And I ate and ate and ate, because wine vendors aren't the only ones who show up for events like these. I discovered that, 1.) German riesling (Nigl anyone?) tastes fantastic with pork rinds, especially when those pork rinds are like airy clouds that sort of melt in your mouth like savory cotton candy; 2.) Movia winemaker Ales Kristancic is a lot like a pervy teenage boy, getting the pretty girls to come behind the table to teach them how disgorge sparkling wine so he can wrap his arms around them. But, he makes weirdly wonderful still and sparkling wines; 3.) Sicilian label Cos proved that my love for Cerasuolo di Vittoria is still lusty and strong; and 4.) After working your way around a room filled with hundreds of wines, one of the best ways to end the night is with a FULL glass of Brokenwood's 2003 Hunter Valley ILR Reserve Semillon. It absolutely refreshes the mouth, then makes a cool trail all the way to your toes. It straightened my weary, hot (air conditioning was not at peak levels), poorly postured body right up. And at only 10% alcohol, I didn't worry that I was gunning it too hard at the end of the night.

As the Bounty Hunter crew trooped out at the end of the night, we passed a table full of Brix Chocolates for Wine. I grabbed a few packages for the road and am sad to say that I ate them all before I ever had the opportunity to try them with a bottle of something good. BUT, last night I discovered another chocolate that pairs beautifully with Napa Valley Cabernet Franc. I was having a glass of 2004 Waypoint and couldn't resist having a nibble of something sweet. So, I tore open a corner of a Ghiradelli Espresso Escape bar. Mmm, dark chocolate made from finely ground espresso beans at 60% Cacao. I nibbled and sipped and to my delight, discovered that both the chocolate and the wine stayed rich and creamy with each bite. Not a hint of bittern aftertaste. Of course, this is only day one of my research. I vow to spend days, even weeks or months, doing further research for the sake of honesty, integrity and a happy belly.

I'm curious. Anyone else have some great chocolate and wine pairing suggestions?

But did you know there's another harvest going on right now? A pumpkin harvest. The gourds are fat and ready just in time to decorate Autumn tables and winery doorsteps. Where are you getting your pumpkins? I hope it's from the Phelps Farm Pumpkin Patch, manned by the St. Helena High School's Future Farmers of America. A team of about 15 high school students planted and tended this patch all summer and into fall. They experimented with new biodegradable mulch products and learned about the art of profit sharing. In fact, much of the funds accrued from this patch will go directly into the students' pockets, with another portion going to FFA programs for the local high school.

Students celebrated the pumpkin harvest - and opened the patch to the public-  this weekend. Local winemakers make a concerted effort to support these kids. Martin Estate buys all of its winery pumpkins from the students, as does David Abreu. If you're in the Napa Valley and surrounding areas, I hope you, too, will stop by and pick up a pumpkin. Or ten. 

The best part is, these kids really know what they're doing. Led by teacher Laura Mendes, they've raised over 15 different heirloom varieties. Striped, golden, orange, Cinderella, and everything in between, they range in size from one to 70lbs. This is as fresh and local as you get. 

Phelps Farm is located in St. Helena, just off the Silverado Trail (between Zinfandel Rd. and Pope Ln). The patch is open every Saturday and Sunday until Halloween, between 11 am and 5 pm. What better way to celebrate the harvest, the holiday and the future farmers of the Napa Valley than by swinging by and stocking up?

Maybe I'll see you there.

So, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite "value Cabernets" from the Napa Valley, although, frankly, when I want true value, I tend to go for the off the radar and under $30 finds in places like France's Languedoc and Italy's Campania. But then, I've never really fit in here...Still, these are Napa Cabernets - from single vineyards, no less - for under $50 (By the skin of their very fine teeth):

1. Waypoint "Weiss" Cabernet Sauvignon. 2005 vintage. The Weiss Vineyard is more or less the spine of Mt. Veeder, a strange pocket that is accessible only by driving in through Sonoma and then doubling back around to Napa Valley. It's cooler climate Cabernet (Carneros-sea influence) that's graceful and strong on the finish. And it's $49.95. 

