I’m back in New York after six wonderful days in Northern California. While I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to San Francisco, Napa, and Sonoma (more about that later, I promise) there is something quite wonderful about sleeping in your own bed sometimes. Anyway, as my body begins to adjust to “normal” sleeping hours (and I stop watching 80s-era Stephen King horror movies at 2am), I’m getting back into the swing of things here on the Long Island wine-eratti scene. Here are my picks for this weekend (only some of which are actually related to wine):

Friday Happy Hour

It’s supposed to be rainy and generally yucky today. I know… bummer. For that reason, I’d like to send you to the city to try something a little different: a salsa-dancing-wine-tasting-class (er, of sorts) at Zack’s Dance Loft. I have to admit that the schedule on the website was a little perplexing so I’ll let you figure out when to go on your own, but it does sound like fun! According to the write-up, this is some sort of non-traditional wine tasting that includes a dance class (swing, salsa, tango, or dance on a pole) prefaced by an opportunity to swirl, sniff and sip your way through 10-12 wines accompanied by cheeses and fresh bread. Apparently there is an open wine bar throughout the evening, perhaps to masque the fact that everyone in a beginner class dances like drowning robots. Please take lots of pictures. Tickets start at $30 and classes are ongoing, so if you can’t make it into the city tonight, try again next time!

If you’re staying on Long Island, keep in mind that Alive After Five is happening in Patchogue Village (rain be damned!) Stick around the Brickhouse Brewery and see  The Rock Stars from Mars play at 9:30. Make sure to shout really loud for my friend Rob on drums!

Saturday

I love heading out to the vineyards on weekends, but it can get a little crowded in the summer months. One of my favorite “low-key” wineries to visit, regardless of season, is Shinn Estate Vineyards in Mattituck. If you have the slightest interest in horticulture or the winemaking process, join Barbara Shinn as she opens the vineyard for a walking tour and wine tasting every Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM. The walk highlights the growing cycle of the vines and educates guests about the sustainable farming practices of the estate. The tour is $20.00 and includes a wine tasting.

Not into watching the clock? Visit Shinn when it is convenient for you and take a self-guided tour instead.  Check in at the tasting room, pick up your tour booklet, and stroll through the vineyard, stopping at markers that explain the growing cycle of the vine, sustainable, organic and Biodynamic winegrowing, the natural habitat of wildlife and beneficial insects, and “our living soil.”  The tour is complimentary with a purchase. Check the website for more details about the tours or to download your tour booklet in advance.

To top off your day of wine tasting, why not “stand up for stand-up?” That is, attend the seventh annual Long Island Comedy Festival at Martha Clara Vineyards ($30 at the door, $25 in advance) and enjoy the art of live (and local) stand-up comedy by supporting talented comics, like Paul Bond and Michael Somerville, that call Long Island their home. The show starts at 8:30pm.

Sunday

Ok so I’ve heard about wine and cheese pairing events, and I’ve also heard about wine and chocolate pairing events… but I have never found out about BEER and CHOCOLATE pairing, which is just enough to pique my interest for THIS really cool event: South Bay Paddlewheel Cruises has teamed up with the Fire Island Beer Company and Exotic Chocolate Tasting to host a Beer & Chocolate Pairing Cruise aboard the Lauren Kristy, a 65 foot turn-of-the-century style riverboat that sails from the Bay Shore Marina located at the end of Clinton Ave. in Bay Shore. The 3-hour tour begins with a buffet dinner, then guests will enjoy local summer ales paired with handcrafted chocolates from Costa Rica, Grenada, Bolivia and the Philippines. This guided journey will be hosted by New York’s only “Chocolate Sommelier”, Roxanne Browning, and a representative from the Fire Island Beer Company. The event is $75 a person and reservations are required, so check the website or call 631-750-5359.

Hello from beautiful Santa Rosa, California! I’m here getting ready to overindulge in two of my favorite things in the world: distance running and wine! No, really… on Sunday I will be running my 4th half marathon with my Team Challenge Long Island friends: the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon (and here’s why).  Of course while I’m away, I can’t forget my peeps at home on Long Island. So, here are my picks for this weekend*:

Friday Happy Hour

In my efforts to suggest something different for happy hour tonight, may I suggest the following:

Looking for a family-friendly event for a change? Grab a blanket, pack a picnic basket, and head out to East Setauket for the 2012 Backporch Concert Series at Benner’s Farm (5-9pm) to see Nigel’s Acoustic Bridge. Admission is only $7 for adults and $6 for children and seniors.

