Back to Basics-Late August Wine Night

It has been a while since I did a wine/food posting so here goes.

We had 2 wines 1 red and 1 white in the 337 Cabernet from Bevmo as well as the Overland Sauvignon Blanc from Trader Joes. We also whipped up a bevy of snacks and nice meat and cheese assortment from my favorite italian marker Claro's in Tustin. Seriously if you consider yourself even 1/8th part foodie and are in OC; Claro's is a must visit.


Here is the entire spread. Wine, dips, spreads, meats, cheeses, fruits and breads. There were grapes and figs, an assortment of Italian meats, some homemade guacamole I whipped up and some other assorted treats.

Our two wines for the evening. The 337 Cab was a fantastic value at about $10 for the bottle. It was a dryer type cab with a heady oaky flavor and semi chocolate cherry type overtones. The Overland Sauvignon got better as it opened and had grapefruit/wet straw essences. It paired amazingly well with the fresh fig. For $5 bucks a bottle it was a bargain for sure. I prefer reds to whites but it was a winner and very refreshing and perfect fit for a warm summer night with family.

This was a dip I made for the evening simply using some on hand ingredients. I took some kalamata olives and feta cheese I has purchased at the Mediterranean market and simply put them in the food processor with sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil to get the desired consistency. Next time Ill probably and add some garbanzos to make it more of a hummus style then the relish style it ended up as. Once again though it was perfect for the night and the herb tartness of the sun-dried tomatoes went well the salty brine of the olives and the richness and depth brought forth through the feta. It went nicely with both wines and will probably become a staple for future festivities due to it being inexpensive and easy to prepare.

This was some ricotta spinach focaccia bread incorrectly labeled as Calzone. It might have been the other items fit so well and were such a hit that this ended up looking as an also ran. It really looked much better then it tasted which is probably why I included it here.

And finally this little guy who I found on the screen door earlier in the day. He spent the afternoon watching me and the family before I finally decided to take him from the screen, soak him in a buttermilk garlic brine, and roll him in some Chef Paul Reptile Magic seasoning before sauteeing in truffle oil with some wild mixed mushrooms and served on top of fresh basil. By this time I was on my 3rd or 4th glass of wine so forgot to take a picture. My Bad!

As always feel free to comment and appreciate your thoughts. Special thanks to Zhang Chang Liu for his comments.