The Twisted Missive!
Issue #3
Slightly Irish Edition!
In This Missive
The Great Chocolate Question!
…didn’t produce a lot of responses, but the few that did respond were pretty passionate about it. Ward K., for example, reaches his “happy place” with a sip of a medium tannic red, followed by a nibble of 62% dark chocolate, a few dry roasted peanuts, and repeat. Dana M.’s favorite is a peanut butter cup chased by a great Sauternes (yike!), while Trudy H. from away up north keeps toasty with a flourless chocolate cake and Pig Stai. (Now we’re talkin’!)
But enough about that. This is Twisted Oak, and so you are expecting something corny.
As I am typing this it is the 14th of March, 3-14, aka “Pi Day“. While I like pi, and pie, as much as anyone, at this time of year the denizens of Murphys, California gird themselves for the annual Irish Daycelebration. (You should come! It’s this Saturday!) And even though corned beef is not actually very Irish, it’s a dish that has come to be associated with St Patrick’s Day.
In our house, corned beef must be prepared in a traditional manner, and in this part of the world the tradition is to boil the snot out of that beef until tender, and then while the beef is resting, use the cooking liquid to boil potatoes and cabbage. This is served with butter for the veg, and mustard and horseradish for the beef.
Local tradition also holds that corned beef is served with beer, but surely there are wines that can stand up to the strong flavors of cured meat and cabbage. So, when I prepared a corned beef dinner recently I decided to try some wines with it to see what might work.
Rummaging around in my wine cabinet produced a 2013 Ol’ Chumbucket and a 2014 Tempranillo, and the fridge coughed up a 2015 Albariño. At the outset, the Albariño proved to be a non-starter, that was set aside quickly. Both of the reds proved to be a decent match with the corned beef, but the fruit and spice of the Ol’ Chumbucket just clicked for me. I suspect most any spicy and fruity red would be a worthy pairing – think Parcel 17, Graciano, or Torcido Garnacha.
So, this month’s survey question is simply, what wine do you serve (or do you think you might serve) with corned beef? Just reply to this email with your response, and I will share the best responses in the next Missive.
Something Rubbery?
Coming up next month we have a brand new event happening at the winery! We’re calling it “Rubber Chicken Appreciation Day,” and you should too! Not only that, but in the days leading up to the event, there will be all sorts of fun onlineactivities that everyone everywhere will have a chance to take part in. What kind of activities? That would be telling! So stay tuned! (We call this “building excitement”!)
Living in a free society, everyone has the right to appreciate their rubber chicken in their own way. What’s yours?
| We are still diligently working to confirm all of the dates for this year’s Twisted Folk Concert Series at Twisted Oak Winery. But you can mark the dates we do have confirmed on your calendar right now: May 13th, June 24th, August 12th.
As always, do reply to this email with your thoughts on corned beef and/or rubber chickens. I will choose one reply at random to receive a $35 MasterCluck gift card. Just for fun! (Congratulations to Dale M for being last month’s winner!) |
That should do it for now. Have fun and stay Twisted! – el jefe