 Saturday

Grab your best cocktail dress and horse-racing hat, and get to the North Shore to enjoy an old fashioned Clam Bake at the Vanderbilt Estate on Northport Bay. Enjoy an evening of food, music and dancing under the stars at this benefit event to support museum education programs. Come hungry: the event features a menu of seafood-lovers’ favorites — from whole steamed lobsters, clams, mussels and clam chowder to barbecued chicken, burgers, hot dogs and corn-on-the-cob — plus wine and beer. It will take place in the Vanderbilt’s celebration tent on the west lawn of the mansion. Tickets: $100 per person (includes beer, wine and soda). Purchase tickets online at the Vanderbilt Museum website, or call the Vanderbilt at 631-854-5579 (Monday-Friday, 10:00am-4:00pm)

Sunday

I have to say that I regret not being around for this really cool seminar at Castillo di Borghese Vineyard in Cutchogue: Getting Published with Tom Clavin and Phil Keith ($50 from 2-5pm). Granted this is more for aspiring authors than for wine drinkers, but I couldn’t resist posting information about it here (for those of you who don’t know, I’m also a high school English teacher here on Long Island). Light refreshments will be served, and each attendee gets to leave with  free autographed copy of one of the hosts’ books. Register on the website linked above.

Here’s your chance to stuff your face for a good cause!

If you’re not writing a book, channel your inner chubby-kid and head over to West Islip for the 2nd Annual Villa Monaco “Thrilla at the Villa” and help support the West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition. Food, drinks, raffles, live music, and a ravioli eating contest! Admission is free; visit this website for details and directions.

*Keep in mind that events may be changed or cancelled without notice. Bottle of White does not accept any responsibility for any such changes that are made after this post was written. Always check website or call ahead to confirm. Enjoy and drive safely! 

How many times have you been invited to the home of a friend and felt the need to “bring something” despite the fact that you were told it wasn’t necessary to do so? If you were raised like me, you know never to arrive at a friend’s house empty handed. Giving wine as a gift to your hostess is never a bad idea as long as your hostess actually drinks wine! There are times I’ve gone to house parties where it was more appropriate to bring a small bottle of bourbon, and that’s OK too. But – if you know that wine is likely to be a good idea, here are some tips for giving wine as a hostess gift.

• 

  A bottle of wine is always a thoughtful hostess gift!

  A gift is a gift is a gift, unless it is something you were asked to contribute. Keep this in mind and you’ll avoid a potential faux pas. If you’re told that it’s not necessary to bring anything to a party, do not assume that the wine you are bringing is going to be opened. It’s actually up to the hostess as to whether or not she will open the wine you brought or provide other options for her guests. Frankly, if someone comes to my house with a delicious bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, I may choose to hold onto that one for later instead of opening it so someone can dump it into the sangria pitcher. And please, please, please for the love of all that is holy, NEVER do this at someone’s party!

• Don’t look for bargains to give as gifts. If you don’t know wine, ask for some help from a friend or from the liquor store. The friendly folks behind the counter are usually always happy to answer questions. Say, “I’m going to a party and I’d like to give the hostess a bottle of wine. I know she likes Chardonnay. Do you have any suggestions?” They are not likely to sell you a $6 bottle of crappy wine that will embarrass you. That being said, never bring a $6 bottle of wine to a party as a gift. You should always plan to spend anywhere from $12 to $20 at minimum.
• Make sure your gift has been properly cared for. Let’s say that you know you’re going to a party on Saturday, July 14th but you only have time to go to the liquor store after work on Wednesday, July 11th. You might be tempted to leave the bottle of wine you purchased in the trunk of your car so you don’t forget it for the party. Don’t do it! Heat damages wine and can spoil it. The proper temperature for storing wine is ideally 55 degrees, but room temperature is quite OK in the short term as long as you keep the wine out of direct sunlight. That being said…
• If you’re going to stock up on wine, store it properly. This is an important rule whether you are giving wine as a gift of keeping it around the house for special occasions. While liquor stores often stock their bottles of wine vertically, it’s not the proper way to keep your wine at home. It all has to do with how wine reacts to oxygen, and storing a bottle of wine on its side is one way to prevent a cork from drying out and letting oxygen sneak into the wine and change the taste. This discussion thread actually offers some more detail about wine storage, if you’re interested.
• Get creative. I recently saw a creative gift wrapping idea for wine on Pinterest that came from Real Simple. I also really loved this idea for a “graffiti” bottle. Your hostess is sure to appreciate the effort. While you’re at it, be sure to follow me on Pinterest for a hodgepodge of cool ideas!

