Thanksgiving Wine Recipes

Last year this country spent $2,375,000,000 on Thanksgiving dinner food, yet the average household spending was just over $50. That’s not a bad number considering how many people are probably at the average dinner table on turkey-day. This is probably because families typically split the menu, each person bringing their own special dish. Grandma makes the turkey, mom brings the sweet potato casserole, and uncle whips up his famous stuffing.

While some people might have their classic recipes they recreate year after year, others might be looking for something a little different, and we have just the thing! Below are some delicious recipes that are sure to please. Even better, they all involve wine, of course!

Cabernet Cranberry & Blueberry Sauce– a unique twist on a Thanksgiving classic, AND we recently released our 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon! The recipe only calls for 1 cup of the wine, so you still have the rest of the bottle to enjoy before, during, or after.

 

 

 

 

 

White Wine Mushroom Bruschetta with Halloumi– I think I teared up a little at this one, it looks so good. It would make a great appetizer while you wait on the turkey’s final touches! Try with out 2013 Chardonnay.

Cheesy Garlic Bites– Forget Great Aunt Edith’s homemade bread recipe that’s been passed down for generations and served at every Thanksgiving meal for the last century, it’s time to start some new traditions! May I recommend our 2012 Pinot Grigio?

 

Mulled Wine– Who doesn’t love warm, spiced wine this time of year? It gets you feeling so cozy and totally in the holiday spirit. You can try this recipe or stop by our tasting room gift shop to find mulled wine spice packets. We like to use our Northern Harrier Red for this one.

Darkest Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Glaze– Don’t forget dessert! You will probably need to make one cake per person because I can’t see how anyone would want to share this. 2011 Proprietor’s Red Blend will probably work very nicely for this.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving recipes, especially ones using wine as an ingredient? How about pairings, what are you drinking with dinner?

Click pictures or recipe titles for image and recipe sources.

Wine – Keep it Simple

Wine can be a very complicated subject matter. No doubt, tending and training the vines, growing the grapes, knowing when to harvest and finally the craft of bringing all of it together to produce an enjoyable experience to share with family and friends is both challenging and hopefully rewarding for those engaged in the hard work. BUT!! If you are anything like me you are mostly interested in one thing: How does it taste and do I enjoy it.

O.K. you got me that’s two things.

Trust me, you do not have to be a Mensa candidate to enjoy wine. Some folks try to cultivate wine appreciation into an intellectual endeavor. It AIN’T. It is about the visceral impact of a good grape on one’s palate. That is it.

By the way the highest and best use to which a palate can be put is to separate the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. Everything and anything beyond that is simply a bonus. But what a bonus – when you find that just right wine to share with that just right person at that just right moment.

Take it from a lifetime member of the third reading group – keep it simple and savor the damn wine.

 

 

 

Karl is a former drill instructor and recovering attorney. He joined the Hawk Haven team in April of 2012 and we haven’t been able to get rid of him since. To read more about our resident vineyard curmudgeon, click here.

Behind the Bar: Lynsie

This is going to be very odd because today I’ll be writing about myself. Hello, I’m Lynsie, I manage the blog, facebook, and twitter for Hawk Haven. You might also see me in the tasting room, usually at the register. I started working here in the summer of 2010 because Hawk Haven was and is my favorite winery here in Cape May County. I love the atmosphere, not to mention the wine maker hasn’t yet made a wine I didn’t like. Everyone here is so friendly, from the staff to the customers, that it never feels like a job.

I live in Cape May with my husband but I was born and raised in Delaware. No kids yet, but we do have a dog and two cats. I started pursuing an English degree at University of Delaware, but ended up majoring in Religion at Liberty University in Virginia. So, naturally, I have a completely unrelated job here at Hawk Haven, pouring wine and tweeting pictures of the vineyard.

I love reading, cooking, and jogging. I also have an unnatural obsession with Disney World which everyone here loves to tease me about. Seriously though, get me started talking about it and I won’t shut up. I am amazed at the number of guests that visit the winery who are fellow Disney lovers and I love exchanging tips and stories about visiting “the World.”

But I digress. I’m supposed to talk about my favorite Hawk Haven wine now, but the truth is I love the different wines for different reasons. Mostly it depends on what I’m eating. I love the Pinot Grigio with salmon baked with lemon slices and capers because the citrusy notes of the wine cut through the creamy texture of the fish. I don’t eat Mexican food without the Red-Tailed Rose because the fruity sweetness is a perfect match for the spicier tones in the food. The Northern Harrier Red is a great everyday drinking wine and when I’m in the mood for something with a little more substance like pasta or burgers, this blend is an easy pick. I could go on and on but I guess if you were going to get me a bottle for Christmas, I would want the 2010 Reserve Merlot. It isn’t on our regular tasting list (it’s Signature Series), but I promise you this wine is divine. It’s so smooth and rich with notes of raspberry and cocoa. It was love at first sip!

My advice for wine drinkers is to not be afraid to try new wines. Your palate is always changing, and besides, even within a particular varietal there are going to be different flavors depending on where it was grown, how it was aged, etc. Wine tasting should be relaxing and fun; remember, you’re here to find something you love! And don’t be afraid to ask questions.

P.S. This month Lynsie is raising awareness and funds for the International Justice Mission‘s goal to end human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression by participating in Dressember. She will be wearing a dress every day for the entire month of December, and you can follow her on instagram and twitter. Please consider making a donation on her campaign page (click here).

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta

You know autumn is here when you visit the grocery store or farmer’s  market and everywhere you look are different varieties of squash. Acorn squash, spaghetti squash, even pumpkins, and of course my personal favorite: butternut squash. Even the name sounds delicious, and it is so easy to incorporate in all your fall recipes.

Butternut squash is a pale orange veggie with a long pear shape and a sweet, nutty flavor. The easiest way to cook it is to cut it in half long ways, scoop out the seeds, coat the inside with a bit of olive oil, then roast it coated-side down in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until tender. You can jazz it up with a little cinnamon and brown sugar, chipotle powder, or even just salt and pepper. Once its cooked, you peel away the skin and it’s ready for any number of tasty dishes.

Recently a friend shared a very delicious butternut squash recipe with me and I couldn’t wait to try it. Even better, one of our wines here at Hawk Haven has reached its peak in flavors and aromas and turned out to be a perfect complement to this dish: the 2012 Signature Series Sauvignon Blanc.

Due to limited production, the Signature Series Collection wines are not typically included in our normal wine tasting. The oak-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, however, has evolved so much since we bottled it back in April, and the once subtle essence of kiwi and melon have unfolded into bolder, more rich flavors of caramel and green apple. This wine is really in its prime!

So stop by Hawk Haven (we’re open every day 12-5pm), grab a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, and try it with this recipe tonight for dinner!

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
1 medium sized butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1 package fisarmoniche pasta (or your favorite variety)
3/4 cup ricotta
2 tbsp ponzu sauce

Instructions
Set oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half length-wise and scoop out seeds. Brush inside of each half with olive oil, then place face down on a baking sheet. Roast in oven for 30 minutes or until tender, then remove from oven and peel off skin. Roughly chop the squash into small pieces.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain off water and return pasta to pot. Stir in squash, ricotta, and ponzu sauce.

At this point you may be tempted to grab a fork and eat right out of the pot, but let’s be civilized, you’re drinking a Signature Series wine after all! Scoop some out onto a plate, pour yourself a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and go sit at the table. Try not to inhale it, remember to chew, and most of all, enjoy!

 

Got any favorite butternut squash recipes? What are your favorite foods to pair with Sauvignon Blanc? Tell us in the comments below!

