Sarah Swistak from WTAJ’s Central PA Live television show was joined once again by winery manager, Jinx Proch, and Tony Sapia from Gemelli Bakers to talk about the upcoming wine and pizza pairing event at the winery.  Jinx brought two wines to the set, Pinot Grigio and Tailgate Red, and Tony brought three different fresh-baked pizzas to go with them.

What follows is a transcription of the interview:

Sarah:  Traditionally Kentucky Derby parties are all sophisticated southern food but it doens’t have to be that way and here to show us how is Jinx Proch from Mt. Nittany Vineyard & Winery along Tony Sapia from Gemelli Bakers. They’re going to show us how to pair delicious pizza (which smell so good) with wines from Mt. Nittany Winery. Gentleman, welcome. This is all part of a great event that’s coming up, right?

Jinx:  Yes, a week from tomorrow we are having our second annual wine and pizza pairing. We are setting out to challenge the notion that beer is the beverage of choice to match with pizza. We’d like people to experiment and experience wines with pizza. What we do is you have an opportunity to taste three different pizzas prepared by Tony’s gang and we’ll have six different wines that you’ll be able to
sample and mix and match and see what goes together well. I’m sure folks will come up with pairings that they really like.

Sarah:  Before we dive into the tasting, what are some good rules of thumb when you’re thinking about pairing wine with pizza? Are there certain ingredients or elements that you should be looking out for?

Jinx:  Pizza will typically have cheese and any just about any cheese and wine combination can work, but if you have a cheese that has a higher fat content, wine with a higher acidity will help cut through the fat. One example we have here is a Pinot Grigio that has a higher acidity and so that should work well.  And there’s a pizza here that has a little sweetness to it  and we have a wine here that has some fruitiness, our Tailgate Red, that should pair well with this.

Sarah:  There’s a glass for every slice. Okay, Tony you hop in here. You tell us what’s going on – it looks delicious.

Tony:  We have pesto with white beans and zucchini, Eggplant Caponata which is my grandmother’s secret recipe that she brought over from Sicily, and our Margherita pizza – our version of plain – which is made from imported tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. What’s great about pizza is it makes for a great appetizer for an small, impromptu gathering, and you pair it with wine and it’s out of this world – you have an instant party.

Sarah:  Yes, if we take small slices here it would make for a great appetizer.  And what goes on this again?

Tony:  That’s white bean pesto with basil, pine nuts and sliced zucchini.

Sarah:  That’s delicious. You wouldn’t think beans and pizza, but it goes together quite well. And this is best paired with, what did you suggest, Jinx?

Jinx:  Well, let’s try the Pinot Grigio. It’s a lighter white and why not pair an Italian-styled wine with an Italian pizza.

Sarah:  Okay, we have about 30 seconds and I do want to miss anything. What is in this second pizza again?

Tony:  This is Eggplant Caponato.

Jinx:  And this goes well with Tailgate Red, a chill-able red wine which is our most popular red, and has some fruitiness.

Sarah:  Well, gentleman, this is fantastic. And how much pizza and wine do they get to try at the actual event?

Jinx:  Three different pizzas, six different wines, $12 a person, you need to make reservations. Call the winery at (814) 466-6373. There are three seatings next Saturday. Two of them are already sold out so don’t delay.

Sarah:  And we’ll have all of that information posted on our website – www.centralpatv.com. Thanks fo much, gentleman, for joining us.

What better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with a pitcher of Sangria!  There are many recipes out there – this one is pretty easy and doesn’t require exotic ingredients.  It’s adapted from a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated (my favorite cooking magazine).  

This recipe is thought of as “the best” because it is supposed to be authentically Spanish.  It serves four, so you may want to double or triple for your party.  Although the prep time is only about 15 minutes, you should chill for a minimum of 2 and up to 8 hours.  The longer sangria sits before drinking, the more smooth and mellow it will taste.

Ingredients:

2 large juice oranges, washed; one orange sliced; remaining orange juiced
1 large lemon, washed and sliced
1/4 cup granulated white sugar (superfine is best)
1/4 cup Triple Sec
1 (750 ml.) bottle MNV&W Tailgate Red, chilled

1. Add sliced orange and lemon and sugar to large pitcher; mash gently with wooden
spoon until fruit releases some juice, but is not totally crushed, and sugar dissolves,
about 1 minute. Stir in orange juice, Triple Sec, and wine; refrigerate for at least 2,
and up to 8, hours.