Friday Happy Hour

Running a little short on cash this week? Why not check out one of the many FREE Summer Concert Events available all over Long Island (like this one:)

Saturday

Yet another weekend comes to Long Island hand-in-hand with a heat advisory. There’s a high of 93 degrees expected tomorrow with super-mega humidity to boot, leaving us in that 100-104 degree “real feel” zone. If heading to the beach or lounging on a pool raft is what you’re planning for the heat of the day, enjoy! After you’ve had enough, come to Tasting Under the Stars from 6-10pm at One Woman Wines in Southold. Are you a white wine fan? I hear the Grüner is awesome.

Sunday

There might be some isolated thunderstorms on Sunday, but the weather IS supposed to be a little cooler. Instead of braving the bay to head to Fire Island, consider checking out one of my favorite events on the North Fork: The Wine, Beer, and Oyster Festival with Blue Point Brewery at Jamesport Vineyards. 11am Saturday begins the second of three such events this summer. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome, and there is plenty of room on the sprawling vineyard to catch some vitamin D and listen to the band play. Admission is free (EDIT: I’m actually not so sure about this because of what I’m seeing here), but keep in mind that no outside food or drink is permitted, so bring plenty of cash for lunch and beverages. I attended with my boyfriend last year; he’s not much of a wine drinker, so he enjoyed the Blue Point tent (as did I – Blue Point Toasted Lager is one of my favorite draft beers).  After we had our fill of the festival, we stopped at the Lobster Roll Northside on the way home and shared one of the biggest lobsters I have ever seen. That’s what I call a Sunday Funday!

I didn’t eat the whole thing (though I would have liked to try!)

If you like the Jamesport East End Series of wines (the ones with the shellfish on the labels), you should know that 10% of sales are donated to S.P.A.T., the Southold Project for Aquaculture Research to promote local shellfish restoration.

Here are my picks for the coming weekend. Enjoy!

Friday Happy Hour

One of the things I look forward to most in the warmer weather is the re-opening of those seasonal South Shore restaurants known for their seafood and see-and-be-seen clientele. Well, lose the pretension for a moment and consider South Shore slightly west of the Hamptons… Approximately one-and-a-half hours west:

If you haven’t yet been to FatFish Wine Bar & Bistro in Bayshore, there are plenty of good reasons to make a trip this summer. First of all, you need not wait for Friday for happy hour; specials run 3-7pm Monday through Friday and include $4 glasses of house wine and 1/2 off the bar food menu (try the Fritto Misto). Los Dos will be performing on the outdoor deck starting at 6pm. Be sure to say “hi” to my friend Tommy behind the bar and tell him I sent you! (TIP: Do NOT drink one of his dirty martinis unless you have secured a ride home). Check out future posts about their Monday night Lobster Special and the weekday Tapas Wine Special.

Saturday

The local weather is supposed to be 90 degrees and sunny on Saturday. If you’re not planning on heading to the beach, why not take a ride out to the North Fork?

Check out the Winemaker’s Walk (1pm) at the Castillo di Borghese winery in Cutchogue. For $20, you get a guided tour of the winery and production facility plus a tasting. Stay for “Cabaret & Wine” in the Terra Cotta Art Gallery with Marguerite Volonts, cabaret artist, singer, and violist. Call (631) 734-5111 to make reservations or visit their website to pay securely online.

Shinn Estate Vineyards stays open late on Saturday nights (until 8pm), so after all of the other wineries close, pop over to Oregon Road for wine, cheese, and sunset! Be sure to say “hi” to Panda, the friendliest pooch on the North Fork Wine Trail!

Sunday

Join me bright and early for the GRAND OPENING of the brand new Babylon Village Farmers’ Market. I’ll be purchasing some great ingredients for the Bottle of White test kitchen (hey – I’ve got a lot of time on my hands this summer…and a lot of wine that needs pairing!) After you figured out what you’re having for dinner, take a walk down to Solo Vino and pick up the perfect bottle of wine!

I’m curious as to which wine you would pair this with! Please post a comment below and let me know

Mary’s French Toast Cheesecake (with optional bacon crumbles)

FILLING

• 2 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream

CRUST

• 2 cups crushed French Toast Crunch Cereal (I couldn’t find it in the supermarket, so I used Cinnamon Toast Crunch instead)
• 6 tablespoons melted butter

TOPPINGS

• Pure Maple Syrup
• Whipped cream (opt.)
• Powdered sugar (opt.)
• Bacon crumbles (opt.)

Making the crust: Start by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees. Fill up a large ziplock bag about 3/4 of the way with cereal and crush it with a rolling pin. In the meantime, melt the butter in a large cereal bowl. Scoop 2 cups (or more, depending on how thick you like your crust) into the melted butter and stir until well coated. Press the crushed cereal into the bottom of a 9″ Springform pan and bake at 350 degrees F. for 7 to 9 minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.

