Beef Braised in Barbera Wine
From Lobel’s Meat and Wine Cookbook

One 3-pound boneless beef chuck roast, tied Kosher salt
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 bottle (750ml) Lava Cap Barbera wine
2 1⁄2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary, divided
1⁄2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg plus more for garnish
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground black pepper
Generously salt the beef on all sides.

In a medium, flameproof casserole or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, cook the roast until deeply browned on all sides, about 15 minutes, reducing heat if it threatens to burn. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the same pot and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are pale gold at the edge, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the wine and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Cook over medium-high heat until the wine has reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes.

Stir in 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of the rosemary, 1⁄2 teaspoon of the nutmeg, the cinnamon, bay leaf and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the pot. Cover, and bring to a simmer. (If the pot lid is not tight, cover the pot with aluminum foil before place the lid on it.)

Transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250o F and continue cooking until the meat is very tender, about 3 1⁄2 to 4 hours more, turning the roast over in the liquid every hour or so and adjusting the oven temperatures as needed to maintain a bare simmer.

Remove from the oven and, if you have time, let rest for 30 minutes, covered, basting occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the roast to a plate, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and keep warm in a very low (200 degrees F) oven.

Transfer the cooking liquid and vegetables (remove the bay leaf) to a blender and process until very smooth, about one minute, adding salt to taste. This will make a thick gravy. Reheat before serving, if necessary.

Muscat Canelli 2009


Lovely aromas with notes of green apple, Asian pear, guava, and lime.

Zinfandel Reserve 2008


The pure fresh fruit flavors of cool, delicious berries and chocolate, coupled with the warm scents of anise and caramel combine with a spicy black pepper finish to form this perfectly balanced Zinfandel.

Zinfandel, Rocky Draw 2008


Upon opening, the aroma of Lava Cap Zinfandel has cool, foresty tones marked by scents of black ripe berries, apricot, and rose. The complex flavors of berry, green olive, and spice are remarkably long.

Lava Cap Rocky Draw Zinfandel Lamb
1.5 pounds Ground Leg of Lamb (organic, free range grass fed, fat removed)
6 ounces Brown Rice
8 Grape Leaves
1/4 cup Diced Fresh Roasted Pasillo Pepper (Skin Removed & Seeded)
1/8 cup Diced Roasted Red Pepper (Skin Removed & Seeded)
2 cups Lava Cap Rocky Draw Zinfandel 2008
1 3-ounce Wine Glass of Lava Cap Rocky Draw Zinfandel
2 Stalk Scallions Finely Sliced
1 Tsp Fresh Thyme, Fresh Marjoram, Fresh Lemon Mint
1 Tbl Fresh Sage (Chiffonade Style)
1 Tbl Chopped Fresh Garlic
1 Tsp Dry Mustard
Kosher Salt to Taste
1/8 cup Butter
2 Large Eggs (Organic)

Execution
Take a drink of wine from wine glass.
Poach grape leaves and garlic in Rocky Draw Zinfandel (approximately 15 mins.). Reserve pouring juices.
Remove grape leaves, let cool, then Julienne.
Cook rice in Zinfandel, garlic, and butter until tender.
Combine all ingredients in large bowl.
Roll into 24 lamb balls.
Coat in Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Bake 325 degrees for 25 minutes, uncovered, turning once at 15 minutes.
Serve with warm pita bread.

Enjoy with Lava Cap Rocky Draw Zinfandel! 

Beth Jones at ZAP

Our Zinfandel Reserve 2009 (pre-release) was poured at this year’s event. This wine has lush blackberry and plum flavors and balanced tannins with a spicy pepper finish, and 15.1 percent alcohol.

Vote Lava Cap Winery as your favorite
Winery and Wine Shop

Click Here to Vote

Voting ends Friday, May 11, 2012.

90 Points

Smooth and velvety with ripe plum and raspberry fruit; clean, balanced and lush with good acid structure and a long finish.

89 Points
American River Red Celebrated Cuvee 2009 

The Tasting Panel Magazine, April 2012 Issue

A blend of cherry sweetness and bitter espresso shot. Textured with creamy soil-toffee smokiness and a touch of mint on the back, along withmountain sage. The Syrah/Merlot/Cab Franc and Zin blend is surely a celebration.

91 Points
Syrah 2009
Wine Enthusiast Magazine, June 2012 Issue

Gold
Barbera 2009
Florida International Wine Competition 2012

Gold
Zinfandel, Rocky Draw 2008
Consumer Wine Awards at Lodi

Serve with Lava Cap Syrah 

2 8 oz. salmon filets (skin on)
1⁄2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Salt & pepper
Canola oil

In a saucepan bring blueberries, balsamic, honey and lemon juice to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and crush some of the blueberries. Keep warm while cooking the salmon.

While sauce is cooking, lightly oil salmon on both sides. Salt & pepper salmon to taste. Grill or broil the salmon filets. When grilling salmon with the skin on, oil the grill lightly and place the salmon skin side down and do not turn it. Test for doneness with a fork looking for it to begin to get flaky – about 10 minutes.

Transfer salmon to plates (or serving plate) and drizzle with warm sauce.

• Zinfandel Reserve 2008
• Sauvignon Blanc 2010
• Chardonnay 2010
• American River Red Celebrated Cuvee 2009
• Viognier 2009

Shop Lava Cap Red Wines
Shop Lava Cap White Wines
Read Bacchus & Beery Wine Blog

Aimee Rebmann, artist at Creative Juices Events, offered two guided painting sessions—“Glass of Red,” and “Whimsical Picnic.”

A Glass of Red

“What a fabulous group of people we had at our first Lava Cap sip and paint event! Everyone did such a beautiful job on his or her painting and we all had such a great time! It was such a treat to paint among the barrels of wine and be inspired by the gorgeous vineyard views. I’m looking forward to the next event in June to paint a beautiful vineyard scene,” said Aimee.

Cecelia Allio Palmer attended the Whimsical Picnic session. She commented, “I had such a great time! Enjoyed the wine, the people, and the event! Top notch! Thank you.”

Whimsical Picnic

Dean Lyle Carman said, “We too enjoyed a wonderful day at Lava Cap. My wife and I met our dear friends for an afternoon of fine wine, painting and getting to meet new people. Our Lava Cap hosts were friendly and fun, as always. Not being an artsy person by nature, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to create a masterpiece to call my own. We have already hung our two paintings side by side in our kitchen. And, a special “thank you” to our art teacher, Aimee Rebmann, from Creative Juices Events. Your direction, advice and spirit made our day very special and we will cherish our memories.”

Beth Jones, co-owner and manager at Lava Cap Winery, said this was the first event of this type at a winery in El Dorado County. “Being a small family owned winery, we are always looking for fun ways to bring in new visitors to the winery and introduce them to our wines, and this event hit the mark,” she said.

If you missed this event, fear not. Lava Cap Winery is hosting the next “Sip Wine and Paint

a Masterpiece” session, Balloons over Vineyards, on Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 12:30 to 3:30pm. Register today at www.creativejuicesevents.com.