Passaggio Biscotti

I hope you're ready for holiday cookies!!!

The holidays are right around the corner.  I am in the baking mood so I wanted to share a special recipe with you that I posted in 2009...it has since evolved into Passaggio Passionistas Biscotti

Let's get started.

Passaggio Passionistas Biscotti

The Biscotti cookie was traditionally made for dunking in wine. (but you can dunk it in whatever you like)

Ingredients needed:
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/4/cup sugar
1/3 cup butter (I use lightly salted)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons of lemon zest
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons reduced Passaggio Unoaked Chardonnay

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Place almonds in shallow pan - bake until golden brown (usually about 8-10min) Let cool.
Reduce about 1 cup of Passaggio Unoaked Chardonnay - set aside to cool
In mixing bowl cream your butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, almond extract and lemon zest. Add your reduced Passaggio Unoaked Chardonnay. In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add this to your cream mixture until blended. Cut your almonds into halves or thirds and fold into mixture.

Divide your dough in half and place on greased and floured baking sheet. Using floured hands, shape the dough into logs about 1/2 inch thick, about 1 1/2 inched wide and 12 inches long. Place pan on middle rack and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Take logs and place on rack to cool for about 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife slice diagonally (45 degree angle) about 1/2 inch thick. Lay your cookies flat on the baking pan and place back in the oven for about 10 minutes (watch closely) turning them once. Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.

This recipe usually makes about 3 dozen cookies. I store mine in a cookie tin.

I like dipping mine in a glass of Passaggio Unoaked Chardonnay. You may find them delightful dipped in a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or even with champagne. Sit back, relax, and share with friends...

Enjoy,

Cindy

Passaggio Winery

Happy Harvest 2016!! 

Harvest is upon us. I have tucked the 2015 barrels away and got started on cleaning everthing (with the help of my good friend, Linda Yee)

Having my own space has been freeing and exhilarating. And at the same time, exhausting. I can't wait to bring in the 2016 harvest to the Passaggio Winery! What fun this is going to be...

 

Stay tuned for more!! Hang on to your hats...this is going to be a great ride!!

 

 

Cheers!

Cindy

It's Summer - Let's drink Rosé

Summer is finally here. The garden is growing and the deck is ready for comany. The evenings are beautiful and the days are longer. I love Sonoma. The community is generous, caring, and just simple. Living the simple life is what I strive for. There's nothing like meeting your friends at the Sonoma Farmer's market every Tuesday evening. Listening to the band play, sitting on a blanket, sipping a great glass of wine. Relax. Have fun. Contemplate. 

I participated in the launch of #winestudio Sonoma Rosé Revolution. It's a Twitter chat, every Tuesday evening, from 6-7pst in June. Talking with a community of wine lovers across the country can be amazingly engaging, and fun. They launched this past Tuesday with my 2015 Passaggio Merlot Rosé. What fun! But yet informative. Rosé, not always taken seriously, should be. This wine can be fun and serious at the same time. I believe it is a very versatile wine. Pairs with all sorts of food or just simply sipping on your deck with friends.

Start your summer off this year with some Rosé. Whichever rosé you choose, look at it from s different perspective. The winemaker took special care to make it. Enjoy it. Embrace it. 

 

 

Cheers

 

Cindy

 

7 Habits of Highly Effective Winemakers

These are some of my thoughts on the Habits of Highly Effective Winemakers – I would love to hear some of yours!!

1) Keep a notebook – write it down: these days, when you say notebook, you could be talking about a couple of things.  A notebook to me is the one with paper in it.  A notebook to someone quite younger may be a Mac Pro or even your Iphone. Either one is great for keeping notes.  You may think you’ll remember something, but in my experience, I always forgot what I wanted so much to remember.

2) Taste, Taste, Taste – yeah, I know it’s a great job…but someone has to do it…LOL  Tasting the juice all the way from fermentation through aging is a must. (no pun intended)  So don’t be surprised when the winemaker comes to your house and asks for a beer…

3) Stay up on new research, new technology, and new equipment – Things change every day.  Modern technology is changing very quickly and we need to keep up with it.  We should never be afraid to try new things.

4) Never be afraid to ask – we don't know it all. 

5) Source great fruit – in all starts in the vineyard. 

6) Stay focused – enough said about that ;-)

7) Have fun – I have always said that if the winemaker is not happy, they will not produce good wine…

 

Cheers

Cindy

 

Harvest 2015

Harvest 2015 was a fast and furious one to say the least. The fruit looked great...just low in yields. I am excited about this vintage. I believe you will see some beautiful wines coming in the near future. Passaggio will be releasing some new varietals in the spring of 2016. a new white wine you will see is Chenin Blanc.

Chenin blanc is a white wine variety from the Loire Valley of France. I have always said the I thought the Chardonnay grape was the most versatile grape known, but Jancis Robinson has noted that Chenin Blanc is probably the world's most versatile grape. It can be made in various ways from dry to sweet wine, to include dessert wine, and is used in sparkling wine as well. It can be made into a stand alone varitey or be used for blending. 

Descriptors for Chenin blanc range from minerality, a green plum called Greengage, angelica, honey, peaches, barley, marzipan, and quince. Wow, what a range of descriptors. I am excited for this varietal to be part of the Passaggio line. 

 

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more exciting varietals being released Spring 2016.

Cheers!

Cindy