The Filling: Turn the oven down to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well-blended and smooth. Beat in cinnamon and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Stir in sour cream and pour on top of crust, ensuring the the mixture is spread through evenly.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until edges are set (Center will be slightly soft). Cool 1 hour on a wire rack.

The Toppings: You really should try this with the bacon. It sounds weird, but it will be a big hit… I promise! To save some time, I purchased 2 packages of Oscar Meyer pre-cooked bacon and microwaved it for 2 minutes to get it super-crispy. I then toweled-off the extra grease and used a paring knife to chop the bacon into little bits. When the cake was cool, I poured about 1/4 cup maple syrup on top, sprinkled it with confectioners sugar, and finally topped it off with bacon bits.

The photo here shows the cake with only half covered in bacon. I might as well have covered the whole thing…everyone was brave enough to try it with bacon.

This would definitely be a great dessert for a holiday brunch. It was really easy to make! Please leave some comments below and let me know what you think.

NOTE: The Springform pan can certainly hold more filling. For a heartier slice, increase the recipe for the filling by 1/2 (meaning use 3 packets of cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, etc.)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you undoubtedly know that Hurricane Irene is likely going to have more impact on the Northeast than any other natural disaster has done since Hurricane Gloria in 1985. In today’s sunshine-y “calm before the storm,” thousands of Long Islanders are stalking supermarket shelves for batteries, non-perishable foods, and cases of bottled water (among other things) to prepare. The local news is telling us to create “disaster kits” and prepare for evacuations ahead of what could possibly be a significant source of misery for the coming week, especially if the power goes out.

And it probably will. This storm is expected to dump an awful lot of rain on the area, and high winds + loose grounds = trees fall down and take power lines with them. Although I was fairly young when Hurricane Gloria blasted through Long Island, I distinctly remember not having power for a full week! Every night my family cooked dinner on a propane stove in the backyard… It was literally no joke.

Because I have a ton of protein in my fridge and freezer, I decided to go ahead and start prepping some delicious “hurricane foods” to grill up on my barbecue in the event that the power fails and I need to start cooking to avoid as much food waste as possible. Because I have a ton of chicken breasts already defrosted, I’ve decided to prep some grilled chicken recipes from Marge Perry, including a goat cheese and zucchini stuffed chicken breast dish  found here.

Any of these chicken dishes would pair well with white wines like Sauvignon Blanc or un-oaked Chardonnay. I don’t plan on wasting any ice on chilling wine (not when I need it to keep food cold) but I have a few bottles in the fridge now that will be ready to go if the power should go out.

As my friend Evan said yesterday, ” People really shouldn’t devalue wine in the face of several days without other forms of entertainment… ” This is true… but don’t drink so much wine as to dehydrate yourself! That being said, make sure you have at least one gallon of water per-person in your household for at least three days. Beer, wine, soda and juice don’t count!

So how long WILL food last after the power goes out? I personally plan on following the guidelines set forth by the Kentucky Department of Health (Ok that’s random, but there’s great information available online – and it’s easy to print, too!)

Food should last in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Any perishable food that stays in excess of 40 degrees F for two hours or more should probably be tossed. The same is true for the freezer! Avoid opening the fridge and freezer doors, which will let hot air seep in and lesson the window of safety for your food. Keep a thermometer in the freezer to help you judge to what extent your food might still be safe.

So ready or not, here comes Irene! On behalf of the staff at Bottle of White, I hope that you and your family, friends and loved ones ride out the storm safely!

First of all, let me just say that I’m so proud and thankful that Bar and Drinker Magazine has chosen to feature Bottle-of-White.com’s wine blog for the month of August!

I’ve always loved to write,  and I find that blogging has become a wonderful outlet for aspiring or amateur writers or even freelancers (like me) to cultivate our craft and tap into an audience beyond our “usual circles.”  As I’ve started this blog, I’ve stumbled across many others that I read regularly and draw inspiration from.  Here are just a few that you should add to your blogroll! As always, tell ‘em Bottle of White sent ya!

Champagne Taste – Jacqueline Malenda (twitter @jacswineblog) is a fellow Long Island girl and a member of the Guild of Sommeliers. She blogs about her visits to wine regions all over the country and her wine tasting (and drinking) experiences.

Wining Ways – Lorie Perrone’s blog (twitter @WiningWays) is new to me, but it’s certainly a great read! I feel like I’m tapping into the knowledge of a wine expert, though she says she’s more of a “professional amateur wine expert” (her words). Lorie is visiting Long Island this week, so keep an eye on her blog to see what she thinks of her tasting experiences on the North Fork!