2. Before serving, add 6 to 8 ice cubes and stir briskly to distribute settled fruit and
pulp; serve immediately.

If you’ve been to the winery lately, you may have seen owners Joe and Betty Carroll out in the vineyard with their pruning shears. Assisted by winery staff, Jinx Proch, Jeff Proch, and Sandy Alexander, they are attempting to stay on top of the seasonal requirements for grape pruning that will set the stage for the quality and quantity of this year’s grape production. This task has been a challenging one thus far given the early warm weather, which led to an early bud break.

Grapevine pruning is a year round activity at the winery. During the winter and early spring as the weather allows, our staff engages in vine pruning and tying up. Pruning involves reshaping the vines and tying up entails attaching them to the trellises for support.  Ideally, this job should be completed before bud break (to minimize damage to buds) and usually occurs between mid-April and early May. This year’s unseasonally warm temperatures have caused us to step up our schedule and our staff has been out in the vineyard at every opportunity trying to keep ahead of the game.  With an early bud break, this is always the chance of a damaging frost, but we are hopeful that the early warm weather will mean a longer growing season for us here in Central Pennsylvania and that the 2012 vintage will produce superb wines.

Vignoles is a white grape that is similar to Riesling and can be made into simple semi-dry country wines, or complex, sweet, late harvest wines. This cake features the Vignoles grape and is provided to us by Natalie Proch, wife of Jinx (winery manager).

NATALIE’S VIGNOLES CAKE

  Ingredients:

 1 white, yellow or coconut cake mix

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 1/3 cup Mt. Nittany Winery Vignoles wine

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease round (or bundt) cake very well and lightly flour.  Blend cake mix, oil, eggs and wine in a large mixing bowl until moistened (about 30 seconds).  Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake immediately.  Bake for approximately 40 minutes, testing for doneness with a toothpick.  Let pan cool on rack for 15 minutes, loosen around edges with knife or spatula, and knock pan on bottom and sides to loosen.  Remove cake from pan and let cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

As part of the celebration of our local wine trail, Mount Nittany Winery is offering special wine and food pairings during the five weekends in March.  This past weekend we enjoyed a Mediterranean theme.  This weekend coming up, we will feature local food products, including cheese from Clover Creek Cheese Cellar, gourmet crackers from Rip Rap Bakery, and Cooke Tavern potato soup in honor of St. Patrick’s day!

Be sure to try our recipes from this past weekend:

   SPANISH MEATBALLS          (So easy to make – think tailgate fare!)                                                         

Ingredients:

1 pkg. frozen meatballs
1 can tomato soup
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can beef broth
1 can sliced black olives
3 chopped green peppers
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup Nittany Mountain Red wine

  Mix all together in a crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

  SPANISH MARINATED OLIVES           (Tapas made easy – serve with Tailgate Red!)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Assorted imported olives
8 cloves garlic, sliced
½ orange, zest of, cut into ½” julienne
½ lemon, zest of, cut into ½” julienne
1 tbs. fresh rosemary
3 tbs. Fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. Red pepper flakes
4 tbs. olive oil

  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and marinate at room temperature at least 24 hr.

Sarah Swistak from WTAJ’s Central PA Live television show was joined once again by winery manager, Jinx Proch, to talk about the upcoming Wine & Chocolate Pairing event at the winery. Jinx brought three wines to the set, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Nittany Mountain White, and Raspberry, which he paired with three different chocolates from Chocolate Madness. 

In what follows, Jinx leads Sarah through a wine and chocolate pairing. 

Sarah: Mt. Nittany Winery has a great event going on this weekend that is perfect for you and your honey. Jinx, tell us what’s going on.

Jinx: This Saturday and Sunday, we’re going to be pairing wine and chocolates. We’re having reservations available
from 12 noon to 5pm on Saturday and 12:30 – 4:00 pm on Sunday. You can taste up to six wines and all of them are going to be paired with chocolates from Chocolate Madness.

Sarah: You said this is by far your most popular event.  You expect as many as 900 people to make reservations for this so, if you want to go, it’s important that you get your name on the list.

Jinx: Yes, we still have some openings.  So give us a call at the winery at (814) 466-6373 and you can get a reservation slot on Saturday or Sunday and enjoy some of these tastings.

