warm wine in cookpot with orange slices and festive accents. Williamson Mulled Malbec

November – Williamson’s Cork to Fork!

WILLIAMSON’S MULLED MALBEC

Ingredients: 
2 large oranges
4 1/4 cup/1 liter Williamson Malbec
1 1/4 cup/ 10 ounces brandy
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
2 cardamom pods, slightly crushed

Step 1
Using a peeler, remove the peel in strips from 1 orange, then juice the orange. Slice the other orange into rounds and reserve for garnish.

Step 2
Combine orange peel, juice, and the rest of the ingredients. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to low. Simmer gently until flavors meld, about 30 minutes. Strain mixture, discarding the solids.

Step 3
Ladle into cups or mugs. Garnish each with a reserved orange round.


Williamson Cork to Fork words layered over picture of mashed potatoes and stewed meat and veg

October – Williamson’s Cork to Fork!

Elevated Comfort Food: Coq au Vin and Harvest Moon Red


INGREDIENTS:
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Half a bottle of Harvest Moon Red
Mushrooms, thick sliced
Baby Carrots
Pearl Onions, frozen is perfectly fine
Sprigs of fresh thyme
2 TBSP tomato paste
Cup or so of chicken stock

First things first – notice how we don’t have precise measurements? That’s because this recipe is 100% based off vibes. Do you want only a few carrots and loads of mushrooms? Do it. Pearl onions your jam? Use as many as the store has stocked. It’s up to you. Coq au Vin is a simple to execute French dish that will leave you so satisfied and with barely any clean-up. A cast iron skillet or Dutch oven is all you need (as long as it has a lid). Brown off your chicken in some oil butter. Add it your remaining ingredients, cover, and it’s roasted at 350°F for an hour and ten minutes. I added in a slurry to thicken the sauce at the last minute and served it over herb mashed potatoes.

As Julia Child would then fervently exclaim: BONE APPLE TEETH!
Err… Wait. No… Bon appetite! ♥ Yep, that’s it.

Virtual Happy Hour – April 8

Mushroom Madness

We talk about the versatility of these funny little fungi! Learn why you need more mushrooms and wine in your diet!

Click here for mushroom madness video

Join us for a quick and painless lesson on the magic of “culinary” mushrooms!

Virtual Happy Hour – March 11

If you’ve thought to yourself, “Why would I pour wine out of a perfectly good bottle into another glass receptacle?”, then this month’s VHH is for you. We’re talking about the what, why, when, and how of decanting. Grab a glass of something to sip while we go over a few facts about making your wine even more enjoyable.

Virtual Happy Hour – February 11

We hosted a book club style event featuring a new favorite book for our wine geeky staff. “Cork Dork” by Bianca Bosker is a fun and fascinating look at one person’s transformation from a newbie to a professional sommelier. Join us for a casual chat about this intriguing subject. We can’t promise there won’t be any spoilers!


Trimming Grape Vines

 

Mechanical Trimmer Reduces Time and Labor in the Vineyard
After a harsh winter, Williamson Vineyards is preparing to cut out any dead wood that was the result of negative zero temperatures that our region saw in 2017. In preparation for this heavy pruning we utilized a mechanized trimmer to cut the tops of the canes. This helps the vineyard keep down high labor costs of removing all the dead canes by hand.