The Rutgers Research Project at Hawk Haven

Something exciting is underway at Hawk Haven (in addition to our regular, everyday exciting) that we wanted to share with you. We’ve been calling it “The Rutgers Research Project at Hawk Haven” (or Rutger’s Project for short) because it is headed by Dan Ward, the Assistant Extension Specialist, and Peter Oudemans, the Associate Professor, both of Rutgers’ Plant Biology and Pathology department. Together with the Outer Coastal Plains Association, they developed a four year trial to see how two rare and unique varietals grow here on the East Coast.

It all began a few years ago when Todd’s quality management of the vineyard caught Dan’s attention. He saw a guy who really cared about the plants and worked hard every day to bring each vine to its full potential. So Hawk Haven Vineyard was chosen, along with three other vineyards throughout the state, to participate in a mutli-year study of the different growing climates of New Jersey. Each vineyard was chosen based on their location as well as the dedication and commitment of the vineyard managers to their land. In that respect, we were very honored to have been selected and look forward to seeing the results.

Lagrein varietal

We were provided with ten vines each of two different varietals. The first, Lagrein, is a red grape native to Northern Italy, known for its full body and high acidity. Besides Italy, it can also be found growing in Australia and New Zealand, and it is related to Pinot Noir and Syrah. The second is a relative of the Lagrein grape, another red Italian varietal called Teroldego, an even more rarely found grape. Teroldego is known for producing a deeply pigmented, fruity wine. Both varietals are almost nonexistent here in the states and have been quarantined at UC Davis for several years to test for inherent diseases and to see how they stand up against any diseases and pests that are native to North America.

The experiment also involved the installation of a weather station out in the vineyard that will record various factors like wind, humidity, precipitation, and temperature. There are even these little “leaves” that are placed within the canopy among the real leaves and will record leaf wetness. This information is uploaded via cell tower to a website that Dan & Peter will use to study all these factors at each of the four vineyards. The best part is that we also get access to this information which will be extremely useful to us going forward in planning future vineyard maintenance.

Teroldego varietal

We planted the vines earlier this spring, the weather station is all set up (you can check it out during our Vineyard & Winery Tour), and we also hired an intern who has experience in plant physiology. She will be helping Todd with petiole sampling to monitor nutrients, testing the sugar content in the grapes (°brix), and other information recording for this Rutgers Project. And get this: once the grapes are grown, we get to keep the fruit! So in a few years you might see some blends featuring Lagrein or Teroldego in the racks of our tasting room. In fact, we should probably start practicing how to properly pronounce those varietals.

By the end of the experiment, Dan and Pete will have collected enough weather information to see the difference in climate across the state and how it affects the vines. We think this will be really great for the New Jersey grape growing industry because in addition to producing award-winning wines, we will have cold, hard facts to support NJ as an excellent growing region.  So stay tuned, we will continue to give updates on the progress of this experiment, and we can’t wait to see how these varietals grow here and if they will produce good wines for us.

A lot of new varietals were planted this year in addition to Teroldego and Legrein.

The weather recording station (left) and anemometer (right, in vines).

Leaf Wetness Sensor

5 Wine Articles We’re Reading

1. How to create a great wine rack out of an old pallet. Pallets are usually free, and you can find them behind a lot of local retail stores (our ex-lawyer Karl says we should remind you to ask before taking anything).

2. Wine tasting is bullshit. Or at least the ratings are. The title of this article is a little misleading but it supports what we’ve been telling guests since we opened. Find what tastes good to YOU, take chances on wines you’ve never tried, and don’t force yourself to enjoy wines you hate.

3. What did wine taste like a thousand years ago? Apparently, not so good. But interesting little history lesson!

4. Natural Wine. What is “natural” wine and what the heck have you been drinking all this time??

5. Hot day, cold wine. You know to chill your white wines before drinking, but what about reds? A short stay in the refrigerator might be the perfect way to enjoy your favorite red wine on a hot summer day.

Wine Tasting Tip: Clear Your Palate

“A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.” Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, ‘The Physiology of Taste’ (1825)

As wonderful as wine can be with food, did you know that during a wine tasting it is actually best not to have anything to eat? The reason for this is because ideally you need to have all your senses free of any influence besides the wine. Even the meal you had several hours before your wine tasting can potentially affect your experience.