Sarah: Speaking of enjoying, let’s dive right in here – where do we start?

Jinx: First of all some general wine and chocolate pairing fundamentals, you always want to have the wine sweeter than the chocolate and that’s hard to do because wines typically aren’t that sweet, but they do have fruit so you’ll have the perception of sweetness from the fruit in the wine. The classic pairing is red wines and dark chocolates – dark chocolates aren’t that sweet. We have a dry red paired with a dark chocolate and then we’ll go down the line, getting sweeter as we go.

Up first is our Cabernet Sauvignon paired with a Creme Brulee Truffle from Chocolate Madness. First what you want to do it taste the chocolate and let it coat you mouth, and then taste the wine and let them work together.

Sarah: That is very good, very good pairing. I like the sweetness of the toffee on the top.

Jinx: Up next we have our Nittany Mountain White which is our most popular white wine. We have this paired with a Key Lime Truffle. This wine has a citrus appeal to it – aromas and tastes – and the key lime obviously is citrusy and the two go together so well – my wife’s favorite combination. The wine followed after the chocolate make the tastes explode in your mouth.

Sarah: You’re right the fruitiness of both play off each other.

Jinx: The last chocolate is a White Chocolate Lion Medalion. It has some vanilla flavors and we’re pairing this with our Raspberry Wine made from pure raspberries – this is dessert!  Chocolate Madness does a wonderful job – their products are great. They closed their store downtown but they have an online presence at www.chocolatemadness.etsy.com. So you can still get their chocolates, and ofcourse owner Paul will be at the event and he will have his chocolates for sale.

Sarah: That raspberry is very good and very refreshing. So once again, the Wine and Chocolate Pairing event is coming up this weekend at the Mt. Nittany Winery in Centre Hall. The cost is $4.50 and reservations are required.  As an added bonus, you guys have two recipes on your website using your wine to make a Sparkling Cabernet Cocktail and a Chocolate Red Wine Cake. We will have those recipes linked on our website, so if you’re feeling adventurous, you can try your hand at making these at home.

Sarah Swistak from WTAJ’s Central PA Live television show was joined once again by winery manager, Jinx Proch, to talk about deals for holiday wines this season. Jinx brought a variety of wines to the set, including ’09 Merlot, Rock Hill Red and Spiced Apple. They also discussed the Winery’s “Mulled Wine & Gingerbread” Open House on December 17 & 18, which featured all of the wines that were brought for this segment.

What follows is the commentary of Jinx Proch, manager of Mt. Nittany Winery.

“Today, we are going to be tasting mulled wines. Mulled wines are heated wines – typically they have some spices added to them, typically some sugar as well. They are great served warm for a holiday gathering, good with dessert or after dessert by themselves. We have spice packets that we sell that you can add to the wine – we have a couple wines here that we’ve done that with. We also sell our Spiced Apple wine that is already spiced in the bottle so that you don’t have to do anything other than heat it. I should mention that when you heat these wines, you don’t want to boil them. If you boil them, that will evaporate the alchohol. You can heat them several different ways, either in a microwave or a crock pot, or on the stove. The alchohol will boil off if the temperature is above about 180 degrees farenheit, so you’ll want to make sure that your heating temperature is below this.

Up first, we have our Merlot and this has been spiced.The wines we’re trying will be getting increasingly sweeter. The heat is going to allow the aromas to really roll off of this. You’ll need an insulator or something similar to a coffee cup to taste out of. Enjoy these spices that are coming off of these as you taste. This bottle of Melot is spiced with two or three of our spice packets and then if you want to add sugar, you can. This did not have more sugar added to it. You should get the taste of the cinnamon and cloves and I get some orange out of this.

Next we have our Rock Hill Red. This is named after the Rock Hill School in Linden Hall which was recently restored – just down the hill from the winery. This is also spiced with our spice packets which cost 75 cents. This is sweeter and has been flavored with 2 spice packets plus about one tablespoon of sugar per bottle. I tell people to sweeten to taste. Throw in a tablespoon of sugar, and if you want it sweeter, add more.

The last one is the sweetest of all – the Spiced Apple. This is a wine that we spice in the bottle, so there are cloves and cinnamon already built into this and a great apple flavor and taste. So this will be great with apple pie, ice cream, or by itself. Also good with gingerbread or any other cookies.”