2. Bacchanal Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. 2005 vintage. Although it can be a bit green, it's green in that fresh, often coveted menthol-scented sort of way. Yes, I work part time at this small, family-owned Rutherford estate. So perhaps I'm pimping it out a bit. Or perhaps I'm introducing you to a super small production wine you wouldn't know about otherwise. A single vineyard Cabernet from the heart of Rutherford (Caymus is only footsteps away) that retails for $48. Like the ivory-billed woodpecker, it's a rare bird.

3. Quixote's Panza Cabernet. 2003 vintage. Carl Doumani's made real fame as a cult Petite Syrah producer in the Napa Valley. But this is elegant, violet and herb-scented Cabernet from every corner of Stags' Leap Ranch Vineyard. The shallow loam soils atop ancient terraces produce darn fine juice. For $40.

The links above take you to the ordering pages, by the way. Quick, easy and delicious. If that doesn't make for happy feet, then I don't know what does. Perhaps a summertime picnic at Robert Mondavi Winery with Ozomatli in the background? Hap. Py. Feet.

shy as a mole, lone (but not lonely) as a young surfer I saw in Bolinas

Under the leaves, under
the first loose
levels of earth
they're there -- quick
as beetles, blind
as bats, shy
as hares but seen
less than these --
traveling
among the pale girders
of appleroot,
rockshelf, nests
of insects and black
pastures of bulbs
peppery and packed full
of the sweetest food:
spring flowers.
Field after field
you can see the traceries
of their long
lonely walks, then
the rains blur
even this frail hint of them -- 
so excitable,
so plush,
so willing to continue
generation after generation
accomplishing nothing
but their brief physical lives
as they live and die,
pushing and shoving
with their stubborn muzzles against
the whole earth,
finding it
delicious.

I've been a bit of a mole lately, shy as a hare, 

traveling among the appleroot. 

Or, more specifically the roots of vines. 

But, I am alive and thriving here in the Napa Valley. 

I don't plan to post as regularly as I once did. 

But I am present; 

I still want to record some of the dreamy, romantic, inspiring

moments I continue to take in every day 

(all of the things I once read - 

on a more famous blog - that wine blog readers are sick of. 

Here's an honest moment for you: 

I didn't start this blog for the readers. I didn't have any!).

Right now, someone has black eyed peas on the stove, 

chicken roasting and a bottle 

of too warm Tuscan IGT from Ornellaia being slightly 

chilled down. For me.

I know, country wine from that famous Tuscan name. 

What better way to casually celebrate Monday, 

and all the good things the start of a week brings with it?

"Being boring is a choice. Those mild salsas and pleated khakis don't buy themselves."  - From a Dos Equis Ad

One of the things I most love about Napa Valley is that it embraces creativity in all its forms - food, wine, art, design.  Last Sunday, I spent an afternoon with good friends poking around the Di Rosa Preserve and certainly had this concept reinforced. The Preserve's undulating landscape houses the work of over 800 artists. I encourage everyone to spend a day there, to let their footsteps leave indentations in the dry, crunchy grass, to feel their spirits lift with the dry, salty winds, and to fuel yet never sate their curiosities in the densely packed rooms of what was once Rene di Rosa's private house. 

Built by Rene di Rosa in the 1960s, the Di Rosa Preserve is an endlessly fascinating combination of man-made artifice and nature. It is on these acres that Rene first discovered how perfect Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fit Carneros' ancient sea soils and started a winegrowing revolution in the practically unplanted region. And it was on these acres that Rene invited thousands of Northern California artists to indulge and explore their creative paths. The works showcased here range from wacky and uplifting to dark and searching. And all of them seem to perfectly fit the extraordinarily beautiful Carneros landscape on which they rest. 

