Skip to main content

Leftover Chinese Food, a Hotel Room, and a Plastic Cup of Peju #MerlotMe #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf Peju Winery, one of the #MerlotMe event sponsors.
Complimentary wine was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.
However, all opinions expressed here are my own.

As a food blogger, a huge number of our meals are photo ready and paired with wine. But not always. Sometimes, I'm sitting in a hotel, eating cold leftover Chinese food from lunch, and drinking wine from a plastic cup. At least it was good wine!


We had spent nearly twelve hours at a robotics competition. The robot was broken. 


The boys were working on the code for the following day. I just wanted to take a shower and read a book.


But I was grateful for the bottle of Merlot that Peju Winery had sent me for #MerlotMe. Though this is a California winery, it was completely new to me. And I was happy to make its acquaintance.

Peju was started by Tony and Herta Peju in the early 80s with a laser focus on being sustainable and environmentally conscious across all five of their estates. Over three decades later, that meticulous care is still in force. In fact, the Peju daughters, Lisa and Ariana, are poised to take the reins in the near future.

Peju's Rutherford Estate, in Napa Valley, is a certified organic vineyard and produces primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The Persephone Ranch, the Pope Valley, is sustainably farmed and grows Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. This 2014 Merlot is comprised of a 97% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc from both of those vineyards.

This is an elegant wine. And, despite my horrible drinking vessel, the wine felt deliciously decadent and complex. With bright aromas of red fruits, its taste leaned more towards a chocolate mousse with a silky mouthfeel and hints of spice. Delicious! And at a suggested retail price of $42, it falls somewhere between an everyday bottle and a fancy dinner bottle.

I'll be honest: it wasn't bad with the fish and black bean sauce and veggie chow mein I was eating while sitting cross-legged on the bed. I'll definitely be tracking down another bottle soon and pairing it with a home-cooked meal. I'm picturing a rib-eye and mushroom risotto or something with a similar flavor profile. Stay tuned.

Find Peju Winery
on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram
*Disclosure: I received compensation in the form of wine samples for recipe development and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizer and sponsors of this event.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce