MALIBU..SUN, SURF, STARS, AND WINE….!!

                       MALIBU…THE BEAUTY AND ALLURE OF THE PACIFIC

I'm back from a busy week of touring up and down the canyons of Malibu in search of wine…now I must say compared to Santa Barbara or any of its northern cousins, Napa or Paso Robles, Malibu has a lot of wine growing up to do..but that doesn't mean it doesn't have potential!! There is definitely a market for all kinds of  different tastebuds, but mostly not the most discerning, unfortunately mine have been permanently spoiled from all the glorious wines I've been drinking for decades!! Possibly as time goes by, these wineries will start producing some stellar vintages? It was amazing to see what a business these spots were doing on the weekend, they are now packaging tours with limo's to a handful of places…there's the old adage "if you build it they will come!" They have entertainment and food and it's not a bad way to spend a lazy afternoon..we started at Rosenthal Tasting room on Pacific Coast Highway aka..PCH as we natives call it! Actually, they probably had one of the better wines that I had all day…2007 estate Cabernet..it showed great color and finish but at $49 a bottle it better!

MY FAVORITE WINE PICK OF THE DAY

HEY, I'M ON MY PERCH ! NOW I KNOW HOW A BIRD FEELS...  

THERE'S BRIAN AND HIS TRUSTY SIDEKICK 

AAH…THE THE TREASURES OF THE SEA...

Now they have a very nice back patio and "ta da" my favorite the ROLL'N LOBSTER food truck
with owner Brian Perez at the helm…serving up all kinds of New England delicacies including Ipswich clams and Maine lobster rolls, yummy…and it doesn't hurt that you're exactly across from the Pacific ocean! An interesting fact is that Malibu & Kanan canyon roads both start at the 101 freeway

RUSTIC SIP TASTING ROOM


 and end at PCH and the ocean while crossing Mulholland Drive and the Santa Monica mountains…this is the predominant grape growing region for the local wineries! There is Cielo winery which is featured at SIP tasting room and Semler-Malibu family wines which actually has outdoor tasting   rooms, a lovely picnic area and live music on weekends..it's quite a set up!      

 

SEMLER OUTDOOR TASTINGS AND PICNIC AREA

       We went back down Kanan Rd to go to this tiny, literally one horse town called Cornell which was used in hundreds of Hollywood productions including Dr. Quinn, medicine woman and M.A.S.H...it looks like something from the wild west, there may even be a hitching post for your horses…this is home to Cornell tasting room, which is actually quite charming…but they were out of their own wines???? They were doing tastings from other wineries from various parts of California..very nice staff and look we met some new fans of my blog..yeah!! If you can still walk after all your tastings, go next door and check out the Old Place, believe me no truer words were spoken..ha! This restaurant has been in operation for 40 years by the same family, the building used to be an old country store in the day..Steve McQueen used to hang out there, that was enough reason for me to check it out..Very rustic but it has a certain charm……...

THE OLD PLACE ….BOY YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!

                  

                                                      CORNELL TASTING ROOM

                   SMILE YOU ARE NOW OFFICIAL FANS OF THE WINE CONTESSA!!


…..And as you head to the end of the canyon road you'll end up in Westlake Village off the 101 going north,  which has it's own man made lake and a wonderful wine tasting venue called  the STONEHAUS! They offer small bites and wine flights, they do have a rotating wine menu and they feature wines from different regions! 

                                  

IT'S RUSTIC & EUROPEAN ELEGANCE 

THE BEAUTIFUL GROUNDS OF THE STONEHAUS

As I wind down that canyon road again, I'm reminded of the beauty in nature and how lucky I am  to watch the grapes grow in the warm afternoon sun…and as I always say it's 5 o'clock somewhere, do you know where your wine glass is…..?  THE WINE CONTESSA  
                                                          

                                                    W I N E, WHAT'S THAT SPELL??

                                                                         WINE!!

FOOD & WINE…LIVING LA DOLCE VITA

"LIVING THE SWEET LIFE"

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CAYMUS!!!

HEIRLOOM CAPRESE SALAD

HAPPY SUMMER DAY

Is there anything more pleasurable than a wonderful meal complimented with amazing wines…I know many of you might be thinking of a few other things, but get your minds out of the gutter and back on the table where they belong..I for one being Italian, think of food and wine constantly…like this Caymus Cabernet would be great with an aged prime rib-eye or a Tesoro della Regina Pinot Grigio with a chilled seafood platter! It's like Match.com but for foodies…Now when I was a kid everything revolved around food, the shopping , preparing, cooking and finally eating of it and creating a lovely space to enjoy the fruits of your labor! My mother, as well as many members of my family were amazing cooks and they took pride in their offerings..I think it all adds up to the Presentation…yes, the food is the star but sometimes it can be upstaged by a fabulous wine and even the table scape and it's surroundings.. .so when I entertain everylast detail goes into my holiday and special occasion dinners and parties! It's like drinking wine out of a plastic cup..even crappy wine tastes good in a real stem glass..Ambience is everything, from the food on down..I always shop the perimeter of the grocery stores, that's where you find the freshest ingredients..fruits & vegetables, meat & seafood, dairy and bread..Be aware that there's millions of calories lurking

  NOTHING BETTER THAN FRESH FIGS..

in all those aisle's in between..The other thing to remember is that buy your produce in season, like in the summer figs and heirloom tomatoes are at their peak as well as melons and berries! Always use a GOOD olive oil, go ahead and splurge you'll see the difference in your cooking as well as the taste..my go to ingredients, olive oil, garlic,shallots & fresh herbs …cooking doesn't have to be complex, I find fresh & simple sometimes is better! I'm very fortunate to live in California, we have abundance of

WOW GRILLED CHICKEN & ROMAINE LETTUCE

GARLIC & ROSEMARY STEAK

fresh produce year round as well as access to some of the best wines in the world…not bragging just the facts! Now as summer starts winding down in most places try to get a few more outdoor meals under your belt..have you tried grilling fresh corn?? All the natural sugar comes up and you don't need anything on it, it tastes amazing, much better that the boiled to death version, yuk..So whether you're grilling or roasting your meats and vegetables, this is the season to take advantage of nature's bounty! And don't forget the WINE…I tend to drink more whites in the summer, but typically I'm a red wine fanatic! I don't think the old rules apply as far as you should only drink white with fish and red with meat, but there is a certain amount of validity to that reasoning..lighter fare will lend itself to white wines sometimes as will a cabernet to a piece of steak but I say if the wine is GREAT go ahead and drink it with anything…Oh I almost forgot if you're still hungry there's dessert…I am not a big sweet eater, But I do like CANNOLI's and am always in search of the best ones…I have to say the east coast wins hands down, next to Italy..so let's spend our last few weeks of summer getting our fill of lazy days and warm nights, grilling and hanging out, of course with a some great wine!! Ciao until next time & Buon Appetito!    

THE WINE CONTESSA

THE BEST INGREDIENTS EVER!!                                             

THIS LOOKS AMAZING..YUM

THE SIMPLE WHITE BEANS WITH TOMATOES, SHALLOTS & BASIL

I'M IN CANNOLI HEAVEN!!