Of course, this isn’t surgery and we’re not going to ask you to stop eating 24 hours before you visit a winery. Your sense of taste is not going to change so drastically just because you had that onion bagel for breakfast. But here are a few pointers to consider for your next wine tasting.

Many wineries offer some type of food at their tasting room. Some offer crackers to absorb any lingering flavors, but you want to stick to something bland so as not to distract from the wine.

Some, like Hawk Haven, offer cheese plates. We love a good cheese plate with a glass of wine. Generally speaking, wine and cheese are a wonderful combination; however, cheese during a wine tasting can clog your taste buds and suppress the flavors in the wine. Also, not all wines will pair well with all cheeses. Some cheese can make even the best wines taste terrible. A better choice would be to go through the wine tasting and afterwards have a glass of your favorite paired with a cheese plate.

And have you ever had a drink of something right after brushing your teeth, especially fruit juice? Tasted horrible, right? Its best to avoid chewing gum and mints before a wine tasting.

But the wine tasting experience involves much more than just your sense of taste. Your sense of smell is very connected to your sense of taste, and there are many aromas in wine. This is another reason why food can be distracting during a wine tasting. You might also want to go light on the perfume/cologne or any other strong aromas.

These are just suggestions, so please feel free to enjoy your wine tasting however you like, with or without food. The point is to have fun, get a taste of what we’re offering, and hopefully find something you like. Cheers!

Crafty Corks

So you finished your Christmas shopping for the adults on your list ahead of time by buying a case of local wine. Awesome job! So… where is it? Oh you drank it all. Great.

Not to worry! Dig those corks out of the trashcan– its time to get crafty.

You’ve probably seen all sorts of clever decor made of out wine corks, and maybe you even wielded a hot glue gun to fashion a delightful wreath for your front door.

And who hasn’t seen the cork cork-board, the cork hotplate, or even the decorative vase filled with corks? You want something new, something fresh! You want something that would make Martha Stewart, who I’m pretty sure doesn’t own a trashcan, weep with joy at your resourceful craftiness!

Well, let us know when you come up with something. In the meantime, we’ve scoured the web for some of the more unique cork creations, and we hope you will enjoy pinning them to your “Crafts I Will Probably Never Do” Pinterest board.

Crocheted Cork Toys – “Oh no, mommy’s drinking again.” –Said no kid ever who has an army of cute little cork ninjas! While you’re at it, make a sweet cork house or castle for the little guys to hang out in. And little cork boats, and cork cars… you could make an entire village for the tiny cork people! On second thought, just give your kids some yarn, glue, and a bag of corks and let them handle it while you go have another glass.

Cork Stamps – Since this involves a craft knife, we would like to encourage you to save this one for a day when you didn’t drink an entire bottle of wine by yourself. If you don’t feel like carving images, just dip the plain cork in some paint and make polka dots. Everybody loves polka dots.

Cork Jewelry – Nothing says, “I am a classy and sophisticated individual,” like a pair of Sutter Home cork dangling earrings. Make a set using Hawk Haven corks and wear them next time you’re in the tasting room. We’ll give you a FREE high five.

Cork Armchair – You should probably get started right away.

In all seriousness, the world could do with a bit more recycling. It is always fun to think up new ideas for everyday objects. Send us your favorite cork crafts, and we’d love to see pictures of your creations!

Best Wine Destinations

TripAdvisor recently released their 2012 Travelers’ Choice Best Wine Destinations with four different categories including the United States, Europe, South Pacific, and all over the world. Missing from this list: the great wine regions of New Jersey!

The Garden State has long been overlooked as a grape-growing region, and many people are often very surprised to learn that award-winning wines can be found in places outside of Italy, France, and Napa. If you’ve ever visited our tasting room, you’ve probably heard us talk about the sandy soils, cool ocean breezes, and long growing seasons here in Cape May County. In fact, this area has been recognized by several wine experts as one of the best wine regions on the East Coast.

