One of Bruce’s cousins came for a visit; they are from Wisconsin and had never had fresh albacore tuna before.  Bruce and I went to visit the F/V White Swan earlier in the day and bought an 11 lb. fresh tuna.  We froze half of it and grilled the other half (2 loins) on the Ducane.  We kept the seasonings and accompaniments (artichoke pesto and lemon) simple so Dan, Kathy, and Adam could enjoy the flavor of the tuna.  The fish was served with grilled ‘cowboy potatoes’ and fresh corn on the cob.  We enjoyed Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc and vanilla ice cream with black berries and strawberries and Pepperidge Farm chocolate cookins for dessert.

The Taltarni Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Victoria, is one of those wines that inspires you to ask, “How can they make the wine, ship to our shores from Australia, and still sell it for a bargain price?” Interestingly, the composition of the wine is 86 percent sauvignon blanc grapes from Victoria, specifically from the cool Pyrenees area, and 14 percent sauvignon blanc grapes from Tasmania. Both sources are named on the label. Is there another wine in the world that uses grapes from mainland vineyards with additional grapes from an off-shore island? I mean legally.

My good friend Karen Cakebread is making two great food friendly wines under her new label Ziata. My wife, Virginia, thinks the Ziata Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best wines she has tasted this year. I created a fun summer time recipe the pairs perfectly with this beautifully structure Sauvignon Blanc.

A good friend of Ms. S&C’s, and one who is likely in the running for Oprah’s-biggest-fan-ever, recently passed on these S&C-related finds from the August 2009 issue of O magazine .  Ms. S&C thought she’d share, as she does love Oprah’s recommendations, for just about about everything. (In case you missed it, see the post on her “favorite things.”) Shoe-related news :  SoleMates — No more heels sinking into the grass or falling into sidewalk cracks.

Photos on Lake George New York more Lake George New York photos … News Articles on Lake George New York NTSB Chief Mark V. Rosenker Announces Departure from Board (ThomasNet) ( news.thomasnet.com ) – July 22, 2009 Member and Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has submitted letter of resignation to President Obama after leading NTSB for 4½ yr.

I’ve been on a sangria kick lately and it’s been my summer drink of choice. Sangria is simply combination of fruit juice and wine. There really isn’t specific ratio to use of each, but that’s what makes it fun and versatile. I’ve been experimenting with various fruit juices and nectars along with different types of wine. Tonight, I prepared the following cocktail using a common fruit juice and a nice Sauvignon Blanc wine.

As I mentioned recently, tomatoes are ubiquitous in our kitchen these days. It’s one of the things that enables me to put up with the ridiculously hot summer days that we are subjected to here in North Texas. Here’s a recipe from Southern Living , always a good resource for “down-home” recipes utilizing fresh produce. It combines fresh tomatoes with buttery leeks and a tangy topping…all baked in flaky pastry. A great combination.

July 26, 2009 “Sometimes I’m so sweet even I can’t stand it.” Julie AndrewsA few months ago, I heard about SaSaZu, a fancy, Asian-inspired restaurant in Holešovická tržnice.I didn’t feel the urge to rush over. Why?The offerings on the online menu looked tasty, but I figured the omission of prices meant they would be similar to those at Buddha-Bar. Meaning very high.But a couple of friends, Dan The Man and Miss Montana, went there for dinner one night and called me to report that the prices were much lower than they expected.That’s all I needed to know.

We Heart Yountville. We went for a light lunch at Bouchon Bakery, and then headed off to Maisonry. The winery was a recommendation from a wine professor, and it did not disappoint. I bought 2 bottles of the 2008 Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc from Lail Vineyards. It was an all around favorite, and I was on the hunt for a great crisp white for my dinner this upcoming week. This was perfect. This was our tasting room. Hundreds of furniture pieces fill the house and it was the decor for our tasting room.

Copyright © 2009 Alan Weiss . Visit the original article at http://www.contrarianconsulting.com/cape-may-confidential/ . We dined last night at Martini Beach and, sure enough, I snagged a parking space across the street. I still have rolls of quarters in the console from the Newport Film Festival in June, so we gouged the meter and climbed the stairs. From the balcony dining area you can watch the passing scene with a great perspective. The service is always terrific, though the wine list is, well, a list.

Funny how things work. I was eating a bit of Chevre (Udder Delights, Adelaide Hills) which put me in mind of Loire Sauvignon, and then the realisation that I should dig this wine out of the pile. I remember every bottle that goes into the pile you see, but often forget to taste them. You [...]

Thanks to you and others that voted for us on LakeGeorge.com’s “Best of Lake George” 2009 Survey – We R anked in Three Spots! #1 Best Wine (#2 was the Inn at Erlowest) #1 Best Shopping for Gifts (#2 was Sutton’s Marketplace) #2 Best Overall Shopping (#1 was the Factory Outlets)     Thanks for voting and we’re glad you not only love our wine but agree that our store is an excellent place to shop for quality, unique gifts! —————————————————————————————————— Adirondack Winery Won Second Place for its “Autumn Brilliance” series of wine labels at the 2009 New York State Wine Labeling and Packaging Competition.