Kizakura Junmai Daiginjo Sake

Last year we went to Hawaii to celebrate my mother's 96th birthday and at that time we went to some sake stores in search of sake to bring home with us and scored a few bottles.
A few nights ago, our friends invited us for dinner, which was a delicious harissa coated salmon that he paired with a Chateau Beaucastel. There was salmon leftover so he gave that to us.
How does sake and salmon come together? In the back of my mind, I recalled the stacked tuna dish that I had in Hawaii and wanted to recreate it with the salmon. I made sushi rice on the bottom, shredded the salmon, put avocado and green onions on top. Then I asked my husband if we had any sake to pair with my concoction and he thought that we did and retrieved this Kizakura Junmai Daiginjo sake and salmon.

The pairing was a good one. This sake is made from 100% Yamadanishiki rice at a polish ratio of 50% and is 16% alcohol! We drank the sake in mini glasses and savored it along with the sushi rice salmon stack. Maybe another trip to Hawaii to purchase more sake is warranted. Actually, this sake can be purchased online!

2023 Yi Yook-sa Wine

Last year (sounds so long ago!) our friend came back from Korea with a gift of wine. He is interested in growing grapes and making wine in Korea.
This wine came from a winery near where our friend intends to put in a vineyard. The winery is called Yi Yook-sa and also goes by the number 264. The two names are to celebrate the famous poet, Yi Yook-sa and the 264 is the poet's prison number.
The wine is made from the Cheongsoo grape, which was developed in Korea. The Cheongsoo grape is a cross between the 'Siebel 9110' and 'Himrod' varieties. The 'Siebel 9110' is a French-American hybrid grape variety and the 'Himrod' is an American grape variety, known for being seedless.
The wine was beautifully floral on the nose and it reminded me of the aroma of Gewurztraminer. The flavor was very tropical with a good balance between the fruit and acidity.
We hope our friend does realize his dream of planting a vineyard in Korea. We'll be rooting for him and hoping to taste some of his Cheongsoo wine!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!
We typically begin the year taking a break in January and February from vineyard duties and then begin work in the vineyard in March. That was true in 2025.
Here are the vintage notes for 2025:
Vintage 2025: It's March and That Means It's Time to Prune
Vintage 2025: April Showers!
Vintage 2025: May Day!
Vintage 2025: June Update
Vintage 2025: Flowering
Vintage 2025: It's July!
Vintage Notes 2025: The Auxerrois is at Veraison
Vintage 2025: Labor Day Activities
Vintage 2025: Auxerrois Pressing and Statistics
Vintage 2025: Chardonnay Harvest and Pressing
Vintage 2025: Chenin Blanc Harvest and Pressing - Part 1
Vintage 2025: Chenin Blanc Harvest Part 2
Vintage 2025: Red Harvest
Vintage 2025: Late Harvest Noble Rot Chenin Blanc
Vintage 2025: Last Harvest of 2025
All in all, while the weather began with a cold spring that turned into a very wet late spring and early summer, by late July and August the weather turned into one of ample sunshine which was good for ripening grapes. While the vines seem to still be recovering from the 2023 February freeze and May frost, the quality of the harvest was outstanding!
A big take home lesson from 2025 for us, is to be more on the ball with pruning so that our canes are laid down earlier. That will give us more time to begin mowing sooner and avoiding the manual weed whacking that my husband endured during the growing season.
If you are interested in what our various vintages were like, please check out this link to Vintage Notes
Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Wine and Friends

We usually go to Long Island to visit the Massouds and our annual pilgrimage this year occurred in early December. This time, winemaker, Kareem and his family were visiting us! They were on their first leg of a trip that would take them from Rhode Island to Florida with a few stops along the way. The impetus was to take their two children, ages 10 and 8 to the Polar Express Train ride in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Our home is on the way and we were delighted that they were able to spend the evening with us.
The train ride ended around 8:30 and they were at our home a little after 9:30. We had a late dinner with them that my husband made. Leg of lamb grilled and braised so that it was tender and falling apart, Greek lemon potatoes and a Greek salad. We had a wonderful evening, the children hung in there and after having a nice meal of buttered spaghetti and a side of parmesan cheese, which they ate with gusto, hung out in our livingroom.
My husband brought out two wines, a Philip Togni 1995 and a Cascina Ballarin Barolo Bricco Rocca 2001 to pair with the meal and they did not disappoint.
Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the meal, but here are the wines that we drank:

The first wine that we had with the meal was a 2001 Barolo. We have learned by watching the show "V is for Vino" that nebbiolo, the grape used to make the Cascina Ballarin Bricco Rocca, is a more masculine expression of the nebbiolo because it is grown in Barolo, which made it an excellent pairing with the lamb.
As with all good wine and food pairings, the Barolo disappeared in the course of talking, eating and general enjoyment of the evening. Next, my husband brought out this 1995 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon. The last time that we had a 1995 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon was in 2011. At that time we had the wine with cowboy steak. I wrote that the wine stood up to the steak and although it was at that time, 16 years old, I felt that it could still be cellared. Fast forward 14 years, the wine was still tasting youthful with fruit and soft tannins that made it the perfect complement to the lamb.
As is the case with good wine, food and good friends, the conversation flowed and in no time it was 12:30! For us, this is what wine is about, sharing with friends and creating memories to be cherished and remembered!