A Surprising Find: Amphora Wines in Temecula, California #WinePW

The bloggers at #WinePW (Wine Pairing Weekend) are talking about wines made in clay amphoras and when I heard this, I was thrilled. My family recently took a trip to the San Diego area and participated in a group wine tour where we toured Somerset Vineyard and Winery. They purchased an amphora to make some wines in and I am so excited to share the information with you.

Making Amphorae Wine in Temecula, California

Aging wine in clay pots has been around for over 6,000 years.  Aging wine in this historic fashion has gained popularity over the years and I found evidence of that in a delightful vineyard and winery called Somerset Vineyard and Winery in the Temecula Valley in California.  They have the only Amphorae wine-making program in Temecula and have added a third vessel.  They purchase their vessels from Tuscany and the shipping alone is over $$$.  Winemaker David Raffaele is highly regarded in this technique.  The wine production is limited, so the wine is quite expensive. It gets rave reviews from those who are lucky enough to try it.

Their newest vessel, the "Drunk Turtle - Opus 17" has arrived at Somerset. This is 6 times larger than their original Classico Impruneta Terracotta Amphorae. It's nine feet tall and weighs four tons. The walls are six inches thick and it is made with cocciopesto clay, instead of the traditional terra cotta. What makes this process different from aging in barrels is that since the walls of the vessel are porous, more air gets into the wine during aging which means that it ages more quickly and without the tannins. This results in a fruity, fresh, deep, and balanced wine.

One more Opus 17 (Drunk Turtles) is in the port of San Francisco and three more Impruneta Rotunda Amphoraes are in the port as well, making a total of seven unique, Ancient Style Amphorae vessels by the end of August (2021.)

The Amphorae make creamy smooth, earthy, and mineralistic wines. The Amphorae tend t lower the acidity on the finish, so the tannins are focused on the center of the tongue rather than a dry bite on the finish. Somerset will be releasing their Amphorae Barbera in early Spring 2022 in unique terracotta wine bottles imported from Impruneta, Italy!

The Wine I Chose

I did buy a more affordable amphora wine that I tried called Herdade do Rocim Amphora Tinto 2018.  It is a Portuguese wine at $18 a bottle. It is a fruity wine that is easy to drink alone but is fabulous with deep and rich meats, and pasta. The wine consists of Moreto, Trincadeira, Tinta Grossa dn Aragonez blend.  Sour cherry, green herbs, and pepper round out the flavors. This was made in an amphora with no temperature control and using indigenous yeasts.  Oh my goodness, it was so delicious. Smooth and creamy and delicious!  We paired it with this simple summer salad.

Yield

2

Author

Terri Steffes

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

10 Min

inactive time

5 Min

Total time

20 Min

Grilled Kielbasa Chipotle Salad

This simple summer salad uses ingredients from your refrigerator!

Ingredients

• 1 bag Aldi Chipotle Salad Mix
• 1/2 pound grilled kielbasa, cut on the diagonal
• 1/4 cup avocado ranch dressing
• 1 cup torn spinach leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat grill to medium high.  
2. Grill kielbasa until grill marks form or it is heated through.
3. Toss salad mix, spinach leaves, cheese, tortilla strips, and dressing together.
4. Top with grilled kielbasa and serve with avocado ranch dressing.

Notes:

Our kielbasa was left over from dinner the day before. We planned ahead so that our suppers would be quick and easy. The Aldi salad kit comes with cheese, tortilla strips and dressing in addition to the lettuce mix. I added the ranch dressing because the chipotle dressing has some heat to it.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

504.00

Fat (grams)

43.41

Sat. Fat (grams)

13.37

Carbs (grams)

12.58

Fiber (grams)

3.60

Net carbs

8.99

Sugar (grams)

4.50

Protein (grams)

17.97

Sodium (milligrams)

1390.18

Cholesterol (grams)

91.66

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @tsteffes on instagram and hashtag it #ourgoodliferecipe

Yield

2

Author

Terri Steffes

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

10 Min

inactive time

5 Min

Total time

20 Min

Grilled Kielbasa Chipotle Salad

This simple summer salad uses ingredients from your refrigerator!

Ingredients

• 1 bag Aldi Chipotle Salad Mix
• 1/2 pound grilled kielbasa, cut on the diagonal
• 1/4 cup avocado ranch dressing
• 1 cup torn spinach leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat grill to medium high.  
2. Grill kielbasa until grill marks form or it is heated through.
3. Toss salad mix, spinach leaves, cheese, tortilla strips, and dressing together.
4. Top with grilled kielbasa and serve with avocado ranch dressing.