The Art (and Science) of Food Adventuring – If you’re a fan of the many Food Network shows out there, then you need to read Long Islander Dave Seel’s blog (twitter @foodadventurer). Not only does he design “food adventures” all over the map, he also writes a great deal about wine. This blog has become my go-to for honest and insightful reviews of local restaurants, up-and-coming bars, and North Fork wines.

As I pen this blog, I’m sitting  in SFO waiting to board a flight back to New York after a weeklong visit to Northern California that included my first visit to Napa. My purpose for visiting San Francisco was business, but I was fortunate enough to afford the opportunity to stay an extra few days to indulge my passion: wine.  In my short stay, I managed to visit six carefully-chosen wineries and taste almost two dozen wines. I liked more than a few. In fact, I had to ship some of my work supplies back to New York via the USPS to make room in my suitcase for the bottles that I wanted to bring home. Still, I left many more behind because I ran out of room and wanted to avoid the hassle of shipping home a mixed case. While many of the vineyards I visited export some of their wines to retail shops in other states, most of the best wines are reserved for sale at the vineyard itself or through the winery’s wine club. The four bottles currently wrapped around layers of clothing in my small suitcase will have to suffice for special occasions because time and money prevents me from returning to Napa as soon as I’d like.

The Robert Mondavi Winery is one of several Napa-area wineries that offer limited-edition wines (not available in retail stores) through a Wine Club

So let’s say I really enjoyed one or two of the wineries I visited and simply cannot exist without more frequent access to their wines. What should I do? Something many mid-to-large size wineries offer their oenophile fans is an opportunity to join a wine club. No, I’m not talking about the kind of club where there’s a secret handshake and a construction-paper newsletter, but instead the kind of club that would coordinate regular shipments of your favorite wines directly to your front door. And unless you live in Utah or Canada, chances are you can make this happen for you!

Wine club members are typically granted several privileges. These could include the freedom to purchase rare or special or limited edition wines made in limited production, often referred to as reserve, old vines, or library collection wines, as well as purchase discounts, complementary tastings for you and a guest when you visit the winery, and bottle discounts of 20% or more. Some wineries offer additional perks to their wine club members, such as invitations to private parties, tasting events, or wine dinners. Often times there is no cost to join a wine club, but you are asked to commit to accepting delivery of a certain number of bottles on a regularly basis (bi-monthly or quarterly). Caveat Emptor; however, as this kind of commitment could run you anywhere from $400 a year or more, as the wines that come with club membership aren’t typically cheap and shipping is going to be more than a few bucks (sometimes totally negating the “discount” on the bottles).

Tips for Joining: Sometimes agressive tasting room employees will try to hard-sell membership to the winery’s wine club. This could be for a number of reasons, but likely because they’re bound to make some kind of commission from the deal. It is my recommendation not to sign anything at the winery, especially if you’ve been tasting wines all day and your inhibitions are lessoned (and therefore, are likely to agree to almost anything). Think it Over: If you REALLY like the wine and would like to join the wine club, or if that library edition Cabernet sings songs on the tip of your tongue but is not available in the wine store down the block, simply ask for some literature to take home with you so you can read the fine print when you have, er… clearer vision. Then, call the winery a day or so later to join or connect via the winery’s website. The only real advantage to joining a wine club at the winery itself is to take advantage of a complimentary tasting or purchase discounts. While this is great, how many times have you opened a store credit card to save a few bucks on a purchase only to get slammed with some crazy interest rate and regret it later on? No, really. Think it Over (and read the fine print). A friend of mine once visited the North Fork and came home with two wine club memberships. To this day, he’s trying to pawn off these bottles on everyone he knows for every holiday that exists because they send him so much more than he will reasonably drink in a few month period, and he’s on the hook for at least a year! On top of that, he’s so inundated with wines from this one particular winery that he once-upon-a-time liked that now he’s just not that into anymore. Too much of a good thing is not-so-good after awhile.

The Quick and Dirty Tip: If you’re in love with a winery from out of state (Virginia, Napa, Oregon) that offers special selections that you can’t get locally, go for the wine club. But do it only after you’re absolutely sure that the wines you like can’t be ordered by your favorite local wine shop (ask them). If the winery is relatively close to your home ( the North Fork and you’re a resident of Long Island) consider joining the wine club and request to pick-up your shipments rather than have it delivered. You’ll save a few bucks and still get to enjoy the perks of being one of the winery’s VIP’s