Still Fascinated with Pears

 

 Still Fascinated with Pears
We have a new favorite appetizer, which features
Cardamom Pear Butter.   What is splendid about this
appetizer is that the "butter" is really a thick puree of fruit,
which pairs beautifully with sharp cheeses or cream cheese.
AND Rieslings.

You know how pears sometimes have a granular texture?
Somehow that makes me think of Rieslings and the minerality
that seem inherent in good ones.  If you are lucky enough to have
access to a pear tree, here are two recipes to try.

Cardamom Pear Butter
Pair with sharp Cheddar Cheese and crackers &
Johnson Estate Freelings Creek Semi-Dry Riesling

Orange Pear Butter
Pair with cream cheese or cheesecake &
Johnson Estate's Cream Sherry

 

 

 

 

September's Pairings:



A Pair of Pear Sorbets
Pear and grape seasons coincide here at Johnson Estate -
and we have four kinds of pears, including small Seckel pears. 
These sorbets take advantage of our wines AND our pears. 
Both are delicious served as dessert
and both would be nice with a gingersnap cookie or spice cake.

Pear and Riesling Sorbet
Made with Johnson Estate Freelings Creek Semi-Dry or Sweet Riesling
Pear and Red Wine Sorbet
Made with Johnson Estate Chautauqua Rouge

New Year's Resolution Just in Time for Spring

Is late March too late in the year to have a New Year's Resolution?  Here's one, then:  "To not abandon this blog for ten months again!"

Frozen Oregano, March 2012 & the Herb Garden Below

What a difference a year makes.  Last year, at this time, we'd had a flush of warm weather and vineyard owners, like Fred, were sweating each and every cold spell, fearing the worst.  And in fact, the cold frosts of the spring of 2012 were particularly devastating to growers of labruscan, or American, grapes such as Concord, Ives, and Niagara.  Some growers literally had no grapes to pick.

At Johnson Estate, thanks to a diversification of grapes - we have eleven different varieties of three different types (labruscan, French-hybrid, and vinifera) - we were spared wide-spread damage in the vineyards.  Yes, the Concord and Ives yields were down, BUT miraculously and unexpectedly, the French-hybrid and vinifera vineyards fared much better with good quality, well-ripened fruit.  Our Chambourin did get hit with a late summer hailstorm which shredded the leaves and reduced the crop for our ice wine, but we were very grateful for the overall quality of the 2012 harvest.

And what about this year? 
Well, it's cold and so far, the only plants daring to "green-up" are the daffodils. Otherwise, as of March 15th, it looked like this in the vineyard, with the vines just mid-winter twigs with no sign of green tips or buds.  Here are the guys at the end of the winter's pruning in the Riesling vineyards: