Bottle Review: 2008 Clif Family Winery & Farm The Climber White Wine

2008 Clif Family Winery & Farm The Climber White Wine ($14)

You know Clif Bars for their yummy, nutrient-packed bars that are your best friend during a backpacking expedition or a convenient desk-side treat during the workday.

A few years ago, owner Kit Crawford and Gary Erickson decided to add a new talent: winemaking. The results, under the label Clif Family Winery & Farm, are an affordable, quality line of wines. (Confession: I've tried them all ...) Grapes are sourced from areas in Napa and the North Coast. Plus, Sarah Gott -- wife to legendary winemaker Joel Gott, and Sarah with her own impressive line of credits -- is making the wines.

Last night, to pair with a delicious Southeast Asian Squash Curry (see photo above) I found in Gourmet (R.I.P., by the way, sigh), I opened the 2008 The Climber White Wine (88% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Muscat, 3% Chardonnay, 3% Riesling and 2% Chenin Blanc). The blending was a smart choice. Instead of the highly acidic, right-in-your-face Sauvignon Blanc, the other grapes soften this wine, introducing mineral notes. But the gooseberry notes are still there and there's a nice bit on the finish. And the food pairing rocked too. I'm always a bit reluctant to switch over to reds when autumn hits. A bold white like this one was perfect with the butternut squash.

Recipe: Gingerbread Cupcakes

Whenever I'm in Sonoma or Napa I try to squeeze in time to dine at either Zazu (a funky roadhouse restaurant in Santa Rosa) or Bovolo (a collection of local-foods artisans in downtown Healdsburg). Both are owned by John Stewart and Duskie Estes, a hip/young couple who even do a little farming and grape-growing on the side, with the crop of vegetables and fruits -- as well as John's cured meats -- making their way onto the menu.

Recently the couple sent out this recipe to their email list. I recommend pairing this with a Pinot Noir to fully celebrate the flavors of fall (because the nose -- baking spices -- on most Pinots reminds me of autumn!).

gingerbread cupcakes + cream cheese frosting
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. molasses
1 t. baking soda
4 oz. soft butter
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
2 t. ground ginger
1 1/4 t. cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
2 1/2 c. flour
1 T. baking powder

for the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

preheat oven to 350. stir molasses and baking soda in water. let cool to lukewarm. cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the egg. sift together salt, ginger, cinnamon, clove, flour, and baking powder. alternately fold molasses mixture and dries into butter mixture. pour into cupcake liners and bake for 30 - 35 minutes. frost when completely cool.to make the frosting, combine all ingredients in a mixer.

Bottle Review: 2006 Kendall Jackson Chardonnay "Grand Reserve"

** 90 points from Robert Parker

2006 Kendall Jackson Chardonnay "Grand Reserve" ($15.99)

In general, Chardonnay's a toss-up: is it going to be buttery or oaky? (There are two camps of thought on this when it comes to palate-pleasing.) And there are plenty of mediocre Chardonnays in the sub-$20 category, making it difficult to walk out of your wine shop with a solid pick if you are determined to stick to a budget. The good news is that I've done a lot of the research for you and have found a Chardonnay that will knock your socks off.

Its floral nose pulls you in, but it's the honeysuckle notes and light, lemon-y flavors, culminating in a mild, tannic finish, that make this a terrific transitional wine. Yes, the night is falling into darkness sooner and we're slurping more bowls of hot soup than we are cool smoothies but it doesn't mean we have to slip into red wines just yet. Here's a white wine that has enough body to pair with fish or creamy pasta dishes.

Wine Bar Tip: Houlihan's

Normally I don't give much attention to chain restaurants and wine bars on this blog. However, Houlihan's has a fantastic deal: $9.99 for a flight of three wines. And you get to decide what those wines are by looking over the by-the-glass options. So, while my companions ordered beers and Long Island iced teas, or a lonely glass of wine, I was quite happy with my three glasses of wine. And these weren't small pours! Curious what my picks were?

1. 2007 Montevina Sauvignon Blanc (Santa Barbara County, California): I'd be a sucker to turn down a S.B. (one of my favorite wines) and while it was more minerals than the crisp acidity (which I love in Marlborough S.B.), I'd drink it again.

2. Martin Codax Albarino (Rias Brixas, Spain): Slight mineralities, lemon notes and a very pleasant, easy-to-drink wine.

3. J. Lohr Los Osos Merlot (Paso Robles, California): Soft, light-bodied and approachable, with luscious blackberry notes.

Bottle Review: Simon Creek Vineyards Untouchable Red American Ruby Cabernet

I'm participating in a really cool blogging venture with DrinkLocalWine.com. This week, many of us -- all wine writers -- are sipping and evaluating wines in our home states. For me, that's Wisconsin, not exactly known for producing wine. Cheese? Sure! But not vino. However, I poured myself a glass of Simon Creek Vineyards Untouchable Red, from Door County, which is the northeastern tip of Wisconsin, a slender peninsula more well-known for sailing or snowmobiling than wine country, but I digress. While the wine was a little too quick to the finish for me (apparently my cellaring for 21 months didn't open it up?), I did enjoy the dark-cherry nose, hint of black pepper and vanilla that emerged mid-palate and the luscious full taste, closer to a late-harvest Dry Creek Zinfandel than the Dairy State wine it actually is.

Hotel Value: Hotel Frank (San Francisco)

If you're like me, when traveling to California wine country you prefer to start a day of winery tastings refreshed -- and not off a flight from the East Coast (or in my case, the Midwest, with connections and airport snacks, and endless cups of coffee ... all preceded by a 4 a.m. wake-up call; no wonder I'm not in the mood for a Dry Creek Zin when I touch down at SFO). What I like to do is spend a night in San Francisco THEN drive up to Napa or Sonoma, arriving just as tasting rooms open around 10 a.m. or 11 a.m.

And now the brand-new Hotel Frank (386 Geary St.) is offering a steal on room rates, with lots of perks tossed in. Starting at $189 per night, the Frugal Frank package includes overnight accommodations, two martinis at Max's on the Square, buy-one-get-one-free hot dogs at Let's Be Frank (a hip, hot-dog-only place I hear is awesome and serves grass-fed beef dogs), two Muni tickets and a $10 gas card.

Wine Bar Tip: Thief Wine Shop & Bar (Milwaukee)

Inside Milwaukee Public Market (a gourmet-foods marketplace much like Pike Place Market in Seattle or Grand Central Market inside NYC's Grand Central Station) is a cute little wine bar with a retail area too. It's called Thief Wine Shop & Bar. On Fridays, house glasses of wine (one white, one red) are four dollars. What makes the bargain even more of a steal is that the owners don't mind if you bring in food from other vendors. And the options are endless: Mediterranean, Italian, Hawaiian, sushi, cupcakes, chocolate, sandwiches made with organic ingredients, crab cakes, Wisconsin artisan cheeses, blah blah, are you hungry yet? (There's even a $12.95 lobster deal at one vendor if you want to make this a two-course affair.)

Owners Phil and Amy hail from Sonoma and have lots of relationships with winemakers, who they frequently invite into the bar for tastings with customers. (Not too long ago, I paid a whopping five bucks to taste through six or so Duckhorn Vineyards wines with Bill Nancarrow.) So you know that whatever house wine they pick is going to be a good pour. On a recent Friday, Beso de Vino Macabeo, from Spain, was the white-wine pick. It was bright, lemon-y and acidic, very aromatic too, with notes of lime and pineapple, and with a little bit of a climax in the aftertaste ... perfect for a Friday night in September. And if you buy a glass of wine in the bar, you get 10% off the bottle.