Hawk Haven wine has won many awards since it opened in 2009.

The history of grape-growing and wine-making in New Jersey can be traced back as far as the mid- to late-1700’s, with the first commercial wine-making operation, Renault Winery, established in 1864. The industry was greatly hurt by the Prohibition era starting in 1919, and production remained small even after Prohibition ended in 1933, but by the early 1980’s more and more wineries began popping up across the country.

South Jersey earned an American Viticulture Area (AVA) in 2007, known as the Outer Coastal Plain. This was a significant development as it meant this part of New Jersey would be officially recognized as a grape-growing region. Almost half of New Jersey’s vineyards are located within the Outer Coast Plain.

New Jersey’s various AVAs.

Today there are over 40 wineries in the state which have produced around 1.72 million gallons each year, making it the seventh highest wine producing state in the country.

If you visit TripAdvisor.com and look through the ratings for each New Jersey winery, you’ll see plenty of four- and five-star reviews. People love New Jersey wines and love visiting their local wineries. So why isn’t New Jersey a Best Wine Destination? This is where you come in! If you haven’t already, visit the site and leave a review for the wineries you’ve visited (you can find Hawk Haven’s TripAdvisor page by clicking here). Tell TripAdvisor what you love about New Jersey wine and why you believe the Garden State is the perfect wine destination.

Let’s make 2013 the year that New Jersey is recognized as one of the greatest places in the world for fine wines!

Recent Awards

In the last few months we submitted several of our wines to a few different competitions/wine reviewers and we wanted to share with you the results.

We’ve already mentioned The Judgement of Rittenhouse where our 2010 barrel-fermented Chardonnay was given the opportunity to go up against a French wine of the same vintage and varietal. It didn’t win but it did get the silver at New Jersey Monthly’s wine competition. Some wine competitions award medals based on a point system; they aren’t compared to each other so multiple wines might receive the same type of medal (gold, silver, bronze) depending on how many points it got. At this competition, only one of each type of medal was awarded, so we were especially proud of our Chardonnay for getting the silver.

World Wine Championship

You’ve probably been to the wine section of a liquor store and seen the various ratings in front of the different wines and wondered who exactly assigned them. One of them is the Beverage Testing Institute on www.tastings.com. We submitted four of our wines to their World Wine Championship this year and here are the results:

2009 Merlot: 88 Points “Highly Recommended” Silver Medal
Ruby red color. Aromas of plum pudding and tomato chutney with a chewy, dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body and a nice kiss of vanilla and peppery spices on the gentle finish.

2010 Chardonnay: 88 Points “Highly Recommended” Silver Medal
Golden yellow color. Aromas of roasted pineapple and toasty meringue with a fruity-yet-dry medium body and a honeyed apple, lemon mousse, fruit salad, and delicate brown spice accented finish. Tasty.

2010 Gewurztraminer: 87 Points “Highly Recommended” Silver Medal
Golden color. Lush fresh baked peach strudel and orange sorbet aromas with supple, fruity medium body and a honeyed golden raisin chutney and apple-pear cider finish. A nice late harvest style gewurz.

2009 Northern Harrier Red: 84 Points “Recommended” Bronze Medal
Ruby color. Aromas of cranberries and tomatoes on the vine with a soft, dryish medium body and a tangy, tangerine and sun-dried tomato accented finish.

This competition features wines from all over the world including California, France, and Italy, so we are always happy to see our wines place.

American Kestrel White- Bronze

2010 Chardonnay- Silver

2009 Merlot- Bronze

2010 Pinot Grigio- Bronze

2009 Talon- Bronze

2010 Viognier- Bronze

2012 International Eastern Wine Competition

2009 Talon- Gold

2010 Viognier- Bronze

2010 Chardonnay- Bronze

2009 Northern Harrier Red- Bronze