Holiday Roast Recipes and pairings

One of the best parts of the holiday season is the time spent with loved ones. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, there is no denying that December is a great time for holiday roasts and gathering 'round with friends and family to break bread together. Here are two holiday roast recipes with wine pairings for you to try at your next dinner party.

Rosemary Crusted Prime Rib

Ingredients

One 12 pound prime rib
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons salt

Serves about ten

• Place the prime rib in a roasting pan and season it generously with the rosemary, salt and pepper. Leave it loosely wrapped in butcher's paper and let it sit until it is near room temperature. This will ensure that the prime rib will cook more evenly.
• Preheat the oven to 450°. Roast the meat for 15...

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Napa Valley 2015 Harvest Report

2015 is the fourth hot, dry year in a row here in California and it looks as though it is going to gift us with another excellent crop of fruit. The spring started out cool, with a long and slow flowering period. Fruit set was poor as a result, and uneven grape clusters were not uncommon throughout vineyards in Napa Valley. Things picked up with summer turning out to be the warmest in about seven years. The summer heat sped up the ripening process, leading 2015 to be one of the earliest harvests on record. Grapes for sparkling wine were picked as early as July 22nd with most growers having harvested the last of their grapes by the second week of October. To put this in to perspective, that is nearly three weeks early. Vintners typically pick their grapes well into...

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Which came first, the city or the wine? Did Napa Valley make the wine, or did the wine make Napa Valley? Napa Valley, known for it's wine, is one of the most popular places for people to visit on the earth. It is one of the most premier wine regions in the whole world, that is quite an impact. You might as well say it is #1 on tourist destinations, or close to it.

Lets get into some of the history of Napa Valley, California. You might all remember this area as being close to San Francisco during the hippie days. If you are too young to remember, it was a very happening spot back in the late 60's, and it still is. Only the locals knew about the wine until it gained world fame in 1976. This happened when it rose to 1st place, in the ranking of wine...

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