Notes:

Our kielbasa was left over from dinner the day before. We planned ahead so that our suppers would be quick and easy. The Aldi salad kit comes with cheese, tortilla strips and dressing in addition to the lettuce mix. I added the ranch dressing because the chipotle dressing has some heat to it.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

504.00

Fat (grams)

43.41

Sat. Fat (grams)

13.37

Carbs (grams)

12.58

Fiber (grams)

3.60

Net carbs

8.99

Sugar (grams)

4.50

Protein (grams)

17.97

Sodium (milligrams)

1390.18

Cholesterol (grams)

91.66

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @tsteffes on instagram and hashtag it #ourgoodliferecipe

About the Winemaker

Located in the Lower Alentejo region in the southern half of Portugal, between Vidigueira and Cuba, lies the estate of Herdade do Rocim on 100 hectares, 60 of which are under vine. Alentejo is sparsely populated and, in contrast to the rest of Portugal, has many large estates. The climate is continental, with hot summers and cold winters. Having fairly reliable weather combined with the large plots of available land equates to quality at an affordable price. Wheat is the most important crop grown here, but olive trees, cork trees, and vineyards are all-important agriculture here as well. Wines from Alentejo are becoming popular as consumers realize the great opportunities available here, and quality is improving exponentially. It is thought to be the new world inside the old world, with highly professional wineries using a scientific approach while respecting the terroir.

The Rocim estate was purchased in 2000 by Movicortes group, which is a Portuguese company that specializes in agricultural machinery but has its roots in farming and vineyards. Catarina Vieira, daughter of the late Jose Ribeiro Vieira, the founder of the Movicortes group, has been coordinating the development of the estate. Catarina believes that Alentejo has the unique conditions required to produce world-class wines. With respect for the terroir and the natural resources there, they produce freshness and minerality in the whites and elegance and complexity in the reds.

In school, Catarina studied Agronomy in Italy and Oenology in Portugal. Her love for nature was instilled in her from a young age. Her grandfather on her mother’s side was a wine producer and merchant at Cortes, and her grandfather on her father’s side was in agriculture and also owned several vineyards in Alentejo. Since purchasing, they have invested greatly in the land by completely regenerating the vineyards and building a new state-of-the-art winery. With a complete overhaul of the vineyards, they were able to plant higher-quality varietals, including international grapes such as Syrah and Cabernet, as well as the indigenous and local varietals.

After the Viera family took over the winery, they made a conscious decision to not only invest in the land and produce higher quality wine but to also invest and make sustainable contributions to the development of the region. The winery was built with the future in mind, and they have continued to make improvements. Catarina and her team strive to create wines that are elegant, complex, and strong. Inspired by her love and respect for her grandparents, her father, and her family, her connection with nature, and a true and unwavering passion for wine, Catarina continues to push the limits in what was believed to be possible in Alentejo. She believes that Rocim has great potential in producing high-quality wines with worldwide recognition, and has hopes of expanding the brand under the umbrella of quality for the region. She has created a project that gives value not only to Alentejo but to Portugal as a whole.  (from Wine.com)

What will my compadres in Wine Pairing come up with? Join our chat at 8am Pacific on Saturday August 14 and check out their articles:

From Camilla M. Mann: Hundred Suns Wine's Amphora-Aged Gamay Noir, Flame-Grilled Foods, and Our First Post-Pandemic Dinner Party on Culinary Adventures with Camilla / http://culinary-adventures-with-cam.blogspot.com/

From Terri Oliver Steffes: A Surprising Find: Amphora Wines in Temecula, California on Our Good Life | https://www.terristeffes.com

From Andrea Lemieux: Küp Calm & Pair on: Turkish Amphora Wines on The Quirky Cork / https://thequirkycork.com

From Wendy Klik: Tomato and Eggplant Tian paired with Two Amphora Wines from Portugal on A Day in the Life on the Farm/ https://adayinthelifeonthefarm.blogspot.com/

From David Crowley: "Tasting and Pairing Amphora Wines" on Cooking Chat / https://cookingchatfood.com/

From Jeff Burrows on Food Wine Click!: A Clay-Made Dinner: Ceramic Grill and Amphora Wine / https://foodwineclick.com/

From Nicole Ruiz Hudson on Somm's Table: The Mind-Bending Wines of Golden Cluster

From host Gwendolyn Alley on Wine Predator: "Made in Clay From Near and Far, Wine and Food" http://winepredator.com