet. Combine the wine, chervil, rosemary, garlic, mustard, oil, onion and lemon juice (and rinds to increase acidity) in a zip-lock bag with pork.  Let sit in refrigerator for 45 minutes to one hour.

After the pork finished marinating (and my grandparents were salivating), I put the pork in a baking pan and put the bits of torn up rye bread on top.  I baked it at 350 for about an hour.

My poor grandparents just wanted to sit down early and eat a simple pork dinner last night, but I decided to put them through another Hawk Haven wine recipe ordeal.  They were hungry when I got home at six, but they had to wait until 8:30 to eat.  (They loved it anyway).  So if you execute my Hawk Haven Red Table Wine marinade, start earlier in the evening than I did.

I set the table with pewter, featuring a pewter sugar and cream set from TreeHouse Antiques.

Signing off from Hawk Haven Vineyard and Winery in Cape May County, NJ - Cape May Wine Country ~ Cate Hylas

Talks with Todd: Combatting Feathered Foes

Vineyard managers battle mother nature everyday.  Fungi, bacteria, mold and deer are all common wine-grape pests.  Come late August, early September, there’s a feathery foe: warblers.

The warblers swing presumptuously down from the sky and pluck our grapes right out of their clusters.  The brick count (a measure of sugar content) in the pinot grigio is nearly up to 20, so I can understand why grapes have become the choice bird snack.  I can barely prevent myself from picking the grapes right now – they are so good – so it’s hard to blame the birds.

To prevent against the wino-warblers (and Katies), Todd puts nets up around the vines.  Bird-brained animals can’t conceptualize of reaching through the nets, so the grapes are protected.

It’s nice that there is such a simple alternative to using pesticides.  Nets – so easy!

The view through the nets is absolutely breathtaking.  The nets make the vineyard feel misty and enchanted.

This is a half-netted Cabernet Sauvignon vine.  The half-net technique tricks warblers, but not me!  I ate one, and it was delicious.

Signing off from Hawk Haven Vineyard and Winery in Cape May County, NJ - Cape May Wine Country ~ Cate Hylas

Wine and Dine: Cedar Plank Salmon with Hawk Haven Red-Tailed Rose Wine and Orange Glaze

So I’m having a Julie Powell moment.  After seeing the movie Julie & Julia, I decided to try extending the blog to include cooking with Hawk Haven wine.  (Mostly I just want to bounce around my kitchen shouting  boef bourignon and bon apetit in falsetto).  I’ll try to wow my boyfriend and my grandparents with a Cedar Plank Salmon with Red-Tailed Rose and Orange Glaze tonight.  Wish me luck…

I’ll be grilling the salmon on a low flame with Cedar planks (courtesy of my Aunt Susan).   I’m not much for recipes, so I’ll just give you an idea of what I plan to do.  I can’t promise I’ll follow my own instructions, but I’ll let you know in another post what if anything I change:

Red-Tailed Rose and Orange Glaze for Cedar Plank Salmon

A little bit of cilantro..

A little bit of orange zest…

A few orange slices…

A few cups of orange juice…

About a cup of Hawk Haven’s Red-Tailed Rose…

Vegetable oil (maybe?)…

And Sour cream if I decide to turn the whole thing into a cream sauce…

I told you I wasn’t much for recipes… Suggestions and comments welcome!  If you have any of your own recipes that include Hawk Haven wine, please send them to me at info@hawkhavenvineyard.com, and I’ll post them on the website!

Signing off from Hawk Haven Vineyard and Winery in Cape May County, NJ - Cape May Wine Country ~ Cate Hylas