Again, I encourage everyone to visit this fantastic, challenging Willy Wonka-meets-the Wizard of Oz-with-a-healthy-dose-of-Henry-Miller-and-Larry-David-thrown-in-just-to-maintain-the-balance micro-world. And they have peacocks.

See, wine isn't the only thing we drink in out here.

Speaking of fun: my friend, T, with the largest Meyer lemon I've ever seen. Food is trivial in the way that happiness is trivial, the way that self knowledge is trivial. --

Food, Fennelly writes in her beautiful article, “can be the door that opens into many rooms." Food can be about comfort, family, sorrow and protecting the ones you love. It can celebrate health, life, death and the spectrum of events between the two.

And occasionally it can all get way too serious. Food, wine and the wide and wonderful stretch in between is supposed to be fun.  I was chewing on this thought while simultaneously “cleaning out” my computer desktop, when I discovered these random paragraphs in a folder.

They must have been dashed off late at night. I must have been eating the sad remains of my refrigerator and pantry. And I had obviously had a few glasses of sumpin'…but this is pure silliness, and - I recall - when I wrote them, it was pure fun:

If you eat a bag of Sour Skittles before you drink a glass of wine, your taste buds will definitely be stripped of a layer. If you’re ok with this, I also recommend pairing red wine with a half box of Corn Pops. The high-fructose corn syrup clashes with the wine and fills your mouth with a pure metallic, salty-bitter flavor. It will taste just like you bit your lip and ate a bag of Sour Skittles. If you want to truly take it to “that” level, make sure your red wine is something like Barbera (an Italian grape varietal) from Lake County. Trust me on this one; this Napa Valley neighbor is quickly becoming less known for its meth labs and more known for its wines.

An equally appealing, more athletic alternative? Try MacGyvering  a  makeshift winery in your basement, garage or even carport and make your own homebrew. That’s how half the winemakers in Napa and Sonoma (and we won’t even traverse Mendocino) got into the business, including Rochioli’s Cellar Master Terry Bering and Caymus’ founder Charles Wagner, Sr.

Making wine, according to a pamphlet I picked up at the War Eagle Mill in Arkansas, is the easiest thing in the world to do. As friend and mentor Karen MacNeil says, “It’s just the fermented juice of grapes.” The author of the Wine Bible ought to know…

Of course, in Arkansas, the juice doesn’t even have to flow from grapes. During Altus’ annual grape fest, a sweltering 104-degree display of local crafts and local brews in Central Arkansas’ mosquito-laden “river valley,” amateur winemakers can enter any fruit, vegetable or flower into the "Amateur Wine Competition," so long as its fermented. While these folks make some strange but appealing wines, take it from firsthand experience: if someone passes you a bottle of onion wine, don’t take a pull.

HOBO WINE: WHEN THE ECONOMY SOURS, MAKE THIS HOME BREW AND HOP A TRAIN TO ANYWHERE: To read the recipe, click on this link.

Bounty Hunter has always been recognized for its ability to source incredible wines - cult Napa Cabernets, weird northern Italian whites, Barolo superstars - but at yesterday's Auction Napa Valley Barrel Auction, Bounty Hunter's own Napa Valley Cabernet label, Blind Justice, was among the top 15 highest selling lots...proving they make pretty darn incredible wines, too.

And not all of them fall into the cult Cabernet category - either in style or in price (although Blind Justice certainly proved its worth yesterday afternoon). My mom's summer wine was the Bounty Hunter's Streamside Chardonnay...until she discovered the Streamside Sauvignon Blanc.

This summer, I'm sure I'll continue to sift through the Bounty Hunter catalog and put my order in for Dr. Loosen Riesling from Germany, Lutea Pinots from Sonoma, Sarrazin's Mercurey from France (serious value here!),and Laila's Verdicchio from Italy. But, I'll also be enjoying more of the in-house labels, like Pursuit's Carneros Pinot Noir, or when I'm feeling a little more flush, Waypoint's single vineyard Cabernet Franc (from To Kalon one of Beckstoffer's best vineyards).

