Cupcakes aren’t typically paired with wine, but if you like smooth wines with a hint of sweetness as I do; you may also like Cupcake Vineyard wines.
I’ve previously written about the Cupcake Red Velvet (a luscious red blend) and Cupcake Chardonnay. Cupcake’s newest addition is called Angel Food and won a gold medal at the recent San Francisco Chronicle wine competition. Angel Food is a Chardonnay-based blend; soft and fruity with a lemon-cream finish and is “heavenly paired with white cheddar fondue, pancetta wrapped figs or simply as an aperitif.”
Cupcake wines can be found at Safeway and Nob Hill for $9.
Local Winery Buzz
My recent visit with Thomas and Karen Kruse, owners of Gilroy’s Thomas Kruse winery, made me remember Maya Angelou’s famous quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Spending time with Tom and Karen is as comfortable as visiting your favorite relatives in the country.
What first struck me about Tom is how delighted he was to educate me about his wines. Tom started our interview in his vineyard where he could show me how his vines are trained to a quadrilateral system – a trellis system where four cordons (arms) are trained to grow. He explained that although other vineyards sometimes use a bi-lateral (two-armed) or head-pruned systems (vines not tied to a trellis system), his quadrilateral trellising maximizes production of buds (and therefore more grapes) and allows the leaves, which act as solar panels, to absorb more sunlight.
My crash course in vineyard management continued as Tom talked about rootstocks, the devastating phylloxera louse and how European and American winemakers work together to cultivate healthy vines.
We moved into Tom’s house, adjacent from his wine-tasting room and vineyards, where every window affords a view of something to admire – whether the vineyard, a magnificent oak tree or rolling hills in the distance. Tom poured me a glass of his estate bottled, late harvest Zinfandel that I immensely enjoyed. Karen Kruse joined in on the conversation and when Tom was called away for a phone call, proudly talked about their eight grandchildren.
Tom grew up in Chicago and majored in literature at Northwestern University. In the summer before his senior year, Tom came to California to visit his older brother and never left. Tom bought a half ton of grapes and made his first barrel of wine in 1963. By luck, his first batch was remarkably good and for a few months he and all his friends enjoyed some very tasty wine. But, by March and unbeknownst to the fledgling winemaker, oxidation had set in and Tom was forced to throw a considerable amount away.
By 1971, Tom had learned much about wine making and bought an existing vineyard off Hecker Pass in Gilroy. In 1997, Tom and Karen purchased another vineyard a couple of miles from the Gilroy Outlets, with six planted acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and two acres each of Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Merlot. Their bestseller is an inexpensive blend, Claire’s Field Red Table Wine, which sells out every year.
Tom is passionate about providing a good experience for his visitors where they are treated well, have learned something and where they can enjoy good, reasonably priced wine.
“I want people to leave with the feeling that they got their money’s worth at a nice place,” he said.
Currently in his fifth term (non-consecutive) as president of the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley, Tom is working with the county to create more winery-friendly regulations.
Thomas Kruse Winery, 3200 Dryden Ave. in Gilroy, is open from noon until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (they are closed on major holidays) and wine-tasting is free.
As I drove home, I thought about all I had learned, the delicious glass of wine and most of all, the great feeling I had after my visit – knowing that I more than “got my money’s worth at a very nice place.”
Red Wine Pan Sauce
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 shallot minced
• 3/4 c. chicken broth
• 1/2 c. red wine
• 1-2 tsp. brown sugar
• 3 T. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• Salt/pepper to taste
After pan frying any red meat in a non-stick pan, heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and cook until softened (about 2 minutes). Stir in broth, wine and brown sugar, scraping up any brown bits on bottom of pan. Simmer until thickened.
Finish by whisking in cold butter one piece at a time. Off heat, stir in thyme, salt and pepper. Serve over, on and with meat.
