Post your favorite BBQ recipe and summer entertaining tips featuring Whitehall Lane wines and we’ll highlight the best entries to share with the whole Whitehall Lane family. Submitted by Wine Club Member’s Larry & Christine Fiori: Christine’s Whitehall Lane Wine Sangria Recipe Ingredients: (Double these for a Party)
1/2 pint strawberries
1 small lime
1 small red delicious apple
1 small orange
1 750ml bottle Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc chilled
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup brandy
1 ea. 7oz. bottle club soda, chilled Procedure:
-About 20 minutes before serving, hull and cut each strawberry in half. Thinly slice lime, apple and orange.
-In a large pitcher, stir in Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc, orange juice, sugar, lime juice and brandy until sugar dissolves. Stir in strawberry half’s, lime, apple and orange slices.
-Refrigerate.
-Just before serving, stir the club soda, along with one tray of ice cubes, into the Sangria.
Enjoy!
BEST WINERY IN ST. HELENA!
The Best of the Bay’s “BEST OF… TELEVISION SERIES” features nominees selected by the show producers through industry research and / or by nominations received on the Best of the Bay TV website.
Drum roll please…. Whitehall Lane Winery has been named the Best Winery in St. Helena for 2009! Woo hoo!!!!
So mark those iCalendar’s, set your TiVo, and tune in to KRON to watch Tom Leonardini II, Katie Leonardini Melancon, and the rest of the Whitehall Lane family Saturday, June 20th at 6pm on KRON!!
A little behind the scenes sneak peak:
Summer is here in the Napa Valley. Ahhh…. There really is no better time to visit. With the picture perfect weather, the relaxed environment , and oh yes, the refreshing wines. Come on up, sip some wine and watch the grapes grow with us.
A few weeks ago our extended wine family did just that! We celebrated the completion of the new Club Room with the debut Wine Club “Pick Up” Party. What a great day that turned out to be! I must admit I was a little concerned about the crazy weather we had that weekend. Turns out that killer heat wave didn’t stand a chance, there was no slowing down our party!!
And what’s a “Pick Up” Party without some pick up lines? “Hey Red, nice legs!” didn’t win our contest, but it’s fit to print! The winner, Michael Goeringer, walked away with two magnums in tow. Finally a pick up line that actually worked!
Join the club, join the family, and we’ll see you at the next one.
Save the Date: October 18th- Harvest themed Wine Club “Pick Up” Party!!
For those of you not yet receiving our newsletters, I wanted to share with you the latest and give you some insights as to what we have going on here at the winery. Here’s a sneak peak from our State of the Winery address from owner, Tom Leonardini Sr. ” We just celebrated our 16th anniversary and to make it even better, we finally completed our major expansion. By the end of the month, we will be enjoying our new Club Room overlooking the Estate Vineyard and the aging Cabernet Sauvignon in the new barrel room. The pristine, new professional kitchen is ready for pairing gourmet meals with our world-class wines. Inquiries for private events are most welcome. And if you are looking for an old favorite, we’ve added a wine library next to the new barrel room that contains some older vintages and big bottles that had been previously squirreled away, deep in our personal cellar. ”
Download the full Spring 2009 Newsletter: Spring newsletter 2009.pdf
To receive our newsletter, join our mailing list today!
Last week, bright and early in the morning (5am early!!) winemaker Dean Sylvester guest starred on WICN radio’s The Public Eye. The Public Eye is a half hour talk show that addresses everything from controversy to culture. Dean’s segment is part of a special behind the scenes look at wineries. A meet and greet of famous labels and the people behind them.
You did a great job Dean and you didn’t even have the early morning raspy voice thing going on. Such a pro!! Don’t take my word for it, listen for yourself!
In the upcoming May 2009 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine our 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon received excellent press. 94 Points and a Cellar Selection pick!! Here’s a little sneak peak- “Made from 100% Cab, this wine pours inky black, and feels softly ripe in the mouth, with pie-filling blackberries, cherries, mocha, plums, tobacco and sweet dusty spices. Shows a tannic astrigency that strongly suggests cellaring, although it’s flashy now.” I just LOVE that flashy line. They also gave the 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points and a terrific write up as well. Oh and did a mention it’s another Cellar Selection choice! “… it’s a very fine wine that shows real Napa pedigree. Balanced and harmonious, it features complex flavors of blackberries, cassis and cedar wood that turn sweet on the finish.”
Yes, that’s right both 2005 Cabernet’s received great ratings and Cellar Selection picks!! We have an outstanding winemaking team and I’m proud to report this great recognition for them. If you drink any wine this year make it one of these!
Download rave review below and order your Cellar Selections today! Whitehall WE 2005 Res & Cab 2.pdf
As much needed rain begins to fall, a sigh of relief echoes through the Napa Valley– humming past her sleeping vines and gold freckled fields of mustard.
At Whitehall Lane there is even more cause for glee. We are in the final stages of our new addition. Woo Whoo!! I’m fairly certain my co-workers match my enthusiasm here.
And in these closing stages, my smile grows. The shaking, rumbling, and yelling into the phone will soon be a distant memory. With the days of exploration and discovery yet upon us…
Super Bowl XLIII is here at last!! As the NFL great journey to Tampa Bay it seems only fitting to prepare for my favorite part of the game, the food!!! This year I’m pairing my favorite Superbowl snacks with Whitehall Lane wines, our 2005 Napa Valley Merlot and 2006 Carneros Chardonnay. Try them out on Sunday, they’re sure to impress fellow wine lovers and football fans alike. Enjoy and Go Steelers! Grilled Buffalo Wings
Wine: 2005 Napa Valley Merlot
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 10
Ingredients:
3 3/4 pounds of chicken wings
1 1/4 cups Louisiana-style hot sauce
1 can cola-flavored carbonated beverage
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon and 3/4 teaspoon soy sauce
Directions:
- Preheat a grill to medium heat.
- In a large pot, mix together the hot sauce, cola, cayenne pepper, black pepper and soy sauce. Add the wings to the sauce- frozen is okay. Place the pot to one side of the grill, so the sauce comes to a simmer.
- Use tongs to fish wings out of the sauce, and place them on the grill for 8 to 10 minutes. Then return to the sauce simmer. Repeat this process for about 50 minutes. The sauce will thicken.
- When the chicken is tender and pulls easily off of the bone. Dip one last time and serve.
- Have plenty of 2005 Merlot on hand. The 2006 Merlot is coming!!! Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Wine: 2006 Carneros Chardonnay
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10
Ingredients:
54 large shrimp peeled and deveined
27 slices bacon
Barbeque seasoning, to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Wrap shrimp with 1/2 slice of bacon, securing with a toothpick.
- Line a jelly roll pan with extra heavy duty foil, and place baking rack in pan. Place the shrimp on the rack, and sprinkle heavily with the barbeque seasoning, turn and sprinkle second side. Let the shrimp sit for 15 minutes.
- Cook the bacon for 10 to 15 minutes. The rack keeps the shrimp from sitting in the draining bacon fat. With a little luck, you won’t tear the foil– you can throw that away and only have to scrub the rack.
- Skewer shrimp for easy handling
- Chill plenty of 2006 Carneros Chardonnay. The 2007 is on its way!
For gourmet cooks, foodies and the curious visit http://www.starchefs.com/SuperBowl/menu.shtml for more Superbowl Party recipe ideas.