If you're in Napa for the festivities this weekend, head to Bounty Hunter's downtown Napa restaurant, order a glass of something juicy and add a side of summer barbecue. If you're not, fire up your backyard grill and check out the BH's humdinger of a wine catalog. These days, serving up a little Justice has never been more delicious.

*Of course, when Bounty Hunter doesn't have what I'm looking for, I just skip across downtown Napa's First Street to Backroom Wines. But not everyone has that luxury...

Found at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans, where you'll discover...

• chicory's roots (bad pun intended) as a coffee substitute
  
• why the sno-ball trumps any sno-cone you - or Snoopy - could ever fathom (it's the fineness of the "snow")
  
• the American history of the cocktail -  from the rise of Absinthe to the scorn of Carrie Nation to the drinking games and books of the 1960's and 70's (a lot of them look like Twister, which I always suspected was not for children under 21). Ed McMahon's Barside Companion anyone?

...and at least a dozen other rich Southern food histories - sugar, boudin, pralines, fried okra, hot sauce.

My wine Pairing for good ol, head sucking boiled crawfish? Minerally Chenin Blanc from Savennieres. Bone dry for the tail. Off-dry for the head fat. Think clean and lean, to offset all the dirty goodness of these freshwater bottom feeders. Mmm.

Hungry for other tips like how to shuck an oyster or make a roux? Head over to Lousiana Cookin's website. Instructive and delicious!

Rather than tuck in, cut costs, reduce the calendar to the bare minimum and try to simply ride out the recession,

First, there's the Battle of the Vines, a weekly competition among local wineries to see whose wine continues to be poured by the glass. This week: Martin Estate 2003 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon versus the 2005 Beaulieu Vineyard "Georges de Latour" Private Label. My money is on the underdog, Martin Estate, although perhaps that's because I'm doing some bookkeeping for the boutique, family-run property tucked into the heart of Rutherford, Napa Valley. (Everyone can please wipe that shocked look off your faces at the mention of me keeping someone's books.) Strangely, the stunning 19th century stone chateau housing Martin Estate was where Georges de Latour made some of his first wines for Beaulieu.

The wines from Martin Estate are the equivalent of plucking an Early Girl tomato fresh from your home garden. The wines are 100-percent estate grown; they're subtle and elegantly understated, much softer than its competitor, whose wines do come from a notable blockbuster year in the Napa Valley. It's a food wine and just chameleon enough to pair well with a variety of Martini House's menu items, including the pan roasted venison, the roasted Colorado lamb, and the portobello mushroom "steak". I think the savory earth and herb elements of the wine, along with its soft dark fruits, will just sing with that mushroom. Yes, I'm biased. But, yes, I have also gotten to know - quite intimately - the rich collection of blended flavors this wine has to offer.

If you get a chance, head over to Martini House all this week to sip, savor and vote for this great wine find.

In addition to the "Battle," Martini House is also celebrating Riesling Week, now in its fifth year, by offering a selection of German, Austrian and Alsatian Rieslings by the glass, as well in a special Riesling Week Flight ($20). In addition, guests will find select Riesling pairings among the restaurant's many dinner menus throughout the week. 

But, the San Francisco Bay called, along with a picnic on Angel Island. And then there was the last ski weekend in Tahoe, at super discounted rates. And finally, I fell under the spell of New Orleans' siren song - a hot and hazy blend of trumpets, oysters, crawfish, zydeco parades, fried boudin balls, sazeracs (with rye) and popcorn, beignets, chicory coffee, pork cracklins', fried duck liver salads, and Mavis Staples and George Clinton.

I could have been writing about it all, but I just wanted to live it, dance among it, and take in all life's extraordinary colors...without the responsibility of reporting back. I wanted a summer vacation from my blog. 

So...here's a sampler of what I  did - and saw and ate - on my summer vacation: