With all this cool Northern California weather we have been having this summer, the tomatoes are taking their sweet time ripening.  The upside of this is that we will be enjoying tomatoes well into fall.  Here is one of our favorite recipes for enjoying summer’s heirloom tomatoes. 

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

6-8 large heirloom tomatoes, seeded and diced into 1/4 inch cubes

1 cucumber, seeded and diced into 1/4 inch cubes

1 red onion, diced into 1/4 inch cubes

1 clove garlic

2-3 TBSP fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1-2 TBSP fresh basil, roughly chopped

2 TBSP red wine vinegar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Tabasco to flavor

Salt & Pepper to flavor

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar

Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and garlic in a large bowl.  Add cilantro, basil, red wine vinegar, Tabasco, salt and pepper.  Use a fork (or your hands!) to mash the tomatoes into a soupy mixture.  Add olive oil.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.  Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar before serving.

Serve with a little sour cream, croutons and a loaf of warm, crusty bread!

We’re going to be out and about over the next few months at events all around the country.  We know you can’t all make the trip to visit us so we hope to see some of you when we come to your town.  Here are just a few of the places we’ll be.

Sipping Our Way Around the World in Hollywood

Bottlenotes is hosting their 80 Sips Around the World event in Hollywood this Thursday (August 19th) at the trendy h.wood lounge and eatery.  We’ll be pouring some new releases and enjoying the great food and wine. 

Celebrating Labor Day Weekend in Tahoe

Wine tasting, live music and a silent auction all benefit the nonprofit organization Can Do Multiple Sclerosis at this Squaw Valley event.  Over 40 wineries will be pouring at this event on Sunday, September 5th. 

More Labor Day Fun

We really can be two places at once!  We’ll also be at the LA Times Celebration of Food & Wine event at Paramount Studios on Labor Day Weekend.  This is going to be a great event with lots of amazing wine and food.  September 5th. 

Heading to the Rocky Mountains

More great food, wine and celebration at the Denver International Wine Festival.  November 7th. 

San Diego Bay Food & Wine Festival

One of our favorite events, this will be our fourth year attending.  You can’t beat the setting in beautiful, sunny San Diego.  If you are at the event, be sure to check out both our wines and our tasty new gourmet food products.  We’ll have two tables.  November 17-21. 

Hope to see some of you there!

New Look for Rte Blanc Sauv Blanc

 Our 2009 Rte. Blanc Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc released this week.  This is a deliciously refreshing Sauvignon Blanc, perfect for a warm summer evening (if summer ever arrives in the Napa Valley!).  The fruit comes from organic and sustainably farmed vineyards in Napa’s Oakville and St. Helena appellations.  Great aromatics of melons, fresh figs and orange blossom and lots of citrus and tropical flavors. 

The 2009 was also bottled with our brand new labels.  Hope you enjoy what we think is a sophisticated new look!

Available online at www.cliffamilywinery.com and in our tasting room.  Stop by for a visit!

Cheers!

Getting Ready to Pack Boxes

The day has finally come!  Today marks the first day of harvest for our Clif Family Farm CSA Box and it is packed to the brim with lots of tasty veggies.  This week’s box includes a selection of swiss chard, zucchini, cucumbers, garlic, onions, and a bouquet of fresh flowers. Owner Kit Crawford, gardener Edie Kausch, and property manager Brad Crawford have been hard at work to bring this program to life. We could not be more excited to start the program and can’t wait to see what the coming weeks bring. 

For more information about the Clif Family Farm CSA Box program, contact Candice Crawford at farm@clifbar.com. 

Bounty of the Harvest

Refreshing Summer Goodness!

Are you looking for something to do with all the delicious summer fruit that’s now in season?  A fun way to enjoy a chilled glass of white wine is to spice it up and make a white wine sangria.  Sangria is easy to make and perfect for a hot summer day.  Our 2008 Climber White makes particulary good sangria since there are abundant citrus and tropical fruit flavors already present in the wine.  The added fruit only enhances the flavors and aromas in the wine. 

To make sangria, you need fresh fruit, white wine and a jub large enough to hold about 12 cups (96 oz).   The wine and the fruit should be on hand, it’s the jug that may be difficult to find! 

Ingredients

4 bottles Climber White Wine

1 bottle sparkling water

4 peaches

2 limes

2 lemons

2 oranges

Preparation:

Cut the lemon, limes, and oranges into slices. Then squeeze juices from the fruit and place slices in the jug.

Dice peaches and place in jug along with the other fruit.

Pour the wine into the jug along with all the fruit. Let sit overnight or for at least 8 hours.

Serve with sparkling water and ice.

You can also add the fruit as a garnish.

And if you are looking to buy some Climber White for this great recipe, we are offering 1-cent shipping on all UPS Ground Shipments throughout the month of July!

Delicious Wood-Fired Pizzas

Summer has finally arrived and we are already thinking about Fall!?  But yes, it’s that time of year to start thinking about harvest.  And with so much going on around harvest time, we want to make sure you save the date for our 2nd Annual Clif Family Farm Harvest Party.  If you were able to join us last year, you know that we can throw a great party.  And this year it’s going to be even better as you spend the day touring the farm (including our vegetable garden, olive orchard, honey bees and the site of our soon-to-be-planted vineyard), tasting delicious wines with our winemakers and enjoying a delicious array of foods.  Our favorite pizza guys are making another appearance this year!

Great Tunes

So if you are looking for a fun way to spend a beautiful fall day in September (September 18th, that is!), then come join us for this great event.  Tickets are $75 for the general public and $50 for our wine club members and their friends.  A portion of the proceeds from the event go to support our partner, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers.  To purchase tickets, please give us a call at 707.968.0625 or email us at winery@clifbar.com.

Hope to see you there!

Check out these photos of our new baby chicks.  They are definitely not camera shy!

Happy Little Guy

Posing for a Beauty Shot

Winemaker Bruce Regalia

We’ve been busy putting the final touches on our 2008 and 2009 wines before bottling so we haven’t had a chance to tell you about the newest addition to our winemaking team.  This Spring, Bruce Regalia joined Sarah on our winemaking team.  Bruce comes from an Italian family that appreciated both food and wine.  He grew up drinking wine and as he says “always liked to ferment things.”  That’s why we also find him brewing beer, making vinegar, you name it. 

Bruce studied plant and soil science in college, focusing on viticulture and began his winemaking career in Mendocino County where he studied under Tom Lane at Navarro Vineyards.  From there he moved on to Obester Winery and Duckhorn’s Goldeneye where he became winemaker and GM.  All that time in Anderson Valley made him somewhat of an expert on Pinot and it’s still his favorite varietal.  Maybe a Clif Family Winery Pinot Noir? 

Bruce now consults for several Napa Valley wineries and we are all thrilled to be working with him.  Welcome Bruce!

Fish Tacos with Pineapple Tomato Salsa

It is getting warmer outside and nothing is better than opening a bottle of chilled Rte. Blanc Sauvignon Blanc and enjoying a glass with some fish tacos with fresh tomato pineapple salsa.

Fish Taco Filling:

½ cup pineapple juice

½ cup lime juice

A tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of FRESH oregano chopped

4 garlic gloves chopped

A dash of pepper

½ pound your choice of fresh fish

2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

¼ cup of chopped red onions

Pineapple Salsa:

A cup of diced pineapple

1 medium size red tomato

1 medium yellow tomato

1 medium green tomato

Lime juice from 2 limes

2 garlic cloves chopped

A tbsp of ginger

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Dash of fresh chopped mint

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of fresh ground pepper

Taco Filling:

Combine the juices, salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano and mix together well. Pour this mixture over the fish and let marinate overnight or at least 10 hours. Remove the fish for marinade and cut into small cubes. Grill fish and then place in a corn tortilla. Pick from these toppings: cilantro, onion and pineapple salsa.

Salsa:

Put pineapple in a blender, combine all tomatoes in a bowl and put half into blender, then add lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and ginger. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Place blend into a bowl and combine the rest of the tomatoes, cilantro, and mint.

If you’re looking for something beyond large formats, be sure to check out the next two weeks – May 23rd ushers in a group of “Unforgettable Days of Wine & Adventure” while May 30th wraps it up with “Nights to Remember: Wine, Food and Friends.”  These lots feature special behind-the-scenes wine adventures where you will often mingle with winemakers, winery proprietors and star chefs as you enjoy the fabulous wines that Napa Valley wineries have to offer.

The Napa Valley Vintners celebrates 30 years of giving back to the local community this June with the 30th Auction Napa Valley.  Over the years, this event has raised $90 million dollars for the local community, supporting organizations that focus on healthcare, housing and youth services.

Clif Family Winery is supporting the event this year by pouring at Friday’s Taste Napa Valley and by donating an E-Auction lot.  Our lot (Lot #460) is part of the “Nights to Remember: Wine, Food and Friends” group and goes live on Sunday, May 30th.  The winning bidder of this lot will invite five friends to join owners Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford for a special “farm to table” meal at Clif Family Farm.  The lot also includes 10 bottles of Clif Family Wine, ground transportation by Holme Grown Tours and some other goodies. 

If you are interested in bidding on our lot (or any of the other amazing lots available this year), visit the Napa Vintners web site for more information. 

Happy bidding!